College Football Preseason Rankings: Trends Every Bettor Should Know

The USA Today coaches' poll came out Thursday and the Oklahoma Sooners are expected to meet up with the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2012 BCS championship game.

With the departure of Heisman-winning quarterback Cameron Newton to the Carolina Panthers, defending national champion Auburn will start the season No. 19.

Vegas bookmakers have also placed the Sooners as the betting favorite and it's my job to give you the best betting trend for each top 25 team entering the season.

Let the games begin!

#1 Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners finished the 2010 season with a 12-2 overall record and 6-2 mark in Big 12 Conference play.

Fans in Norman expect national championships and have watched the Sooners win 36-straight games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium heading into this season.  The streak is currently the longest of its kind in college football.

Betting trend:  Oklahoma has covered six straight meetings against in-state rival Oklahoma State (Dec. 3).

#2 Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide failed to repeat as national champions last year and finished with a 10-3 overall record.  Head coach Nick Saban has amassed an impressive 43-11 record in his first four years in Tuscaloosa.

Saban does his best coaching when the team is up against the best teams in the country, posting a 14-5 record against top 25 teams.

Betting trend:  Alabama is 0-6 ATS before playing Tennessee, which makes a road game at Ole Miss an interesting item in Vegas (Oct. 15).

#3 Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks were just three points away from winning the school's first national title and bring back a total of 12 starters in hopes of returning to the championship game. 

Offensively, the team is likely to lead the nation in scoring for a second consecutive year, averaging 47.0 points per game in 2010.

Betting trend:  The home team is 0-5 ATS in the last five installments of the Civil War (Nov. 26).

#4 LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers finished 11-2 overall and 6-2 in the incredibly tough Southeastern Conference last year, with their only two losses coming on the road against Auburn and Arkansas.

Head coach Les Miles truly doesn't get the proper respect he deserves and has guided the program to 23 wins over top 25 competition in six years.

Betting trend:  LSU has won 44 of 48 nighttime games under Miles, but is just 18-13 in day games (Nov. 25 vs Arkansas).

#5 Florida State Seminoles

The Florida State Seminoles survived the first year without legendary coach Bobby Bowden and finished with a 10-4 record and 26-17 win over South Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Playing in the postseason is expected when you play in Tallahassee, as the school has made 29 straight bowl appearances, a figure that leads the nation.

Betting trend:  Florida State is 0-5 ATS when hosting NC State (Oct. 29).

#6 Stanford Cardinal

The Stanford Cardinal suffered one blemish on its resume last year, a 52-31 loss in Eugene to the eventual Pac-10 champion Oregon Ducks.

Junior quarterback Andrew Luck dissed the NFL to remain in Palo Alto and will be running a collegiate offense for the first time without Jim Harbaugh.

Betting trend:  Stanford is 14-5 ATS in its last 19 meetings with Washington State (Oct. 15).

#7 Boise State Broncos

The Boise State Broncos slipped up just once last year in hopes of reaching the BCS national championship game, dropping a 34-31 road contest to Nevada in overtime.

Since the 2000 season, no program in the nation has won more games than the boys from Boise, posting an astounding 80-5 record.

Betting trend:  Boise has moved from the WAC to the Mountain West Conference, which is a good thing for bettors with a 10-4 ATS mark against such opponents.

#8 Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Oklahoma State Cowboys enjoyed a dream 2010 campaign and set a school-record for wins in the process.  It also gained a share of the Big 12 South title.

One of the more surprising stats from last year was the team's 4-0 record away from Stillwater, which was the first of its kind since 1945.

Betting trend:  Oklahoma State may be in position to throttle Tulsa in a Week 3 matchup, as the Cowboys are 9-0 ATS as road favorites off back-to-back wins (Sept. 17).

#9 Texas A&M Aggies

The Texas A&M Aggies return 18 starters from a team that finished the 2010 season with a 9-4 overall mark and 6-2 conference record. 

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill made the faithful fans in College Station have a lot to scream about over a six-game winning streak, including wins over Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Betting trend:  Texas A&M is 0-6 ATS in its last six meetings against Arkansas (Oct. 1).

#10 Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers suffered a 21-19 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs in the Rose Bowl last year, finishing the season with an 11-2 record.

A bruising rushing attack returns with running backs Montee Ball and James White leading the way, as the duo combined for 2,048 yards last year.

Betting trend:  Wisconsin is 7-1 ATS as underdogs in the first game of back-to-back road contests, which signals a possible play against Michigan State (Oct. 22).

#11 Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Nebraska Cornhuskers left many rivalry behind in skipping out on the Big 12 and heading north to the Big 10 Conference. 

Running is still the name of the game in Lincoln, ranking ninth nationally last year in averaging 247.6 yards per game.

Betting trend:  A move to the Big Ten conference could be profitable for Nebraska alumni, posting a 15-7-1 ATS mark against such opponents.

#12 South Carolina Gamecocks

The 2011 season will mark South Carolina's 20th year in the Southeastern Conference and it's likely never been more anticipated in Columbia.

Head coach Steve Spurrier welcomes back 81 percent of the team's rushing yards and 100 percent of their passing yards.

Betting trend:  Looking ahead to its SEC opener against Georgia is certainly in the cards, which spells trouble due to the Gamecocks being 1-3 ATS in their last four meetings with East Carolina (Sept. 3).

#13 Virginia Tech Hokies

The Virginia Tech Hokies survived the humiliating loss to James Madison last year and finished with an 11-3 record and perfect 8-0 mark in ACC play.

Head coach Frank Beamer has taken this program to extreme heights and has averaged 9.7 wins a seasons over the last 18 years.

Betting trend:  Virginia Tech is 5-0 ATS in its last five meetings with Miami FL (Oct. 8).

#14 Arkansas Razorbacks

The Arkansas Razorbacks start life without star quarterback Ryan Mallett and will rely more on a running game led by junior Knile Davis.

Head coach Bobby Petrino will have to navigate his team through a schedule that includes teams that have won three of the last four national championships.  The program has posted a 7-14 record against such opponents.

Betting trend:  Petrino is 28-10-1 ATS when coaching at home in his collegiate career

#15 TCU Horned Frogs

The TCU Horned Frogs will spend one year in the Mountain West Conference before trying to make noise in the Big East in 2012.

With the departure of Andy Dalton to the Cincinnati Bengals, the squad will rely on a backfield that returns its top three rushers from a year ago.

Betting trend:  The visiting team in the Air Force-TCU series is 0-5 ATS in the last five meetings (Sept. 10).

#16 Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes said goodbye to 10-year head coach Jim Tressel and star quarterback Terrelle Pryor during the off-season.  NCAA infractions have been frequent around Columbus and probation is in the immediate future.

Luke Fickell has been named interim coach and will play at least five games without his top six point producers on offense and five of his top six tacklers from a year ago due to graduation or suspension.

Betting trend:  Ohio State is 6-0 ATS when playing with revenge and has its home game against Wisconsin marked on the schedule (Oct. 29).

#17 Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State weathered a heart attack from head coach Mark Dantonio and finished the 2010 season with an 11-2 overall record, including a 7-1 mark in Big Ten play.

Senior quarterback Kirk Cousins has tallied a 16-9 record in 25 career starts and already ranks as the programs' all-time leader in completion percentage (64.3) and passing efficiency rating (146.7).

Betting trend:  Michigan State has dropped four straight games against the number following a week off and will face rival Michigan in that situation on October 15.

#18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish finished their first year under head coach Brian Kelly with an 8-5 record, including four-straight wins to close out the season.

Plenty of experience returns in South Bend and a good start is possibly in the cards with three of the first games being played at Notre Dame Stadium.

Betting trend:  Playing the academies is no picnic, especially with Notre Dame's 0-10 ATS mark versus Navy when playing at home (Oct. 29).

#19 Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers continued the Southeastern Conference's dominance in winning the BCS championship game, coming away with a 22-19 win over the Oregon Ducks.

Life without Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cameron Newton is expected to be tough, but will likely start with a resounding victory against Utah State to open the season.

Betting trend:  Covering the number when hosting Alabama has not been a problem, as Auburn is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings, including 3-0 ATS at home (Nov. 26).

#20 Mississippi State Bulldogs

The Mississippi State Bulldogs were one of the surprise teams in college football last year and will now begin a crucial third year under head coach Dan Mullen.

Offensively, the team was explosive in producing 12 plays of 50 or more yards last season, but managed to rank 10th in conference by averaging just 29.0 points a game.

Betting trend:  Mississippi State is 3-11 ATS versus LSU overall and 1-8 ATS when playing host (Sept. 15).

#21 Missouri Tigers

The Missouri Tigers will start life without quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who left Columbia early for the NFL draft.  Nine-of-11 starters still return to an offensive unit that ranked 35th nationally in total offense.

Finishing with a 10-3 overall record last year was quite an accomplishment due to playing the ninth-toughest schedule in the nation.

Betting trend:  Missouri is 3-0 ATS when hosting Texas Tech (Nov. 19).

#22 Georgia Bulldogs

The Georgia Bulldogs suffered their first losing season under the direction of 10-year head coach Mark Richt in 2010.

Richt's .738 winning percentage over that span ranks him fourth among active coaches behind Bob Stoops, Gary Patterson and Joe Paterno.

Betting trend:  The rivalry against Georgia Tech has been nothing of the sort when concerning the spread, as Georgia is 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings in Atlanta (Nov. 26).

#23 Florida Gators

The Florida Gators begin life without two-time national champion head coach Urban Meyer, as former Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Will Muschamp takes over life in Gainesville.

Muschamp's arrival means that opposing quarterbacks should anticipate a lot of pressure this season, as the Gators managed just 21 sacks a year ago.

Betting trend:  Florida is 11-1-1 ATS as conference dogs and will likely have three opportunities to cash in, playing games at Auburn, LSU and South Carolina.

#24 Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns are not use to finishing seasons with a 5-7 record, but that's exactly what happened during the 2010 campaign.  Fans in Austin have been spoiled during the Mack Brown era, as he's accumulated a 133-34 record in 13 years.

It will be interesting to see how the defense reacts with defensive coordinator Will Muschamp's departure to Florida, as the unit combined for just eight interceptions last year, which caused a minus-12 turnover margin at season's end.

Betting trend:  Teams often fall flat after playing the biggest game of the season, but Texas has recorded a 6-0 ATS mark following Oklahoma the last six years (Oct. 15). 

#25 Penn State Nittany Lions

The Penn State Nittany Lions will be under the watchful eye of head coach Joe Paterno for a 46th season.  He has compiled a 401-135-3 all-time record while stationed in University Park.

Fans expect a quarterback controversy to be an ongoing issue throughout the season, as both Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin are capable options.

Betting trend:  Penn State is 4-1 ATS in its last five meetings against Nebraska (Nov. 12).