Baylor’s title odds continue to drop
Once viewed by oddsmakers as a legit contender for the national championship in 2017, Baylor’s odds have plummeted since the opening lines were released.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Bears opened with 12/1 odds to win college football’s national championship in 2017. But since Baylor announced the firing of head coach Art Briles in late May, the Bears’ odds to win a title next season have plummeted to 45/1.
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As of last week, Baylor was still 35/1 but interim head coach Jim Grobe announced that sophomore quarterback Jarrett Stidham was transferring after he didn’t want to back up Seth Russell. The team still has freshman QB Zach Smith on its roster, but Stidham was a great fallback option in case Russell didn’t fully recover after he broke a bone in his neck in a win over Iowa State that required season-ending surgery last year.
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For sake of comparison, those 12/1 odds that the Bears opened with would have put them ahead of fellow contenders Florida State (15/1), LSU (15/1), Notre Dame (15/1) and Tennessee (15/1) in terms of the opening lines. But at 45/1, Baylor now has worse odds than TCU (40/1), Oregon (40/1) and Michigan State (40/1).
The Bears must also overcome the losses of wide receiver Corey Coleman (first round), cornerback Xavien Howard (second round), and defensive tackle Andrew Billings (fourth round), whom were all drafted to the NFL in April.