Betting College Basketball Conference Futures

College basketball betting fans who waited several weeks before plunging into conference future book wagering waters, now have a better idea of which teams are contenders and which are pretenders in a half-dozen major loops that begin league play at the end of this month or in early January. Unfortunately for gamblers, bookmakers also now have that enhanced knowledge.

Let's look at these six conferences and analyze the changes that have occurred since future book prices first were posted in early October:

Big East: Villanova remains unchanged as the +285 favorite (bet $100 to win $285) to capture the conference's post-season showdown and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in March but Syracuse is making a move on the Wildcats. The Orange, which opened at +1000, were down to +300 by the end of November on the strength of a 7-0 straight up (SU) record that includes wins over defending national champion North Carolina as well as another top 25 team, California. The Orange also is 5-1 against the spread (ATS). Villanova also was 7-0 SU through November and 4-1 ATS.

Aside from Syracuse, the remainder of the Big East has had little movement, with West Virginia at +350, Louisville at +400, Connecticut at +450, and Notre Dame at +500 all contenders in a very competitive league.

ACC: Not much of a surprise here with North Carolina a smidge less attractive at +175 than its opening +200 and Duke holding steady at +250. The Tar Heels are young so even though they lost to Syracuse, the feeling is they'll be a handful by the time the ACC tournament rolls around in three months.

Among the other teams, Florida State, Wake Forest and Miami are being offered at odds significantly larger than their opening numbers while prices have been slashed on Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech finished November 4-1 SU (2-1 ATS) with its only loss coming to Dayton, a team picked as high as No. 17 in one pre-season poll.

Big Ten: Although the Spartans already have lost two games, the future book price on Michigan State remains unchanged at +175 to win the league championship tournament. Unbeaten (6-0) Purdue, which has beaten Tennessee and Wake Forest and is 4-2 ATS, is the narrow +200 second choice with Ohio State and Michigan still at +500.

Big 12: Through the first few days of December, nothing has changed in the Big 12 since numbers first were posted in the second week of October. That means that top ranked Kansas still is an overwhelming -250 favorite (bet $250 to win $100) to capture the conference title. The Jayhawks have won their first six games by an average of 37 points per game and are 2-1 ATS.

Texas, the +250 second choice, also was undefeated through early December, winning by an average of more than 24 points per game. The Longhorns were 5-1 ATS, too.

Texas A&M remains at +650 to win the Big 12 title. The Aggies have only a loss to highly regarded West Virginia as a mark on their record but are 5-0 against the pointspread.

Every other team in the Big 12 is a longshot, from Baylor and Oklahoma at +1000 to Colorado and Texas Tech at +5000.

PAC-10: There's been a big shakeup out west with Washington moving from a +500 co-third choice to a +150 favorite in the eight weeks since future book prices were posted. The Huskies, despite an overtime loss at Texas Tech, are 5-1 and look like the best of a very weak conference. At the same time, UCLA, the opening +250 favorite to cop conference laurels, has tumbled to +650. The Bruins were 2-4 through the opening days of December, including embarrassing losses to CS-Fullerton, Portland (by 27 points) and Long Beach State. Another perennial Pac-10 power, Arizona, is off to a sluggish 3-3 start.

SEC: Futures are divided by division in the SEC with Kentucky on top in the East and Mississippi State the team to beat in the West. Kentucky, which opened at -250, has eased to -125. The Wildcats are 7-0 but haven't played anyone. Tennessee, with only a one-point defeat to Purdue to spoil its season, is the second choice in the East, having been adjusted from +250 to +125.

Oddsmakers remain confident of Mississippi State, the West's +175 favorite, despite losses to Rider and Richmond. Ole Miss, +250, and Alabama, +300, are in the hunt.

Clearly, it's not too late for college basketball betting fans to make a wager or three on these conference championships.