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Hurricane Ida And COVID-19 Impact College Football Betting Odds In 2021-22

Oklahoma Sooners odds vs. Tulane Hurricane Ida
  • Oklahoma vs. Tulane Game Rescheduled From New Orleans To OK
  • COVID-19 Forfeitures Counted As A Loss In 2021-22

Hurricane Ida’s Impact On Oklahoma vs. Tulane

Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on the 16th anniversary of Katrina, with winds reaching as high as 160 miles per hour.

While the area is still in the process of evaluating the damage from Ida, NCAAF officials are busy making preparations for the onset of the College Football season and ensuring that venues are able to host contests this weekend.

Once major NCAAF game is being moved from New Orleans, LA to Norman, Oklahoma – the OU Sooners vs. the Tulane Green Wave.

The Oklahoma Sooners enter the 2021-22 season as the #2 overall ranked team in the nation and have their eyes set on a Big 12 title and run at the National Championship in the CFP.

Tulane Green Wave @ Oklahoma Sooners (#2)

  • Point Spread: OK -31.0
  • Moneyline: n/a
  • Over/Under: 68.5

College football point spreads for the Tulane vs. Oklahoma game this Saturday have fluctuated at online NCAAF sports betting sites, ranging from 8 to 11 points in the Sooners’ direction depending on where you look.

While the variance between a 21 and a 31 point win is the difference between a sound victory and a butt whipping, in the realm of sports betting, it can mean a win or a loss.

Gamblers that wagered prior to Hurricane Ida on Tulane to cover the spread are now faced with a 10-point penalty due to their haste in approaching the betting window.

Oklahoma Sooners’ spread bettors, however, are in a much-improved position than pre-Ida as OK only needs to win by three touchdowns and not 31+ points to secure a win.

Now that the spread has been set north of 30, NCAAF moneylines for Tulane vs. Oklahoma have been removed from the boards. The early odds were set at +800 for Tulane and -1250 for Oklahoma, but the main online sportsbooks that we frequent are no longer accepting bets on straight winners.

The Oklahoma Sooners are currently favored to win the Big 12, and are the 5th most likely team to win the National Championship according to the College Football Playoff betting odds.

2021-22 NCAAF COVID-19 Policies

During the 2020-21 College Football season, rules were in place to attempt to make up any games that were canceled due to COVID-19. If rescheduling the game was not feasible, then neither team’s record was affected.

This season, all Power Five Conferences have agreed that if any team cannot participate in a given game because of COVID-19, then that program will receive a loss while the other earns a notch in the win column.

While this does allow for the show to go on with minimal scheduling disruptions, it also opens the door to impact College Football Playoff betting and which teams are able to qualify.

We’re not suggesting that a lousy team can forfeit their way to the top – although that is within the realm of possibility. What can happen is, a major NCAAF program can lose a key game via a COVID-19 forfeit and miss out on their Conference Championship Game or another decisive contest.

According to these stipulations, a COVID-19 scenario could hand another team the National Championship without competing for it if one of the teams suffers an outbreak. That will certainly cause a ripple in all lines for betting on the CFP Championship game.

NCAAF oddsmakers will need to dig a little deeper and learn aspects of each major College Football program’s COVID-19 preparation techniques to make more accurate predictions this year, and bettors will need to factor that in as well.

Source ESPN, CBS Sports, Bovada, MyBookie, BetOnline

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