Which college football teams do bettors like entering the season?

Quarterbacks from Alabama and Ohio State were selected with the top two picks in the NFL draft. Georgia must replace a sixth-year senior at the QB position.

Southern California doesn’t have that problem with Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams returning, and bettors are backing the Trojans ahead of the start of the college football season Aug. 26.

USC has attracted the largest handle and the highest ticket count in the national championship futures market, Westgate SuperBook vice president of risk Ed Salmons said.

The Trojans also represent one of the largest liabilities for Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito.

“I think with Lincoln Riley’s second year there, the fact that Caleb Williams is kind of touted as the Heisman favorite and projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, there’s a lot of hype surrounding Southern Cal,” Esposito said. “They’re a school for me that seems to be getting a lot of love from bettors.”

The SuperBook lists USC as the fifth choice to win the national title at 10-1, and Station Casinos’ sportsbooks have the same odds.

The Trojans, who went 11-3 and lost to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl last season, have a backloaded schedule with four preseason ranked teams in their final six games. But they host No. 14 Utah, No. 10 Washington and rival UCLA.

Williams also is back after he accounted for 52 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards of total offense in his first season at USC after transferring from Oklahoma.

“Unfortunately, they have to bring their defense back as well, and you’ve seen their defense,” Salmons said.

Auburn (300-1) represents the largest liability for the SuperBook, with bettors supporting Miami (100-1) and Washington (40-1). Sharp money also showed up on Penn State (16-1), Salmons said.

Georgia is the +225 favorite at the SuperBook to win its third consecutive title, with Alabama second at 7-1 and Big Ten rivals Michigan and Ohio State each at 8-1. Michigan, like USC, also returns an experienced quarterback in J.J. McCarthy.

“Michigan has come from a long way back from the COVID year when they had some horrendous losses to where they are now,” Salmons said. “It’s a team that has really moved up the power-rating charts.”

Esposito noted that bettors are going over the season win totals for Wake Forest (6½, +110) and Louisville (8, -130). The public smashed over 3½ wins for Colorado and first-year coach Deion Sanders early, but interest seemed to cool with the Buffaloes sitting as 20½-point underdogs at Texas Christian in the Sept. 2 opener.

“I don’t think it’s a transition that’s going to happen overnight,” Esposito said of Colorado’s rebuild.

Williams is the +350 favorite at the SuperBook at +375 at Station to win his second straight Heisman Trophy.

Esposito has significant exposure on Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. After opening at 175-1, sharp money pushed Bowers’ odds down to 50-1 at Station. The last tight end to win the award was Notre Dame’s Leon Hart in 1949.

UNLV is 20-1 at the SuperBook to win the Mountain West championship and has a regular-season win total of 5½, with the over a -150 favorite.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.