NCAAF best bets: 2 college football conference futures

Believe it or not, the 2024 college football season is less than a month away. We can't wait for football to be back in our lives, and we're sure you all feel the same way. With fall camp about to get underway across the country, let's check out two conference title futures we're eyeing up for the upcoming season.

Oklahoma State Cowboys to win the Big 12 (+850 FanDuel )

In today's age of college football, retaining talent year over year is a nearly impossible task. The transfer portal causes massive roster turnover for even the top programs in the country, but Mike Gundy has done an incredible job at keeping his best players in Stillwater.

In 2024, Oklahoma State will return an incredible 21 of its 22 starters from last year's team that won eight of its last 10 games and reached the Big 12 title game. That level of chemistry can't be replicated. The Big 12 should be even easier to navigate this season with Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC. Utah enters the fold as the favorite to win the conference, but the Cowboys get the Utes at home in their fourth game of the year.

Ollie Gordon II returns after leading the nation with 1,732 rushing yards in 2023, and Oklahoma State has a veteran presence at quarterback with Alan Bowman entering his seventh season in college football. Gordon and Bowman will be operating behind an experienced offensive line, which is a luxury in 2024. A veteran team with a fantastic head coach in a weaker conference? At +850? Please and thank you.

Virginia Tech Hokies to win the ACC (+1200 DraftKings )

The ACC is a gettable conference this season with a few vulnerable favorites at the top. Florida State lost a ton of talent to the NFL and will be rolling with volatile transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, and Clemson isn't the same program it was a few years ago. That leaves room for a dark-horse contender such as Virginia Tech to steal the throne.

Virginia Tech found something last season in dual-threat QB Kyron Drones. The Baylor transfer put up 2,903 total yards and 22 total touchdowns since taking over the starting job in Week 3, and he'll form a dangerous backfield with running back Bhayshul Tuten. Drones will also be throwing to four of his top targets from last year, and the entire offensive line from 2023 is back in Blacksburg.

The Hokies avoided Florida State on their regular-season schedule, and their toughest game against Clemson is at home. We love Virginia Tech's upside with its returning talent and soft schedule.