The SEC is Underrated (in College Football Betting)

min read
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis (7) holds up the Governor's Cup trophy after his team defeated Louisville in an NCAA college football game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Clubb)
(AP Photo/Michael Clubb)
Andrew Doughty @DoughtyBetMGM Jan 17, 2023, 11:29 AM
  • Breakdown of conference records in non-conference games.
  • Big 12 and SEC teams have been dominating.
  • ACC and Mountain West teams are overrated.

Kentucky’s 13-point win over Louisville on Nov. 26 was the 15th and final SEC non-conference game against a Power Five opponent during the 2022 college football season. And it was the SEC’s ninth ATS win in those 15 games, a 60% cover rate that ranked second among the 10 FBS conferences.

Only the Big 12 was better.

SEC teams were even better against the spread in regular-season non-conference games against Group of Five opponents. They covered 64.8% of those opportunities, giving them an overall regular-season non-conference FBS cover rate of 63.4%.

Only the Big 12 was better.

The Big 12 and SEC were the most underrated conferences in college football betting in 2022. And the ACC and Mountain West were the most overrated conferences in 2022.

ConferenceATS Win Pct.P5 ATS Win Pct.
Big 12.727.900
SEC.634.600
Pac-12.577.455
Sun Belt.553.559
American.511.478
Big Ten.485.364
MAC.441.405
C-USA.429.333
ACC.415.286
MWC.389.313

The SEC was underrated in 2022, as it was in 2021, 2019, and 2018. (There were no SEC non-conference games in 2020.)

From 2018-22, the conference’s 14 teams collectively covered the spread in nearly 60% of all regular-season non-conference games against FBS teams. 

Only the Big 12 was better.

College Football Betting at the Online Sportsbook

BetMGM is the best online sportsbook for college football betting.

Whether you’re a first-time bettor browsing spreads for SEC games, a casual fan building a moneyline parlay for early Saturday games, or a longtime diehard tracking over/under trends in windy games, there’s something for everyone.

If you’re new to the online sportsbook, register today with a sportsbook welcome bonus. And check out sportsbook promos each time you log in.

BetMGM First Bet Offer $1,500
About the Author

Andrew Doughty

Read More @DoughtyBetMGM

Andrew Doughty is the Web Content Lead for BetMGM. A graduate of the University of Kansas, he previously wrote for Sports Illustrated and HERO Sports.

Andrew Doughty is the Web Content Lead for BetMGM. A graduate of the University of Kansas, he previously wrote for Sports Illustrated and HERO Sports.