Big Ten Remains Strong In 10/6 National Championship Odds

While trying to predict what will happen in next year’s March madness remains an aimless exercise, new odds have been released by Bovada for which team will win the national championship heading into the 2016-17 college basketball season. Vegas always has an interesting perspective and this list is no different.

The Big Ten found itself well represented with several of the top contenders coming out of the Big Ten, including three of the prime contenders. Obviously, that speaks to just how exciting this season should be for Big Ten fans.

Here’s a full look at the Big Ten teams listed below.

Big Ten Teams In 10/6 National Title Odds:

• 16/1 - Michigan State, Wisconsin
• 25/1 - Indiana
• 50/1 - Maryland, Purdue
• 66/1 - Michigan
• 100/1 - Iowa
• 150/1 - Ohio State
• 300/1 - Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska
• 500/1 - Penn State

There certainly was nothing surprising about seeing Michigan State and Wisconsin so high, but how some of the teams placed is rather intriguing. In particular, seeing Maryland with identical odds to Purdue seems like a bold statement on how the Terps will perform this season.

While I have the Terps ranked fifth in my way too early Big Ten power rankings (just behind Purdue), the gap between Maryland and the very top teams seems significant to me. Purdue figures to be a prime contender for the Big Ten title and I can’t agree with how they fell in these title odds.

Some of the positioning of the lower ranked teams was also interesting. Michigan being so high above Iowa and Ohio State seemed questionable and Nebraska above Penn State just seemed wrong. Of course, these likely won’t matter as all of these teams have slim odds.

It should be a fun season and if these odds are any indication, it looks like a tight and unpredictable race across the Big Ten this season.