Pamela Maldonado Oct 27, 2026, 06:40 AM ET

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Pamela Maldonado is a sports betting analyst for ESPN.

We usually talk about the College Football Playoff, the national title race and the Heisman Trophy for this piece, but I want to take this in a different direction this week.

A couple of those conversations are getting repetitive. For now, Jeremiah Smith is still the Heisman favorite, while the national title odds have the usual suspects up at the top like last week: Notre Dame , Miami and Ohio State .

So let's look beyond the usual names: Boise State, New Mexico, Oregon State, UTSA and Louisiana Tech. Why them?

All five have only lost to Power Four opponents, and they are making a case as possible playoff contenders. That gets my attention, but it doesn't automatically get my money.

Here's where the teams (and their prices) separate.

Odds by DraftKings and subject to change.

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