In the preseason, everyone focuses on odds to win the national title and over/under win totals for each team's season. There is also money to be made by using underdog picks to win each conference.
Most conferences seem like slam dunks with clear favorites. But every season, there are some surprise winners, and that is where the money is to be made. Over the past three seasons, eight of the 27 conference winners have been by teams that carried 6-1 or greater odds to win the title (30 percent).
Here are my top 12 long-shot picks to win their conference titles this season.
Note: All odds are via Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of August 2.
AAC
Navy Midshipmen (8-1): The AAC West is up for grabs, and Navy hosts Memphis, which is working in a new quarterback, in Week 2. Navy is 18-6 in AAC play the past three years and could find itself in the AAC title game for the second time over that span.