The Associated Press Top 25 poll was released Saturday, and professional handicappers will notice some big differences between the order found in the rankings and what's being found on the odds boards in Las Vegas sports books.
Oklahoma grabs the top spot for the 10th time in program history and is also the betting favorite across the board (+410). The Sooners received 36 of 60 first-place votes, and head coach Bob Stoops is in the driver's seat to reach the 2012 BCS Championship game at the Louisiana Superdome on Monday, Jan. 9, 2012.
The oddsmakers also agree on the No. 2 spot, as the Alabama Crimson Tide (+604) lead a group of eight Southeastern Conference schools to make the initial poll. Head coach Nick Saban returns for his fifth year in Tuscaloosa and will rely heavily on a defense that led the SEC in scoring defense (13.5 points per game) a year ago.
Oregon (+1183) grabs the No. 3 slot after losing last year's national championship game to Auburn, but the lines maker has No. 6 Florida State (+1021) as the third choice in terms of betting.
One of the main reasons for this difference is ...
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