Betting Recap - Week 8
By Daniel Dobish
VegasInsider.com
College Football Week 8 Results
Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 42-14
Against the Spread 28-28
Home-Away
Straight Up 32-36
Against the Spread 33-23
Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 30-26
The largest underdogs to win straight up
Arizona State (+10, ML +300) at Utah, 30-10
Charlotte (+9.5, ML +300) vs. Alabama-Birmingham, 25-24 (OT)
Rutgers (+9.5, ML +280) vs. Purdue, 14-12
Pittsburgh (+9, ML +280) at Duke, 24-17
Boston College (+7, ML +220) at Virginia, 41-10
Iowa State (+6.5, ML +210) at Texas Tech, 31-13
Louisville (+6.5, ML +210) at Florida State, 31-28
The largest favorites to cover
Texas Christian (-37) vs. Kansas, 43-0
Alabama (-36.5) vs. Tennessee, 45-7
Wisconsin (-24) vs. Maryland, 38-13
Virginia Tech (-20) vs. North Carolina, 59-7
Auburn (-17) at Arkansas, 52-20
Ohio (-17) vs. Kent State, 48-3
Toledo (-15.5) vs. Akron, 48-21
Top 25 Notes
Wisconsin continues to fly a little bit under the radar, but they're 7-0 SU and a Top 5 team. They have alternated covers and non-covers in each outing this season. They picked up a 38-13 win against Maryland at home, their first cover over the past four games at Camp Randall. ... Notre Dame abused Southern California in South Bend in the shadows of 'Touchdown Jesus', winning 49-14 as four-point favorites. It was a battle of one-loss teams, and some tabbed the game as a playoff elimination game, with USC now having two losses and no chance at the four-team tournament. ... Texas Christian topped Kansas 43-0 as 37-point favorites, as the Horned Frogs were the largest favorite on the board to cover. For the first time this season they have covered in consecutive games.
Alabama remains the class of the country, rolling past another SEC foe. This time it was Tennessee taking the punch from the Tide, 45-7. The Tide slapped the brakes on an 0-2 ATS skid while improving to 2-3 ATS in five games at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The 'over' is 3-1 in Alabama's past four at home.
Michigan State topped Indiana by a 17-9 score, as the Spartans are proving that they're back. That's four in a row for Sparty, as they improved to 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS. They'll look to keep it going against Northwestern next week in a road game. The Wildcats picked up a big win against Iowa 17-10 in OT, moving to 4-3 SU/ATS. The Wildcats are now 4-1 ATS over their past five outings.
UCF posted their first 6-0 start in school history, topping Navy by a 31-21 score. The only thing that didn't go right was the Knights pushed on a 10-point line at most shops, their first non-cover of the season. UCF is now 5-0-1 ATS in six outings.
Miami-Florida earned another close win, topping giant killer Syracuse by a 27-19 count as 17 1/2-point favorites. After opening the season 3-1 ATS, the Hurricanes are 0-2 ATS over the past two outings while winning their past three games by an average of 4.3 PPG. The 'under' has connected in four in a row for Miami. Next up is a trip to North Carolina, and they'll be heavy favorites.
Big Five Conference Report
Boston College continues their bounce back season, as they rolled to a 41-10 win at Virginia for their second straight road victory. The Eagles have covered in five straight outings, too. ... Virginia Tech blasted UNC by a 59-7 count, as the Hokies are now 4-3 ATS. It was their first covered inside the conference in three tries. ... UNC slipped to 1-7 SU/ATS, as the injuries have been brutal for coach Larry Fedora's side. ... It's been a tale of two seasons for Duke, as they started 4-0 SU/ATS, but they have now gone 0-4 SU/0-3-1 ATS over the past four outings.
Rutgers surprised Purdue 14-12, winning their second consecutive game. Don't look now, but the Scarlet Knights are now 4-1 ATS over their past five outings. ... The Hawkeyes have dropped three of their past four, starting with their close call loss at home Sept. 23 against Penn State. Iowa is now just 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS in three games away from Iowa City this weekend. ... Speaking of Penn State, they completely dismantled Michigan by a 45-14 score. The Nittany Lions are now an impressive 5-1-1 ATS in seven outings this season.
Texas picked up another cover against favored Oklahoma State, but they came up short again. This time, they fell 13-10 to the Cowboys in overtime. Since their non-cover in Week 1, the Longhorns are 5-0-1 ATS over the past six outings, but they have just three wins in seven outings straight-up. The 'under' is 5-1 over the past six for Texas, too. ... Oklahoma held on for a 42-35 win at Kansas State, but they failed to cover for the fourth consecutive game. The 'over' is 4-1 in the past five for the Sooners. ... Baylor rallied for 23 points in the fourth quarter, losing 38-36 against West Virginia. The Bears picked up the backdoor cover, moving to 3-1 ATS over the past four.
Arizona State posted a 30-10 win at Utah for their second straight win outright as a double-digit underdog. They have covered four in a row, and the 'under' is now 6-1 for the Sun Devils overall. ... The talk about Oregon being back was a little premature, as they have now dropped three in a row. UCLA beat them 31-14, as the Ducks are now 0-3 SU/ATS over the past three outings. They have had a power outage on offense, too, averaging just 10.3 PPG. As such, the 'under' is 3-0 over the past three outings.
Mississippi State swatted Kentucky 45-7, winning for the second straight outing. The Bulldogs are 5-2 SU/ATS in seven games overall with the 'under' cashing in five of their seven. The 'under' has cashed in five of seven for Kentucky, too. ... Louisiana State has been on fire since their wake-up call loss to Troy on Sept. 30, winning three in a row. They rolled past Mississippi 40-24, covering in consecutive games for the first time this season. ... Missouri posted a 68-21 win over Idaho for their third consecutive cover and fourth straight 'over' result. The Tigers have yielded at least 21 points in all seven of their games this season.
Mid-Major Report
South Florida picked up the 34-28 win at Tulane, but it was their first non-cover in five games dating back to Sept. 2. (see bad beats below) ... East Carolina posted a 33-17 win against Brigham Young, their first victory since Sept. 24, and first overall at home this season. The Pirates entered 1-6 ATS in the first seven outings. ... Connecticut topped Tulsa 20-14, as the Huskies have won consecutive games for the first time this season. After opening 0-5 ATS in the first five outings, UConn is 2-0 ATS over the past two.
Florida Atlantic scored on their first 11 possessions, running past North Texas 69-31. Lane Kiffin's bunch improved to 4-3 SU, including 3-0 in Conference USA, and they have covered five of their past six. ... Texas-San Antonio won 20-7 over Rice for their first victory since Sept. 23. They have failed to cover in three in a row. ... The resurgence continues for Southern Mississippi, as they won at Louisiana Tech 34-27 in overtime. The Golden Eagles have won and covered three in a row, and USM is an impressive 6-1 ATS overall.
Toledo rolled past Akron 48-21 for their third consecutive win. It's also the first time the Rockets have covered in back-to-back games this season. Their only loss is a 52-30 setback at Miami-Florida, a game they were leading at halftime. ... Northern Illinois spanked Bowling Green 48-17, winning for the third straight week. However, after a 4-0 ATS start they're just 1-2 ATS over the past three outings. ... Kent State lost 48-3 at Ohio, their fifth game in eight outings with three or fewer points.
Wyoming hung on for the cover at Boise State, but they lost 24-14 as 15 1/2-point underdogs. After opening 0-3 ATS, the Cowboys are a perfect 4-0 ATS over the past four outings. ... Fresno State has rattled off victories in four in a row, and they're now an impressive 6-0-1 ATS through seven games this season. ... New Mexico made side bettors very happy on Friday night against Colorado State, unless of course you were holding a ticket with the Rams laying the 9 1/2. (see bad beats below)
Bad Beats
USF entered the fourth quarter leading 34-14 as 10-point favorites at Tulane, but the Green Wave outscored them 14-0. Dontrell Hilliard was the culprit, ripping off a 24-yard touchdown reception with 7:40 to go, and a 16-yard touchdown run with 2:45 left for the backdoor cover.
UNM scored with :24 left in regulation for the backdoor cover, spoiling what would have been a nice cover for Rams bettors. Truthfully, the Lobos were covered all night until 5:05 to go in the game. So Colorado State bettors can't be too upset with the result.
West Virginia entered the fourth quarter with a 38-13 lead as a 10 1/2-point favorite, but they completed punched themselves in the bag, getting outscored 23-0 in the final 14:31 of regulation. Baylor attempted a two-point conversion with :17 left in regulation, trying to tie the game and force overtime. Regardless, that touchdown pushed the total 'over' at all shops, if it wasn't already over with 6:07 to go. It was a tough result after things looked positive through 45 minutes.
It's not quite a bad beat, but 'over' (49) bettors felt like things were in pretty good shape in Marshall-Middle Tennessee, with the Thundering Herd up 31-10 at halftime. There were just seven total points in the second half and the 'under' cashed by one. Ouch.