Betting Recap - Week 9
By Daniel Dobish
VegasInsider.com
College Football Week 9 Results
Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 41-15
Against the Spread 26-27-3
Home-Away
Straight Up 31-25
Against the Spread 24-29-3
Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 30-26
The largest underdogs to win straight up
UNLV (+22, ML + ) at Fresno State, 26-16
Florida International (+15, ML +500) at Marshall, 41-30
Alabama-Birmingham (+11.5, ML +350) at Southern Mississippi, 30-12
Houston (+10, ML +320) at South Florida, 28-24
Texas State (+10, ML +300) at Coastal Carolina, 27-7
Air Force (+9.5, ML +280) at Colorado State, 45-28
The largest favorites to cover
Toledo (-25.5) at Ball State, 58-17
Michigan (-22) vs. Rutgers, 35-14
Oklahoma (-19.5) vs. Texas Tech, 49-27
Washington (-18.5) vs. UCLA, 44-23
Virginia Tech (-17) vs. Duke, 24-3
Texas-San Antonio (-15.5) at Texas-El Paso, 31-14
Top 25 Notes
Penn State-Ohio State lived up the hype, as the Buckeyes rallied for a 39-38 victory against the Nittany Lions in one of the most entertaining games of the 2017 season so far. Neither team really deserved to lose in a Big Ten classic. Although there were several mistakes on both sides, no one can deny these are among the best teams in the nation. We'll find out on Tuesday where each is ranked in the first installment of the College Football Playoff rankings. The 'over' has cashed in five straight for the Buckeyes, as they have scored 38 or more points in six straight outings. ... Miami-Florida stayed unbeaten, but they didn't look terribly impressive against a 1-8 SU/2-7 ATS North Carolina side. The Hurricanes are 7-0 SU, but they have failed to cover in each of their past three. The 'under' is also a perfect 5-0 over their past five, and 6-1 overall on the season.
Oklahoma State-West Virginia was a game that kept the scoreboard operator on his/her toes at Mylan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown. The total (78) was the highest on the board, but it wasn't close to enough. The Cowboys and Mountaineers put on a show, particularly in the fourth quarter, where the two teams combined for a total of 35 points. OSU won 50-39, improving to 5-3 ATS, including 3-2 ATS on the road. The 'over' is also 5-3 for OK State.
North Carolina State-Notre Dame was one of the big games of the weekend that did not live up to the billing. The Wolfpack kept it close early on, but the Irish ran the ball well against one of the nation's best rush defenses. Notre Dame outscored the Pack 28-7 in the second and third quarter en route to a 21-point win and easy cover. The Irish have won and covered six in a row, and their only loss is against a very good Georgia side.
South Florida was knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten, as Houston potentially spoiled their New Year's Day bowl aspirations with a 28-24 win in Tampa. The Bulls slipped to 7-1 SU and just 4-4 ATS, including 1-2 ATS in three games at home.
Virginia Tech picked up a 24-3 victory against Duke in Blacksburg. They improved to 5-3 ATS, including 3-1 ATS over their past four at home. They'll look for a season-high third straight cover in their showdown in Miami next weekend in a very important ACC battle with playoff implications.
Big Five Conference Report
Boston College cleared the stands on Red Bandana Day, as they registered an impressive 35-3 win against Florida State for their sixth consecutive cover. They have rattled off three straight ACC wins, too, winning the past two by an average of 31.5 PPG. ... Wake Forest continues to be a tough out in Winston-Salem, and they surprised Louisville 42-32. The Demon Deacons are 3-1 SU/3-0-1 ATS in four games at home. The Cardinals will be happy they have no more trips to the Tar Heel State, as they're 1-2 SU/ATS in three trips this season.
Rutgers was unable to go to the Big House and beat Michigan, but they did hang on for the cover as 22-point underdogs. The Scarlet Knights are now 5-1 ATS over the past six outings, and 6-2 ATS in eight games overall. ... Nebraska snapped a two-game skid with a 25-24 comeback win at Purdue. The Huskers picked up just their third cover in eight games, and they haven't covered in consecutive games yet. ... The Huskers will face Northwestern next week. The Wildcats topped Michigan State in triple-overtime, earning their season-best third straight cover. The Wildcats are 5-1 ATS over their past six outings, too.
Texas rolled to a 38-7 win, keeping Baylor winless. The Longhorns improved to just 4-4 SU, but they're a very impressive 6-0-1 ATS over their past seven outings, including covers in each of their three road outings. They will look to add to the woes of Texas Christian next weekend in Fort Worth. ... The Horned Frogs tasted defeat for the first time, losing 14-7 at Iowa State. Not many expected the Cyclones to be a contender, but they're turning the Big 12 upside down with four straight wins and covers. They get another big test in Morgantown next Saturday.
Washington State fell 58-37 on the road at run-happy Arizona, their second setback in the past three games. After a four-game cover streak the Cougs are 1-2 ATS over the past three. The Wildcats are running hot, winning four in a row while going 3-1 ATS during the span. ... Oregon slapped the brakes on a three-game losing streak, besting equally cold Utah 41-20. The Ducks are still just 5-4 SU/4-5 ATS overall.
Georgia annihilated Florida 42-7 in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, and it might be head coach Jim McElwain's last party against UGA. ... Another coach on the boiling hot seat is Butch Jones in Tennessee. The Vols lost for just the second time in 33 years to Kentucky, 29-26. The Vols were able to hang on for the cover, their first since Sept. 16. They also had scored a total of just 16 points over the past three games, but managed 26, their most since Week 2.
Mid-Major Report
Connecticut was roughed up by visiting Missouri, 52-12. The loss halted a two-game win and cover streak for the Huskies, who are now a dismal 2-6 ATS overall. The 'under' has hit for the third consecutive game for UConn. ... Tulsa continues to play much better defense than earlier in the season, but they came up just short on Friday at Southern Methodist. The Golden Hurricane have covered two of the past three, and the 'under' is 5-1 in the past six outings.
Florida Atlantic rolled to 42-28 victory on the road at Western Kentucky. The Owls have won and covered four in a row, and they're now the only team in Conference USA play without a loss in the league. The 'over' has hit in three straight, too, heading into their Friday night home game with Marshall. ... Speaking of the Herd, they were disappointed at home by FAU's rival, Florida International by a 41-30 count. That stopped a five-game win streak for the Herd. They also entered the game 6-1 ATS in their first seven, so FIU's win was quite the surprise.
Buffalo-Akron ended up hitting the 'under' (49). That's a familiar result for the Zips, as the under has cashed in eight of their first nine outings. The 'under' is 3-0 for Buffalo over their past three, too. ... Northern Illinois edged Eastern Michigan in overtime, 30-27. While NIU has won four straight, and six of the past seven, they're just 1-3 ATS over the past four. ... There is plenty of MACtion this week, starting Tuesday.
San Diego State bounced back after a two-game losing streak with a 28-7 win at Hawaii. The Aztecs turned in their fourth straight 'under' result, and the under is 6-2-1 in nine games overall. ... UNLV won outright at Fresno State, 26-16, despite entering as 22-point underdogs. It was the first win in four tries for the Runnin' Rebels. The 'under' is now 4-1 over the past five for UNLV. For the Bulldogs, it was their first non-cover of the season after opening 6-0-1 ATS.
Bad Beats
The Appalachian State-Massachusetts game ended up going to double-overtime, much to the dismay of 'under' (56.5) bettors. A field goal with :05 left in regulation helped the Minutemen extend the game. The teams exchanged touchdowns in the first overtime, essentially securing the over since the game was tied 27-27.
If you were holding an 'over' (47.5) ticket on the New Mexico-Wyoming game, my condolensces. The Cowboys led 42-0 at halftime, and you simply needed two field goals or one touchdown in the second half to get into the black. It never happened. The third quarter was scoreless, and the Lobos managed just one field in fourth quarter to account for all of the second-half scoring, leaving over bettors in utter disbelief.
If you were on Clemson -14, you were on the right side for a huge chunk of the game. Georgia Tech struck with 4:43 to go in regulation, cutting the lead to 24-10, causing the game to push at most shops.
If you were on Oregon State and the moneyline, your hopes for a giant payday were dashed by Stanford with :20 left in regulation, 15-14. An outright Beavers win would have paid +575.