College Football Betting: Texas out to buck upset
College Football Betting: Texas out to buck upset
Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns jump from the frying pan into the fire Saturday night at home in Austin when they host the Missouri Tigers. Just a week after a huge win over then-No. 1 Oklahoma, Colt McCoy and the 'Horns have to face Chase Daniels and a Mizzou team that will be looking to get back into the win column after they fell to Oklahoma State. Will we see a fifth new No. 1 after this weekend?
We’re at the halfway point of the college football regular season – at least in the chronological sense. Seven weeks have passed, seven more are ahead of us. But it certainly doesn’t feel like the middle of the season. Conference play just began, and there’s another month of bowl games to consider. We’ve got a lot more football in front of us.
Our Week 8 betting preview takes us to the three most important conferences in the BCS. It’s a new world order: The Big 12 is ascending, the SEC is going through some upheaval, and the Big Ten has become the black sheep of the family – or maybe the crazy uncle. Looking at the top college football matchup from each conference gives a sense of the shifting landscape across the FBS.
No. 23 Vanderbilt at No. 9 Georgia (-14½)
Saturday, Oct 18, 12:30 p.m. (ET)
The preseason No. 1 Bulldogs (5-1 SU, 2-2-1 ATS) are making that long climb back up the charts after losing to visiting Alabama (+6½) in Week 5. Georgia wasn’t exactly out for blood in its next game against Tennessee, winning 26-14 but coming up short as a 13-point chalk. That kind of effort isn’t going to get the Bulldogs into a BCS bowl.
It might not even be enough to get a win at home versus the Commodores (5-1 SU and ATS). Their love affair with handicappers was put on hold last week when Miss State (+1) smothered the ‘Dores offense and won 17-14. However, four of Vandy’s five wins this season were upsets, including tough SEC matchups with South Carolina (-9.5), Ole Miss (-7) and Auburn (-4½). And they’ve done it with one of the worst offenses in the FBS.
The ‘Dores have split the last two games with Georgia, cashing in both times. Last year’s final saw the Bulldogs win 20-17 as 7-point road faves. Vanderbilt is switching to QB Mackenzi Adams for this contest; he should be an upgrade over Chris Nickson, and he’ll get to face a disappointingly poor Bulldogs secondary.
No. 11 Ohio State at No. 17 Michigan State (+3½)
Saturday, Oct 18, 3:30 p.m. (ET) ABC
Penn State has stolen the Big Ten’s thunder from the Buckeyes (6-1 SU, 1-5 ATS). Their Week 3 loss at USC was convincing enough for Jim Tressel to change quarterbacks in midstream, dumping Todd Boeckman and putting freshman Terrelle Pryor under center. The offense has grown one-dimensional with Pryor and RB Beanie Wells; Ohio State has fallen to No. 108 out of 120 FBS teams in passing at 143.6 yards per game. That’s led to fewer points and fewer spreads covered for the Buckeyes.
Michigan State (6-1 SU, 4-3 ATS) gets to take a swing at Ohio State at home as the underdog. As always, shop for lines. You’ll find OSU –3 at many books. You’ll also find a total of 42, which is the lowest for either team this season. Ohio State has the under at 5-1 on the season; MSU checks in at 4-3 for the under.
No. 12 Missouri at No. 1 Texas (-4)
Saturday, Oct 18, 8:00 p.m. (ET) ABC
The Longhorns aren’t the unanimous No. 1 team in the polls (Alabama and Penn State took some votes), but they’re No. 1 in the hearts of handicappers at 6-0 SU and ATS. Beating the Oklahoma Sooners (-7) in the Red River Shootout is no mean feat. Texas has closed from 10-1 to 5-1 on the championship futures market; only three teams have shorter odds.
Missouri is not one of them. The Tigers (5-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) are holding at 10-1 despite last week’s 28-23 loss to surging Oklahoma State (+14). Just as Texas was the underdog value against the Sooners, Missouri is an elite-level team getting points for the first and presumably the only time this season. Bettors have climbed all over this potential bargain, dragging the betting odds down from as high as Texas –7.
Both QBs in this matchup, Missouri’s Chase Daniel (16 TDs, four INTs) and Texas’ Colt McCoy (17 TDs, three INTs), are in the running for the Heisman Trophy. McCoy is in the driver’s seat with the undefeated Longhorns, but a Missouri win would give Daniel just the October surprise his candidacy needs.
Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns jump from the frying pan into the fire Saturday night at home in Austin when they host the Missouri Tigers. Just a week after a huge win over then-No. 1 Oklahoma, Colt McCoy and the 'Horns have to face Chase Daniels and a Mizzou team that will be looking to get back into the win column after they fell to Oklahoma State. Will we see a fifth new No. 1 after this weekend?
We’re at the halfway point of the college football regular season – at least in the chronological sense. Seven weeks have passed, seven more are ahead of us. But it certainly doesn’t feel like the middle of the season. Conference play just began, and there’s another month of bowl games to consider. We’ve got a lot more football in front of us.
Our Week 8 betting preview takes us to the three most important conferences in the BCS. It’s a new world order: The Big 12 is ascending, the SEC is going through some upheaval, and the Big Ten has become the black sheep of the family – or maybe the crazy uncle. Looking at the top college football matchup from each conference gives a sense of the shifting landscape across the FBS.
No. 23 Vanderbilt at No. 9 Georgia (-14½)
Saturday, Oct 18, 12:30 p.m. (ET)
The preseason No. 1 Bulldogs (5-1 SU, 2-2-1 ATS) are making that long climb back up the charts after losing to visiting Alabama (+6½) in Week 5. Georgia wasn’t exactly out for blood in its next game against Tennessee, winning 26-14 but coming up short as a 13-point chalk. That kind of effort isn’t going to get the Bulldogs into a BCS bowl.
It might not even be enough to get a win at home versus the Commodores (5-1 SU and ATS). Their love affair with handicappers was put on hold last week when Miss State (+1) smothered the ‘Dores offense and won 17-14. However, four of Vandy’s five wins this season were upsets, including tough SEC matchups with South Carolina (-9.5), Ole Miss (-7) and Auburn (-4½). And they’ve done it with one of the worst offenses in the FBS.
The ‘Dores have split the last two games with Georgia, cashing in both times. Last year’s final saw the Bulldogs win 20-17 as 7-point road faves. Vanderbilt is switching to QB Mackenzi Adams for this contest; he should be an upgrade over Chris Nickson, and he’ll get to face a disappointingly poor Bulldogs secondary.
No. 11 Ohio State at No. 17 Michigan State (+3½)
Saturday, Oct 18, 3:30 p.m. (ET) ABC
Penn State has stolen the Big Ten’s thunder from the Buckeyes (6-1 SU, 1-5 ATS). Their Week 3 loss at USC was convincing enough for Jim Tressel to change quarterbacks in midstream, dumping Todd Boeckman and putting freshman Terrelle Pryor under center. The offense has grown one-dimensional with Pryor and RB Beanie Wells; Ohio State has fallen to No. 108 out of 120 FBS teams in passing at 143.6 yards per game. That’s led to fewer points and fewer spreads covered for the Buckeyes.
Michigan State (6-1 SU, 4-3 ATS) gets to take a swing at Ohio State at home as the underdog. As always, shop for lines. You’ll find OSU –3 at many books. You’ll also find a total of 42, which is the lowest for either team this season. Ohio State has the under at 5-1 on the season; MSU checks in at 4-3 for the under.
No. 12 Missouri at No. 1 Texas (-4)
Saturday, Oct 18, 8:00 p.m. (ET) ABC
The Longhorns aren’t the unanimous No. 1 team in the polls (Alabama and Penn State took some votes), but they’re No. 1 in the hearts of handicappers at 6-0 SU and ATS. Beating the Oklahoma Sooners (-7) in the Red River Shootout is no mean feat. Texas has closed from 10-1 to 5-1 on the championship futures market; only three teams have shorter odds.
Missouri is not one of them. The Tigers (5-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) are holding at 10-1 despite last week’s 28-23 loss to surging Oklahoma State (+14). Just as Texas was the underdog value against the Sooners, Missouri is an elite-level team getting points for the first and presumably the only time this season. Bettors have climbed all over this potential bargain, dragging the betting odds down from as high as Texas –7.
Both QBs in this matchup, Missouri’s Chase Daniel (16 TDs, four INTs) and Texas’ Colt McCoy (17 TDs, three INTs), are in the running for the Heisman Trophy. McCoy is in the driver’s seat with the undefeated Longhorns, but a Missouri win would give Daniel just the October surprise his candidacy needs.