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College football odds: Week 3 opening line report
Nothing skews the odds like good ole unbridled hate. There are plenty of rivalry games on the Week 3 board, which is a breath of fresh air after two weeks of FCS-versus-FBS stinkers.
The one game everyone is keeping a close eye on is the SEC showdown between Alabama and Arkansas. The Razorbacks had salt thrown in the wound during their upset loss to UL Monroe this past weekend.
Quarterback Tyler Wilson left the game with a head injury and is day-to-day heading into Week 3, keeping most books from posting a line on this game.
The Sports Club, a Las Vegas-based oddsmaking service, has sent out Alabama -14. Peter Korner, founder of The Sports Club, says they weighed Wilson’s status and aimed for a suggested spread somewhere in the middle.
“It’s an in-between number. It’s probably not right either or. We were discussing two or 2.5 points (for Wilson’s value), so we stuck it in the middle,” Korner told Covers. “By the way the announcers were talking, it sounded like he might be able to play. We don’t recommend putting the game up but we did want to send out a number so the guys behind the counter have an idea of the spread if someone asks about it.”
Korner says Wilson’s value to the odds would be higher if the spread were closer. But, with the Crimson Tide set as two-touchdown favorites, they didn’t want to go overboard in terms of adjustment.
Here’s a quick glance at the opening lines for some of Week 3’s other marquee matchups:
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Michigan State Spartans (-3.5)
These two rivals have traded blows, splitting their last four meetings SU and ATS. With the series swinging to East Lansing, The Sports Club sent out a suggested spread of MSU -2.5 while online books opened the Spartans as high as -4. To no surprise, early money is on the Irish and will likely continue to drive the line in the other direction due to the public appeal of Notre Dame.
USC Trojans at Stanford Cardinal (+10)
This classic Pac-12 grudge match opened with the home side as low as +7.5, which has been driven up to +10 by early-bird bettors. The Cardinal didn’t look sharp in a Week 1 scare to San Jose State but rebounded with a dominant 50-13 performance versus Duke last Saturday. Southern Cal is 2-0 but has underperformed in the eyes of oddsmakers, failing to cover in both games. The Trojans are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games with Stanford.
Florida Gators at Tennessee Volunteers (-2.5)
This spread was sent out with the Gators as suggested 2.5-point favorites after a comeback win over Texas A&M. However, sportsbooks had other thoughts and flipped the short line to Vols -2.5. Tennessee downed North Carolina State in the opener and battered Georgia State 51-13 in Week 2, but failed to cover the 46-points. Florida has won seven in a row over Tennessee and is 4-1-1 ATS in its last six trips to Rocky Top. ESPN’s College Game Day will be broadcasting from Knoxville for the first time since 2004 this Saturday.
Nothing skews the odds like good ole unbridled hate. There are plenty of rivalry games on the Week 3 board, which is a breath of fresh air after two weeks of FCS-versus-FBS stinkers.
The one game everyone is keeping a close eye on is the SEC showdown between Alabama and Arkansas. The Razorbacks had salt thrown in the wound during their upset loss to UL Monroe this past weekend.
Quarterback Tyler Wilson left the game with a head injury and is day-to-day heading into Week 3, keeping most books from posting a line on this game.
The Sports Club, a Las Vegas-based oddsmaking service, has sent out Alabama -14. Peter Korner, founder of The Sports Club, says they weighed Wilson’s status and aimed for a suggested spread somewhere in the middle.
“It’s an in-between number. It’s probably not right either or. We were discussing two or 2.5 points (for Wilson’s value), so we stuck it in the middle,” Korner told Covers. “By the way the announcers were talking, it sounded like he might be able to play. We don’t recommend putting the game up but we did want to send out a number so the guys behind the counter have an idea of the spread if someone asks about it.”
Korner says Wilson’s value to the odds would be higher if the spread were closer. But, with the Crimson Tide set as two-touchdown favorites, they didn’t want to go overboard in terms of adjustment.
Here’s a quick glance at the opening lines for some of Week 3’s other marquee matchups:
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Michigan State Spartans (-3.5)
These two rivals have traded blows, splitting their last four meetings SU and ATS. With the series swinging to East Lansing, The Sports Club sent out a suggested spread of MSU -2.5 while online books opened the Spartans as high as -4. To no surprise, early money is on the Irish and will likely continue to drive the line in the other direction due to the public appeal of Notre Dame.
USC Trojans at Stanford Cardinal (+10)
This classic Pac-12 grudge match opened with the home side as low as +7.5, which has been driven up to +10 by early-bird bettors. The Cardinal didn’t look sharp in a Week 1 scare to San Jose State but rebounded with a dominant 50-13 performance versus Duke last Saturday. Southern Cal is 2-0 but has underperformed in the eyes of oddsmakers, failing to cover in both games. The Trojans are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games with Stanford.
Florida Gators at Tennessee Volunteers (-2.5)
This spread was sent out with the Gators as suggested 2.5-point favorites after a comeback win over Texas A&M. However, sportsbooks had other thoughts and flipped the short line to Vols -2.5. Tennessee downed North Carolina State in the opener and battered Georgia State 51-13 in Week 2, but failed to cover the 46-points. Florida has won seven in a row over Tennessee and is 4-1-1 ATS in its last six trips to Rocky Top. ESPN’s College Game Day will be broadcasting from Knoxville for the first time since 2004 this Saturday.
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