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Where the action is: Saturday's biggest college football line moves
Week 2 of the college football season has plenty of big spreads bouncing around (FSU -55 *cough* cough*), with FBS programs using poor little FCS schools as punching bags. There are, however, some notable matchups on the calendar and those lines are on the move heading into Saturday’s slate.
We talk with Jeff Stoneback, sportsbook manager at the MGM Mirage in Las Vegas, about the biggest and most interesting adjustments on the Week 2 board:
Missouri Tigers at Toledo Rockets – Open: +6, Move: +3.5
Toledo is no stranger to tough competition and the sharp money knows it. According to the MGM properties, the Tigers have twice as many tickets written on them for Week 2 but there’s 15 times more money on the Rockets – setting up a classic sharps vs. squares showdown for this early kickoff.
“Sharps are on one side and the general public is on the other,” Stoneback tells Covers. “These types of games usually don’t go too well for us.”
Maryland Terrapins at USF Bulls – Open: +10, Move: +13.5
The Terps turned heads in their season opener, exploding for 52 points against FCS James Madison. Action on the this game has been as one sided as you can get, moving the line more than a field goal at some markets.
“It’s amazing. Of all the 12 properties and this line being up since Monday, we haven’t written a single ticket on South Florida,” says Stoneback. “Nobody believes in USF.”
East Carolina Pirates at South Carolina Gamecocks – Open: -13.5, Move: -16.5
Poor, poor East Carolina. The Pirates visit the Gamecocks one week removed from a stunning South Carolina loss at the hands of Texas A&M. Both sharp and public money is piling on the host team, pushing this number as much as a field goal at some shops.
“We have twice as many tickets on South Carolina at this point,” says Stoneback, who opened USC -15 and moved to -16.5. “People see the Gamecocks bouncing back in this one.”
Michigan State Spartans at Oregon Ducks – Open: 58, Move: 55.5
Depending on where you play, this total could be going up or down. Online books have trimmed the number to as low as 55.5 while the MGM is reporting steady action on the Over at 56 points and could bump it up before kickoff.
However, Stoneback does see more Under money coming in from wiseguys before the 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff and could bounce this total back and forth all day Saturday.
“The public will likely go Over, only think of Oregon and score, score, score,” he says. “It may creep up and down with wiseguys buying back the Under.”
San Jose State Spartans at Auburn Tigers – Open: 30, Move: 32.5
Faith in the Tigers has this line teetering on a 3-point adjustment. MGM properties in Las Vegas have taken three times more bets on Auburn than San Jose State, including two big limit plays ($5,000) earlier this week.
BYU Cougars at Texas Longhorns – Open: -3.5, Move: +1.5
Injuries to their starting QB and center, as well as the suspension of two offensive linemen, have forced bookmakers to flip the line on this matchup. According to Stoneback, the ticket count is pretty even – with the popularity of the Longhorns keeping it closer – and wouldn’t be surprised to see this line move back toward Texas by kickoff.
“Losing a quarterback at Texas is not like a place like San Jose State losing a QB,” says Stoneback. “We always see Texas money, whether its football or NCAA basketball futures. I’d say their lines could be padded a half a point to a point because of that. BYU, on the other hand, their fans just don’t bet.”
Other moves:
Western Kentucky at Illinois – Open: -7, Move: -5
South Alabama at Kent State – Open: Pick, Move: +3
Fresno State at Utah – Open: -10, Move: -12.5
New Mexico State at Georgia State – Open: -1, Move: +1.5
Ohio at Kentucky – Open: -10, Move: -13
Northern Illinois at Northwestern – Open: -5.5, Move: -7.5
Air Force at Wyoming – Open: -1, Move: +2.5
Oregon State at Hawaii – Open: +12.5, Move: +10
Week 2 of the college football season has plenty of big spreads bouncing around (FSU -55 *cough* cough*), with FBS programs using poor little FCS schools as punching bags. There are, however, some notable matchups on the calendar and those lines are on the move heading into Saturday’s slate.
We talk with Jeff Stoneback, sportsbook manager at the MGM Mirage in Las Vegas, about the biggest and most interesting adjustments on the Week 2 board:
Missouri Tigers at Toledo Rockets – Open: +6, Move: +3.5
Toledo is no stranger to tough competition and the sharp money knows it. According to the MGM properties, the Tigers have twice as many tickets written on them for Week 2 but there’s 15 times more money on the Rockets – setting up a classic sharps vs. squares showdown for this early kickoff.
“Sharps are on one side and the general public is on the other,” Stoneback tells Covers. “These types of games usually don’t go too well for us.”
Maryland Terrapins at USF Bulls – Open: +10, Move: +13.5
The Terps turned heads in their season opener, exploding for 52 points against FCS James Madison. Action on the this game has been as one sided as you can get, moving the line more than a field goal at some markets.
“It’s amazing. Of all the 12 properties and this line being up since Monday, we haven’t written a single ticket on South Florida,” says Stoneback. “Nobody believes in USF.”
East Carolina Pirates at South Carolina Gamecocks – Open: -13.5, Move: -16.5
Poor, poor East Carolina. The Pirates visit the Gamecocks one week removed from a stunning South Carolina loss at the hands of Texas A&M. Both sharp and public money is piling on the host team, pushing this number as much as a field goal at some shops.
“We have twice as many tickets on South Carolina at this point,” says Stoneback, who opened USC -15 and moved to -16.5. “People see the Gamecocks bouncing back in this one.”
Michigan State Spartans at Oregon Ducks – Open: 58, Move: 55.5
Depending on where you play, this total could be going up or down. Online books have trimmed the number to as low as 55.5 while the MGM is reporting steady action on the Over at 56 points and could bump it up before kickoff.
However, Stoneback does see more Under money coming in from wiseguys before the 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff and could bounce this total back and forth all day Saturday.
“The public will likely go Over, only think of Oregon and score, score, score,” he says. “It may creep up and down with wiseguys buying back the Under.”
San Jose State Spartans at Auburn Tigers – Open: 30, Move: 32.5
Faith in the Tigers has this line teetering on a 3-point adjustment. MGM properties in Las Vegas have taken three times more bets on Auburn than San Jose State, including two big limit plays ($5,000) earlier this week.
BYU Cougars at Texas Longhorns – Open: -3.5, Move: +1.5
Injuries to their starting QB and center, as well as the suspension of two offensive linemen, have forced bookmakers to flip the line on this matchup. According to Stoneback, the ticket count is pretty even – with the popularity of the Longhorns keeping it closer – and wouldn’t be surprised to see this line move back toward Texas by kickoff.
“Losing a quarterback at Texas is not like a place like San Jose State losing a QB,” says Stoneback. “We always see Texas money, whether its football or NCAA basketball futures. I’d say their lines could be padded a half a point to a point because of that. BYU, on the other hand, their fans just don’t bet.”
Other moves:
Western Kentucky at Illinois – Open: -7, Move: -5
South Alabama at Kent State – Open: Pick, Move: +3
Fresno State at Utah – Open: -10, Move: -12.5
New Mexico State at Georgia State – Open: -1, Move: +1.5
Ohio at Kentucky – Open: -10, Move: -13
Northern Illinois at Northwestern – Open: -5.5, Move: -7.5
Air Force at Wyoming – Open: -1, Move: +2.5
Oregon State at Hawaii – Open: +12.5, Move: +10
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