NCAAF opening line report: Showdown of SEC unbeatens features massive spread
“We can’t seem to set spreads high enough lately, and this one is shaded toward Alabama again, hoping to see some money on the underdog."
There’s a huge college football showdown brewing in the Southeastern Conference. But you sure wouldn’t know it from the pointspread. We talk about a few key Week 8 opening lines with John Lester, senior lines manager for offshore sportsbook Bookmaker.eu.
No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies at No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (-16.5)
Alabama appears to be both the immovable object and the unstoppable force this season. The Crimson Tide (7-0 SU, 5-2 ATS) went to No. 11 Tennessee on Saturday and boatraced the Vols 49-10 as a 14-point favorite. ‘Bama has now won 19 in a row (12-7 ATS).
Texas A&M is coming off its bye week after also besting Tennessee. The Aggies (6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS) blew a big lead and were forced to overtime by the Vols, but came out with a 45-38 home victory as a 7.5-point chalk on Oct. 8.
Last year, the Tide beat the Aggies 41-23 laying 5 points on the road, and two years ago in Tuscaloosa, Alabama hammered A&M 59-0 giving 11 points.
“It’s hard not to love this Crimson Tide team. They seemingly do everything right on both sides of the ball,” Lester said, alluding to Alabama’s 11 non-offensive touchdowns this season. “We can’t seem to set spreads high enough lately, and this one is shaded toward Alabama again, hoping to see some money on the underdog. The Aggies should be their toughest test to date.”
Miami Hurricanes at Virginia Tech Hokies (-4)
Both these teams were ranked last week, but no longer. Miami (4-2 SU and ATS) has dropped two in a row SU and ATS, both on its home field. After a 20-19 loss to Florida State laying 1.5 points, the Hurricanes were dealt a 20-13 upset giving 6 points on Saturday.
It was much worse Saturday for Virginia Tech, which was a massive 23-point chalk at Syracuse and lost outright 31-17, ending a three-game SU and ATS win streak for the Hokies (4-2 SU and ATS).
“Here are two teams that are tough to get a good gauge on,” Lester said. “Both offenses are enigmatic. The Hurricanes are hurting defensively due to injuries, and the Hokies’ loss on Saturday was shocking. This spread mostly comes down to a good home-field edge at Lane Stadium in prime-time football.”
Indeed, it’s a Thursday night game, meaning the ‘Canes also have to travel on a short week.
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions (+18.5)
Ohio State remained spotless at 7-0 SU by outlasting No. 10 Wisconsin 30-23 in overtime Saturday, though the Buckeyes (4-2 ATS) couldn’t cover the 10-point spread. Not that it affected this week’s line, as they are massive favorites at Happy Valley.
Penn State (4-2 SU, 2-3-1 ATS) has won two in a row, both at home, and is coming off its bye week. The Nittany Lions routed Maryland 38-14 as a 2-point home ‘dog on Oct. 8.
“It will be interesting to see how this line is shaped over the course of the week,” Lester said. “We’re obviously expecting to see the squares on Ohio State, but we opened lower than some other shops due to the expectance of some value players betting on a home ‘dog that hasn’t been a poor program this season.”
No. 22 Mississippi Rebels at No. 23 Louisiana State Tigers (-4)
LSU is 2-0 SU and ATS since Les Miles was fired and Ed Orgeron took over as interim coach. On Saturday, the Tigers (4-2 SU, 2-4 ATS) waxed Southern Mississippi 45-10, easily cashing as 24.5-point home faves. Mississippi (3-3 SU and ATS) went into Arkansas as a 10-point chalk and left with a 34-30 loss on Saturday.
Despite each teams’ current form, Lester still likes Mississippi, which has had a couple heartbreaking losses this season, blowing big leads to Alabama and Florida State.
“LSU hasn’t really done anything impressive since the Orgeron regime took over,” Lester said. “On the flip side, Ole Miss has shown a lot of character despite the season it’s having. You get the feeling the Rebels are due for a win.”
“We can’t seem to set spreads high enough lately, and this one is shaded toward Alabama again, hoping to see some money on the underdog."
There’s a huge college football showdown brewing in the Southeastern Conference. But you sure wouldn’t know it from the pointspread. We talk about a few key Week 8 opening lines with John Lester, senior lines manager for offshore sportsbook Bookmaker.eu.
No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies at No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (-16.5)
Alabama appears to be both the immovable object and the unstoppable force this season. The Crimson Tide (7-0 SU, 5-2 ATS) went to No. 11 Tennessee on Saturday and boatraced the Vols 49-10 as a 14-point favorite. ‘Bama has now won 19 in a row (12-7 ATS).
Texas A&M is coming off its bye week after also besting Tennessee. The Aggies (6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS) blew a big lead and were forced to overtime by the Vols, but came out with a 45-38 home victory as a 7.5-point chalk on Oct. 8.
Last year, the Tide beat the Aggies 41-23 laying 5 points on the road, and two years ago in Tuscaloosa, Alabama hammered A&M 59-0 giving 11 points.
“It’s hard not to love this Crimson Tide team. They seemingly do everything right on both sides of the ball,” Lester said, alluding to Alabama’s 11 non-offensive touchdowns this season. “We can’t seem to set spreads high enough lately, and this one is shaded toward Alabama again, hoping to see some money on the underdog. The Aggies should be their toughest test to date.”
Miami Hurricanes at Virginia Tech Hokies (-4)
Both these teams were ranked last week, but no longer. Miami (4-2 SU and ATS) has dropped two in a row SU and ATS, both on its home field. After a 20-19 loss to Florida State laying 1.5 points, the Hurricanes were dealt a 20-13 upset giving 6 points on Saturday.
It was much worse Saturday for Virginia Tech, which was a massive 23-point chalk at Syracuse and lost outright 31-17, ending a three-game SU and ATS win streak for the Hokies (4-2 SU and ATS).
“Here are two teams that are tough to get a good gauge on,” Lester said. “Both offenses are enigmatic. The Hurricanes are hurting defensively due to injuries, and the Hokies’ loss on Saturday was shocking. This spread mostly comes down to a good home-field edge at Lane Stadium in prime-time football.”
Indeed, it’s a Thursday night game, meaning the ‘Canes also have to travel on a short week.
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions (+18.5)
Ohio State remained spotless at 7-0 SU by outlasting No. 10 Wisconsin 30-23 in overtime Saturday, though the Buckeyes (4-2 ATS) couldn’t cover the 10-point spread. Not that it affected this week’s line, as they are massive favorites at Happy Valley.
Penn State (4-2 SU, 2-3-1 ATS) has won two in a row, both at home, and is coming off its bye week. The Nittany Lions routed Maryland 38-14 as a 2-point home ‘dog on Oct. 8.
“It will be interesting to see how this line is shaped over the course of the week,” Lester said. “We’re obviously expecting to see the squares on Ohio State, but we opened lower than some other shops due to the expectance of some value players betting on a home ‘dog that hasn’t been a poor program this season.”
No. 22 Mississippi Rebels at No. 23 Louisiana State Tigers (-4)
LSU is 2-0 SU and ATS since Les Miles was fired and Ed Orgeron took over as interim coach. On Saturday, the Tigers (4-2 SU, 2-4 ATS) waxed Southern Mississippi 45-10, easily cashing as 24.5-point home faves. Mississippi (3-3 SU and ATS) went into Arkansas as a 10-point chalk and left with a 34-30 loss on Saturday.
Despite each teams’ current form, Lester still likes Mississippi, which has had a couple heartbreaking losses this season, blowing big leads to Alabama and Florida State.
“LSU hasn’t really done anything impressive since the Orgeron regime took over,” Lester said. “On the flip side, Ole Miss has shown a lot of character despite the season it’s having. You get the feeling the Rebels are due for a win.”
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