The week 6 opening lines have been posted. Make sure to check our college football lines page to compare odds from a multitude of the top sportsbooks in the business. Here are some of the more intriguing Saturday games with analysis.
Michigan (-5) vs. Michigan State – Bragging rights for the state of Michigan are on the line in this Big 10 battle that pits two ranked, undefeated teams that have outperformed expectations. The Wolverines opened as 5 point home favorites, but most books have come down to 4 ½ points. Michigan needed a monster game from Denard Robinson and some late game heroics to get out of Bloomington with a win. The Spartans disposed of Wisconsin in impressive fashion. Michigan State was the better team on the field. Michigan State won last year’s match-up with Michigan, 26-20.
Alabama (-8) at South Carolina – The Crimson Tide rolled over the SEC’s second best team. The schedule doesn’t get much easier as Alabama heads over to South Carolina for a cross divisional game with the Gamecocks. ‘Bama opened as an 8 point favorite, but the line has moved down slightly to 7 ½ points. South Carolina had a bye this past week, which means Steve Spurrier has had an extra week to prepare. Alabama won last year, 20-6, but South Carolina covered the 17 ½ point spread.
Florida (-7 ½) vs. LSU – Does the ‘L’ in LSU stand for lucky? Tennessee had the Tigers beaten, but 12 men on the field gave LSU another chance and they cashed in for the victory. They’re going to need more good luck as they travel to the Swamp to battle a Florida team stinging from a sound beating at the hands of Alabama. Florida opened as a 7 ½ point favorite, though a couple books have come down to 7 points. The Gators took last year’s game, 13-3, holding the Tigers to 162 total yards of offense.
Miami (FL) (-7) vs. Florida State – The Hurricanes and Seminoles renew their rivalry in what should be an intense showdown on Saturday night. The home Hurricanes started as 7 point favorites, but quite a few books are currently listing the game at 6 ½ points. Randy Shannon and Jimbo Fisher have to be pleased with the way their teams won tough road games last week. The two squads have heralded offenses, but each defense has quietly played particularly well in recent games. However, if the past two years are any indication of how this game will play out, look for fireworks. Miami won last year’s game, 38-34, while FSU won the year before, 41-39. In each case, the visiting team came away with a W.
Stanford (-7) vs. USC – The Stanford Cardinal opened as a 7 point favorite over the USC Trojans, but books have already moved that up to 7 ½ or 8 points. The Cardinal dropped a tough game as Oregon, while USC was stunned by Washington at home. The Trojan defense got chewed up by the Huskies, and now they have to face a much more potent offense. My, how the Pac 10 has changed! If someone had told you two years ago that Stanford would be favored against USC by more than a touchdown in 2010, you would’ve laughed your butt off. The Cardinal rolled in last year’s match-up, 55-21.
Remember you can track all the point spreads for the week on our college football odds page of the website.
