The betting lines for Saturday’s games have seen some movement. Make sure you navigate to our college football lines page to see how the opening number has changed, and also how some of the top sportsbooks are posting games. Don’t forget to sign up for Maddux Sports’ college football picks against the spread. They have another big Saturday all set to go including a rare 20 unit play.Florida State (-3 ½) at Maryland – The ACC Atlantic division has a big showdown with this game. The Seminoles opened as 6 point road favorites, but over the course of the week the line has been pulled down to 3 ½ or 4 points, depending upon the sportsbook. The public is backing FSU, so that means the sharps have been playing the Terrapins. Christian Ponder has had a bad elbow, but he’s supposed to be playing. Maryland has been a pleasant surprise this season, following last year’s 2-10 campaign. The winner has a definite advantage in divisional play.
Wisconsin (-4) at Michigan – The sharps ended up moving this game, too. Wisconsin opened as a 5 ½ point favorite, but books are listing the game at 4 or 4 ½. Earlier in the week, the line crept up to 6, perhaps because the squares have been playing the Badgers. Wisconsin hung 83 points on Indiana last week. They’re going up against another suspect defense this week. The big difference is that Michigan’s offense is considerably better than Indiana’s. There should be a lot of points scored. The Badgers have a great chance of making a BCS bowl, but they need to win out.
Ohio State (-3) at Iowa – The best game of the day will go down in Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. The visiting Buckeyes started as 4 ½ point favorites, but sportsbooks have brought that down to 3 points. Ohio State started slowly against Penn State last week, but they managed to win easily enough and covered the spread. Iowa is coming off a tough loss at Northwestern. Iowa has a great football team, but they have played poorly in close games, which is a complete reversal from last year. The highly publicized defense has folded down the stretch. They need a big effort against the Buckeyes.
Arkansas (-3) at Mississippi State – Arkansas opened as 3 ½ point road favorites against Mississippi State. After the line was bumped up to 4 points early in the week, the line has come back down to 3 points. The Razorbacks have played great football this season. They lost a heartbreaker to Alabama and got beat up against Auburn, but other than that, the Hogs have taken care of business. However, playing in Starkville is no easy task. Early in the season, Auburn squeaked out a hard fought game against the Bulldogs. And if the Tigers only won by three points …
Virginia Tech (-2 ½) at Miami – The Hokies started as 1 ½ point road favorites at Miami, but the line has been moved up to 2 ½ points. Va Tech has been as hot as any other team, winning eight straight games. Tyrod Taylor has played lights out all season long, and the Hokies have great offensive balance. For Miami, Jacory Harris is expected to miss this game, too, due to a concussion. The U has played well with their freshman quarterback, but he hasn’t had to play a defense this good.
Nebraska (-2 ½) at Texas A&M – The Nebraska Cornhuskers opened as 3 point road favorites at College Station, and books have brought that down to 2 ½ points. With the squares backing Nebraska at about 2:1, the sharps are the reason for the line move. Taylor Martinez has been hobbled by injury, and as a whole, Nebraska hasn’t looked that good over the past two games. Texas A&M has been great lately, beating Baylor in Waco and Oklahoma at home. Mike Sherman is starting to get things together in College Station. Look out for the 12th man.
