This week has another fine slate of games. The Big 10 is the place to be with Nebraska visiting Wisconisn and Sparty traveling to the Horseshoe. A big ACC battle between Clemson and Florida State will capture a lot of viewers out East. The Crimson Tide rolls into the Swamp. And the Longhorns head to Ames, IA looking for revenge for last year.
Betting throughout the week has moved most of the spreads off the opening numbers. Navigate to Maddux Sports college football betting lines page to see the opening numbers, as well as where top sportsbooks are currently listing the games. Here’s a brief sampling of some of the bigger games.
Alabama (-4) at Florida – Alabama opened as a 5 point road favorite against Florida but that has been bet down to 4. Clearly, the Alabama defense is a force to be reckoned with. But playing in the Swamp is no easy task. Charlie Weis is one of the top offensive minds in the country. If anyone can solve the riddle of the Alabama defense, it’s Weis.
Texas A&M (-2 ½) at Arkansas – The Aggies, fresh off their crushing collapse at home to Oklahoma State, opened as a 3 ½ point favorite against Arkansas. The game will be played at Cowboys Stadium. Early money on the Hogs has already pulled the line down to 2 ½. Both teams are coming off losses to top 10 teams, but only one of the two blew a 17 point halftime lead. It’ll be interesting to see if Mike Sherman can rally the troops or if that loss will be a disaster for the Aggies.
Virginia Tech (-7 ½) vs. Clemson – Virginia Tech opened at -7 ½ against Clemson, though books are currently posting 7. The Tigers have been one of the country’s big surprises, beating both Auburn and Florida State in back to back weeks. Clemson always seems to have talent, but rarely puts it together for a whole season. This year might be different. The Hokies are a perennial top 10 team. They have another physical team that should really test the Tigers in their third straight game against a ranked opponent.
Wisconsin (-10) vs. Nebraska – The best game of the day is a Big 10 battle between Wisconsin and Nebraska. The Badgers opened as 8 point favorites, but that was pushed up to 10 points early in the week and leveled off. As Ohio State learned last year, Camp Randall Stadium is a tough place to play. The Huskers’ front 7 need to put together an inspired performance if Nebraska hopes to pull off the upset.
Texas (-9) at Iowa State – The most intriguing game in the Big 12 has to be Texas at Iowa State. The Longhorns opened at -9, and after early betting has moved that to 10 or 10 ½, some buy back on ISU has brought the line down to anywhere between 8 ½ and 10. This is a big game for both programs, though for different reasons. Texas wants to make a “We’re back” statement, while ISU is looking to make a “We’re here” statement. The Cyclones will have to clean up the turnovers and penalties; otherwise, they’ll get blown out.
Ohio State (-3) vs. Michigan State – The Buckeyes and Spartans hook up for the second most important game in the Big 10. Ohio State opened as a 2 ½ point favorite but the line is at -3 almost everywhere. Both teams had impressive wins last Saturday after getting kicked around the week before. Last season, Michigan State was able to avoid the Buckeyes during their 1 loss regular season. No such luck this year.
Navy (-2 ½) vs. Air Force – The triple option will be in full effect when these two teams meet this Saturday. Navy opened at -2 ½, but that’s been moved to 3 ½ points. Watching the service academies do battle is as much a privilege as anything else. They’re both above average teams, but it’s refreshing to see the effort put forth by young men who also play football.
