Week 6 college football odds, lines: Oklahoma, FSU favorites over rivals – CBSSports.com
Welcome once again to Monday Morning Oddsmaker, your weekly first look at the Vegas lines for the coming weekend’s action in college football. At a glance, Week 6 doesn’t seem to offer half the excitement of Week 5 … but maybe that’s just what Week 6 wants us to think.
All lines courtesy of our friends at Sportsline. Enjoy:
Lines you need to know
No. 10 Oklahoma vs. Texas (+16): Charlie Strong’s Longhorns covered easily, and could have won straight-up as 16.5-point underdogs in 2014. Will they be as prepared in 2015?
Miami at No. 12 Florida State (-9.5): Speaking of embattled coaches facing difficult rivalry games this week, Al Golden’s Hurricanes may be a double-digit underdog by kickoff at Doak Campbell.
No. 19 Georgia at Tennessee (+3): With no SEC matchups between ranked teams this week, the highest stakes for a league game come with the SEC on CBS contest in Knoxville, where the Bulldogs look to stay in the East race and Butch Jones desperately needs a face-saving win.
No. 23 Cal at No. 5 Utah (-7): The upstart Bears head to Salt Lake City a touchdown underdog to the high-flying Utes after narrowly surviving Washington State’s upset bid in Berkeley. Were they looking ahead, or will this be another surprising Utah blowout?
No. 13 Northwestern at No. 18 Michigan (-8): Jim Harbaugh’s team is getting no shortage of respect after its 4-1 start, opening as more than a touchdown favorite over the undefeated Wildcats.
Lines that may raise eyebrows
Arkansas at No. 8 Alabama (-16.5): Everyone’s aware the Hogs have made as much a habit of playing tight games vs. heavy SEC favorites as they have of losing them, but with the number just shy of 17 points, it’s safe to say bettors may be even more aware of Alabama’s utter demolition of Georgia last Saturday.
Wisconsin at Nebraska (-2.5): The Badgers have lost to Alabama and undefeated Iowa, the Huskers to BYU, Miami and Illinois. No matter: Mike Riley’s team remains a narrow favorite at home in Lincoln.
Georgia Tech at No. 6 Clemson (-7.5): On the one hand, Yellow Jacket fans must cring seeing a team they expected to challenge for an ACC title heading to Clemson as more than a touchdown underdog. On the other, after they lost at home to North Carolina and the Tigers knocked off Notre Dame, it might be something of a sign of respect the line isn’t wider than it is.
No. 11 Florida at Missouri (+4.5): Drew Lock is likely an upgrade on Maty Mauk. The Gators are due for a letdown after the Ole Miss win. Still: the team that lost by eight at Kentucky is only catching 4.5 against the hottest team in the SEC?
Lines you may want to stay away from
Maryland at No. 1 Ohio State (-32.5): The Terps are awful and have a two-season track record of getting destroyed vs. top-tier teams. Good news: the Buckeyes haven’t covered a spread since Week 1, and haven’t come particularly close, either.
No. 4 Michigan State at Rutgers (+16): Same story as the preceding paragraph, just different terrible/underperforming teams.
East Carolina at BYU (-7.5): The Pirates may be quietly underrated — their two losses came to a pair of teams in Florida and Navy that have yet to lose this season, and wins over Virginia Tech and at SMU (by 26) are nothing to sneeze at. But it’s a long trip to Provo.
Illinois at No. 22 Iowa (-10): Kirk Ferentz’s program has a long and distinguished history of letting down after big victories, but it’s been years since the Illini weren’t a rotten road team, as their blowout loss at North Carolina showed again recently.
Lines you may want to pick against
ULM at Tulsa (-10): The Golden Hurricane are dramatically improved under Phillip Montgomery — just ask Oklahoma — while ULM is fresh off a 20-point home loss to Georgia Southern. Pick: Tulsa -10.
Syracuse at USF (-4): The Orange may be better than you think, having challenged LSU and fended off better-than-expected Wake Forest and Central Michigan. Meanwhile, USF is 6-15 since 2010 as a home favorite. Pick: Syracuse +4.
Oklahoma State at West Virginia (-7): Yes, the Mountaineers couldn’t keep up with the Sooners in Norman, but they’ve been lights-out at Milan Puskar Stadium this season and are facing a Cowboys team that needed major breaks to beat both Texas and Kansas State. Pick: West Virginia -7.
Utah State at Fresno State (+11): If you haven’t noticed, the Bulldogs just aren’t that good anymore, having lost by 14 to an overrated San Diego State team last week while the Aggies were beating Colorado State by two touchdowns themselves. Another two-score margin seems about right. Pick: Utah State -11.
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