Labor Day Weekend delivered some thrilling college football games to kick off Week 1, both as a fan and from a betting perspective.
The slate in Week 2 isn't quite as sexy and there are a handful of games with massive point spreads. It reminds me of Oklahoma and Nebraska in the 1970s when a 50-point line was not uncommon versus some random nonconference opponent. Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan are all favorites in Week 2, laying mid 30s, 40s and 50s, respectively – and I am not seeing much of any activity at all in these three contests. Hardly anything.
Let's move on to some of the marquee matchups and a few lower-profile games as well in which we are seeing a great deal of movement. As always, the games are presented in official Nevada rotation order.
Saturday, Sept. 10
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Duke at Northwestern (-10.5, 56)
I opened Northwestern -10.5 and the wise guys took the points. I went to 10 and eventually 9.5. Then they went the other way, betting me back up to 10 and then 10.5 and I'm right back where I started – so good two-way action from primarily sharp play.
No. 1 Alabama (-20, 65.5) at Texas
The Crimson Tide opened as 20.5 point favorites and the wise guys took it down to 20. They've now started to lay it and I have a feeling I'm headed back to 20.5.
Marshall at No. 8 Notre Dame (-20.5, 50)
We opened Notre Dame at 20 and the public laid it. The sharp money showed up at 20.5 and we went to 21. Then they took it back and I went back down to 20.5, so good two-way action depending on who you like. A lot of different options and opinions out there with this one.
No. 24 Tennessee (-6, 65) at No. 17 Pittsburgh
We opened Tennessee -7 and they took it. Public money came in on the favorite at 6.5, but the wise guys kept taking it and now we are down to Tennessee -6.
Colorado at Air Force (-17.5, 50.5)
I opened Falcons -17 and the wise guys laid it. I'm up to 17.5. Not much else on this one yet. It pretty much stopped right there.
Appalachian State at No. 6 Texas A&M (-19, 54)
We opened this game Aggies -17 and they laid it. They jumped in again at 18 and I am now at 19 in favor of Texas A&M. That is where I am staying for now. It seems to be a pretty good, consensus number. It looks like sharp money on the favorite here.
Washington State at No. 19 Wisconsin (-17, 49)
I opened 19 and the sharps grabbed it early and often. They took 19, 18, and 17.5. That's where I am now, Wisconsin -17 after a couple of good moves.
Middle Tennessee State at Colorado State (-11.5, 60)
I mentioned lower-profile games that are seeing a lot of action. This is a weird one. We opened 8 and the wise guys took the points. We went to 7.5 and they laid it. I went back to 8 and they laid that, too. The wise guys continued to lay the points at 8.5 and I could see the movement, so I went all the way to 10. They weren't done. They laid 10 and I skipped over 10.5, going to Colorado State -11 – and they laid that, too. Crazy game. I'm now at 11.5 on the Rams.
No. 25 Houston at Texas Tech (-3.5, 62.5)
This one is interesting. It looks like the Texas Tech QB Tyler Shough is out, so I opened at 3 and the wise guys laid the 3 points despite the absence of the quarterback.
Iowa State at Iowa (-4, 40.5)
I opened 4 and took early money on the dog. I do see 3.5 elsewhere, but I am going to leave it where it is until I get a bet.
UAB (-6.5, 50) at Liberty
We opened this 6.5 and the wise guys took it quickly, so I went to 6. They then laid me the 6 and I’m back to 6.5.
No. 20 Kentucky at No. 12 Florida (-5.5, 51.5)
We opened the game 4.5. We were never at 7. They laid the 4.5 and the 5, and I'm at 5.5 right now on Florida. I do see 6s out there, but I'm going to wait to take a bet before I go to 6 at South Point.
Georgia Southern at Nebraska (-23, 62.5)
A lotta movement here. I opened Nebraska -22 and the wise guys took the points. I moved to 21.5 and a sharp guy I respect laid it, so I went right to 22.5 and they laid me that, so now I'm at 23. The initial move was on the underdog.
No. 10 USC (-8.5, 67.5) at Stanford
I opened the game 9 and the sharp money took the points. The public came in and laid the 8.5. That is where we are now, but I have a feeling we'll be back up to 9 on USC at some point, especially with it being a late game on TV. I see 8s in the market, so if I go to 9 they may take it again. Right now at South Point, the public money is with the favorite.
Arizona State at No. 11 Oklahoma State (-11.5, 58)
We opened the game 11.5 and the wise guys took the 11.5. I moved to 11 and the public is laying back the 11.
No. 9 Baylor at No. 21 BYU (-3.5, 53.5)
Here's another interesting game. We opened 3 and the wise guys laid it. I went to 3.5 and they laid that, too. I went to 4 and then they took the points and took it again when I moved to 3.5 as well. So we were back down to -3 on BYU and then they laid it again. So, good two-way action on this one.
There's a good menu for you to scour. Of course, we have NFL action kicking off for real this week, too. I'll have my report on that out on Saturday morning.
Chris Andrews is the sportsbook director at the South Point in Las Vegas and has been a Nevada bookmaker for 40 years.
