Week 5 CFB betting report: Early money on Cal, Notre Dame
Week 5 of college football is loaded with ranked matchups throughout Saturday's card. Will Bernanke, the lead analyst at CG Analytics in Las Vegas, breaks down how bettors are approaching those games, as well as others.
Syracuse at Clemson
Open: Clemson -21.5 (point spread) / 66 (O/U)
Current: Clemson -25 (point spread) / 65.5 (O/U)
Undefeated Syracuse heads into Clemson on Saturday looking to steal another win over the Tigers. Syracuse head coach Dino Babers has made a habit of tripping up big-time programs, handing the Tigers their only loss on what was otherwise an unblemished record prior to the College Football Playoff last season.
This year's Clemson squad looks a bit different, and it starts under center.
Freshman phenom Trevor Lawrence, who spent the first four weeks of the season splitting reps with incumbent starter Kelly Bryant, has now been given the keys to the offense.
Even with the news of Lawrence making his first start, bettors are still lining up to take Clemson.
"With Trevor Lawrence starting and bettors looking at the revenge situation, the number's going up and it's pretty lopsided with us - 83 percent of all dollars are on Clemson," Bernanke told theScore on Friday. "We could see some buy back on Syracuse if the number gets even higher."
Stanford at Notre Dame
Open: ND -4.5 (point spread) / 52.5 (O/U)
Current: ND -5.5 (point spread) / 52.5 (O/U)
Following a win for the ages, No. 7 Stanford heads into South Bend to take on No. 8 Notre Dame. David Shaw's club overcame a 17-point deficit late in the third quarter at Oregon to force overtime and walked away with a road win in hostile territory, covering as short favorites.
Bettors aren't buying Stanford to pull off yet another road win against undefeated Notre Dame, which has garnered roughly three of four tickets at CG.
"We took a respected bet on Notre Dame at -4.5. It's pretty lopsided so far, with 74 percent of all dollars on Notre Dame," Bernanke said. "It wouldn't be surprising to see some money come in on Stanford closer to kickoff."
Ohio State at Penn State
Open: OSU -4 (point spread) / 71 (O/U)
Current: OSU -3.5 (point spread) / 70 (O/U)
In what's been billed as the game of the year so far this season, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 9 Penn State meet in a battle of undefeated Big Ten clubs on Saturday in Happy Valley.
Ohio State rolled through their first four games, including a double-digit road win over TCU in Week 3. The Buckeyes boast the No. 2 scoring offense in the country behind only their upcoming opponent. The line on this matchup has been driven down from -4 to -3 in some shops throughout the week.
"We did take a respected bet on Penn State +4," said Bernanke, who added that the handle was fairly even over the week.
Oregon at Cal
Open: Oregon -3 (point spread) / 59 (O/U)
Current: Oregon -2 (point spread) / 58 (O/U)
How Oregon responds to gifting Stanford a win in Week 4 will be a storyline to watch when the Ducks travel to take on undefeated Cal.
What looked to be a surefire win was instead an unacceptable home loss, which pits the Ducks in a potential hangover spot as they take on Cal on the road.
"And that’s exactly what bettors are thinking. This one opened at Oregon -3 and went down to -2; 72 percent of all dollars are on Cal," Bernanke said.
"It’s all Cal money, fading Oregon."