Week 7 CFB betting report: Michigan money continues to roll in
Week 7 of the college football season continues Saturday with plenty of ranked matchups. Will Bernanke, the lead analyst at CG Analytics in Las Vegas, offered some feedback as to how bettors are approaching the games.
Georgia at LSU
Open: Georgia -7 (point spread) / 50.5 (game total)
Current: Georgia -7 (-115) / 50.5
No. 2 Georgia gets its biggest test of the season on Saturday when the Bulldogs enter hostile territory to take on No. 13 LSU. Georgia has won every game by double digits so far, most recently downing Vanderbilt 41-13 and covering as 26-point chalk.
LSU can bounce back in a big way after losing on the road at Florida as a short favorite. It was the first loss of the season for the Tigers, who are 8-1 against the spread in their last nine games in SEC play.
"About 75 percent of all dollars are currently on Georgia," Bernanke told theScore on Friday. "We also took a respected bet on Georgia -7, nothing too big though."
Wisconsin at Michigan
Open: Michigan -7.5 / 49
Current: Michigan -9.5 (-110) / 49
ESPN's College GameDay will be at the Big House early to set the tone for a Big Ten clash between No. 15 Wisconsin and No. 12 Michigan. The Badgers' College Football Playoff hopes took a huge hit in Week 3 with a loss to BYU, though Paul Chryst's club has rallied with two straight conference wins heading into Week 7.
Wisconsin will be Michigan's toughest opponent since Week 1, when the Wolverines were defeated by Notre Dame. Jim Harbaugh and Co. have since rolled, ripping off five straight wins.
"There's a lot of Michigan money - upward of 80 percent," said Bernanke, who added that the book took a respected bet on Michigan at -8.
"Unless we see some buyback (on Wisconsin) it looks like we might need the Badgers."
Washington at Oregon
Open: Washington -3.5 / 58
Current: Washington -3 (-120) / 58
No. 7 Washington will look to keep its College Football Playoff ambitions alive when the Huskies meet No. 17 Oregon at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
The Huskies offense that averaged roughly 21 points per game over its first three contests against FBS competition has finally caught a spark, putting up 35 and 31 in wins over BYU and Arizona, respectively.
Saturday is Oregon's shot to collect a big home win over a ranked opponent after the heartbreaker in Week 4. The Ducks coughed up a 17-point lead late in the third to then-No. 7 Stanford, and watched the Cardinal win in overtime.
Bettors are going back to the Oregon well, looking for another potential upset.
"We're getting about 60 percent of all dollars on Oregon," said Bernanke. "They're backing the 'dog."