College football Week 7 action report: Bettors riding Texas vs. Oklahoma
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Before you make your college football bets this weekend, it's worth knowing which side other bettors are backing - especially on games drawing sharp action.
We talked to Jay Rood, Bet.Works' chief risk officer and theScore Bet's head trader, to see how sharps and public bettors are playing the Week 6 slate.
No. 7 Florida at No. 5 LSU
Current line: LSU -13.5
The week's biggest game in terms of playoff implications isn't drawing the most early action, but those betting ahead of Saturday are virtually split on these undefeated SEC foes.
The Tigers were -4.5 favorites earlier this summer and reached -14.5 at some shops early this week before oddsmakers nudged the line down to -13.5, where it'll likely hold steady through kickoff.
"I think this is going to be a good two-way game for us," Rood said. "I would think if there are any -14s out there, they would get gobbled up pretty quick."
The Tigers are drawing twice the amount of money as Florida as of Friday, Rood says, though the Gators are seeing more tickets and have drawn a few moneyline bets at 4-1 from bettors banking on their elite defense.
No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Texas
Current line: Oklahoma -10.5
While LSU-Florida is likely the bigger game, the most exciting matchup of the weekend is in Dallas, where bettors expect the underdog Longhorns to continue their 6-1 ATS run against favored Oklahoma.
Even after a sharp play pushed the line down from Texas +11 to +10.5, all the action has been on the Longhorns, who are drawing three times as much money and six times as many tickets with a 4-to-1 edge in parlay bets, too.
Interestingly, bettors have mostly shied away from betting Texas outright at +320, and the total hasn't drawn much activity, either. Instead, bettors are expecting a tight, high-scoring game, and Rood doesn't predict the line will move thanks to the early kickoff time.
"That's always one of the disappointing things about that game," he said. "If it were an afternoon game, we'd write much more to it."
No. 10 Penn State at No. 17 Iowa
Current line: Penn State -3
One of the busier games at the counter is Penn State at Iowa, with sharps playing both sides here based on the early line movement. The Nittany Lions opened at -3.5 and moved to -4, though sharps bought back the Hawkeyes down to -3 ahead of kickoff.
"That's a game that's gonna be pretty well split all the way down the middle," Rood said.
Rood says his book's only liability is an outright Iowa win thanks to some moneyline bets around +135, where the price sits now at theScore Bet in New Jersey. He expects the line could inch back toward Penn State before kickoff, so those on the road favorite would be wise to bet Friday at a key number.
USC at No. 9 Notre Dame
Current line: Notre Dame -11
USC's injury woes at quarterback paired with Clay Helton's struggles as a road favorite make the Trojans a popular fade in South Bend, and Rood expects a potential flood of bets on the Fighting Irish ahead of a 7:30 ET kickoff.
"Everyone's parlaying Notre Dame, so I would imagine this game is gonna go long here," Rood said. "Looks like the home favorite is getting backed pretty strong by the public."
The money is trending even on both sides with a 2-to-1 ticket-count advantage for the Irish, but parlay activity through Friday is a solid indicator of what public bettors might do Saturday. A late kickoff gives bettors plenty of time to hit the home favorite, too, so this line could climb in Notre Dame's favor before kickoff.
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.