College football Week 8 action report: Heavy under play in biggest games
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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 8 slate.
No. 16 Michigan at No. 7 Penn State
Current line: Penn State -8.5
The biggest game this week is in Happy Valley, where undefeated Penn State is giving more than a touchdown to visiting Michigan. Bettors are all over the Nittany Lions, with four times as much money and three times the tickets being placed on the big home favorites.
The public is also going heavy on Penn State in parlays, with a sprinkling of opposing money on the Michigan moneyline at +275.
"This is going to be a huge game for us for the day," Rood said. "We're gonna need Big Blue to pull one out."
The sharp play on this game looks like the under, with a 7-to-1 advantage in tickets and 90% of the money going below the total of 46.5. Both defenses rank in the top seven in yards allowed per play, and the forecast calls for clear but chilly weather Saturday night.
No. 12 Oregon at No. 25 Washington
Current line: Oregon -2.5
The best game out west features old rivals Oregon and Washington, and bettors are buying up the home "dawg" from +3 midweek down to +2.5 as of Friday.
Washington has seen twice the money, though the ticket count is even, suggesting sharps like something in head coach Chris Petersen's underperforming squad. Even with two unexpected losses, Washington is 5-2 against the spread this year and has won 17 of its last 18 games at Husky Stadium.
The bigger decision, again, is on the under. The total opened at 50.5 but soon dropped to 49.5, with 100% of the money on the under. It sits at 48.5 as of Friday, though Rood says no bets had come at that number as of early afternoon.
No. 17 Arizona State at No. 13 Utah
Current line: Utah -13.5
Just like in the Pac-12's other top-25 duel, bettors are riding the underdog in this matchup, with a 3-to-1 advantage in tickets and money on visitor Arizona State.
Rood says he's seen some play on the Sun Devil moneyline, though not as much as he'd expect given the heavy side action. Instead, the under is again a big play with bettors, with a 4-to-1 ticket advantage and 6-to-1 edge in money forcing the total from 47.5 down to 46.5.
"This doesn't look like a typical Utah-Arizona State fireworks show," Rood said.
No. 2 LSU at Mississippi State
Current line: LSU -18
Though it's not a high-profile game like the others are, Saturday's matchup between LSU and Mississippi State has drawn bettors' attention and could be a key decision for books this weekend.
The public is throwing the Tigers into parlays at a 10-to-1 clip to cover the 18-point spread over the Bulldogs, who are 2-4 ATS on the year and were blasted by 33 points against Auburn in Week 5. LSU coach Ed Orgeron is 4-1 ATS versus SEC teams when favored by at least 17 points.
"That's gonna be a game we're gonna need to bust up some parlays," Rood said.
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.