College Football Week 2 opening line report

Each week we'll break down the opening lines for the biggest college football games on the card to see where the early money is going and how the spread may move leading up to kickoff. Week 2 features a matchup between two national title contenders and Michigan facing a tough test at home.

LSU at Texas

Opening Line: LSU -4

In the biggest game of Week 2, LSU goes on the road to face Texas. Both teams impressed in their openers. LSU demolished Georgia Southern 55-3, while the Longhorns rolled over Louisiana Tech 45-14. LSU opened as a 4-point favorite on the road and moved to 4.5 with some early money backing the Tigers. When the Westgate LV SuperBook put out its college football games of the year this summer, LSU was a one-point underdog. Sharp bettors are high on LSU overall but expect the public to take the points here. Texas coach Tom Herman excels in the underdog role - he's 13-2-1 ATS as an underdog in his five seasons as a head coach.

New Mexico State at Alabama

Opening Line: Alabama -54.5

Breaking news: Oddsmakers don't think New Mexico State has much of a chance on the road against Alabama this weekend. The Tide opened up as a 54.5-point favorite with the total at 65. In other words, there isn't a lot of faith that the Aggies will score a touchdown because the total is only 10 points higher than the spread. It didn't take sharp bettors long to hit this game, though. Alabama is down to -54 and the total moved to 63. There likely won't be much public money on this game because the spread is so high, so don't expect much line movement throughout the week.

Army at Michigan

Opening Line: Michigan -23.5

In one of the most interesting games of Week 2, Army travels to the Big House to face Michigan. The Black Knights looked sluggish in their opener, defeating Rice 14-7 on a late touchdown as a 24-point favorite. Michigan turned it on after a slow start and disposed of Middle Tennessee 40-21. Army is a dangerous underdog with its option offense and strong defense. The line opened Michigan -23.5 and is already down to 22.5. The Black Knights are just 1-7 ATS in road openers but took Oklahoma to overtime last year before losing 28-21. Expect Army to be a popular public underdog this week.

Cincinnati at Ohio State

Opening Line: Ohio State -16.5

The Justin Fields era got off to a fast start at Ohio State. The Buckeyes' new quarterback didn't disappoint in his debut, racking up 295 total yards and five touchdowns in a 45-21 win over Florida Atlantic. Ohio State steps up in class this week when in-state rival Cincinnati visits the Horseshoe. The line for this game hasn't moved off the opening number of 16.5 as of Monday morning. Public bettors will be all over Ohio State, but it will be interesting to see how sharps approach this game. They could wait to see if Cincinnati gets to +17 before pouncing on the Bearcats.

Nebraska at Colorado

Opening Line: Nebraska -6.5

Nebraska struggled in its opener, defeating lowly South Alabama 35-21 as a 36-point favorite, while Colorado defeated rival Colorado State 52-31. Sharp bettors believe the Cornhuskers are overvalued again this week. Nebraska opened as a 6.5-point favorite on the road but moved two points to -4.5 with early money coming in on Colorado. The public will be on the Cornhuskers but the line won't get back to 6.5. If you like Colorado, the early value with the Buffs is long gone.

Texas A&M at Clemson

Opening Line: Clemson -18.5

The defending national champions made short work of Georgia Tech in their opener and now face a much tougher test with Texas A&M coming to Death Valley. Clemson opened 18.5 and the line hasn't moved as of Monday. This will be an interesting game to monitor throughout the week. The public will be all over Clemson, but sharps will likely take the points with Texas A&M if the number climbs. Expect this line to settle around Clemson -19 with sharp money on the Aggies, but most of the bets backing Clemson.

California at Washington

Opening Line: Washington -12

Washington hosts Cal in a pivotal early-season Pac-12 matchup. The Huskies looked sensational in their opener. Led by new quarterback Jacob Eason, Washington defeated Eastern Washington 47-14. Meanwhile, Cal looked anything but dominant in a sluggish 27-13 win over UC Davis. The line opened Washington -12 but moved to -13. The Bears feature one of the Pac-12's top defenses and defeated the Huskies at home 12-10 last season as an 11-point underdog. This is a revenge spot for the Huskies and Washington is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 meetings versus Cal.