CFB bad line of the week: Miami is for real
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Have you ever come across a spread that just looks off?
Perhaps you're not accounting for something in the price that the market already knows. Or it might just be a bad line in general.
Bettors encounter these fishy spreads on a weekly basis in both college football and NFL. It's up to you to trust your numbers and detect which lines are soft and exploitable.
Here's the one game that fits this mold for the upcoming college football slate.
Bad line of the week: Miami (-13.5 vs. UAB)
Miami has lost bettors' trust over the last few years. Last season alone, the Hurricanes lost five - count 'em, five - games outright as favorites of a touchdown or more. Their parting gift from the 2019-20 season was a bowl loss to Louisiana Tech, which could prompt anyone to slot the storied program into their "no-bet" list.
However, you might want to make an exception for the opener against UAB.
Miami's offense might officially be unlocked with the arrival of D'Eriq King. The Houston transfer made his mark in 2018 when he registered 50 total touchdowns. Now, he's in a system tailored directly to his skill set.
King and first-year offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee are a match made in heaven. At SMU last season, Lashlee and the Mustangs ran the third-most plays in the entire country and were effective while doing so, posting the fifth-best scoring mark.
The Hurricanes' methodical approach last season was ineffective. The offensive line was a mess, the receivers' route trees were too complex, and quarterback Jarren Williams was far from the answer.
This season, the Hurricanes are going to demoralize defenses with tempo, and King has the right supporting cast for it. Tight end Brevin Jordan is an NFL prototype, while the offensive line returns virtually everyone.
UAB already has one game under its belt, so it won't have to knock off much rust. However, that's one of the few pros for the team in this matchup.
The Blazers averaged just 5.53 yards per play against FCS affiliate Central Arkansas in Week 1. The offense returned a ton of production from last year, but this a unit that typically wants to go slow so the defense can have time to rest.
That won't happen against a Miami offense that can score at will.
The Blazers are one of the best stories in college football. Head coach Bill Clark led the program's reboot in 2017 and owns a record of 31-19-1 against the spread over his career. However, this team is much better at home than on the road.
UAB is just 1-4 against the spread as a road 'dog in its last five. In the Blazers' last three games against Power 5 programs, they're 0-3 ATS with an average scoring margin of minus-24.3.
Don't even think about getting cute with this spread. Lay the chalk with the Hurricanes.
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.