At the beginning of College Football Week 6, 12 of the 25 teams in the AP Poll were undefeated. After Saturday, three more suffered loses, and Oklahoma, LSU and Kentucky all cost bettors money.
No. 5 LSU was a point favorite going into No. 22 Florida, but lost outright, 27-19. They had a chance to win with 2:21 remaining, trailing 20-19, but quarterback Joe Burrow threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
“We gave up too many explosive plays,” said Tigers Coach Ed Orgeron. “That last drive was devastating.”
No. 7 Oklahoma had the unenviable task of going to No. 19 Texas, and trying to win the Red River Rivalry. The Sooners were 7.5-point picks, but were trailing 45-24 in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma stormed back to tie the game, but then watched as freshman kicker Cameron Dicker drilled a 40-yard field goal with nine seconds.
Sooner quarterback Kyle Murray choked back tears as he told reporters how devastated he was at the loss.
“Obviously I’m not used to losing,” Murray said. “It hurts and I am disappointed.”
The most frustrating loss for bettors, though, was No. 13 Kentucky. The Wildcats, who were ranked No. 13 and a 5-5-pick to win, lost to unranked Texas A&M, 20-14 in overtime. It gave new coach Jimbo Fisher his first SEC victory at home this season.
Big Moneyline Returns
Those who were brave enough to bet on a trio of underdogs to win outright, were well-rewarded. The biggest moneyline bet to hit was San Diego State at Boise State. Since 2011, the underdog has won this match up three of five times, including last year, when the Broncos beat the Aztecs, who were 4.5-point favorites, 31-14. In the five games the favorite is 0-5 against the spread.
The Aztecs were 4/1 on the moneyline, and pulled off the upset, beating Boise State, 19-13.
Northwestern returned moneyline bettors +330 when they defeated Michigan State, 29-19. The Wildcats were 10.5-point dogs, but went to East Lansing and upset No. 20 MSU.
Staying Undefeated ATS
Looking for a team that won’t let you down when betting the spread. Washington State just improved to 6-0 ATS with its 56-37 thumping of Oregon State. The Cougars were 18.5-point favorites against the Beavers and just covered, winning 56-37.
The other victories ATS haven’t been nearly as close. They got 1.5 points against Utah, and won outright, 28-24. They gave up 20 to Eastern Washington, and won 59-24. In the first game of the season they handed Wyoming three points, and won 41-19..
The team has a bye, so gamblers will have to wait a week to put a bet on them. They will probably be the underdog on Oct. 20 when the travel to Oregon to face the Ducks.
Bad Beat of the Week
There were two that crushed gamblers, both involving Top 5 teams. The first was Clemson. The over/under was 61 and with 1:01 remaining against Wake Forest, the Tigers were leading, 56-3. Then Clemson’s Lyn-J Dixon took a handoff and ran 52 yards for a touchdown to destroy the under bettors.
The second was even more brutal. Alabama was a 35-point favorite against Arkansas, and with 13 seconds remaining, it looked like the score was going to end up, 65-24. That was until Arkansas’ Joseph Bulovas ran a kickoff back 78 yards to the Alabama 22 with 1:50 left. Six plays later Cole Kelly scored from a yard out with 13 seconds remaining to lose by 34, and hand the Crimson Tide its third consecutive loss ATS.
