There were only two upsets in the AP Top 25 during College football Week 8, but one of them was huge. Unranked Purdue destroyed No. 2 Ohio State, 49-20 to hand the Buckeyes their first loss of the season.
The Boilermakers, who had lost its first three games of the season, were 12.5-point underdogs against the second-best team in the nation. But Purdue scored first and took a 14-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.
OSU could not come back, and watched almost helplessly as Purdue extended the lead to 28-6 early in the fourth quarter. After the blowout, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said the team’s weaknesses were exploited.
“The glaring shortcomings we have were exposed,” Meyer said. “Number one, off the top, is our red zone offense. We go down there a few times, two field goals and one missed field goal. We’ve never had this issue.”
Signs of Upset
The money came flying in on OSU before the game when the line was announced at 12 points last week. The sharps moved the number to as high as 14, before it settled at 13.5 at most sportsbooks.
But a deeper look at some stats could have given bettors the convincing they needed to take a chance on the Boilermakers. The first was the team’s offensive performance. Purdue had racked up 500 yards or more in three of its last four games. Secondly, they had outscored those opponents 155-88.
Meyer was worried about the team having a letdown going into a bye week and taking the Boilermakers for granted.
“We’re cautious,” Meyer said, “and we’ve ran a tough road. But it is what it is, and this is a big one.”
Also the moneyline value on Purdue was definitely there. They were getting +405, and definitely worth putting a bet there.
Bad Beat of the Week
Bettors might have lost on Ohio State, but if they also had the under on the game, they thought they would at least get a push on their bets. The line was set at 65.5.
The under looked great at halftime, with Purdue ahead 14-3. It was still holding strong after three quarters at 21-6. Then the teams went nuts, scoring 42 points in final quarter, 28 of those from Purdue.
The killer was Purdue’s scoring three touchdowns in the final 4:40 of contest.
The Other (Less) Surprising Upset
One team that did keep its ATS streak alive was Washington State. The No. 25 Cougars hosted No. 12 Oregon and were 3-point-favorites, despite being 13 spots lower in the AP Top 25 poll.
That didn’t matter. WSU won easily 34-20, and quarterback Gardner Mishnew II said his team is ready to challenge for the Pac-12 Championship.
“It was a big game because Oregon’s a great team, so getting into the thick of our Pac-12 play is huge,” Mishnew said. “We want to be in a position where we can control our own destiny, we don’t want to have to be sitting back and waiting to see what somebody else does and we took a step in the right direction.”