2017 College Football Week 9 Opening Line Report
There were hardly any big upsets in Week 8 but that has left us with some great matchups heading into Week 9. Below compares the lookahead lines from the summer to the opening and current odds at CRIS/Bookmaker.
| Matchup | CRIS Current (Oct 23) | CRIS Open (Oct 22) | G Nugget Lookahead (Jun 22) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn St at Ohio St | Ohio St -6.5 | Ohio St -5 | Ohio St -8.5 |
| Georgia Tech at Clemson | OFF BOARD | OFF BOARD | Clem -18 |
| Oklahoma St at West Virginia | Okla St -7.5 | Okla St -7 | Okla St -4.5 |
| Utah at Oregon | Utah -3.5 | Utah -3 | Ore -10.5 |
| UCLA at Washington | Wash -17 | Wash -17 | Wash -14.5 |
| Texas at Baylor | Tex -7.5 | Tex -10.5 | Bay -2 |
| Georgia at Florida (at Jacksonville) | UGA -14 | UGA -14 | Fla -1 |
Penn St at Ohio St: A crucial game for both the Big Ten title and NCAAF playoffs as both teams are 4-0 and atop the Big Ten East Division along with Michigan State. Books seemed to have differing opening opinions on this one where BetOnline offered Ohio State -7 while Bookmaker opened Ohio State -5. However, there’s now agreement around the market with the Buckeyes listed at -6.5. Public bettors have been all over this game, and it’s already getting 3x as many bets as the next on the slate. Early tickets and money have taken Penn State on the road with the points, but sharp money could come in on Ohio State eventually. Last season Penn St roared back to win 24-21 after being down 21-7 in the 4th quarter.
Georgia Tech at Clemson: Currently off the board due to Clemson QB Kelly Bryant being questionable with a concussion. The Yellow Jackets are a perfect 6-0 ATS this season, and I’d expect the line to open somewhere around +13 or +14. The only other perfect ATS team this season is Central Florida at 5-0-1.
Oklahoma State at West Virginia: Both teams sit 3-1 in conference play behind 4-0 TCU. Oklahoma State opened -7 and has moved to -7.5 despite nearly 80% of very early bets on WVU. Could be a great contrarian spot for the Cowboys if the betting percentages stay true, and we should get a really high total in the high 70s which should help the favorite in terms of covering.
Other betting nuggets:
- BYU is 0-8 ATS this season but is listed -14 vs. San Jose State. It’s the longest ATS losing streak in NCAAF since 2009 (Kansas).
- Speaking of Kansas, only 5% of early spread bettors are taking the Jayhawks to cover +24 against Kansas State.
- After an incredible start for road dogs this season, home teams have turned it around the last couple weeks including 33-22 ATS last week.
- Georgia was a 1-point underdog over the summer but now listed -14 against Florida. That game is played in Jacksonville at a neutral venue as usual, and the Bulldogs have an inside track to the NCAAF Playoff.
- Kentucky is favored over Tennessee for the first time in 10 years. Wildcats are -6 against the Vols but not getting a lot of public support yet.
- Big line movement for Thursday night as Toledo has already moved from -22.5 to -26 at Ball State.
- Texas has moved from -10.5 to -7.5, but much of that is due to the status of QB Sam Ehlinger.
Always good to know the injury reports before betting college football, especially for major injuries.
For the latest odds, betting percentages, line moves and more, visit our Free Live Odds page.
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