Every college football team in the top 10 team is favored by double-digits this week, but can they cover the spread?
No. 6 Oklahoma State is a 12.5-point favorite at home against No. 16 TCU in a game that has already seen plenty of line movement. No. 11 Georgia is a 4.5-point favorite at home against No. 17 Mississippi State, while No. 4 Penn State is almost a two-touchdown favorite at undefeated Iowa.
With so many eye-popping games and so many college football odds on the move, you'll want to know why the "sharps" are picking against the spread. They're the guys who make their entire living betting sports. Ignoring them means throwing away your money and banking on luck. This week it also means relying on top-rated teams to cover mammoth college football lines.
SportsLine tapped into its Vegas sources to see who the pros are betting on this week. What they found out: Pro bettors are all over No. 8 Michigan at Purdue.
The sharps know Michigan has only scored one touchdown on 10 red-zone trips this season. They also know the Boilermakers are growing in confidence under new coach Jeff Brohm. They convincingly beat Ohio and Missouri and came within a touchdown of upsetting Louisville.
Professional bettors, however, also know defense wins college football games, and Michigan has a major defensive edge against Purdue. Sharps jumped all over Michigan at -8 and -9, sending the line all the way to Michigan -10.5. The Wolverines have beaten Florida, Cincinnati, and Air Force by an average of 18 points.
Pro bettors are also all over No. 2 Clemson, pushing the line from -31.5 to -34 against Boston College. Clemson has outscored opponents 117-30 this season and just beat No. 19 Louisville by 26 points. SportsLine's advanced computer model says Clemson easily handles BC, 42-11.
And one of the biggest college football odds movements this week involves Louisville. Pro bettors hammered the Cardinals, moving the spread six points from -38 to -44 against Kent State. SportsLine's projections have Louisville easily covering the spread and winning 47-9.
"We put out a bad number on Louisville initially and got hammered," BookMaker's Scott Cooley told SportsLine. "We adjusted quickly so the liability isn't outrageous, but it's overwhelming support from both sides of the betting spectrum on the Cardinals."
And one side of the top-20 battle between Georgia and Mississippi State is getting the all the action, causing bookmakers everywhere to move their lines. SportsLine is sharing what it is over at their site.
Who else are the pros pounding this weekend? Visit SportsLine to see which college football teams Vegas pros are hammering this weekend, plus see which side of Georgia-Mississippi State is getting all the action from sharps, all from pros who make their money on college football.
