Welcome back to Monday Morning Oddsmaker, our weekly first look at the Vegas lines for the upcoming weekend of college football action. As a quick glance over the spreads highlighted below should tell you, Week 7 features an absolutely loaded slate ... and even has the courtesy to get started on Tuesday night, when Arkansas State faces South Alabama in a midweek #FunBelt showcase.
All lines are courtesy of our friends at Sportsline and current as of Monday morning. Enjoy:
Lines you need to know
No. 10 Alabama at No. 9 Texas A&M (+5): In the first of two top-10 SEC showdowns (and the SEC on CBS Game of the Week), the Crimson Tide are a five-point road favorite over the team they crushed 59-0 a year ago.
No. 8 Florida at No. 6 LSU (-6.5): Thanks to the Gators' rip-roaring early-season success, even hosting this as a night game in Tiger Stadium hasn't made LSU a full touchdown favorite ... yet.
No. 7 Michigan State at No. 12 Michigan (-6.5): After the Wolverines' hot start and the Spartans' weekly struggles, this matchup has now moved 11 points from its summer opening at the Golden Nugget.
No. 18 UCLA at No. 15 Stanford (-5.5): The Cardinal buried the Bruins in 2014 as a six-point underdog. How will they fare as a Thursday night home favorite?
Louisville at No. 11 Florida State (-6.5): If any game stands to ruin the potential undefeated Clemson-vs.-undefeated FSU November blockbuster expected by many, it might be this one.
Lines that may raise eyebrows
No. 13 Ole Miss at Memphis (+9.5): The Rebels already took down Alabama on the road, but nonetheless are favorites of under 10 points over a Group of Five opponent. An undefeated Group of Five opponent, yes, but still.
Oregon at Washington (-1): Since losing to the Huskies in 2003, the Ducks have won the last 11 meetings by 25, 24, 20, 21, 34, 24, 37, 17, 31, 21, and 25 points, respectively. And they're still underdogs for this Saturday's trip to Seattle.
Auburn at Kentucky (+1.5): Someone in Vegas still believes in you, Tigers. For all its issues, Gus Malzahn's team remains a narrow road favorite for Thursday night's visit to Lexington.
Missouri at Georgia (-16): Gary Pinkel has enjoyed a tremendous level of road success in recent seasons. Judging by the two-touchdown-plus spread at a team that's lost two straight, bettors aren't expecting that to continue.
Lines you may want to stay away from
USC at No. 14 Notre Dame (-5): I don't have any idea how USC to going to respond to the fallout of Steve Sarkisian's forced leave, and neither do you.
Arizona State at No. 4 Utah (-7): At a glance this seems low for the No. 4 team in the country, but the Sun Devils already have one big road upset under their belts and the Utes just beat Cal by only six even after picking up six Bears turnovers.
No. 17 Iowa at No. 20 Northwestern (+1): The undefeated Hawkeyes appear to be playing better football than the Wildcats at the moment, but weird things have happened between Pat Fitzgerald's and Kirk Ferentz's teams before.
Virginia Tech at Miami (-6.5): The Hokies appear to be snapping out of their early-season doldrums, and the Hurricanes might have their usual post-'Noles hangover. Then again, Tech's last away game ended in a loss to East Carolina.
Lines you may want to pick against
No. 24 Houston at Tulane (+17.5): The Green Wave have proven conclusively they can't compete with good teams. Tom Herman's Houston has proven conclusively it's a good team. Pick: Houston -17.5
Nebraska at Minnesota (PK): The Cornhuskers have narrowly lost to several good teams. The Gophers have narrowly won over several teams that aren't nearly as good. Even in Minneapolis, the evidence we have suggests Mike Riley's team is the better one, regardless of record. Pick: Nebraska
UCF at Temple (-21.5): If the Knights couldn't show a pulse at home vs. UConn, why would they suddenly find one facing the surging Owls in Philadelphia? Pick: Temple -21.5
No. 21 Boise State at Utah State (+9.5): Since Brett Rypien took over for the injured Ryan Finley, the Broncos have obliterated all challengers, while the Aggies might be slightly overvalued after blowing out a truly horrendous Fresno State team last Saturday. Pick: Boise State -9.5
