Each week of the season, Doc’s Sports will take a look at some of the biggest college football highlights that took place over the previous weekend. This is where to look to find out who covered in the big games, where the important line moved, and which teams were hot against the total.
Texas A&M defeated No. 10 Texas on Saturday, 12-7.
No, the final punctuation is not a typo. This rivalry game was all about defense and neither team managed 300 total yards. The sportsbooks, by contrast, believed this game was going to be all about offense, putting up a staggering 56 points. Bookies know that the public loves to bet on Texas and such. The Horns finished the season 5-6 against the total. The reason this statistic suffers is due to the fact that the lines are always too high, having been shaded by the bookies. Another reason the over is suffering with the Longhorns is the fact that Texas has been underperforming. Through the last five weeks of the year, Texas was 1-4 ATS. This season was disappointing not only for Texas, but for the Longhorn players as well.
No. 8 LSU defeated No. 5 Arkansas on Saturday 31-26.
The line of this game showed a slight movement during the day before the start. The line started almost even and by Saturday LSU was a two-point favorite. Either way, the Tigers covered the spread and won the game in impressive fashion. Although Arkansas is 10-2 this season, they have a poor 4-7 ATS. After some unexpected losses, LSU found a way to fight its way back to a strong position in BCS. They finished the regular season 10-2 overall and 7-4 ATS. The great LSU bowling game may find them favorites.
No. 4 Florida defeated Florida State on Saturday 21-14.
Florida pulled away in the first half of this game only to allow Florida State to come back in. Florida State had plenty of chances to tie it late, but just didn’t make it. Of course, when it comes to FSU this season, execution isn’t something that comes easily. The Seminoles finished the season 5-7 ATS, finding themselves very inconsistent. Over the course of the season, Florida State never went on a three-game winning streak. Florida also continued its betting trends. Once again the Gators didn’t cover the spread leaving them at a horrible 3-8 ATS for the season.
No. 3 USC defeated No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday, 44-24.
This game was USC’s only chance to show the BCS that they are a champion team. The Trojans not only dominated this game, but they showed the world that Notre Dame is not a top 10 team. John David Booty trashed Notre Dame’s poor secondary on play after play. USC also shut down Quinn’s potent offense, proving that his defense is something to be reckoned with. Over the course of the past five weeks, USC is 5-0 ATS. Some bettors may have thought putting up nine points against Notre Dame was too much. If bettors couldn’t pick a side, I think the strongest trend in this game was the total. The bettors must have thought that no matter who won the game, they would have to put a lot of points on the board to do so. Playing with the Trojans and the Irish doesn’t usually go wrong.
No. 25 Hawaii defeated Purdue on Saturday 42-35.
Can you believe it? Hawaii stayed under 50 points during this game for the first time in six weeks. Purdue came into the middle of this game for two touchdowns. Midway through the third quarter, the Boilermakers found a way to fight back to nearly steal this game. If you bet on Hawaii this season, you picked the right team. Hawaii finished the season 8-2 ATS and also finished 9-2 for the over. In many games Hawaii played in, they covered everything themselves. When a quarterback throws 60+ touchdowns during a season, the over is money in the bank. I wonder if Hawaii will be able to increase the total to 100 next year.