Vegas, Baby, Vegas!
You play to win the game
Week #9 opening lines have been hung, so in this space we take a look at what the oddsmakers are laying down around the SEC and a few other games of interest.
With that, as always, if you’re going to dabble, please do so responsibly. Don’t forget, any line that seems too good to be true likely is, and the sharps in Vegas know what they’re doing.
Here’s a look at the SEC opening lines and a few other thoughts, with all lines courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook, who is an SBNation partner. All odds are subject to adjust during the week, and all kick times listed are central. TV provider listed in parentheses. The Nuggets of Wisdom (NoW) are free of charge, so you’re getting what you paid for there!
What are some of your favorite plays this week? Leave them in the comments section below and we’ll compare notes.
Saturday, Oct. 26th
11 am (ESPN) – Oklahoma at Ole Miss (-18.5 / 47.5 total)
NoW – The trail of tears for Oklahoma likely continues, although you never know the motivation level that’s emanating from the NIL-bought roster of Ole Miss. With two losses, the Rebels can’t afford another loss if they want to reach the CFP…
11:45 am (SECN) – Arkansas at Mississippi State (+8.5 / 59.5 total)
NoW – This one is only interesting from the gambling angle, but it’s quite intriguing because of it. Arkansas has been decent on the road this season and is clearly the better team, but Mississippi State – while only 1-6 on the season – has three straight covers against the likes of Texas, Georgia and Texas A&M…
2:30 pm (ABC) – Mizzou at Alabama (-13.5 / 54.5 total)
NoW – Hard to gauge this one with the health of Brady Cook’s injured ankle in question. You have to assume ‘Bama is fighting mad after their loss to rival Tennessee last week…
3:15 pm (SECN) – Texas at Vanderbilt (+19.5 / 53.5 total)
NoW – You have to assume that Vandy will be the big public dog this week, getting almost three TDs at home against a Texas team that looked human against Georgia. All Vandy does is play close games. The margins against FBS teams this year have been: 7 points, 4 points, 3 points, 4 points, 7 points and 10 points…
6:30 pm (ABC) – LSU at Texas A&M (-3.5 / 53.5 total)
NoW – Big stakes for this one between the only two remaining unbeaten teams in league play. The loser isn’t necessarily eliminated from SEC Championship Game contention. But, whoever loses this one will likely have only one path to the CFP – winning out, including the SEC title game…
6:45 pm (SECN) – Auburn at Kentucky (-3.5 / 42.5 total)
NoW – Only the mothers and grandmothers of the players will care about this one. And even they might choose to do something else with their evening…
Non-SEC games of interest
Friday, Oct. 25th
9:30 pm (CBS Sports Network) – Boise State at UNLV (+3.5 / 65.5 total)
NoW – The two leading contenders in the Mountain West face off in what might be a conference championship game preview. Both teams come in with one non-conference loss each, and both likely need to win out to have a realistic shot at the CFP…
Saturday, Oct. 26th
11 am (ABC) – Notre Dame at Navy (+13.5)
NoW – Want to see Notre Dame left out of the CFP this year? Then you’re rooting like hell for Navy this week. The only other potential slip ups for the Irish would be games against Army and USC, but they’ll be big favorites in all of those games. And you just know a one-loss Notre Dame team – no matter how bad that Northern Illinois loss is now looking – will make the playoff field…
2:30 pm (CBS) – Illinois at Oregon (-21.5 / 54.5 total)
NoW – Wow that’s a lot of margin to cover for the new #1 team in the land, no matter how well they’re playing. They’re due for some regression in my opinion, and Illinois seems to be pretty plucky…
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