Betting Recap – Week 2

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Overall Notes

College Football Week 2 Results
WAGER Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 59-18
Against the Spread 36-40-1
WAGER Home-Away
Straight Up 57-20
Against the Spread 40-36-1
WAGER Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 35-42
WAGER Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up (neutral site) 0-0
WAGER Totals (O/U)
Over-Under (neutral site) 0-0
WAGER Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up (FBS vs. FCS) 28-1
Against the Spread (FBS vs. FCS) 14-15


The largest underdogs to win straight up
East Carolina (+15.5, ML +500) vs. North Carolina
Eastern Michigan (+15.5, ML +500) at Purdue
Colorado State (+14, ML +425) vs. Arkansas

The largest favorites to cover
Miami-Florida (-61) vs. Savannah State, 77-0
Texas Tech (-49) vs. Lamar, 77-0
Syracuse (-45) vs. Wagner, 62-10

Top 25 Notes

-- Wisconsin won again, topping New Mexico by a 45-14 score, although they failed to cover a 36-point number thanks to a slow start. The Badgers were sluggish, leading the Lobos just 10-7 at halftime before pulling away. This game had a filthy bad beat, too (see below). ... Ohio State dashed through the raindrops to roll up a 52-3 victory against Rutgers in the Big Ten opener for both sides. The remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon is a slowly moving rain system and it caused plenty of soggy, slippery games all through the Midwest and East including Columbus. A ground game easily favored the Buckeyes, and they were leading 45-0 before the Scarlet Knights ruined the shutout. ... Flordia State provided Willie Taggart with his first victory at the helm in Tallahassee, but it wasn't easy. The 'Noles were trailing for a majority of the game before finally awakening in the fourth quarter to top FCS Samford 36-26. ... Penn State was able to dodge an upset last week, but this week there was no threat of a loss. The Nittany Lions blasted Pittsburgh 51-6 in a rainy matchup in the Steel City.

-- USC-Stanford was one of the most highly-anticipated games of the weekend, but the Trojans offense was never able to get on track. The managed just three points against the Cardinal, their lowest total against Stanford since 1941 when they were shutout. USC has opened the season 0-2 ATS, while Stanford improved to 2-0 ATS.

-- Boise State is off to a hot start, as they crushed Connecticut by a 62-7 count on the Smurf Turf. The Broncos are looking like the Broncos of old, winning their first two games against FBS foes by a combined score of 118-27 while going 2-0 ATS and 2-0 on the 'over'.

-- Michigan State led 13-3 heading to the fourth quarter at Arizona State, but Sparky was able to outscore Sparty 13-0 in the final quarter to give Herm Edwards a huge victory. The Sun Devils have opened the season 2-0 ATS, while the Spartans are a dismal 0-2 ATS.

Big Five Conference Report (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC)

-- Duke grabbed an impressive 21-7 road win against Northwestern, improving to 2-0 SU/ATS. ... After an ugly opening game against FCS No. 2 James Madison, North Carolina State picked up a 41-7 win over Georgia State at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. The Wolfpack are now 2-0 SU/1-1 ATS so far. ... Virginia Tech annihilated FCS William & Mary by a 62-17, improving to 2-0 SU/ATS. ... North Carolina is off to an inexplicable 0-2 SU/0-1-1 ATS start after getting trucked on the road against East Carolina at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The last time the Tar Heels played the Pirates, they allowed 70, so at least they improved slightly in that area.

-- Purdue was expected to be a potential bowl team and upper-division team in the Big Ten, but they're 0-2 SU/ATS after a surprising 20-19 loss against Eastern Michigan. While the driving rain in West Lafayette was an excuse, the Eagles also played in the slop, too. ... If you had the 'over' (55) in Western Michigan-Michigan, you don't even need to read the bad beat section below. Meanwhile, the Wolverines were able to bounce back with a win and cover, 49-3. ... It wasn't pretty, but Iowa grinded out a 13-3 win to move to 2-0 SU/ATS, topping rival Iowa State.

-- Oklahoma blasted UCLA 49-21, although the Bruins were able to grab the backdoor cover with a touchdown at 3:41 to go in regulation. The Sooners are averaging 56.0 PPG through two outings. ... Texas Christian was a bit sluggish on Friday night at Southern Methodist, but they shook off the Mustangs in the second half to win 42-12 and cover. However, the 'under' (59) connected thanks to TCU's rock-steady defense in the second half. ... Texas earned their first win of the season by stopping Tulsa, 28-21. The Longhorns are 0-2 ATS to start the new campaign.

-- Is it possible to be on the hot seat after just two games? Arizona's Khalil Tate was believed to be a Heisman Trophy candidate, but that ship likely has already sailed as new coach Kevin Sumlin's group is 0-2 SU/ATS. ... Colorado ruined the debut of Scott Frost at Nebraska, 33-28. The Buffaloes were down eight points midway through the third quarter, but they scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:06 to go. ... After Oregon State got trucked 77-31 in their opener, they returned home to pick on FCS Southern Utah for a 48-25 win and cover.

-- Kentucky snapped a 31-year drough by topping Florida by a 27-16 score in The Swamp, winning outright as a 13 1/2-point favorite. ... Arkansas headed out to Fort Collins for what looked like a simple game against Colorado State, a team which has been awful defensively. The Hogs led 27-17 heading to the fourth quarter, but the Rams easily played their best quarter of the season to outscored the Razorbacks 17-0 and win by seven. ... Missouri picked up a 40-13 win against Wyoming as the Tigers moved to 2-0 SU/ATS. A field goal by the Cowboys with 5:53 flipped the under to an over, although it wasn't quite a bad beat and just a close shave.


Mid-Major Report

-- Temple was dumped at home by Buffalo, as the Owls slipped to 0-2 SU/ATS. In fact, it's Temple's first 0-2 start since 2013. ... South Florida posted a win over a Power 5 team, topping Georgia Tech, 49-38. They won as a three-point short 'dog at home. After a sluggish 34-14 win against FCS Elon, the Bulls looked much better at the Ray Jay in this one. They have a road trip to Illinois next weekend. ... After failing to cover last week, Houston picked up a cover against Arizona. The Cougars are averaging 45.0 PPG through two games.

-- Florida Atlantic rebounded from last week's shellacking in Oklahoma to top Air Force 33-27. The game featured a bad beat, and perhaps two. See below. ... North Texas posted a 58-16 win over FCS Incarnate Word, but they failed to cover the 44-point number. The Mean Green called off the dogs in the fourth quarter and that cost bettors. ... Western Kentucky was dropped 31-28 in Bowling Green, losing to FCS Maine. ... It was also a bad beat if you were holding an 'over' ticket in the Florida International-Old Dominion contest.

-- Ball State gave Notre Dame all they could handle, as the Irish had a hangover from their big win over Michigan last week coupled with a deluge in the shadows of Touchdown Jesus. The Cardinals are now 2-0 ATS and the 'under' has cashed in each of their games. ... Miami-Ohio slipped to 0-2 SU/ATS in their 21-0 loss against Cincinnati. The weather didn't do them any favors, but again, the Bearcats also played in the same conditions. Meanwhile, Cincy is now 2-0 SU/ATS and 2-0 ATS as a road 'dog.  

-- UNLV cruised to a 52-24 win and cover against Texas-El Paso. The Runnin' Rebels have posted an impressive 2-0 ATS mark through their first two outings. ... Utah State embarrassed New Mexico State by a 60-13 score, improving to 1-1 SU/2-0 ATS during the early going. ... San Diego State was able to push aside FCS Sacramento State 28-14, but they slipped to 0-2 ATS.  

Bad Beats

-- Wisconsin was leading 38-14 with :22 left and a total of 58 1/2. Instead of taking a knee and running out the clock, the Badgers scored a touchdown to make it 45-14 and flip the result from an under to an over.

-- FAU led 33-20 against Air Force, but a blocked punt with :50 left in regulation pulled the Falcons within six. More importantly, it was a bad beat for anyone laying the eight points. In addition, some people had 'under' 59 1/2 or 60, depending on when their wager was placed, so the total was also changed on that play for some, too.

-- Michigan took a 49-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter, so 'over' bettors needed just five or six points to pick up the win at most shops. Western Michigan was driving, but with 2:34 to go and facing a fourth down midway through Wolverines territory, head coach Tim Lester elected to kick the field goal to avoid the shutout. Perhaps coach Tim Lester held an 'under' ticket?

-- FIU-ODU had a total of 51 1/2 points at most shops. FIU led 28-20 through three quarters, but the two sides each went scoreless in the fourth quarter for an excruciating result for those betting the 'over'.

-- In the worst bad beat of the night, Rice-Hawaii had a total of 69. With just 3:01 to go in regulation, there were 50 total points on the board. Hawaii had a 26-yard touchdown to open a 36-22 lead. Navy responded 1:13 later to close the lead to 36-29. After the ensuing onside kick, Hawaii elected to run rather than take a knee, dashing 46 yards for a TD and the painful and unbelievable over.