While universities are preparing for conference play in October, the fourth week of the college football season is a time to feast on lesser-known teams. But covering those double-digit spreads in these games is hardly a guarantee.
There were nine teams in the top-10 of the Associated Press College Football Poll that played opponents not in the top 25. They all won, but only five covered. Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and LSU did not.
Below is a recap of some of the highlights from Week 4 from a betting perspective, including teams to back, and others to stay away from.
Streak Over for Alabama?
Alabama is still the No. 1 team in the country in college football polls, but slipped a little with bettors in its game against Texas A&M on Saturday. The Crimson Tide hosted the Aggies and for the fourth consecutive week a huge double-digit favorite, this time at 24.5 points.
After covering spreads of 24, 37, and 23 points, Alabama couldn’t go four in a row, defeating the Aggies, 45-23, but missing the line by 2.5 points. They get a chance this Saturday when they host Louisiana-Lafayette. They are an early 49-point pick over the Ragin’ Cajuns. The team lost two weeks ago to another SEC team, 49-10 to Mississippi State.
Old Dominion Upset
The best upset of the week was Old Dominion downing No. 11 Virginia Tech, 49-35. The Monarchs were 0-3 ATS, but made up for it in a big way on Saturday. They were 28.5-point underdogs against the Hokies, and a 30-1 pick on the moneyline.
A $100 bet on Old Dominion would have netted $3,000, and apparently some savvy bettors did just that. William Hill reported that they had 14 tickets on the Monarchs to win outright.
Jump on the Bandwagon
Southern Cal has been a bettor’s dream, but for all the wrong reasons. The Trojans are now 0-4 ATS, and it hasn’t even been close.
USC was a 25-point selection at home against UNLV in the first week, but couldn’t cover, winning, 43-21. The next game they were getting five points against Stanford, and lost, 17-3.
They also got points on the road against Texas, but three was not nearly enough, as they were blown out, 37-14. Last Friday, they hosted Washington State and gave away 4.5, but could only muster a 39-36 victory.
Avoid Like the Plague
Oklahoma has been a source of frustration for bettors. The Sooners easily covered in Week 1, dismantling Florida Atlantic, 63-14, as an 18.5-point pick.
It has been all downhill since then, however. They were 30-point favorites at home against UCLA and won, 49-21. They then failed to cover for the second consecutive week when giving 18.5 points to Iowa State, only winning by 10.
Last week was the third loss ATS. They hosted Army, and was a 29-point favorite. They escaped with a 28-21 victory.
Bad Beat of the Week
Oregon was a +3 underdog against Stanford and had a 24-7 lead against the No. 7 Cardinal with three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Then Stanford rattled off 24 points in the second half, including a 32-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime.
Stanford then scored a touchdown to take a seven-point lead in the extra period. The defense then stopped the No. 20 Ducks on four possessions just past the 10-yard line to escape with a 38-31 victory and destroy Oregon backers.
