Week 2 NCAAF Opening Line Report
Week 2 of the college football season features a few big contests, including a rematch of a Big 12-Big Ten battle from last season.
Four key games, with insights from Scott Cooley, odds consultant for offshore sportsbook Bookmaker.eu.
No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners at No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (-5.5)
Ohio State (1-0 SU and ATS), coming off a season in which it reached the College Football Playoff semifinals, was sluggish out of the gate in Week 1 at Indiana, trailing 21-20 late in the third quarter. However, the Buckeyes didn’t allow a score the rest of the way and scored the final 29 points in a 49-21 victory as a 20-point favorite Thursday.
Oklahoma (1-0 SU and ATS) didn’t have nearly that kind of trouble with nonconference foe Texas-El Paso, rumbling 56-7 Saturday as a massive 43-point home favorite. But playing in The Horseshoe won’t be nearly as comfortable, as the Sooners try to avenge a 45-24 loss to Ohio State as a 2-point home underdog in Week 3 last year.
“Everyone knows exactly what happened in this game last year, and I don’t know if anyone is expecting anything different,” Cooley said. “The Buckeyes found their offensive rhythm in the second half of their opener, and it’s easy to say the Indiana defense is comparable, if not better, than Oklahoma’s. This number will probably head north quickly.”
Cooley was spot-on, as less than an hour after Bookmaker.eu’s opening line posted Sunday evening, the Buckeyes were bet up to -7.5.
No. 13 Auburn Tigers at No. 5 Clemson Tigers (-6)
Defending national champion Clemson (1-0 SU and ATS) no longer has Deshaun Watson at quarterback, but it hardly mattered in its Week 1 tuneup game for this ACC-SEC clash. Kelly Bryant threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, and ran for another 77 yards and a score as Clemson crushed Kent State 56-3 laying 38 points at home Saturday.
Auburn (1-0 SU, 0-0-1 ATS) likewise had no problem with Georgia Southern in a 41-7 Saturday stomp, though it settled for a push as a 34-point home fave. Auburn and Clemson have met four times in the last seven seasons, with Clemson taking the last three SU, including a 19-13 road win giving 7.5 points last year.
“Is this the year Auburn snaps the streak? Tough to say, but one thing that seems to be certain is that we won’t see a shootout,” Cooley said. “This has been a tightly contested game over the last five years or so, and these rivalries always seem to play out like that. Pro bettors might find some value with Auburn here.”
No. 15 Georgia Bulldogs at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (no line)
Georgia opened the season with a victory, but it came at a cost. Starting quarterback Jacob Eason suffered a sprained knee in the first quarter against Appalachian State on Saturday. The Bulldogs (1-0 SU and ATS) went on to win 31-10 as a 12.5-point home chalk, but Cooley held off on posting a line for Georgia-Notre Dame until it’s clear whether Eason or freshman Jake Fromm will be the starter.
Notre Dame (1-0 SU and ATS) is coming off a 49-16 rout of Temple as a 19-point favorite. The Irish are looking to put behind them a dismal 4-8 SU and ATS season.
“We’re anticipating Eason will be out for this one, but we’ll wait to hang a line just to be sure,” Cooley said. “If he’s out, the freshman will have his hands full at South Bend. That injury obviously will be built into the line, as will the public’s propensity to back Notre Dame.”
No. 14 Stanford Cardinal at No. 4 Southern California Trojans (-5.5)
Star QB Sam Darnold and Southern Cal (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS) got all they could handle from Western Michigan until well into the fourth quarter Saturday. The Trojans needed two touchdowns in the span of 36 seconds – the second one on an interception return with 3:13 remaining – to pull away for a 49-31 victory as a hefty 28-point home favorite.
Stanford (1-0 SU and ATS) comes in off a week of rest, after roasting Rice 62-7 laying 29.5 points on Aug. 26. The Cardinal probably needed the break, as it was the ultimate neutral-site game, played in Sydney, Australia.
“You get the feeling that this ballyhooed USC squad is due for an early upset,” Cooley said. “USC didn’t look great against the run, and the power-run game is what the Cardinals hang their hat on. Stanford has owned this rivalry of late, and this could be another notch in the series win column.”
The Cardinal won and cashed the last three meetings with the Trojans, including a 27-10 home victory last year as a 7.5-point fave. That said, shortly after Bookmaker.eu installed USC a 5.5-point chalk Sunday night, the Trojans were bet up to 6.5.
