Advertisement

College football betting: Ohio State a popular bet in Week 8

Pete Truszkowski
·4 min read
46

Week 8 of the college football season is already here and it's time to take our weekly look at some of the games that bettors are attacking heavily at BetMGM. This slate might lack a marquee game, but there's plenty of interesting contests that should pique our interest.

No. 5 Ohio State at Indiana

Ohio State-Indiana gets the marquee slot on ABC this Saturday, and it also holds the marquee slot at BetMGM. This game is currently receiving more action than any other game on Saturday's college football slate.

The Buckeyes are 21.5-point road favorites over the Hoosiers. Currently, Ohio State has received the second-most action in terms of bets placed and the third-most action in terms of money wagered of any side on the slate. Ninety-four percent of the betting handle is on the Buckeyes to cover.

Ohio State is coming off a bye week. After a slow start to the season, Ohio State finally started to find their footing in the three games prior to the bye week. They outscored Akron, Rutgers and Maryland by a combined score of 177-37.

COLUMBUS, OHIO - OCTOBER 09: Teammates lift Chris Olave #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes after his touchdown in the third quarter during a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Ohio Stadium on October 09, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Ohio State looks to continue rolling after a bye week. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Indiana entered the season ranked and with heightened expectations, but it's failed to meet them. Indiana currently sits with a 2-4 record after a gauntlet of a schedule that has seen it face Iowa, Cincinnati, Penn State and Michigan State already. It will not get easier on Saturday.

No. 2 Cincinnati at Navy

Cincinnati-Navy does not jump off the page as a marquee game, but in this bizarre college football season, the Bearcats are ranked as the second-best team in the nation.

Currently, this is the second-most popular game to bet at BetMGM, and Cincinnati has received more action than any side on the slate as a 28.5-point favorite. Eighty-nine percent of the betting handle is on the Bearcats to cover.

Cincinnati has been very good to its backers this season, as it's covered every single spread against an FBS opponent. Its one non-cover on the season came in Week 2 against Murray State, when it won by 35 as a 36.5-point favorite.

It's been a tough season for Navy, as it sits with a 1-5 record. Its only win came a few weeks back against UCF, which is playing with a backup freshman quarterback.

Cincinnati knows it needs to win every game and rack up style points. As a Group of Five school, it wants to give the committee no reason to question its resume for the playoff.

LSU at No. 12 Ole Miss

There's no shortage of storylines heading into this matchup. That's likely why it's the third-most popular game in terms of betting action.

Lane Kiffin is always someone who attracts attention in the college football landscape, and the same can be said about Ed Orgeron. Now that we know that Orgeron is playing out the string and will be moving on after the season, bettors can add motivation and "playing for their coach" to their handicapping.

Bettors seem to think the Tigers will show out for their soon-to-be former coach. LSU getting nine points is the third-most popular bet of this weekend's slate. Additionally, nearly 80% of the betting action is on this game to go under the total of 76.

Other notable information

  • The highest betting handle of the week is on Iowa State to cover as a 7-point favorite at home. Iowa State opened the season ranked, but it's currently Oklahoma State that is currently ranked eighth in the country. This line might seem high, but sharps are pounding the unranked home favorite.

  • No surprise, but Alabama is also receiving a lot of action. Currently, 83% of the betting handle is on Alabama to cover as a 25-point favorite at home against Tennessee.

  • Ninety-two percent of the betting handle is on Oklahoma to cover the 38.5-point spread against Kansas.

  • Nearly 90% of the money is on Northwestern-Michigan to go under the total of 50.5 points.

  • Bettors are loving the over in UCLA-Oregon, as 87% of the betting handle is on the game to go over 60 points. The total opened at 57.5 points but has seen significant movement.

  • In another non-shocking development, Notre Dame is receiving over 80% of the betting handle as a 7-point favorite against USC.