CFB Week 2 Pros vs. Joes: Bettors love Clemson, Notre Dame in openers
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Before you make your college football bets in Week 2, it's worth knowing which side other bettors are backing - especially on games drawing sharp action.
We talked to Jay Rood, Bet.Works' chief risk officer and theScore Bet's head trader, to see how sharps and public bettors are playing this week's slate.
No. 1 Clemson at Wake Forest (-33.5, 60)
It's not the most-bet game of the weekend, but Clemson's season opener might be the most lopsided in the first big week of college football action.
Last year's runner-up is drawing four times as many tickets and an astounding 200 times as much money as Wake Forest, which is 0-11 straight up against Dabo Swinney's Tigers but has covered in six of those games.
The heavy stream of money on the road favorite has bumped the line from -32 to -33.5 as of Friday afternoon, but that shouldn't deter Clemson bettors. Under Swinney, the Tigers are a perfect 19-0 straight up and 11-7-1 against the spread when giving this many points.
UTEP at No. 14 Texas (-43, 58.5)
For whatever reason, the biggest handle of the weekend is on a likely blowout between Texas and lowly UTEP, which has gone 3-34 SU and 11-25-1 ATS since 2017. Even more surprisingly, bettors are torn on the number.
The Longhorns and Miners are both seeing solid side action ahead of Saturday night's in-state showdown, though the total has dropped from 61 to 58.5 as of Friday. During its run of futility, UTEP has gotten at least 40 points just once - a 49-point loss to Oklahoma - while Texas has never been this big of a favorite under Tom Herman.
"Just an odd game to be drawing that kind of activity," Rood said.
Duke at No. 10 Notre Dame (-20, 54.5)
In its first game as a member of the ACC, Notre Dame is getting plenty of respect from oddsmakers and bettors alike against Duke.
The line has stayed at -20 since it opened, but bettors are buying big on the Fighting Irish, who finished last year on a 5-0 ATS run. The team has also won 14 of its last 16 games against ACC foes with a 10-6 ATS record in that span.
"We're seeing support exclusively for Notre Dame," Rood said. "It’s like a 5-to-1 ratio on straight bets and almost 5-to-1 on parlays."
The total has drawn more balanced action thus far, though the under has seen a bit more love ahead of Saturday's kickoff. The Irish have gone under in six of their last seven vs. the ACC, while Duke is 12-5-1 to the under in its last 18 as an underdog.
Syracuse at No. 18 North Carolina (-23, 65)
The closest-bet game among higher-profile matchups comes in Chapel Hill, where North Carolina and Syracuse are mere dollars apart on the spread as of Friday afternoon.
The Tar Heels opened as 22-point favorites and saw a small move in their direction early, but bettors have bought back on the Orange to set up a near-perfect split decision for oddsmakers entering Saturday.
"We’re literally $50 apart on money," Rood said. "Ticket count is two or three tickets apart."
Saturday's ACC clash also has the highest total of any game featuring a top-25 team, and it's still climbing. The total opened at 63, but a limit play on the over - one of the few sharp plays this week - coupled with almost exclusive over play by the public has pushed the total to 65. A flood of parlay money suggests that could rise even more by kickoff.
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.