College football Week 10 action report: Sharps, public split on SEC headliner
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Before you make your college football bets this weekend, 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 a light Week 10 slate.
No. 8 Georgia at No. 6 Florida
Current line: Georgia -6.5
The biggest game of the weekend is in Jacksonville, where the Bulldogs opened -4 and have been driven up to -6.5, even as the public rides the higher-ranked Gators.
Bettors are playing Georgia at a 6-to-1 clip in money wagered, while Florida has seen twice as many betting slips in its direction. The parlay activity is nearly dead even on this game, while most of the moneyline play is on the underdog at +210.
"It's kind of murky as to what this is going to do," Rood said of the line.
The winner of this game would assume first place in the SEC East and control its destiny toward a playoff berth. Both teams have just one loss on the year, though the Gators are 5-2 against the spread while the Bulldogs are just 3-4.
Rood said he expects public money could drive this line down to Florida +6 before kickoff, setting up a quintessential Pros vs. Joes matchup in the week's biggest spectacle.
No. 9 Utah at Washington
Current line: Utah -3
This matchup looked like it could be a heavyweight fight when the season started, but then Washington dropped a handful of games along the way. Still, bettors believe in the Dawgs, who are drawing three times the money against favored Utah.
The Huskies opened at +3.5 and were instantly bought up by sharps to +3, where the ticket count skews slightly in favor of Washington. The parlay count favors Utah, though, which is indicative of which way the public may lean on Saturday afternoon.
"That might be a fairly decent split game for us," Rood said.
Chris Petersen's squad dropped its last game at home but has still won 17 of its last 19 at Husky Stadium and is coming off a bye week. Utah's only loss this year came on the road against unranked USC.
No. 7 Oregon at USC
Current line: Oregon -5
The last two teams to beat Utah and Washington will face off in Los Angeles, where the Trojans are 4-0 straight up and 3-1 against the number this season, including a win over then-No. 10 Utah on Sept. 20.
Bettors aren't buying the upset potential here, with a 3-to-1 advantage in money and a 3-to-1 ticket advantage in parlays to the visiting Ducks. Even with Oregon's one-point home win a week ago versus Washington State, the line opened at -5 and hasn't moved toward the frisky home 'dog.
"If this trend continues," Rood said, "it's looking like we'll be big Trojan fans on Saturday night."
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.