This has the potential to be the most explosive week of the regular season in terms of both college football betting and playoff position. Most of the contenders to get one of the four College Football Playoff spots will face a tough test in Week 10 action, and it will be a make or break week for their postseason dreams. The only team with a relatively easy week is Clemson, and even the Tigers must avoid a letdown after throttling Florida State in Tallahassee last week.
College Football Week 10 Opening Lines (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Alabama Crimson Tide -14.5
LSU Tigers +14.5
If you had any doubt whether Alabama was the best team in the country, the CFB betting line in this one erases it. It’s been over a decade since the Tigers were getting more than two touchdowns in Baton Rouge, and the Crimson Tide are out to kill two birds with one stone here. A win and a cover essentially guarantees Alabama a spot in the playoff, and it probably eliminates LSU from getting into the CFP with two losses.
We have yet to see what Alabama can do over the course of two halves, as the Crimson Tide have been so dominant in the first half, they have almost exclusively played reserves in the second half. Nick Saban is unlikely to take his foot off the gas pedal considering the history between these two teams, and we are probably going to see what Tua Tagovailoa can do over the course of a full game on Saturday night in Death Valley.
The spread in this one is likely to fall some prior to kickoff as the allure of getting LSU and 14.5 points is going to be too much for many to pass up, regardless of the gap between these two teams in the advanced metrics.
Penn State Nittany Lions +11
Michigan Wolverines -11
Penn State’s hopes of winning the Big Ten East largely evaporated after losing to Michigan State a few weeks ago, but the Nittany Lions can still play spoiler against Michigan this weekend. The Nittany Lions have already damaged Iowa’s hopes of winning the Big Ten West after knocking off the Hawkeyes in Iowa City last week, and they can still make a New Year’s Day bowl by winning out.
However, this is probably the best team Jim Harbaugh has had since taking over Michigan. The Wolverines finally have a good quarterback in Shea Patterson, and the defense is as great as ever under DC Don Brown. Michigan can finally break the third-place curse with a win here.
West Virginia Mountaineers +2.5
Texas Longhorns -2.5
Following Texas’ loss to Oklahoma State last weekend, the Big 12’s chances of getting a team in the College Football Playoff rest on the shoulders of West Virginia and Oklahoma. The Mountaineers looked great in a beatdown of Baylor in Morgantown last weekend, but this Longhorns defense is a much tougher test.
That defense is the reason why the opening lines show the Longhorns as a short favorite. Texas’ defense is by far the best one in the Big 12, and West Virginia might have a hard time figuring out how to beat it after looking completely lost in Ames against the second-best defense in the conference a few weeks back.
College Football Betting Odds – Week 10 Opening Odds 10/30/18 – 11/03/18
Miami Ohio +7
Buffalo -7
Kent State -1
Bowling Green +1
Ohio +1.5
Western Michigan -1.5
Northern Illinois -4.5
Akron +4.5
Pittsburgh +7
Virginia -7
Western Kentucky +13.5
Middle Tennessee State -13.5
Colorado +4
Arizona -4
Houston -13
SMU +13
Iowa +1.5
Purdue -1.5
Texas State +6.5
Georgia State -6.5
Syracuse -4
Wake Forest +4
Georgia -9.5
Kentucky +9.5
Navy +14
Cincinnati -14
Nebraska +21
Ohio State -21
Georgia Tech -4.5
North Carolina +4.5
Missouri +6
Florida -6
Duke +8
Miami Florida -8
Florida State +7
North Carolina State -7
Memphis -12.5
East Carolina +12.5
Boston College -2
Virginia Tech +2
Michigan State -3
Maryland +3
Oklahoma -10.5
Texas Tech +10.5
West Virginia +2.5
Texas -2.5
Notre Dame -8
Northwestern +8
Minnesota -9.5
Illinois +9.5
Central Michigan +13.5
Eastern Michigan -13.5
Air Force +7
Army -7
Tulane +8
South Florida -8
BYU +14
Boise State -14
San Diego State -11
New Mexico +11
San Jose State +14
Wyoming -14
California +10.5
Washington State -10.5
Georgia Southern -9
Louisiana Monroe +9
Utah -7
Arizona State +7
UCLA +13
Oregon -13
Stanford +9.5
Washington State -9.5
Iowa State -14.5
Kansas +14.5
Texas A&M +6
Auburn -6
Charlotte +21
Tennessee -21
Louisiana Tech +20.5
Mississippi State -20.5
Liberty +3
Massachusetts -3
Kansas State +8
TCU -8
Connecticut +19
Tulsa -19
Louisville +38
Clemson -38
Penn State +11
Michigan -11
South Carolina -1
Mississippi +1
UTEP -1
Rice +1
Louisiana Lafayette +10.5
Troy -10.5
South Alabama +17
Arkansas State -17
UTSA +21.5
UAB -21.5
Alabama -14.5
LSU +14.5
Fresno State -24.5
UNLV +24.5
Utah State -18
Hawai’i +18
