It wasn’t a great week for betting on Top 25 favorites in our College Football Week 10 betting recap. Especially if you backed No. 5 Georgia and over in a rivalry game against Florida, long known as the “World’s Largest Cocktail Party.”
A week after Navy bettors suffered a brutal beat when Florida Atlantic recovered an onside kick and scored a late touchdown for a backdoor cover, Bulldogs and over bettors were the victims of cruel and unusual punishment in their 24-20 win over Florida.
Georgia—which closed as a 7-point favorite over the Gators with a total of 50.5—went ahead 24-20 in the back-and-forth game on Chauncey Bowens’ 36-yard touchdown run with 4:36 left. Florida then turned it over on downs at its own 31 with 3:13 to go.
Bulldogs bettors needed a touchdown to cover and push the game over and had a golden opportunity on third-and-1 at the Florida 5 with less than two minutes remaining. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton ran to the left and could’ve walked into the end zone to cash countless tickets. But instead, he went down at the 1 to seal the victory and the cruel fate of Georgia backers with 1:48 left. He then kneeled twice to run out the clock.
Come Out, Virginia
No. 15 Virginia rewarded its backers with a miracle cover in its 31-21 victory at Cal. The Cavaliers appeared to let down bettors when, leading 24-21 as 6-point favorites, they turned it over on downs at the Cal 14, getting stopped on fourth-and-2 with 45 seconds left. But on the Golden Bears’ first play from scrimmage, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw a pick-six to Kam Robinson, who returned an interception 35 yards for a score with 34 seconds to play.
A Few of My Favorite Things
The Associated Press Top 25 favorites finished 8-9 against the spread, and overs went 9-8.
No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana covered and went over the total. The Buckeyes outscored Penn State 21-0 in the second half en route to a 38-14 win as 17.5-point favorites as the game surpassed the over-under of 45.5. The Hoosiers mauled Maryland 55-10 as 21.5-point favorites and topped the total of 50.5 themselves.
No. 13 Texas Tech also covered and went over the total in a 43-20 win over Kansas State as 7-point favorites (51.5 total).
No. 24 Utah gave bettors an easy win and cover Saturday night in a 45-14 beatdown of No. 17 Cincinnati as a 9.5-point favorite, and the game crept over the total of 57.5.
No. 7 Ole Miss covered as a 13.5-point favorite over South Carolina in a 30-14 win. The Gamecocks trailed by nine when they reached the Ole Miss 33 midway through the fourth quarter. But the Rebels sacked South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers twice in three plays to force a turnover on downs. On the next play, Kewan Lacy broke loose for a 54-yard touchdown run for the cover with 5:44 left.
No. 16 Louisville also pulled out a close cover in a 28-16 victory over Virginia Tech as a 10.5-point favorite. Keyjuan Brown scored on a 24-yard touchdown run with 2:16 left to cash for Cardinals’ ATS backers.
No. 25 Memphis kicked off our CFB Week 10 betting recap with a 38-14 rout of Rice and covered as a 14-point favorite on Halloween. The Tigers also treated their bettors to an over.
We Can See You’re Upset
West Virginia whipped No. 22 Houston 45-35 as a 12.5-point underdog and paid +425 on the money line.
SMU knocked off No. 10 Miami 26-20 in overtime as a 6.5-point’ dog and +210 on the money line.
No. 18 Oklahoma upset No. 14 Tennessee in a 33-27 win as a 3-point underdog as quarterback John Mateer rushed for 80 yards and the clinching touchdown with less than two minutes left.
N.C. State dealt No. 8 Georgia Tech its first loss in a 48-36 win as a 4.5 point underdog.
Horns Backers Hooked by Bad Beat
No. 20 Texas beat No. 9 Vanderbilt 34-31 but didn’t cover as 3.5-point favorites. Longhorns bettors were dealt a bad beat as Texas blew most of a 34-10 lead in the fourth quarter. The Commodores stormed back to a backdoor cover as quarterback Diego Pavia accounted for three touchdowns down the stretch. He rushed for a 25-yard score with 10:05 left.
Then, on the first play following a missed 51-yard field goal by Texas, he fired a 67-yard touchdown pass to Eli Stowers. After a Texas punt, Pavia capped a 12-play, 89-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Richie Hoskins with 33 seconds left.
Close, But No Cigar
Favorites that won but didn’t cover were No. 12 Notre Dame (-30.5, beat Boston College 25-10), No. 21 Michigan (-21, beat Purdue 21-16), and No. 23 USC (-4.5, beat Nebraska 21-17).