Big dog upsets highlight the CFB Week 6 betting recap as the Nittany Lions take the worst beating so far of the college football season.
The only bright spot for Penn State bettors is that they didn’t suffer. Unranked UCLA put them out of their misery early Saturday, taking a 27-7 halftime lead as a 24.5-point underdog.
The Bruins, who never led in losing their first four games of the season, held on for a 42-37 win over the No. 7 Nittany Lions in the biggest upset of the season so far.
UCLA, which cashed as a +1300 underdog on the money line, was the first 0-4 or worse team in 40 years to beat a top-10 team. In fact, since 1936, only four teams ranked in the AP top 10 have lost to a team with a record of 0-4 or worse.
And, there were two other notable outright upsets in the CFB Week 6 betting recap, carrying forward the theme set last week as well.
Gators Chomp Manning, Longhorns
Unranked Florida dealt No. 9 Texas its second loss in a 29-21 triumph as a 4.5-point home underdog.
DJ Lagway threw for a season-high 289 yards and two touchdowns, and the Gators never trailed as they ended a three-game losing streak. Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning was sacked six times and threw two interceptions as the preseason Heisman Trophy betting favorite saw his odds soar to 80-1 to strike the pose.
The betting public lost on the game, as Texas was the most popular bet at the BetMGM sportsbook, leading in both tickets and money wagered.
I’m Not Upset—You’re Upset
Favorites went 8-7 against the spread in the CFB Week 6 betting recap.
No. 24 Virginia dealt unranked Louisville its first loss in a 30-27 overtime win on the road. But you can call it an upset because the Cavaliers closed as 6.5-point underdogs.
On the flip side, unranked Cincinnati dealt No. 14 Iowa State its first loss in a 38-30 victory. But you can’t call it an upset from a betting perspective as the Bearcats closed as 1.5-point home favorites.
Bama Blocks Bad Beat
No. 10 Alabama avenged last year’s upset loss to No. 16 Vanderbilt in a 30-14 victory and miraculously covered the spread as 12.5-point home favorites. Commodores bettors suffered a brutal bad beat in the final seconds.
After the Crimson Tide erased deficits of 7-0 and 14-7 in the first half, they converted an interception thrown by Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia into a field goal to go ahead 23-14 with 4:08 left. Barring a pick-six, it appeared highly unlikely at that point that Alabama could cover. It looked like the Crimson Tide would run out the clock when they got the ball back with 1:18 left after Vanderbilt turned it over on downs. Alabama had two short runs followed by timeouts by the Commodores. But after the Tide were stopped short of the marker on third down, Alabama called a timeout with 24 seconds left.
On fourth-and-2, Jam Miller broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run to give Bama backers an improbable cover and deal a painful loss to Vandy bettors.
Badgers’ Back Door
Michigan opened as 16.5-point favorites and closed at 17.5 over Wisconsin. The Wolverines led the Badgers 24-7 late in the game, and many Michigan backers were looking to at least get their money back on a push. But Wisconsin kicked a 39-yard field goal with 2:43 left for the dreaded back-door cover in a 24-10 loss. Michigan bettors hoping for a miracle touchdown had their hopes dashed on first-and-goal from the 5 in the final seconds as Jordan Marshall was stopped at the 3-yard line as time expired.
A Few Favorite Things
A popular public favorite that covered was No. 3 Miami (-4.5), which beat No. 18 Florida State 28-22. In the Seminoles’ first 110 ACC games, they went 101-9. In their last 10, they’re 1-9.
No. 1 Ohio State cruised to a 42-3 rout of Mississippi, easily covering the 23.5-point spread. The Buckeyes also almost pushed the game over 42.5 by themselves in one of only six overs in our CFB Week 6 betting recap. Unders went 9-6.
No. 6 Texas A&M rolled to a 31-9 win over Mississippi State as a 17.5-point favorite.
No. 12 Georgia covered as a 20.5-point favorite in a 35-14 win over Kentucky.
Irish Eyes Aren’t Smiling
In the “It’s always important to get the best number” department, No. 21 Notre Dame beat Boise State 28-7 as a 21.5-point favorite to burn bettors by the hook. The Fighting Irish opened as 17.5-point favorites and were available as -20.5 late in the week.
But the line closed at more than three touchdowns in our CFB Week 6 betting recap.