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PrintEach week throughout the college football season, we’ll take a look at some of the biggest or most interesting line moves and provide some commentary, thoughts and analysis.
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TEXAS A&M @ OLE MISS
Opened: Texas A&M -8.5
Current: Texas A&M -13.5
Commentary: Kevin Sumlin has the Aggies rolling, and they’ve been far better than anybody could have reasonably expected. The No. 1 talking point prior to the season was that a new coach and a new quarterback trying to operate a new system in a new league would lead to a disastrous first year in the SEC, but that hasn’t been the case so far. After a brutal 20-17 home loss to Florida on Sept. 8, Texas A&M has responded with three big wins—including last week’s 48-point victory over Arkansas. But at 13.5, has this line moved too far? Ole Miss has played a pair of top 10 teams (Alabama and Texas), and the Rebels have looked strong offensively. Hugh Freeze has changed the culture in Oxford, and with a primetime game at home, we wouldn’t be stunned if this game goes down to the wire.
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IOWA STATE @ TCU
Opened: TCU -13
Current: TCU -7
Commentary: This line crashed early Thursday after it was announced that TCU quarterback Casey Pachall was arrested for a DWI. He was suspended indefinitely hours later, and now the Horned Frogs will start freshman Trevone Boykin in his place. Can TCU’s offense, which has struggled mightily through four games, finally get rolling with a backup QB? Head coach Gary Patterson seems to think so. “We actually have more offense with Trevone Boykin in the game,” Patterson told the Dallas Morning News. The betting market doesn’t think so, and those who took the Cyclones at +10 or higher must be feeling pretty good right now.
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OKLAHOMA @ TEXAS TECH
Opened: Oklahoma -7
Current: Oklahoma -4
Commentary: The Red River Rivalry is on deck, and the general consensus is that the Sooners will get caught looking ahead to the Longhorns while giving Texas Tech half of their attention. However, we don’t think that will happen, and for a couple reasons. First off, Oklahoma hasn’t won a game in a month. The Sooners’ loss to Kansas State was anchored by bye weeks, and they’ll be desperate to pick up their first win since Sept. 8. Secondly, this is a big revenge spot for Oklahoma, whose unbeaten season (and national title hopes) was ruined by the Red Raiders last year. Texas Tech upset the Sooners as 28.5-point dogs, and enters this game ranked and unbeaten. This will be a hard game and you’ll see maximum effort out of Oklahoma.
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ARKANSAS @ AUBURN
Opened: Auburn -11
Current: Auburn -7
Commentary: For the third time in four weeks, Arkansas has found itself on the list of the week’s biggest line moves. Only this time, the Hogs are getting support from the wiseguys, who have helped bring this line down from Auburn -11 to -7. We’ll be honest: We have no idea what they see, which means the Razorbacks probably win easily and turn in their best outing of the year (isn’t that how it always works?) Still, we’d be hesitant to take a road team here that’s on the verge of quitting if they haven’t already.
