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PrintWe’ve heard time and again that scoring is on the uptick in both college football and the NFL, with rules and styles of play that consistently favor the offenses.
On Wednesday, BetOnline came out with over/unders for 35 Week 1 college football games and, no surprise, they’re the highest across the board that we’ve ever seen (at least with data going back to 2006, which is all we have).
Six years ago, 44 opening week games had an average total of 47.2. Only 29.5 percent of those games had totals in the 50s, and none were in the 60s.
When comparing that to this year, the difference is staggering. The 35 games currently have an average total of 53.7, up 12.1 percent from 2006. Of those 35 games, 68.6 percent of them have over/unders of at least 50, and 11 (31.4 percent!) are at 60 or higher.
Here’s the average over/under in Week 1 over the past seven years:
2012: 53.7
2011: 52.6
2010: 50.8
2009: 52.1
2008: 52.5
2007: 49.4
2006: 47.2
It’s also important to note that oddsmakers have been pretty accurate with these totals, as the over/under record in the six-year sample is 121-128-4 (.486).
2012 (35 GAMES)
Average Over/Under: 53.7
40 Or Higher: 100%
50 Or Higher: 68.6%
60 Or Higher: 31.4%
Over/Under Record: ???
2011 (41 GAMES)
Average Over/Under: 52.6
40 Or Higher: 100%
50 Or Higher: 70.7%
60 Or Higher: 7.3%
Over/Under Record: 20-21
2010 (40 GAMES)
Average Over/Under: 50.8
40 Or Higher: 100%
50 Or Higher: 65%
60 Or Higher: None
Over/Under Record: 23-16-1
2009 (40 GAMES)
Average Over/Under: 52.1
40 Or Higher: 97.5%
50 Or Higher: 60%
60 Or Higher: 15%
Over/Under Record: 17-22-1
2008 (41 GAMES)
Average Over/Under: 52.5
40 Or Higher: 97.6%
50 Or Higher: 63.4%
60 Or Higher: 19.5%
Over/Under Record: 19-21-1
2007 (47 GAMES)
Average Over/Under: 49.4
40 Or Higher: 100%
50 Or Higher: 42.6%
60 Or Higher: 2.1%
Over/Under Record: 19-27-1
2006 (44 GAMES)
Average Over/Under: 47.2
40 Or Higher: 95.5%
50 Or Higher: 29.5%
60 Or Higher: None
Over/Under Record: 23-21
