Return Of Big Ten Football And Biggest Bet Games
Big Ten football returns this weekend as the college football betting board expands. The Mountain West Conference also starts its season, and I provide an update on the weekend games in my latest update at Forbes.
I receive betting information from the biggest legal sportsbook operators in the U.S., and BetMGM notes that Ohio State is the most bet team on the Saturday, Oct. 24 college football card.
The Ohio State – Nebraska Big Ten football game has attracted the highest percentgage of bets and most money (handle) at BetMGM on Saturday’s college football schedule. The Buckeye’s lead all teams on Saturday in most bets and money wagered. The next most bet games are also Big Ten match-ups with Penn State (-6) at Indiana and Michigan at Minnesota (+3) with the Golden Gophers attracting more interest as a home underdog.
“A huge weekend of college football in front of us, and the public loves betting on ranked teams,” said Jason Scott, Vice President of Trading for BetMGM. “We expecte increased handle with the return of Big Ten Football, and BetMGM will be cheering for a few upsets.”
Back in April, the 2021 college football playoff was drawing the most interest and bets on Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State at BetMGM, William Hill and many leading online sportsbooks. All three are currently ranked in the Top-5 of the AP College Football Poll with Ohio State playing its first game Saturday.
College Football Saturday, Oct. 24
| Big Ten | Line |
|---|---|
| Nebraska at No. 5 Ohio State | Buckeys -26.5 |
| No. 8 Penn State at Indiana | Nittany Lions -6 |
| Illinois at No. 14 Wisconsin (Friday) | Badgers -20.5 |
| No. 18 Michigan at No. 21 Minnesota | Wolverines -3 |
| Rutgers at Michigan State | Spartans -12.5 |
| Iowa at Purdue | Hawkeyes -3.5 |
| Maryland at Northwestern | Wildcats -11 |
| Top 25 | |
| Syracuse at No. 1 Clemson | Tigers -46 |
| No. 2 Alabama at Tennessee | Crimson Tide -21.5 |
| No. 3 Notre Dame at Pittsburgh | Fighting Irish -10 |
| No. 17 Iowa State at No. 6 Oklahoma State | Cowboys -3 |
| No. 9 Cincinnati at No. 16 SMU | Mustangs -2.5 |
| Virginia at No. 11 Miami | Hurricanes -13.5 |
| Texas State at No. 12 BYU | Cougars -28 |
| NC State at No. 15 North Carolina | Tar Heels -15 |
| No. 19 Virginia Tech at Wake Forest | Hokies -10 |
| Kansas at No. 20 Kansas State | Wildcats -20 |
| Florida Atlantic at No. 22 Marshall | Thundering Herd -17 |
| Georgia Southern at No. 25 Coastal Carolina | Chanticleers -6 |
| Mountain West | |
| Utah State at Boise State | Broncos -17 |
| Hawaii at Fresno State | Bulldogs -3.5 |
| UNLV at San Diego State | Aztecs -14 |
| Air Force at San Jose State | Falcons -7 |
| Wyoming at Nevada | Cowboys -3.5 |
I also correspond wtih longtime Las Vegas sportsbook director Johnny Avello, who now heads DraftKings operations.
“It’s good to have everybody back, and I think the Big Ten is huge,” DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello said. “I don’t know if the wagering handle will equal the NFL, but college football could be bigger than ever this week.“
Big Ten Match-ups
I provide some information on a handful of Big Ten games in the Forbes article with handicapping and betting insight also provided by college football handicapper and bettor Brad Powers.
Here’s a bit more on the featured game on ABC television with ESPN College GameDay at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for the Michigan at Minnesota game.
- A Top-25 match-up on prime time national TV to kick of Big Ten play. “I’m looking forward to this game most this weekend,” Powers said, which is a sentiment of many college football fans. Minnesota won 11 games last season and the Gophers have 13 starters back. That includes quarterback Tanner Morgan, who led the program to its best season in 115 years. Morgan set single-season school records with 3,253 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. All-American wide receiver Rashod Bateman opted back in after reconsidering the COVID-19 situation and his NFL draft status. Michigan quarterback Joe Milton makes his first career start for a Wolverines team that lost 10 players to the 2020 NFL draft. Michigan is on a 1-20 straight up run on the road against ranked teams since 2006. However, Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck hinted at possible COVID issues for several Gophers players early this week. The over/under total of 54 points may drop for ESPN College GameDay coverage from TCF Bank Stadium. Weather is going to be cold and in the 20’s and the Twin Cities got smacked with more than 7-inches of snow this week in one of the biggest early snowstorms on record. A national TV audience can watch the Golden Gophers and Wolverines battle for the Little Brown Jug on ABC at 7:30 ET.
“We weren’t promised a season,” Morgan said. “We weren’t promised a game, so Saturday is going to be a feeling of gratitude that we get to play this game and we get to create change.”
Big Ten Football is back.
You can bet on it.
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