FanDuel has released numbers on the sides and totals for 10 different Week 9 games.
Let’s start out in the Mountain West Conference with a crucial showdown that could be the first of two head-to-head meetings between UNLV and Boise St. The betting shop has the Broncos installed as 2.5-point road favorites with a total of 59.5.
The Rebels are +110 on the money line for this Friday game that’s scheduled for a 10:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff.
Boise St. (5-1 straight up, 3-2-1 against the spread) has won four games in a row by margins of 42, 21, 32 and 21 points. The ‘over’ hit in BSU’s first five games before its 28-7 win at Hawaii in Week 7 saw the 35 points drop ‘under’ the 60-point total. Spencer Danielson’s team has two weeks to prepare for Barry Odom’s squad.
UNLV (5-1 SU, 4-2 ATS) bounced back from its only loss of the year, a 44-41 overtime setback at home vs. Syracuse, to win 50-34 at Utah St. in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score suggested this past Friday. The Rebels, who play at Oregon St. this Friday night, are 1-1 both SU and ATS in a pair of games as home underdogs on Odom’s watch.
Miami (6-0 SU, 3-3 ATS) is listed as an 18.5-point home favorite vs. FSU with a total of 51.5. The Seminoles, who play at Duke this Friday and will have an extra day of rest ahead of their trip to South Florida, are +720 on the money line. The Hurricanes have had two weeks to prepare ahead of Saturday’s ACC showdown at Louisville.
Mario Cristobal’s team won its first four games in blowout fashion, but UM has been downright lucky to remain unbeaten in comeback wins vs. Va. Tech and at California. The ‘Canes saw a walk-off TD pass by the Hokies inexplicably reversed by replay officials, and then they had to rally from a 35-10 deficit late in the third quarter in Berkeley.
As for Mike Norvell’s team, it is easily the country’s biggest disappointment with an atrocious 1-5 SU record and a 2-4 ATS mark. (The ‘Noles covered the spread in a 29-13 home loss to Clemson when the line moved from 14.5 to 17 the morning of the game.)
FSU has compiled a 7-2 record both SU and ATS in its last nine games at Miami since 2006. The ‘under’ is on a 10-3 run in the last 13 games in this rivalry.
Michigan is -9.5 (at a -114 price) vs. Michigan St. with a total of 39.5 points. The Spartans, who are 3-3 both SU and ATS and listed with +300 odds to win outright at The Big House, will try to end a three-game losing streak in Week 8 when they host Iowa.
Michigan St. is 10-6 SU and 13-3 ATS in its last 16 head-to-head meetings against its bitter in-state rivals. The Spartans will be looking to avenge a 49-0 home loss to the second-ranked Wolverines last season.
Michigan (4-2 SU, 1-5 ATS) is a small favorite at Illinois this weekend, as it looks to bounce back from a 27-17 loss at Washington on Oct. 5.
Kansas St. (5-1 SU, 2-4 ATS) is listed as a 10.5-point home favorite vs. Kansas. The total is 54.5 points, and the Jayhawks are +300 on the money line. The Wildcats, who play at West Virginia on Saturday, are off a 31-28 comeback win at Colorado. They’ve won 15 games in a row over the Jayhawks, going 11-4 ATS, including 11 wins by double-digit margins.
Kansas (1-5 SU, 0-6 ATS) is one of the nation’s biggest disappointments. Lance Leipold took over in Lawrence in 2021 when KU hadn’t been to the postseason since 2008. He changed that quickly, guiding his team to back-to-back bowl games, including a 9-4 record both SU and ATS last year.
However, Kansas has lost five games in a row and its lone victory this season came over an FCS foe, Lindenwood, in its opener. KU is 5-11 ATS in 16 games as a road underdog during Leipold’s four-year tenure.
FanDuel has Ohio St. (5-1 SU, 2-4 ATS) installed as a 19.5-point home favorite vs. Nebraska, which will be in a back-to-back road spot after playing this Saturday at Indiana. The total is 46.5 points, and the Cornhuskers are +920 on the money line.
The Buckeyes, who have two weeks to prepare and get healthy after its open date this weekend, will be in bounce-back mode after losing 32-31 at Oregon last Saturday. They’re 1-3 ATS in four games as home ‘chalk’ this year and 20-15 versus the number in 35 such spots during Ryan Day’s seven-year tenure.
Nebraska (5-1 SU, 4-1-1 ATS) is 20-10-2 ATS in 32 games as a road underdog since 2014, going 2-2 ATS in four of those situations in Matt Rhule’s first season in 2023. The Cornhuskers have lost seven in a row against the Buckeyes.
Ole Miss (5-2 SU, 5-2 ATS) has an open date this weekend after playing seven games in seven weeks. The Rebels were listed as five-point home favorites vs. Oklahoma at most books that released Games of the Year lines over the summer.
However, with the Sooners missing their five best WRs due to injuries in recent weeks (they hope to get Deion Burks back for Saturday’s home game vs. South Carolina, though), they’ve lost two of their last three games both SU and ATS and were fortunate to win 27-21 at Auburn thanks to a pick-six late in the fourth quarter.
Therefore, it’s not overly surprising to see Lane Kiffin’s team installed as a 14.5-point home favorite vs. OU. The total is 51.5 points, and the Sooners are +480 on the money line.
DraftKings is the only book I noticed that had a number for Alabama vs. Missouri in its Games of the Year spreads during the offseason. It was the Crimson Tide -8.5, but FanDuel now has Kalen DeBoer’s team as a 13.5-point home favorite (at a -115 price) vs. Eli Drinkwitz’s squad with the total at 56.5.
Missouri (5-1 SU, 3-3 ATS) remains in the mix for all of its preseason goals, but a 41-10 loss at Texas A&M and a soft schedule to date has resulted in a lower power rating. The Tigers, who are +400 to win outright at Bryant-Denny Stadium, host Auburn on Saturday.
Alabama (5-1 SU, 3-3 ATS) is -3 at Tennessee this weekend.
Oregon is installed as a 22.5-point home ‘chalk’ vs. Illinois with a total of 54.5. The Fighting Illini, who are poised to host Michigan on Saturday, are +1160 on the money line. The Ducks are in a flat spot Saturday at Purdue as nearly four-touchdown favorites.
Texas A&M is -2.5 (at a -106 price) and -126 on the money line vs. LSU, while the total is 53.5 points. Mike Elko’s team is surging with a five-game winning streak going into Saturday’s game at Mississippi St.
Brian Kelly’s squad will be in a back-to-back road situation in College Station after playing at Arkansas this weekend. The home team has won seven games in a row in this rivalry between the Tigers and Aggies, who lost 42-30 in Baton Rouge last season.
I think this number is a little low and would be on the Aggies at -2.5 (we don’t have FanDuel in Florida unfortunately or I’d be betting it right now).
Finally, Penn St. is -11.5 at Wisconsin. The Badgers are +360 on the money line, and the total is 47.5 points. PSU has two weeks to prepare for its trip to Camp Randall after winning 33-30 in overtime at USC this past weekend.
Wisconsin finished with a disappointing 7-6 record both SU and ATS in Luke Fickell’s first season. Things weren’t off to a good start this year, either, as the Badgers had lackluster home wins over Western Michigan (28-14) and South Dakota (27-13) in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively.
Then Fickell’s bunch lost starting QB Tyler Van Dyke to a season-ending injury in the first quarter of a 42-10 blowout loss at home vs. Alabama. Next, Wisconsin dropped a 38-21 decision at USC.
However, Wisconsin might have turned a corner in the last two weeks. First, the Badgers blasted Purdue 52-6 at home before capturing a 42-7 win at Rutgers last weekend. We’ll see if they can continue that momentum Saturday at Northwestern and bring a three-game winning streak into their home game vs. the Nittany Lions, who have won five in a row in this rivalry.