Conference Hoops Futures; Books Continue Win Streak
Conference Futures
By VI News
VegasInsider.com
Odds provided by BetOnline.com
ACC
North Carolina -185
Duke +235
Florida State +600
Virginia Tech +950
Clemson +1350
Miami +1350
Virginia +1450
North Carolina State +1700
Maryland +2200
Georgia Tech +2500
Boston College +5000
Wake Forest +5000
Big 10
Ohio State -140
Michigan State +320
Michigan +450
Wisconsin +450
Indiana +900
Purdue +1100
Illinois +1350
Northwestern +1650
Minnesota +1750
Iowa +2800
Nebraska +4500
Penn State +4500
Big 12
Baylor +135
Kansas +160
Texas A&M +470
Missouri +600
Texas +725
Oklahoma State +900
Kansas State +1100
Iowa State +1800
Oklahoma +1750
Texas Tech +4500
Big East
Connecticut +220
Syracuse +230
Pittsburgh +350
Louisville +450
Marquette +900
Cincinnati +1100
West Virginia +1100
Notre Dame +1150
Field +1200
Villanova +1350
Georgetown +1350
St. Johns +1700
Rutgers +2600
Pac 12
Arizona +110
UCLA +125
California +700
Washington +700
Oregon +1300
Oregon State +1300
Stanford +1300
Arizona State +1600
Southern Cal +1650
Washington State +2400
Colorado +2800
Utah +5000
SEC
Kentucky -145
Florida +220
Vanderbilt +425
Alabama +700
Mississippi State +900
Mississippi +1250
Arkansas +1400
Georgia +1750
LSU +1750
Tennessee +2200
Auburn +3800
South Carolina +4000
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Books have solid Saturday, Nov 5
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
LSU and Alabama played to a virtual draw for 60 minutes until LSU kicked the game winning field goal to win 9-6 in overtime. While some college football fans may scoff at the lack scoring the same way they do in 1-0 baseball game, there’s no denying that the ’Game of the Year’ was thick with drama throughout and captivating.
In a game like this that plays out almost exactly like most of us wanted it to, it’s the little things that sometimes stand-out or get exposed more that we never really took notice of in pre-game analysis. The weakness of Alabama’s kicking game was exposed right from the start as they missed four field goal attempts.
Perhaps the best part of the entire game was the chess match between the two field generals. The battle between Les Miles and Nick Saban was like Rommel vs. Patton or Spassky vs. Fischer; two great minds at their craft playing to a stalemate for much of the match.
A lot of us probably found ourselves finding a new gained respect for the job that Miles did in berating such a formidable opponent in one of the greatest home field advantages in football.
Do we want to see it again?
Kind of…
Most of us still wanted more after the game was over. Not only just because of maybe a bet on Alabama, but because of the edge-of-the-seat excitement each possession and play provided. Between the history and status of these two programs and also the fact that they may be the two best teams in the nation, what would be wrong with seeing them go at it again?
LSU may look like they have a clear path to the BCS Championship game, but they still have two pretty formidable opponents left. Arkansas has proven to be a completely different team on the road, but they’ll give LSU a game in Baton Rouge on Nov. 25. Should LSU win that game, they’ll likely play Georgia for the SEC Championship.
For Alabama to get into position to play LSU again, they’ll need a lot of help beginning with Oregon beating Stanford this week. To help their cause, Alabama should hope for Auburn to beat Georgia this week to strengthen their rating and get a few bonus points for beating them Nov. 26 in the Iron Bowl. They’ll then need Oklahoma to knock off Oklahoma State Dec. 3.
As West Coast football fans, most of us still have hopes for Stanford and Boise State, but are we sure either of those two teams could provide the type of football game most of us want to see, the type we just watched on Saturday. It’s doubtful, so let’s play two.
Las Vegas Hilton Super Book vice president Jay Kornegay disagrees and believes someone else should get a chance
“The BCS wants to see a rematch, but I don’t. If Boise State is undefeated with only one other team, they deserve a shot at the National Championship.”
Las Vegas Sports Books Do Well Saturday
Between all the hoopla that surrounded the “Game of the Year,” having a large group from Idaho in town and having the Breeders’ Cup running, the Las Vegas sports books saw a boost in handle over the same weekend last year.
Horse bettors that don’t normally bet sports were drawn to the sports side to make wagers and be part of the excitement.
People who rarely ever come into a casino were drawn in just because of the LSU-Alabama game. While some just made their bet on the game by itself and went home, others stayed a little longer and either played a parlay tying other teams to the big game or took part in some of the other casino activities.
Boise State fans filled the Silver Bowl on Saturday night, but were present all over the strip and downtown the rest of the time.
Across the board at every casino on Saturday, cash flow was up and it had nothing to do with the marketing department, but rather the circumstance of just being Vegas like no other place in the world can be.
The sports books won on Saturday, but it wasn’t because of LSU winning. It was more about having higher handle and beating a couple of late games with the underdogs coming out strong throughout the weekend.
Last week the favorites went 22-30 with 17 of the underdogs winning outright. The day started out great for the books when some of the Big 10 schools didn’t cover, including Northwestern winning at Nebraska 28-25 as a 17-point underdog. Louisville also jumped on the double-digit ‘dog train by winning at West Virginia as a 13-point ‘dog.
Although Stanford covered again (8-0-1 ATS), for some reason there was plenty of support from the public on Oregon State taking the 21 points at home. Different week, same story, Stanford steam rolled the Beavers in the second half to win 38-13, which sets up a great match this week at home against Oregon.
Oklahoma State was playing Kansas State on ABC at the same time the Big Game was going on and the public loved laying the 21-points as part of their late action with either LSU or Alabama. K-State almost pulled off the upset, but still covered, losing 52-45.
As for the LSU game, most sports books reported it being either a small win or a wash, showing just how evenly bet the game was.
“They played this game like a bowl game,” said South Point sports book director Bert Osborne, “they laid the points with Alabama and took the plus-money with LSU on the money-line.”
Osborne said he bounced around with the LSU money-line from +175 to +170 most of the day Saturday.
With the day being almost over and the sports books having a great day thus far, all they needed to secure it was beat Boise State and Hawaii.
The visitors from Idaho had a big impact on the handle betting with their team colors, but the locals were also very knowledgeable on UNLV, opting to side with BSU as well.
The Rebels played with a lot of passion early and at one juncture, just before the half, the score was tied 14-14. Boise State rolled to a 48-21 win, but came nowhere close to covering the 42-point everyone needed.
The last piece of the winning pie for the books came when Utah State scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat everyone’s favorite late ‘get-back’ team, Hawaii (-4), 35-31.
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