Bummer Sooner: No early bets at Circa on Oklahoma over Baylor
In the first 24 hours after Circa Sports sportsbook opened wagering Sunday on this week’s 10 college football conference championship games, not a single bet was placed on Oklahoma.
The Sooners opened as 10½-point favorites over Baylor in the Big 12 title game and the line was bet down by sharps to 8 by Monday morning.
“That looks like our biggest decision right now,” Circa oddsmaker Matt Lindeman said. “Oklahoma just hasn’t been all that impressive. They’ve won a few close games.”
The Sooners are on a 2-6 ATS slide and barely escaped with a 34-31 win over the Bears on Nov. 16 as 10½-point road favorites after trailing by 21 at halftime.
“They took a Baylor team at plus 10 and plus 9 that probably should’ve won the first meeting,” Lindeman said.
Here’s a look at some other line moves:
LSU-Georgia
In Circa’s second-largest decision, LSU opened as a 6-point favorite over Georgia in the Southeastern Conference title game before sharp money pushed the line to 7.
“We need Georgia,” Lindeman said. “There’s some suspensions and injuries for Georgia on offense. That’s a concern. And LSU looked so good last week (in a 50-7 win over Texas) A&M. The perception’s pretty high on them. People want to bet them right now.”
Boise State-Hawaii
Boise State opened as a 17-point favorite over Hawaii in the Mountain West championship, but heavy action on the underdog has lowered the line to 14.
“It’s pretty much all Hawaii money,” Lindeman said. “The (original starting) quarterback is questionable for Boise, but the guy that’s been playing is pretty good. I’m a little surprised how aggressive that moved.
“Right now we’re really rooting for Oklahoma, Georgia and Boise.”
Ohio State-Wisconsin
Ohio State is holding steady as a 16-point favorite over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game after the line opened at 15½. But the total has soared from 52 to 56.
“It seems when Ohio State plays indoors, the total is higher than my number,” Lindeman said. “They’re playing on a fast surface with their athletes, and the totals have been deflated the last month in the cold weather. Now they’re playing in a dome.”
Memphis-Cincinnati
In a rematch of Saturday’s game won 34-24 by Memphis, underdog Cincinnati has attracted most of the action, moving the line from 11½ to 9½.
“The last three times teams played in back-to-back weeks like this, the underdog has covered,” Lindeman said. “They’re playing that angle and the fact that Cincinnati’s (starting) quarterback (Desmond Ridder) didn’t play last week.”
ATS leaders
Clemson, Ohio State, Utah and Central Michigan are tied for the country’s best spread record at 9-3. Baylor, Memphis, Florida Atlantic and Appalachian State are each 8-4 ATS.
NFL leftovers
A DraftKings sportsbook bettor in New Jersey won $452,000 on a $565,000 straight bet Sunday night on the Texans at plus 4 (-125) after buying a half-point. Houston beat the Patriots 28-22.
A CG Technology bettor in Las Vegas won $63,750 on a $15,000 money line wager on the Dolphins (+425), who scored a touchdown on a trick play and erased a 14-point deficit in a 37-31 comeback win over the Eagles.
Miami punter Matt Haack flipped the ball to kicker Jason Sanders in the end zone on fourth down for a go-ahead 1-yard TD pass before halftime. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick then rallied the Dolphins from a 28-14 second-half deficit.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.