College Football Week 9 Betting Report: Books Need Florida To ‘Hang In There’

There’s been a lot of talk this season about a high-profile quarterback’s value to the spread. For someone such as Lamar Jackson, it’s a lot — up to 6 points or so. We’re getting a sample of that value in college football Week 9 odds, with Ohio State QB Julian Sayin out vs. USC and well beyond that. And the impact is not nearly as great. “With college, it’s not much of a difference, only 2 or 2.5 points,” Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said. “With a team like Ohio State, which is stacked from top to bottom, it doesn’t make as much of a difference as it does in the NFL.” Bookmakers and sharp bettors serve up their insights on Ohio State-USC, the Florida-Georgia clash, FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff of Wisconsin-Iowa, and more in college football Week 8 betting. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Arguably the marquee matchup in college football Week 8 odds is Florida vs. Georgia. The Bulldogs are 6-1 straight up (SU) and 5-2 against the spread (ATS), coming off a bye after suffering a huge upset loss to Auburn. Georgia was a 19.5-point home favorite and fell 27-24. Florida (5-2 SU/4-3 ATS) is also coming off a bye, but after a much better result. The Gators were 13.5-point road underdogs vs. Texas and won 27-24 to halt a two-game skid. Caesars Sports opened Georgia as a 10.5-point favorite for this neutral-site contest in Atlanta, in a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff. And on Thursday morning, the line was up to -12.5, with stops at -11/-11.5/-12 along the way. Sharp action at Georgia -10.5 got the ball rolling. “There’s more Georgia money for sure, though not a big difference yet,” Feazel said. “But I anticipate much more money coming in on Georgia, especially on Saturday. And there’ll be a lot of Georgia moneyline in parlays. “We’re gonna need Florida to hang in there.” The total went from 56.5 to 55.5 early in the week and is now down to 55. “A little sharper money on Under 56.5,” Feazel said. Iowa (5-2 SU/4-3 ATS) likely threw its College Football Playoff hopes out the window in Week 8. The Hawkeyes were 7.5-point favorites at Minnesota and lost 13-10. Iowa went from 15th in the AP poll to unranked. Now Wisconsin (5-2 SU/4-3 ATS), fresh off a 24-7 upset of then-No. 16 USC, comes calling to Iowa City. Caesars opened the Hawkeyes as 3.5-point home favorites, and that line hasn’t moved all week for the FOX Big Noon Kickoff at noon ET on Saturday. “We’re seeing much more Wisconsin money here, on the spread and the moneyline,” Feazel said. “People aren’t running to the window to lay points with this Iowa team. We’re gonna need Iowa to score a bunch of points.” And not just to win and cover, but to beat action that’s showing up on the tidy total, which is down to 36.5 from a 38 high point. “It’s a classic really low total, one of the lowest of the year,” Feazel said. “There was some sharper action driving that number down, at 38 and 37.5.” College football betting expert Paul Stone is already involved with the Florida-Georgia game. And it’s a new venue for the huge annual rivalry, moving to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium while renovations take place at Jacksonville’s EverBank Stadium. Stone likes the Bulldogs to bounce back in a big way against the Gators. One trend Stone is leaning into: Since Kirby Smart took over at Georgia in 2016, the Bulldogs are 11-6 ATS after a straight-up loss. “Gunner Stockton committed three turnovers in the loss to Auburn, so I think he’ll be out to make amends,” Stone said of the Georgia QB. “The Bulldogs understand they can ill-afford back-to-back losses at this stage of the season. “I’m looking for Georgia to bring its ‘A’ game to Atlanta and dispose of the Gators by two touchdowns or more.” As noted above, Ohio State QB Julian Sayin (shoulder/arm) is out indefinitely, with this week’s game at USC the first one that he’ll miss. Still, the Buckeyes opened as 7-point favorites at Caesars. But the first move was toward the Trojans, with the line dipping to Ohio State -6.5 (-115) on Monday and still there on Thursday afternoon. “There was a little sharper action on USC +7, because we’re not sure what we’ll get out of Luke Fahey,” Feazel said, alluding to the Ohio State backup QB. “But Sayin being out hasn’t deterred Ohio State bettors. We’re seeing mostly Buckeyes action and Over action.” The total moved from 50.5 to 51/51.5 this week, and Feazel said there was a little sharp play on Over 50.5/Over 51.5. It’s worth noting that Fahey might not start, even after coming on in relief vs. Indiana two weeks ago, after Sayin was injured late in the Buckeyes’ 19-15 road victory. Ohio State coach Ryan Day hasn’t yet said whether Fahey or Tavien St. Clair will start in Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. There are two key Big 12 matchups in Week 8 college football odds: No. 22 Arizona vs. No. 13 Texas Tech at noon ET, and No. 6 Utah vs. Cincinnati at 3:45 p.m. ET. Texas Tech (6-1 SU/3-4 ATS) just got beat at Cincinnati 37-24 as a hefty 10.5-point road favorite. The Red Raiders opened as 4.5-point favorites against Arizona (6-1 SU/3-4 ATS) and are down to -3.5. “We saw some sharper bets on Arizona at +4, and we briefly got down to 3. There’s some anti-Texas Tech action here,” Feazel said. “It’s two-way action right now, but I anticipate more Texas Tech money on game day.” The total is potentially a bigger concern for Caesars. While there was early sharp action on Under 55.5, taking the number to 54.5, Feazel is prepping for the public betting masses to pile on the Over. “At the end of the day, we’re gonna need the Under in this game,” he said. Utah (7-0 SU/6-1 ATS) is one of the best spread-covering outfits in the nation this season. And Cincinnati (5-2 SU/4-3 ATS) is coming off that aforementioned upset as a double-digit home underdog. Caesars opened the Utes -7 on the road, and Utah has spent most of the week at -6.5 (-118). “It’s a classic middle game. People are either laying points with Utah on the spread or taking Cincinnati on the moneyline,” Feazel said. “We need Cincy to cover, and we probably wouldn’t mind a Cincinnati win either, because of the parlays.” Caesars has also seen sharp action on both sides of the total, on Under 58 — which was the opening number — and on Over 55.5 and 56.5. The total is at 56.5 on Thursday afternoon.