Sportsbook.com Offers College Game Odds
NEW YORK, New York – (PRESS RELEASE) -- The ninth-ranked LSU Tigers travel to Gainesville to play spoiler against the fifth-ranked Florida Gators, attempting to end their rival's run at a national championship while trying to remain in contention for top spot in the SEC's West Division. Odds makers at Sportsbook.com, the world's largest online sportsbook and casino, back the Tigers to pull off the road upset, installing them as 1.5 point favorites. The game will be of significant importance to Florida given that the top four teams in the country - Ohio State, Auburn, USC and West Virginia - are likely to maintain their perfect records with all four facing weak competition this weekend.
LSU has won three of the last four games between these teams and boasts the nation's top defense to go along with the SEC's highest scoring offense. A loss to the Tigers would all but end Florida's hopes of winning their first national title in a decade, but it would also open the door for 10th-ranked Georgia to overtake them in the SEC's East Division standings. To do that, the Bulldogs will have to beat 13th-ranked Tennessee at home. Again, odds makers have listed the home team as the underdog, making the Vols a 2.5 point bet.
Another huge conference showdown pits 11th-ranked Oregon visiting 16th-ranked California in a match-up of two of the country's highest scoring teams. The Golden bears are a five point home favorite. A win by either team would move them to 3-0 in the PAC 10 Conference and in all likelihood a first place tie with third-ranked USC who face Washington at home.
The seventh-ranked Texas Longhorns look for their second consecutive victory over 14th-ranked Oklahoma when the schools play the 101st edition of the Red River Rivalry on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl. It's early going in the Big 12 Conference but this is a crucial game with key BCS implications. In Ann Arbor, the sixth-ranked Wolverines look to retain the Paul Bunyan Trophy and win their fifth in a row over Michigan State when they meet on Saturday. A Wolverine victory would keep them atop the Big Ten standings and would leave the team in the hunt for one of two births in the Fiesta Bowl, where the national championship will be decided on January 8.
Ohio State, a seemingly unstoppable force this season and the near unanimous number one ranked team in the country faces a well-deserved break when they face an overmatched Bowling Green squad at home. After tough games against Texas and Iowa, the Buckeyes come into the game as 34.5 point favorites and will likely rest most of their starters for long stretches once the game is well in control.
"It's crunch time now. With conference schedules heating up, the next few weeks will basically make or break a team's season," said Alex Czajkowski, Sportsbook.com. "Depending on who you're cheering for, everybody is hoping that their team will keep a national title or conference title dream alive or that their team can play spoiler against a hated rival. This is why everybody bets on college football"