Tony Miller, the director of the SportsBook at the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas, has already put up opening lines on next years’ NCAA college football games. Miller said in an interview that the book received more action in the first hour after opening the lines than they received on the whole first day of action last year.
In a bold move, the Nugget has put up numbers on 248 college football games and the early action is proving the numbers to be pretty solid so far. Some wise-guys jumped on numbers that they perceived to be a bit off, but, overall, the lines look valid. Adjustments will be made.
The overwhelming popularity of football, both pro and college, in the United States has reached new heights in recent years. America’s appetite for gridiron action even calls out for wagering action even before the NBA Playoffs have finished. If early betting is any indication, the 2013-2114 college football season will set new records for sports wagering in the USA.
For reasons of their own, some sharp bettors are coming down early on TCU, Iowa and Arkansas. The wise guys love Michigan up against any other team including Ohio State and Notre Dame. Miller and his staff have noticed a lot of two-way action players wagering as much as $1000 per game.
Action is also heavy on the two feature games involving cross-conference rivalries and played at neutral sights on the big stage. TCU will take on SEC powerhouse LSU in the feature game at Arlington, Texas in the new Cowboys Stadium. Last years’ contest resulted in multi-million dollar payouts to the universities involved. The opening lines have LSU as four point favorites over Texas Christian.
The other main attraction on the opening weekend will feature the reining national champions the Alabama Crimson Tide and Nick Saban taking on highly regarded Virginia Tech at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Tide are 17 point favorites in that one. Both games will be played on Saturday August 31 to kick off what players and bookies alike are expecting to be an exciting, and profitable, season.
Texas A&M and Johnny Manziel get into the action early on hosting Alabama on September 7 at home. The Aggies were the only team to have defeated the Tide last year and anticipation is high. Early lines show Alabama as the favorites, but only by 6 points.
