The Golden Nugget has posted its lines for the "Games of the Year" in college football for 2015. This large collection of game lines, obtained via ESPN gambling analyst David Purdum, sets the stage for predicting the biggest games of the season.
Below, we've got 10 initial thoughts on the game lines along with the full list, via the Golden Nugget.
1. Hype for Tennessee's 2015 campaign has been affirmed, in a way, by the Vols being a three-point favorite against Oklahoma on Sept. 12. That speaks loudly to me as someone who thinks the Sooners will be in the thick of the Big 12 title race with presumed favorites TCU and Baylor.
2. Mandatory Iron Bowl siren: Auburn currently 3.5-point underdogs at home for the Alabama game.
3. I'd bet that the Michigan -Utah line creeps under a field goal before kickoff on Sept. 3. Too much Harbaugh-related excitement to favor the Utes by more than 3.
4. Florida State and Georgia Tech played a great ACC Championship Game last season, with the Seminoles escaping with a 37-35 shootout win. Their rematch in October is expected to be just as close, with the line set at a "pick em"
5. The fact that Arkansas is a 10-point favorite over Mississippi State says something to me about the presumed pecking order in the SEC West, but not as much as the Hogs being nearly a touchdown favorite against Auburn .
6. Alabama at Georgia , maybe the game of the year in the SEC, is set as a "pick em." But Georgia-Tennessee is also a "pick em" and Alabama is a 10-point favorite at home against the Vols. Predicting the order of finish in the SEC this year is going to make my head hurt.
7. Clemson is a two-point favorite against Florida State for their meeting in November which will likely determine the ACC Atlantic Division champion. Who knows what happens to this line as the season progresses but the current spread suggests the division is as wide-open as some have suggested.
8. The oddsmakers have Oregon as a one-point underdog to Michigan State and have set the Stanford line at "pick em." Other than that, expectations are for the Ducks to keep cruising in the Pac-12.
9. There are surprisingly few Ohio State games listed. I don't know if that's because of the quarterback questions or because the Golden Nugget doesn't feel comfortable putting out lines that large in late June. For example, the Buckeyes are 19-point favorites against Penn State in one of the few games listed.
10. Nebraska is a six-point favorite over BYU but a "pick em" at Miami , which is favored by 5Dimes to win only six games and is an underdog against Cincinnati . Can't say that reflects well on Nebraska or BYU.
Enough from me. Here's the full collection of lines:
Thursday, Sept. 3
Michigan at Utah -4
TCU -18 at Minnesota
Friday, Sept. 4
Washington at Boise State -13
Saturday, Sept. 5
Wisconsin vs. Alabama -10 (Arlington, Texas)
Louisville vs. Auburn -11.5 (Atlanta, Ga.)
Arizona State vs. Texas A&M -3 (Houston)
Texas at Notre Dame -7.5
Virginia at UCLA -17
BYU at Nebraska -6
Monday, Sept. 7
Ohio State -16 at Virginia Tech
Saturday, Sept. 12
LSU -3 at Mississippi State
UCLA -32 at UNLV
Oklahoma at Tennessee -3
Notre Dame -9 at Virginia
Oregon State at Michigan -14
Iowa -4.5 at Iowa State
Marshall -3.5 at Ohio University
Boise State -6 at BYU
Oregon at Michigan State -1
Thursday, Sept. 17
Clemson -3 at Louisville
Saturday, Sept. 19
Auburn at LSU -4
UNLV at Michigan -33
Ole Miss at Alabama -9.5
South Carolina at Georgia -11
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame -2
Nebraska at Miami, Fla. PK
Stanford at USC -4
BYU at UCLA -14
Colorado -1.5 vs. Colorado State (Denver)
Thursday, Sept. 24
Cincinnati at Memphis -2
Friday, Sept. 25
Boise State -9 at Virginia
Saturday, Sept. 26
LSU -20 at Syracuse
UCLA at Arizona PK
USC -1 at Arizona
Utah at Oregon -14
Oklahoma State at Texas -2.5
BYU at Michigan -7
Texas A&M vs. Arkansas -6.5 (Arlington, Texas)
Mississippi State at Auburn -8
Tennessee -2.5 at Florida
Thursday, Oct. 1
Miami, Fla. at Cincinnati -2.5
Saturday, Oct. 3
UNLV at Nevada -14
Ole Miss -6 at Florida
Alabama at Georgia PK
South Carolina at Missouri -11
Arkansas at Tennessee -1
Mississippi State at Texas A&M -6.5
Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech -9
Arizona at Stanford -7.5
Arizona State at UCLA -6
Oregon -16 at Colorado
Army at Penn State -28
West Virginia at Oklahoma -10
Kansas State at Oklahoma State -4
Texas at TCU -21
Notre Dame at Clemson -3.5
Thursday, Oct. 8
Washington at Southern Cal -19
Saturday, Oct. 10
LSU -8 at South Carolina
Georgia Tech at Clemson -3
Arkansas at Alabama -7.5
Florida at Missouri -10
Georgia at Tennessee PK
Miami (FL) at Florida State -14.5
Virginia at Pittsburgh -6
Boise State -12 at Colorado State
TCU -11 at Kansas State
Oklahoma -6.5 vs. Texas (Dallas, Texas)
Oklahoma State at West Virginia -5
Wisconsin -1 at Nebraska
Navy at Notre Dame -14
Thursday, Oct. 15
UCLA at Stanford -4.5
Auburn -9 at Kentucky
Friday, Oct. 16
UNLV at Fresno State -12
Boise State -9.5 at Utah State
Saturday, Oct. 17
Florida at LSU -14
Arizona State at Utah -2
USC at Notre Dame PK
Oregon -15 at Washington
Louisville at Florida State -12
Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech -14
Virginia Tech at Miami, Fla. -6
Missouri at Georgia -8.5
Alabama -7 at Texas A&M
West Virginia at Baylor -17
TCU -29 at Iowa State
Oklahoma -3 at Kansas State
Michigan State -4.5 at Michigan
Penn State at Ohio State -19
Saturday, Oct. 24
Utah at USC -7
Kansas State at Texas -2
Tennessee at Alabama -10
Auburn at Arkansas -6.5
Texas A&M at Ole Miss -4
Clemson -4.5 at Miami, Fla.
Florida State at Georgia Tech PK
Thursday, Oct. 29
Oregon -5 at Arizona State
West Virginia at TCU -20
Saturday, Oct. 31
Boise State -28.5 at UNLV
Central Florida at Cincinnati -6
Georgia Tech -10 at Virginia
Ole Miss at Auburn -4
Florida vs. Georgia -12 (Jacksonville, Fla.)
South Carolina at Texas A&M -10
Oregon State at Utah -16
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015
Northern Illinois at Toledo -3
Thursday, Nov. 5
Mississippi State at Missouri, -6
Baylor -12 at Kansas State
Saturday, Nov. 7
LSU at Alabama -9
Arkansas at Ole Miss -1
Auburn -1.5 at Texas A&M
TCU -11 at Oklahoma State
Michigan State -6 at Nebraska
Florida State at Clemson -2
Virginia at Miami, Fla. -6.5
Notre Dame -3 at Pittsburgh
Arizona at USC -7.5
Thursday, Nov. 12
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech -9.5
Friday, Nov. 13
USC -12 at Colorado
Saturday, Nov. 14
Arkansas at LSU -1.5
Utah at Arizona -3
Oregon at Stanford PK
Alabama -9 at Mississippi State
Florida at South Carolina -2.5
Oklahoma at Baylor -13
BYU at Missouri -12
Saturday, Nov. 21
San Diego State -16 at UNLV
LSU at Ole Miss PK
Fresno State at BYU -18
TCU -5 at Oklahoma
Baylor -10 at Oklahoma State
Michigan State at Ohio State -14
Michigan at Penn State -4.5
Mississippi State at Arkansas -10
Tennessee at Missouri -2.5
Georgia Tech -6 at Miami, Fla.
Arizona at Arizona State -3
UCLA -1 at Utah
California at Stanford -13
Friday, Nov. 27 & Saturday, Nov. 28
Baylor at TCU -6
Oregon State at Oregon -22.5
Washington State at Washington -4.5
Iowa at Nebraska -7
Texas A&M at LSU -7.5
Kansas State -24 at Kansas
Oklahoma -3 at Oklahoma State
BYU at Utah State PK
Ohio State -16 at Michigan
Penn State at Michigan State -12
UCLA at USC -3
Colorado at Utah -13.5
Notre Dame at Stanford -3
North Carolina at NC State -6
Virginia Tech -4 at Virginia
Missouri at Arkansas -7
Alabama -3.5 at Auburn
Florida State -4 at Florida
Georgia -1 at Georgia Tech
Louisville -2.5 at Kentucky
Ole Miss -2 at Mississippi
Clemson -3 at South Carolina
Vanderbilt at Tennessee -17
Saturday, Dec. 5
Texas at Baylor -18
West Virginia at Kansas State -5
Saturday, Dec. 12
Navy -13 vs. Army, Philadelphia, Pa.
