The Southeastern Conference football season is officially underway after Missouri’s win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday night. The league is also officially 0-1 against the spread. Each week we will keep track of where the money and lines are moving for SEC betting lines from sportsbooks across the country. Here’s a look at the shifts we’ve seen before Saturday and Sunday’s action as well as takeaways as to why.
The slate
East Carolina at Alabama | 11:00 a.m. | ABC
Opening Line: Alabama -25.5
Current Line: Alabama -28.5
Kent State at South Carolina | 11:45 a.m. | SEC Network
Opening Line: South Carolina -33.5
Current Line: South Carolina -35.5
Youngstown at Kentucky | 12:00 p.m. | SEC Network+
Opening Line: Kentucky -24.5
Current Line: Kentucky -21.5
Tennessee State at Georgia | 2:00 p.m. | SEC Network+
Opening Line: Georgia -44.5
Current Line: Georgia -47.5
Texas State at Texas | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
Opening Line: Texas -29.5
Current Line: Texas -30.5
Furman at Tennessee | 2:30 p.m. | SEC Network+
Opening Line: Tennessee -46.5
Current Line: Tennessee -48.5
Baylor vs Auburn | 2:30 p.m. | ABC
Opening Line: Auburn -6.5
Current Line: Auburn -7.5
North Alabama at Arkansas | 3:15 p.m. | SEC Network
Opening Line: Arkansas -40.5
Current Line: Arkansas -40.5
Austin Peay at Vanderbilt | 6:00 p.m. | SEC Network+
Opening Line: Vanderbilt -28.5
Current Line: Vanderbilt -28.5
Missouri State at Texas A&M | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN
Opening Line: Texas A&M -38.5
Current Line: Texas A&M -40.5
UL Monroe at Mississippi State | 6:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Opening Line: Mississippi State -28.5
Current Line: Mississippi State -28.5
Clemson at LSU | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN
Opening Line: LSU -10.5
Current Line: LSU -9.5
Florida Atlantic at Florida | 6:45 p.m. | SEC Network
Opening Line: Florida -26.5
Current Line: Florida -26.5
(Sunday) Louisville vs Ole Miss | 6:30 p.m. | ABC
Opening Line: Ole Miss -7
Current Line: Ole Miss -6.5
Takeaways
It shouldn’t be too surprising that of the 14 games listed, just two had betting lines that remained the exact same. It’s the first week of the season, so it’s hard to tell which teams are as good as they will be at the end of the year, or even a month from now. One thing that was interesting is that every SEC game on the board against a non-Power Four Conference opponent moved in favor of the SEC – except one. That lone blemish for the conference is Kentucky. The Wildcats are facing FCS Youngstown State, and despite having a better roster than a season ago, and being full of Power Four transfers, the line has moved considerably in favor of Youngstown State. That line saw the most significant shift of any in the entire conference by three total points.
