By Chris Marler
Each week we take a look at where the money is coming in and who it’s on for SEC betting lines by comparing where the opening line was and the current line is.
Here are the current lines of all eight Saturday SEC games for Rivalry Week.
Tennessee at Vanderbilt
Opening Line: Tennessee -11
Current Line: Tennessee -11
South Carolina at Clemson
Opening Line: Clemson -5
Current Line: Clemson -3
Florida at Florida State
Opening Line: Florida -13
Current Line: Florida -16.5
Oklahoma at LSU
Opening Line: LSU -6
Current Line: LSU -6
Texas at Texas A&M
Opening Line: Texas -7.5
Current Line: Texas -5.5
Arkansas at Missouri
Opening Line: Missouri -4
Current Line: Missouri -3
Louisville at Kentucky
Opening Line: Louisville -4
Current Line: Louisville -4
Auburn at Alabama
Opening Line: Alabama -14.5
Current Line: Alabama -10.5
There has been movement in five of the eight lines with the most significant movement coming in three huge in-state matchups.
For Alabama and Auburn the line felt surprising to be at two touchdowns when it opened, so dropping a field goal isn’t super shocking. Sharp money has come in on Auburn, which makes sense since the Tigers have covered the spread in three of their last four games and two of their last three on the road. Alabama has owned Auburn in Tuscaloosa over the last 15 years, winning seven of eight by an average of 28 points. Follow the money and it’s plain to see that people aren’t worried about history with this Alabama team, nor are they scared of them.
Clemson at South Carolina is a bit more interesting. Nearly 70 percent of the bets are on South Carolina and 77 percent of money is on the Gamecocks as well. South Carolina is the hottest team in the SEC right now, and they are clearly more battle tested than Clemson. Clemson’s defensive line can wreak havoc on South Carolina who has one of the worst offensive lines in the country. However, the top three contenders in the entire ACC (SMU, Miami, and Clemson) have combined for zero wins over currently ranked teams.
Then there’s the continuing emergence of DJ Lagway and Florida over the month of November. Imagine telling someone back in July that Florida would not only be favored over Florida State but they’d be favored by nearly three scores. Billy Napier and company have a tremendous opportunity to finish this season on a tremendous high but getting his first win over an rival and going bowling.
