College Football Betting: Ole Miss to be Tested
Ole Miss finds itself ranked in the Top 5 as it heads to South Carolina for its first major road test of the year. The Rebels have risen as other teams have already lost in the early going. Is HC Houston Nutt's team overrated and ready to fall, or is laying 3.5-points at Sportsbook.com easy money.
Ole Miss is ranked 4th in the AP, their highest position in the polls since 1970, when Archie Manning was taking snaps in Oxford. The Rebels have won eight games in a row (6-1 ATS) for the first time in almost 37 years. Coach Houston Nutt needs his offensive line to play better and for quarterback Jevan Snead to improve after a slow start as well if they are to beat the Gamecocks.
South Carolina is turning into the "ameba" of college football, taking on whatever shape needed to be competitive in a contest. In the opener, the defense led to a 7-3 victory and the offense scored 37 points in just coming up short at Georgia 41-37, as a touchdown underdog. Last week they handled Florida Atlantic at home 38-16, which means all options are available for this matchup. Quarterback Stephen Garcia looks to be on the rise, with a pair of very good performances under his belt. Spurrier has graded his team "OK" in all facets.
"We're trying to get better in every area. We haven't dominated in any particular phase. We haven't been terrible but the whole team's trying to get better. - Spurrier stated. The Gamecocks are 7-3 with ordinary 5-5 ATS record against the SEC West.
Sportsbook.com has Ole Miss as 3.5-point favorites with total of 53. Though it's only the first conference game of the year, the high ranking and expectations are from a bygone era and take getting used to. The Rebels are 4-8 ATS as a road favorite since 2001 and a loss means playing uphill all season with Alabama and LSU yet to come. Too many in-game hiccups could spell doom for Mississippi, who is 2-14 SU and ATS in SEC openers since 1993 and has lost five in a row and failed to cover 11 straight.
In the last five meetings between these schools, the home team is 0-5 ATS, with the favorite covering the number only one time. For fans of scoring trends, the Rebels are 9-0 ATS after scoring 40 or more points and South Carolina is 5-2 ATS off a 20-point or greater victory.
On ESPN, the Rebels lofty ranking will be challenged and something has to give on the total, with Mississippi 5-2 OVER on Thursday's and the home team 6-2-1 UNDER on the same day of the week. The StatFox Power Line indicates Ole Miss by 8. Be sure to visit the GAME MATCHUP page before hitting the confirm button on your wagers at Sportsbook.com.
Carrie Stroup reporting for Gambling911.com
