Baylor would be a 7.5 point favorite over Ohio State on a neutral field
The betting public has taken notice of Baylor's prolific offense. Though it's pretty hard to ignore 800 yards per game.
SuperBook oddsmaker Ed Salmons said he'd make Baylor a 7.5 favorite over Ohio State this week on a neutral field. Part of that is because the betting public has taken to Baylor's incredible offense. But still, think about that for a second. Baylor would be favored over Ohio State.
“The bettors bet Baylor every week. It doesn’t matter what the spread is,” said Salmons, adding that he’s inflating the Bears’ lines every week. “Obviously, they’re inflated. If you break down the line on the West Virginia game (Baylor -30), Baylor is the highest power-rated team in the country. These teams that play in the no-huddle, especially against the weaker teams, you can take their spread and add 10. That’s how silly they are. And it doesn’t matter what you put on Baylor.”
On Sunday, prominent offshore sportsbook Bookmaker opened Baylor as a 10.5-point favorite at Kansas State. The line surged to Baylor -20, before moving back to the current line of minus-17.5.
The Bears were not the darling they are now at the beginning of the season. They opened the season at 200-1 odds and came down to 75-1 when a house bettor, "a high-roller who frequents the hotel and casino table games, but is not necessarily a sharp sports bettor" according to the article, placed a monstrous bet on Baylor.
Salmons wouldn't say how big the bet was, but he said that Baylor is the book's biggest liability. Bryce Petty, Lache Seastrunk and company are now down to 6-1 odds at the SuperBook. The Bears are averaging 779.5 yards of offense through their first four games, which is an absurd number even if a weak West Virginia squad is the only team of note that they've played.
Baylor also isn't the only team that's messing with oddsmakers. Oregon has covered the spread in its last seven games. The Ducks offense is right behind Baylor's in the total offense rankings. If they met each other? The over/under for total points would be a cool 100.
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