For an illustration on just how fast things change in college football, look no further than the Kansas Jayhawks.
Just three seasons ago, coach Mark Mangino was the toast of the town in Lawrence, Kan., and his club was among the nation’s elite after a 24-21 win over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.
Now? Well, Mangino is gone. Turner Gill is in. And a rebuilding project of monumental proportions is underway.
Look, no one was expecting a return trip to a BCS game this year. But, at the same time, who expected Kansas to lose the opener, 6-3, to North Dakota State?
“It’s one game and that’s how you have to take it and move on from there,” Gill said. “We have to take the things that we did do well and obviously the things that we need to work on. We need to execute better. That’s the bottom line.”
Well, the bottom line for oddsmakers and gamblers, moving forward, is that Kansas is bad. Really bad. And so, when the powers that be in Las Vegas sat down over coffee Sunday morning, one of the toughest lines to plot out, was No. 17 Georgia Tech’s number at Kansas next Saturday at high noon ET.
“Boy, when you talk about Kansas, all you can saw is ‘wow’,” said Pete Korner, senior oddsmaker and founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas. “The important thing for us, in this instance, is to stay as high as we can.”
Korner settled on Georgia Tech -13 to open the week. There is, of course, a bit of an unknown, as well, on the Yellow Jackets, the defending ACC champions. After all, all they did was beat an FCS team, South Carolina State, 41-10.
But then, again, the Jayhawks lost to an FCS team.
“Historically, in college football, bettors look at the week before, and that is especially true early on because there’s so little to go on,” Korner said. “And that perception of Kansas at this point, is going to be very strong, going the other way, because of what happened.”
It’s hard to blame anyone for that way of thinking.
“It’s just one game,” Kansas linebacker Justin Springer. “We have 11 more to go.”
Is that good or bad?
Let’s take a look at some other opening lines for next week’s notable games:
Auburn at Mississippi State (+3.5)
“Lot of difference in opinion regarding Auburn in this one. People could have gone from anywhere around 1 to 6,” Korner said. “We settled on the middle, and went 3.5.”
West Virginia at Marshall (+13)
“That doesn’t mean Marshall can’t go out, play well at home, and win the game outright,” Korner said. “It’s just a number that we think we can get decent two-way action on.”
Georgia at South Carolina (-3)
“Tough game, and it’s one that I don’t think the spread will come into play on,” Korner said. “I like Georgia. We sent out South Carolina at 3, but these are two good teams that are very close.”
South Florida at Florida (-17)
“Without Tim Tebow, there is still a sense that people are feeling out Florida, and just who and what they are,” Korner said. “That said, they are still in a higher class, and there’s an unknown to South Florida at this point.”
Colorado at Cal (-10)
“A preview of things to come on an annual basis as Colorado will join the Pac-10,” Korner said. “And Colorado played really well this past week. I think this is a take for Colorado fans here. It’s a good number for them.”
Michigan at Notre Dame (-6)
“It’s always going to be a big game with big action when these two teams play,” Korner said. “We like it at 6 right now, I think that’ll get some two-way action. People are really waiting for Notre Dame to get better. In the meantime, though, I still think they’re going to bet on the Irish, no matter what. So the lines are affected by that, certainly.”
Florida State at Oklahoma (-11)
“I’m not a big Florida State fan just yet, nothing is a given anymore with that program,” Korner said. “I think this line, given Florida State’s unknown, can go higher, but we’ll let that happen during the week, if it’s meant to be.”
Miami at Ohio State (-10)
“Again, a good team, getting double digits on the road,” Korner said. “But I’m not sure where the line will go during the week. Personally, I think the Buckeyes handle them.”
Penn State at Alabama (-12)
“Didn’t like the way Penn State handled itself this past week vs. Youngstown State,” Korner said. “I like it Alabama and 12, and would make it higher if running back Mark Ingram was set to return from injury and play. Alabama can just maul these guys.”
Oregon at Tennessee (+7.5)
“We had a long talk with this one,” Korner said. “I like Oregon, and think they can really move the ball here, but I couldn’t make it 10. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to bet against West Coast teams when they play on the East Coast. I wouldn’t worry about that here. I really think the Ducks can rip these guys.”
Virginia at USC (-21)
“It just seems fair,” Korner said. “It’s tough to get a gauge on USC, but they will always have an influence here in Las Vegas, and Virginia may be a little out of their element. At the same time, I’m not sure the Trojans can stop anyone, so if Virginia can score at all, they will have a chance with that number.”
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