Week 8 SEC betting lines

Two heavyweight SEC West matchups Saturday have left even more debris in the conference, with LSU the only remaining unbeaten.

The Week 8 schedule features a few compelling matchups, none bigger than Texas A&M at Ole Miss, as both of those teams still remain a factor in the West Division. The Rebels opened as a 4.5-point favorite in Las Vegas. Given that 3, 4 and 6 points are key numbers (football scores mostly occur in integers of 3 and 7), any line that falls between 4.5 and 5.5 points is a sort of signal from Las Vegas that screams “we aren’t sure what to do with this game.”

Another interesting line: Missouri is favored by less than a field goal at Vanderbilt. The Commodores have an 11-game SEC losing streak, while the Tigers are back-to-back SEC East champions. That shows you how fast things can change. Vandy’s defense is strong and Mizzou has been lucky to score a touchdown or two per game. Points should be at a premium in that contest. Given that home teams generally are awarded three points in these lines, Vegas is postulating that Mizzou is just a half-point better on a neutral field as of today.

Auburn at Arkansas is expected to be a close matchup as well, with the home team Razorbacks favored by five points initially. Both coach Gus Malzahn and coach Bret Bielema are looking to mitigate some of the damage done by a poor start to the season.

Here are the rest of the Week 7 lines. Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have bye weeks.

Christopher Smith

An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.