Arkansas one of three SEC underdogs
Last updated Saturday, December 8, 2007 9:26 PM CST in Columns
By Harry King
SPECIAL TO THE MORNING NEWS
LITTLE ROCK -- The night that the bowl game pairings were confirmed, I grew weary of hearing how LSU was playing a home game for the national championship.
Yes, the game is in New Orleans. No, that does not guarantee the Tigers will win.
Reviewing the wild ride of a college football season, one of the most striking facts is the number of Top 10 teams who lost at home in front of huge crowds.
The string of home-field losses by the perceived-to-be elite began the first weekend with Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32, in Ann Arbor.
Here are others that might have been swallowed up by time:
Sept. 29: Kansas State 41, No. 7 Texas 21; Auburn 20, No. 4 Florida 17.
Oct. 6: Stanford 24, No. 1 USC 23.
Oct. 13: Oregon State 31, No. 2 California 28.
Oct. 20: Vanderbilt 17, No. 6 South Carolina 6.
Nov. 3: Florida State 27, No. 2 Boston College 17.
Nov. 10: Illinois 28, No. 1 Ohio State 21.
Nov. 22: USC 44, No. 7 Arizona State 24
Nov. 23: Arkansas 50, No. 1 LSU 48
Nov. 24: Pittsburgh 13, No. 2 West Virginia 9.
If LSU beats Ohio State on Jan. 7, it will be because of the Tigers' speed. If Ohio State wins, it will be because the Buckeyes were able to block LSU. Neither scenario accounts for a game-changing turnover or two.
The Big Ten's best football teams are not very good, according to linemakers in Las Vegas.
It just so happened that an acquaintance was in that growing metropolis early last week on business. In town for 26 hours, he never wagered a nickel and had to be twice reminded to stop by a sports book to pick up a sheet with betting lines on 32 bowl games.
But, he came through and the material is interesting, providing you understand that the sports books are trying to settle on a number that will generate action on both sides.
The No. 2 Tigers are favored by almost a touchdown over the No. 1 Buckeyes. USC is favored by almost two touchdowns over Illinois in the Rose Bowl and that might be more praise for the Trojans than an indictment of Ron Zook's team. Also, remember that L.A. folks can drive to Vegas in a few hours and are likely to support their team no matter what the betting line. The only ranked team with three losses, Florida, is a 10-point favorite over Michigan in the Capital One Bowl. Done in in the SEC championship game by the erratic play of Erik Ainge, Tennessee is favored by a field goal over Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl.
The only two Big Ten teams that are favored in bowl games are Penn State and Purdue and that's not exactly chest-bump stuff considering the Nittany Lions are playing a Texas A&M team with a new coach and the Boilermakers are going against perennial bowl power Central Michigan.
The SEC's reputation is reflected in the line on the nine bowls with league teams.
LSU, Florida, and Tennessee have already been mentioned.
Arkansas is one of only three SEC teams that are underdogs. Twice-beaten Missouri, No. 1 in the country a week ago, is favored by about a field goal over the 8-4 Razorbacks, who did not secure their seventh victory until mid-November and had no shot at the Jan. 1 Cotton Bowl when they were 5-3.
Arkansas vs. Missouri should be high-scoring, the wiseguys say. There is an over-under wager available on the total number of points and the number for the Razorbacks-Tigers is 69 1-2. Only three other games have a higher total and the peak is 75 -- Tulsa vs. Bowling Green in the GMAC Bowl.
The other SEC underdogs, by about a field goal, are Auburn against Clemson and Mississippi State vs. Central Florida.
In Shreveport, where Colorado and Alabama are matching 6-6 records, the Crimson Tide is a slight favorite. Twice-beaten Georgia is a 10-point favorite over unbeaten Hawaii and Kentucky is a one-point favorite over Florida State.
Four of the past 10 years, the SEC has had a .500 bowl record. Twice, the league was below .500; the other four years, the SEC was 21-9. The winning ways are likely to continue.
Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
About this columnist
The dean of Arkansas sports writers, Harry King updates his column five days per week with the latest on the Razorbacks. A 35-year veteran of The Associated Press, King joined the Arkansas News Bureau in May of 2002. He's covered the Razorbacks since the Arkansas-Texas game dubbed the Big Shootout in 1969.
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