has been an underdog. That streak is in jeopardy, according to the first college football lines posted Friday in Las Vegas.
The Crimson Tide enter the season having been favored in 68 consecutive games. It's the longest streak in the modern era and dates back to the 2009 SEC championship game, when Tim Tebow's
Florida Gators were a 5.5-point favorite over Alabama. The Tide rolled over the Gators 32-13 and have been in the role of favorite in every game since.
Alabama is favored in the eight other games that made the opening board at the Nugget, including by 3.5 at
Auburn in the Nov. 28 Iron Bowl. Alabama opened as a 10-point favorite over
Wisconsin in a Week 1 SEC-Big Ten showdown at AT&T Stadium.
Other notable Week 1 lines include Auburn as an 11.5-point favorite over
Louisville in a game to be played in Atlanta,
Texas A&M minus-3 over
Arizona State in Houston,
Notre Dame minus-7.5 vs.
Texas and
Ohio State minus-16 at
Virginia Tech.
The Buckeyes are the No. 1 team by a significant margin in Golden Nugget oddsmaker Aaron Kessler's power ratings. Kessler told ESPN Chalk that
TCU and
Baylor are second and third, respectively. Four Ohio State's games made the opening board. The Buckeyes are favored by double digits in all of them, including by 16 at
Michigan.
This is the ninth year in a row the Golden Nugget has been the first Las Vegas sportsbook to open betting on individual college football games. It's become an event that attracts bettors from all over. The sportsbook will take $1,000 limit bets on the games, some of which don't kick off for five months.
