When the Golden Nugget posted poinstpreads for its 166 College Football Games of the Year, Las Vegas sharps were lined up five deep at three betting windows. They had strong opinions, and they were ready to pounce.
The book allowed bettors to place five max bets (each risking $1,100 to win $1,000) before sending them to the back of the line.
"They would do the max and cycle back," race and sports supervisor Aaron Kessler told CBSSports.com of the Friday afternoon scene. "We had some guys who bet around $30,000 all told."
The pros hammered Auburn and BYU, believing the Nugget undervalued both, and consistently bet against Boise State and Missouri. With each bet, the book moved the line.
BYU plunged all the way from +6 to +1 against Boise State (Sept. 12), from +12 to +7.5 against Missouri (Nov. 14 in Kansas City) and from +6 to +3.5 at Nebraska (Sept. 5).
Likewise, Auburn moved from +6.5 to +1.5 at Arkansas (Oct. 24), from Pick-em to -2.5 versus Georgia (Nov. 14) and from +3.5 to +2.5 for the Iron Bowl against Alabama.
Bettors hated Arkansas in a few games, such as Nov. 14 at LSU, where the line moved from Tigers -1.5 to Tigers -5. But they loved the Razorbacks in others like their Oct. 10 showdown at Alabama, where the line crossed the key number of 7, falling from Alabama -7.5 to -6.5.
The Nugget welcomes the annual battle of wits with the wise guys.
"I know these [bettors] put a lot of work in, but we also put a lot of work in," Kessler said. "It's fun every year. We're not going to go 0-166 or 166-0."
This is the ninth straight year the Nugget has been first in Vegas to post college football lines. The book has profited on these early lines six times; bettors have come out on top twice.
The Nugget gave defending champ Ohio State a "historically high" power rating, Kessler said. "We put up some real big lines on the Buckeyes and dared players to take the underdog. It hasn't been anything major, but they are taking the dog."
Ohio State fell from -16 to -13 for the Nov. 28 showdown with Michigan, from -14 to -12.5 the week before versus Michigan State and from -19 to -18 against Penn State. However, the Buckeyes' opener hasn't moved. They remain 16-point favorites at Virginia Tech on Monday, Sept. 7.
Below are current lines from the Golden Nugget. Where a line moved, the opener is in parentheses:
Thursday, Sept. 3
Michigan at Utah -5 (-4)
TCU -16.5 (-18) at Minnesota
Friday, Sept. 4
Washington at Boise State -8.5 (-13)
Saturday, Sept. 5
Wisconsin vs. Alabama -9 (-10) (Arlington, Texas)
Louisville vs. Auburn -11.5 (Atlanta, Ga.)
Arizona State vs. Texas A&M -3 (Houston)
Texas at Notre Dame -8.5 (-7.5)
Virginia at UCLA -17
BYU at Nebraska -3.5 (-6)
Monday, Sept. 7
Ohio State -16 at Virginia Tech
Saturday, Sept. 12
LSU -3 at Mississippi State
UCLA -32 at UNLV
Oklahoma at Tennessee -1 (-3)
Notre Dame -9 at Virginia
Oregon State at Michigan -15.5 (-14)
Iowa -4.5 at Iowa State
Marshall -4 (-3.5) at Ohio University
Boise State -1 (-6) at BYU
Oregon at Michigan State -1
Thursday, Sept. 17
Clemson -3 at Louisville
Saturday, Sept. 19
Auburn at LSU -3 (-4)
UNLV at Michigan -33
Ole Miss at Alabama -9.5
South Carolina at Georgia -13 (-11)
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame -5.5 (-2)
Nebraska at Miami, Fla. PK
Stanford at USC -4
BYU at UCLA -12.5 (-14)
Colorado -5 (-1.5) vs. Colorado State (Denver)
Thursday, Sept. 24
Cincinnati at Memphis -2
Friday, Sept. 25
Boise State -9 at Virginia
Saturday, Sept. 26
LSU -20 at Syracuse
UCLA -1 (PK) at Arizona
USC -1 at Arizona
Utah at Oregon -14
Oklahoma State at Texas -2.5
BYU at Michigan -5.5 (-7)
Texas A&M vs. Arkansas -1.5 (-6.5) (Arlington, Texas)
Mississippi State at Auburn -8
Tennessee -3 (-2.5) at Florida
Thursday, Oct. 1
Miami, Fla. at Cincinnati -2.5
Saturday, Oct. 3
UNLV at Nevada -15.5 (-14)
Ole Miss -6 at Florida
Alabama at Georgia PK
South Carolina at Missouri -9 (-11)
Arkansas at Tennessee -1
Mississippi State at Texas A&M -6.5
Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech -9
Arizona at Stanford -8 (-7.5)
Arizona State at UCLA -6
Oregon -14.5 (-16) at Colorado
Army at Penn State -28
West Virginia at Oklahoma -10
Kansas State at Oklahoma State -4
Texas at TCU -19.5 (-21)
Notre Dame at Clemson -2.5 (-3.5)
Thursday, Oct. 8
Washington at Southern Cal -19
Saturday, Oct. 10
LSU -8 at South Carolina
Georgia Tech at Clemson -3
Arkansas at Alabama -6.5 (-7.5)
Florida at Missouri -5.5 (-10)
Georgia at Tennessee PK
Miami (FL) at Florida State -13 (-14.5)
Virginia at Pittsburgh -6
Boise State -10.5 (-12) at Colorado State
TCU -10 (-11) at Kansas State
Oklahoma -7.5 (-6.5) vs. Texas (Dallas, Texas)
Oklahoma State at West Virginia -4.5 (-5)
Wisconsin -1.5 (-1) at Nebraska
Navy at Notre Dame -14
Thursday, Oct. 15
UCLA at Stanford -4.5
Auburn -9 at Kentucky
Friday, Oct. 16
UNLV at Fresno State -12
Boise State -6 (-9.5) at Utah State
Saturday, Oct. 17
Florida at LSU -14
Arizona State at Utah -2
USC at Notre Dame PK
Oregon -15 at Washington
Louisville at Florida State -12
Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech -14
Virginia Tech at Miami, Fla. -4 (-6)
Missouri at Georgia -8.5
Alabama -6 (-7) at Texas A&M
West Virginia at Baylor -17
TCU -29 at Iowa State
Oklahoma -3 at Kansas State
Michigan State -5.5 (-4.5) at Michigan
Penn State at Ohio State -18 (-19)
Saturday, Oct. 24
Utah at USC -7
Kansas State at Texas -2
Tennessee at Alabama -9 (-10)
Auburn at Arkansas -1.5 (-6.5)
Texas A&M at Ole Miss -5 (-4)
Clemson -3.5 (-4.5) at Miami, Fla.
Florida State at Georgia Tech PK
Thursday, Oct. 29
Oregon -3.5 (-5) at Arizona State
West Virginia at TCU -20
Saturday, Oct. 31
Boise State -28.5 at UNLV
Central Florida at Cincinnati -7 (-6)
Georgia Tech -10 at Virginia
Ole Miss at Auburn -6 (-4)
Florida vs. Georgia -12 (Jacksonville, Fla.)
South Carolina at Texas A&M -11 (-10)
Oregon State at Utah -16
Tuesday, Nov. 3
Northern Illinois at Toledo -3
Thursday, Nov. 5
Mississippi State at Missouri -5 (-6)
Baylor -10.5 (-12) at Kansas State
Saturday, Nov. 7
LSU at Alabama -9
Arkansas at Ole Miss -1
Auburn -2 (-1.5) at Texas A&M
TCU -9.5 (-11) at Oklahoma State
Michigan State -6 at Nebraska
Florida State at Clemson -2
Virginia at Miami, Fla. -7.5 (-6.5)
Notre Dame -3.5 (-3) at Pittsburgh
Arizona at USC -7.5
Thursday, Nov. 12
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech -7.5 (-9.5)
Friday, Nov. 13
USC -12 at Colorado
Saturday, Nov. 14
Arkansas at LSU -5 (-1.5)
Utah at Arizona -3
Oregon at Stanford PK
Georgia at Auburn -2.5 (PK)
Alabama -8 (-9) at Mississippi State
Florida at South Carolina -2.5
Oklahoma at Baylor -11.5 (-13)
BYU at Missouri -7.5 (-12)
Saturday, Nov. 21
San Diego State -16 at UNLV
LSU at Ole Miss -3 (PK)
Fresno State at BYU -18
TCU -3.5 (-5) at Oklahoma
Baylor -8.5 (-10) at Oklahoma State
Michigan State at Ohio State -12.5 (-14)
Michigan at Penn State -4.5
Mississippi State at Arkansas -11 (-10)
Tennessee at Missouri -2.5
Georgia Tech -5 (-6) at Miami, Fla.
Arizona at Arizona State -4 (-3)
UCLA -1 at Utah
California at Stanford -13
Friday, Nov. 27 & Saturday, Nov. 28
Baylor at TCU -6
Oregon State at Oregon -22.5
Washington State at Washington -4.5
Iowa at Nebraska -8 (-7)
Texas A&M at LSU -7.5
Kansas State -24 at Kansas
Oklahoma -3 at Oklahoma State
BYU -4 (PK) at Utah State
Ohio State -13 (-16) at Michigan
Penn State at Michigan State -12
UCLA at USC -3.5 (-3)
Colorado at Utah -13.5
Notre Dame at Stanford -4 (-3)
North Carolina at NC State -1.5 (-6)
Virginia Tech -4 at Virginia
Missouri at Arkansas -7
Alabama -2.5 (-3.5) at Auburn
Florida State -4.5 (-4) at Florida
Georgia -1 at Georgia Tech
Louisville -2.5 at Kentucky
Ole Miss -1 (-2) at Mississippi
Clemson -3 at South Carolina
Vanderbilt at Tennessee -20 (-17)
Saturday, Dec. 5
Texas at Baylor -16.5 (-18)
West Virginia at Kansas State -5
Saturday, Dec. 12
Navy -13 vs. Army, Philadelphia, Pa.