College Football Odds: Louisville, Clemson Among Betting Favorites In Week 12

by abournenesn

Nov 17, 2016

The Louisville Cardinals will continue their quest for a berth in this year’s College Football Playoff when they visit the Houston Cougars on Thursday night as 14-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Louisville climbed to No. 5 on the CFP rankings with last week’s 44-12 win over Wake Forest, improving their overall straight-up record to 9-1 ahead of Thursday night’s Cardinals vs. Cougars betting matchup at TDECU Stadium.

However, the Cardinals have been turning in poor performances at the sportsbooks, failing to cover in four of their past six games, including two of three on the road.

The Cougars have been an even larger disappointment to bettors, though, going winless against the spread in five straight. Houston has won 14 straight SU on home turf but has struggled to pay out during the streak, covering in just five of those victories. But the Cougars have covered in three of four as double-digit home underdogs.

Meanwhile, the Clemson Tigers dropped to No. 4 in CFP rankings following their first SU defeat of the year, a stunning 43-42 loss to Pittsburgh. The Tigers look to rebound from that defeat when they hit the road to battle the Demon Deacons as 22 1/2-point chalk.

Clemson has won nine straight on the road, and held opponents to 13 or fewer points on three occasions this season.

Wake Forest has cooled off since opening the season on a 4-0 SU run. The Demon Deacons have lost four of six, but have covered in four of five overall, and two of three at home. However, Wake Forest has mustered fewer than 20 points in four of its past five home dates with the Tigers.

No. 17 Florida State aims for a fourth straight SU road victory on Saturday when it visits the Syracuse Orange as 21-point favorites.

The Seminoles are coming off a dominant 45-7 win over Boston College as 21-point chalk, but have failed to cover in consecutive games this season. The Orange are winless in two SU and ATS, and have lost five straight to FSU, but covered in their last two home dates with the Seminoles.

In other ACC action this week, the BC Eagles host the Connecticut Huskies as seven-point betting favorites, while the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets host the Virginia Cavaliers as 11-point chalk. The Panthers take on the Duke Blue Devils as 7 1/2-point favorites, and the Virginia Tech Hokies visit the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as slim one-point underdogs.

Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images

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