A three-bowl slate turned into two yesterday, after a rare cancellation caused some unhappiness for any bettors holding Boston College or under tickets.
Today's forecasts show no signs of weather abnormalities, so we should be treated to football from 1:30 p.m. ET into the wee hours of the morning.
Of the three games being played today, two — the Independence and Texas Bowls — have drawn uncontested sharp action to one bet in particular.
That's not to suggest that the Pinstripe Bowl hasn't seen plenty of action from wiseguys, but rather that they've been hitting both sides of the game, causing an interesting line fall that doesn't point to a consensus sharp play.
In any case, here are the two plays in which sharps have made their opinions clear on Thursday.
Independence Bowl: Duke vs. Temple
1:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Shreveport, LA
Sharp angle: Under (moved from 56.5 to 54)
The under hasn't even eclipsed one-third of the bets on this total, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the line movement. After opening at 56.5, sportsbooks are now listing the over/under at 54 despite the minority under backing.
Per Sports Insights' Bet Signals, sharps have hit the under four times to help the line move. Two of those signals have come since Wednesday night.
The 33% of bettors on the under have also accounted for 43% of money being wagered, indicating that bigger, probably sharper bets are landing on the under.
Texas Bowl: Vanderbilt vs. Baylor
9 p.m. ET | ESPN | Houston, TX
Sharp angle: Baylor (moved from +6 to +4)
Baylor was an early target for sharp bettors. Within a day of opening as 6-point dogs, the Bears were down to +4, and even sat at +3.5 for a considerable time.
That line fall has come despite a majority of bets landing on Vanderbilt. Sixty-six percent, in fact, are behind the Commodores, but they've accounted for just 53% of the actual money being wagered.
On top of having the favorable bets vs. dollars split, Baylor has also triggered six Sports Insights Bet Signals, two of of which came in over the past two days.
