The goal of this column has always been to identify the sides and over/unders attracting attention from the sharpest bettors who have the resources to move lines across the sports betting market.
With basketball and baseball lines typically opening on the previous day, Wake and Rake has normally posted the morning of the game it previews.
However, since football lines are available for almost a full week before a game, pigskin-focused Wake and Rakes will frequently publish days in advance since that's when early action is coming down.
In the special case of season openers, professionals have had an entire summer to analyze the matchups in order to pick apart soft lines opened early by bookmakers.
In fact, Pinnacle opened the line for Saturday's Wyoming-New Mexico State (10 p.m. ET) game on May 30, meaning bettors have been able to jump on this matchup for almost three months, and that's exactly what sharp bettors are doing.
Wyoming opened as a 5-point road favorite against New Mexico State, and 65% of spread bets are laying the points. However, the line has dropped to a consensus of Cowboys -3.5 at most sportsbooks across the market.
>> All odds as of 11 a.m. ET on Aug. 22. Download The Action Network App to get real-time college football odds and track your bets
The Action Network's public betting data provides the first piece of information as 53% of dollars wagered have actually come in on New Mexico State.
While not enough to explain the line movement alone, it reveals that this matchup is attracting more balanced action than what the ticket percentages imply.
However, Sports Insights' Bet Signals — which track and report sharp action in real time across the betting market — provide the key details needed to diagnose the line movement.
Dating back to Aug. 8, an incredible 12 Reverse Line Moves and three Steam Moves have been triggered on the Aggies, which accounts for the 1.5-point line move.
While most football fans have spent the month of August concerned with the NFL preseason and fantasy football drafts, professionals have quietly been jumping all over New Mexico State.
