Jayhawks undefeated covering the spread
Oddsmakers not rewarding football success with big spreads against opponents
The KU football team has impressed the nation with its 10-0 start, but some are taking notice of another record. The team has covered the spread of every game, a feat never accomplished in either the college football or the NFL.
Kansas? 43-28 victory against Oklahoma State continued a dominating undefeated season and pushed the team one step closer to a historic designation. No, not the National Championship.
The Jayhawks are in contention for something just as rare as a Kansas football national title. Kansas, now 9-0 against the spread, could become the first team in NCAA football history to finish a season undefeated against the Las Vegas line.
The Jayhawks, a five-point favorite against the Cowboys, have covered against all nine FBS opponents. Oddsmakers generally do not release point spreads for games between FBS and FCS teams, so a line for the 62-point victory against Southeastern Louisiana was not offered by Sportsbooks.com.
Date Opponent Result Point spread
Sept. 1 Central Michigan W 52-7 -7.5
Sept. 8 Southeastern Louisiana W 62-0 NL
Sept. 15 Toledo W 45-13 -25.5
Sept. 22 Florida International W 55-3 -33
Oct. 6 at No. 24 Kansas State W 30-24 +3.5
Oct. 13 Baylor W 58-10 -26.5
Oct. 20 at Colorado W 19-14 -3.5
Oct. 27 at Texas A&M W 19-11 -3
Nov. 3 Nebraska W 76-39 -20.5
Nov. 10 at Oklahoma State W 43-28 -5
An undefeated season against the spread also has never occurred in the NFL. The New England Patriots had been undefeated against the number before last week, but were blemished after they defeated the Indianapolis Colts by four and failed to cover the six-point spread.
Richard Gardner, a Bodoglife.com bookmanager, said finishing a season undefeated against the spread was not impossible, but Gardner also said surpassing expert?s opinion every week for a season would be a rare feat.
?It would certainly be historic,? Gardner said. ?A lot of bettors ride a team until they lose, so once a team starts beating the line repeatedly the value goes out of them fairly quickly. However, it?s more pronounced when that team is a historically good team, like New England. For a team like Kansas that has struggled in the past, it takes a little longer.?
A Lawrence resident that takes sports bets in Lawrence and requested anonymity said he received a surprisingly low amount of bets on the Jayhawks, even though most of his clientele live in town.
?Each week I hear, ?This will be the week they don?t cover,?? the source said. ?It?s scary to bet on them. But they just keep doing it. They are a good team.?
Gardner acknowledged the lack of confidence nationwide.
?Some bettors have taken notice of the Jayhawks perfect-against-the-spread record, but it?s far less than what would be expected,? Gardner said. ?People still see Kansas as a basketball school. It was the same earlier in the year when Kentucky was playing well. Are bettors gaining respect for Kansas? Yes, but there are certainly some doubters out there.?
Point spreads and gambling, a contentious issue in college sports, is an issue the Jayhawks cannot address. Mike Strauss, associate media relations director for the KU Athletics Department, said anyone associated with the team was not permitted to comment on the subject.
Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony called the record an ?interesting fact? but said the Athletics Department had ?nothing to gain by commenting.?
Kansas fans have been lamenting a lack of respect for most of this season, generally referring to the AP and Coaches polls. The spread, however, has provided sufficient evidence that experts do not believe in the Jayhawks yet, either. Kansas was favored only five points against Oklahoma State despite entering the game undefeated and facing the 5-4 Cowboys. The Jayhawks were only small favorites against Texas A&M and Colorado earlier this year, and were underdogs against Kansas State. All four of those teams have five losses or more.
Gardner said Kansas had not reached the point where they would be ?taxed? this season, a betting term referring to oddsmakers adding additional points to a popular favorite?s number, forcing the betting public to give more points to back them with a wager.
?The books don?t usually tax teams that are not popular with the general betting public because the general betting public doesn?t wager enough on the non-public teams to counterbalance the professional money that would be bet on their opponents,? Gardner said.
Gardner said he didn?t expect a marked increase in Kansas bets and offered a reason for the continued skepticism: ?Kansas still hasn?t proven they can play with the big boys. Even if they go undefeated through the regular season, who have they really beaten??
? Edited by Jeff Briscoe
