Betting Alabama and late-night games in Arizona doomed bettors on Saturday. The Jaguars made some folks out there unhappy on Sunday also.
Here are the weekend’s worst bad beats:
Saturday
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at Alabama Crimson Tide
Line: Alabama -48.5
Saturday was yet another dominating performance by Alabama. At halftime, the Crimson Tide led 49-0 and were already covering the 48.5-point spread. That lead grew to 56-0 entering the fourth quarter, before bettors had to watch an Alabama team they hardly recognized down the stretch.
The Tide allowed Louisiana to reach the end zone on each of its two possessions in the final quarter, capped off by an Andre Nunez to Ja’Marcus Bradley 18-yard touchdown that cut the deficit to 42 with 3:58 left. Alabama actually got down to Louisiana 15-yard line on the game’s final drive, but time ran out on those who needed a touchdown to cover.
Nick Saban’s team has now outscored its five opponents this season by 206 points (55 points better than any other FBS team), despite a -11 scoring margin in the fourth quarter. The Tide also dropped to 1-6-1 against the spread when favored by at least 40 points against an FBS opponent during the Saban era.
Final score: Alabama 56, Louisiana 14 (Louisiana covers)
West Virginia Mountaineers at Texas Tech Red Raiders
Line: Over/under 75.5
Bettors who took the under probably weren’t feeling great at halftime. West Virginia led 35-10 and the game was on pace to go over the high total of 75.5. But after just 10 points in the first 22 minutes of the second half, those same bettors were getting ready to cash their tickets.
Texas Tech cut the deficit to 35-27 after Jett Duffey‘s three-yard touchdown with 7:50 left. Five minutes later, West Virginia’s Keith Washington returned an interception 51 yards to the house to seal the win, but also make things interesting for those who bet the over/under. Those on the under needed one more stop…but they wouldn’t get it, as Ta’Zhawn Henry‘s one-yard touchdown and Clayton Hatfield‘s PAT sent the total over by half a point.
Final score: West Virginia 42, Texas Tech 34 (Total goes over)
Oregon State Beavers at Arizona State Sun Devils
Line: Arizona State -22
There’s nothing wrong with betting a bad team on the road. Sure, Oregon State hasn’t beat an FBS team since 2016, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have covered as 22-point underdogs on Saturday night.
With seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Beavers trailed 38-24 and had the ball on the Arizona State one-yard line. Unfortunately, for some, it went all downhill for the Beavers from that point on. They got stopped on fourth-and-goal and then were outscored 14-0 in final quarter. The final score was a Manny Wilkins to N’Keal Harry 41-yard touchdown to with 3:28 left, which marked the first time Arizona State led by more than 22 all game. Oregon State’s last-ditch effort to cover ended with a fumble on its final possession.
Final score: Arizona State 52, Oregon State 24 (Arizona State covers)
USC Trojans at Arizona Wildcats
Line: USC -3.5
Another late-night Pac-12 game in the state of Arizona, another tough loss for bettors. You probably gave up hope or went to sleep if you had Arizona +3.5, but that doesn’t mean you’re not still shaking your head over the final result.
USC was in control of the game and led 24-0 in the third quarter. The home underdogs, however, would not go down quietly. The Wildcats proceeded to cut the deficit to 24-14 and were driving late in the fourth quarter. Arizona had a second-and-goal at the USC one-yard line with less than three minutes left, before the roller-coaster ride began.
Here was the play sequence from the one-yard line: rush for no gain, USC defensive pass interference, USC offsides, rush for no gain, incomplete pass, rush for no gain and on fourth-and-goal…Gary Brightwell one-yard touchdown! Arizona backers rejoiced, as they were now an extra-point away from completing the backdoor cover.
Lucas Havrisik missed the kick.
Final score: USC 24, Arizona 20 (USC covers)
Sunday
New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars
Line: Over/under 40.5
Wild high-scoring games defined Week 4 of this NFL season, but that wasn’t the case in Jacksonville on Sunday.
The Jaguars led 25-12 with less than a minute left, but that lead apparently wasn’t big enough for Doug Marrone’s team. You can look back and think of other reasons on why the total ended up going over by 2.5 points, but it’s really all about one play. On fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, Jacksonville called timeout with 27 seconds left in the game and decided to go for it. Blake Bortles handed it to T.J. Yeldon, who ran it in to send the total over in the final seconds.
Final score: Jaguars 31, Jets 12 (total goes over)