CFB Week 4 betting cheat sheet - The conundrum of betting USC

The betting market keeps fading No. 7 USC, and I am enjoying my courtside seats to the weekly stare down between respected and public money. The Trojans are six-point favorites at Oregon State on Saturday after the spread opened as a consensus full touchdown. Respected wagers arrived throughout the week on the Beavers, which is why oddsmakers lowered the line. The same exact sequence of events occurred with USC's two most recent opponents, Fresno State and Stanford, and that action turned out to be more dull than sharp.

So far, the decision to fire Clay Helton during the 2021 campaign with the hopes of eventually landing a proven commodity like Lincoln Riley sure seems like a brilliant gamble. Riley also brought over Oklahoma transfer Caleb Williams to play quarterback, and he's now the second favorite for the Heisman Trophy (+350). USC is 3-0 straight up and against the spread (ATS), restoring excitement in a fan base and invigorating recreational bettors.

«The Trojans are definitely going to be public darlings as long as they keep blowing everyone out, that's for sure,» SuperBook executive director John Murray told ESPN. But professional bettors target teams with inflated praise and perception in the hopes of uncovering value. But what if that reveal never occurs?

«We see this in all sports, where the sharps' power rankings are at odds with public perception and they bet [on or against] the same team,» BetMGM vice president of trading Jason Scott told ESPN, also sharing that USC's win and cover over Fresno State was last Saturday's worst result for the house. «My experience is that the analytics they deploy is correct more than it isn't, so we will stick with them.»

While nearly all books reported sharp money on Oregon