Following a resounding, blowout win over Idaho State in the season-opener, we saw something we haven't seen in quite some time when the point spread was released for the Washington State Cougars' matchup with UNLV. When the lines opened on the Sunday before the game, the Cougars were installed as 14-point favorites. Sure, UNLV was a poor team, but it's been forever since Washington State was so heavily favored.
We're back down to Earth again this week, and back in a familiar place. As the Cougars prepare to face San Diego State on Saturday, they do so as underdogs. When this week's lines were released, the Aztecs were a 9.5-point favorite, which seemed high at the time.
Turns out the spread was too high. In the two days since the line opened, action has come in heavy on the Cougars as the point spread is bet down. The result is an interesting phenomenon: Washington State went from 9.5-point underdogs to 5.5- or 6-point underdogs in just a little over 48 hours. That's a high percentage of wagers coming in on the Washington State side of the coin, resulting in a line that has yet to completely settle.
What's it all mean? Not a whole heck of a lot, other than bettors having some kind of confidence in the Cougars to either cover or win outright. But it's odd to see action coming in on WSU now, as opposed to in previous years when the Cougars opened as such heavy underdogs, it almost made the spread too irresistible.