Ohio State, Miami Open as Double-Digit Week 5 Favorites — SkimNews
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- Ohio State opens as a 13.5-point road favorite at Iowa, where the Hawkeyes stunned Michigan on the final play in Week 4; the Buckeyes haven't played at Iowa City since a 55-24 loss there in 2017.
- Miami is a 16.5-point favorite at Clemson, riding a 4-0 start with a 33.7-point average margin against FBS opponents, though the Hurricanes haven't won at Death Valley since 2010.
- Alabama is a 4.5-point favorite at Mississippi State in what's billed as the biggest Bulldogs game in a decade, featuring a quarterback matchup between Kamario Taylor and Keelon Russell.
- Florida is a 4.5-point favorite at Missouri after upsetting No. 4 Ole Miss, though Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons piled up nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Mississippi State.
- Penn State is a 3.5-point favorite at Northwestern, where the Wildcats open their new Ryan Stadium after pushing Indiana to the wire; Penn State is coming off a blown lead against Wisconsin.
- Iowa hasn't lost at home by two touchdowns since 2021 and never at all at home since that 2021 mark, framing them as a live underdog despite the steep 13.5-point spread.
- The "best of the rest" slate includes Georgia (-24.5) vs. Vanderbilt, Notre Dame (-21.5) at North Carolina, and Michigan (-6.5) at Minnesota, rounding out a 14-game Week 5 board via FanDuel.
Why it matters: Oddsmakers are giving surprisingly short home lines to Iowa (13.5), Mississippi State (4.5), and Northwestern (3.5) — a notable shift after Iowa's Michigan upset last week. The 16.5-point Miami-Clemson spread also stands out, testing whether books trust the Hurricanes' 33.7-point FBS margin given Miami's 15-year Death Valley drought.
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