Top 10 Worst Bad Beats From Week 12 Of College Football
I’ve always had a hard time defining what a “bad beat” is. The term, which has been popularized by the GOAT Scott Van Pelt, gets thrown around left and right on social media. The common use of the term has left a lot of non-gamblers confused by what a true bad beat is. For me, a bad beat is a sudden change of fortune in a sporting event that affects the common gambling outcome (over/under, team total, 1st/2nd half bet, spread, total, straight) which leaves one side feeling awful and the other feeling luckier than Frane Selak. A bad beat can also be referred to as a “moose.”
In visual form, this is the best way I’ve seen to describe a bad beat:
Here are the top 10 bad beats from this weekend of college football.
(The odds listed below may be different from the odds you saw at your personal sportsbook. All bad beats did exist at one point at a major sportsbook in Vegas and/or online throughout the last week. I typically find line movement history at Sportsbook Review.)
10. Missouri/Vanderbilt Over 64.5:
In the fourth quarter, Vanderbilt entered beyond Missouri’s 10-yard line twice but somehow managed to escape the fourth quarter with zero points. 45-17 was the final score and the total stayed under by 2.5 points. The final interception looked like this:
The return made it that much worse because Missouri ended up doing nothing with the ball starting on Vandy’s 47. At least buy me dinner before you fuck me.
9. Kansas +37:
Although they were embarrassed by Baker Mayfield about 8 billion times, Kansas was still covering going into the fourth quarter by 12 points. Thirteen points later by Oklahoma, including a field goal with 4:32 to go, Kansas backers left feeling one way:
8. Baylor +7.5:
Down 7 in the fourth quarter, Baylor drove all the way down to Iowa State’s 2-yard line:
After a field goal by Iowa State, Baylor again drove down into ISU’s thirty-yard line:
The almost fumble at the end of the return is just brutal. Here, I’m going to troll you a little bit one last time you sick degenerate!
7. Tennessee/LSU Over 42:
After finding themselves on LSU’s 11-yard-line in the fourth, Tennessee turned the ball over on downs keeping the score at 30-10.
LSU’s response was to drive 80-yards to Tennessee’s eight yard line. All of this was for nothing for anyone with the over 42 because #CollegeKickers came out to play:
You can see the exact moment the wind took that football and said “nope! you aren’t going through the uprights!” Come on, LSU kicker, you know you have to put the Madden kicker accuracy thing (have no idea what to call it) further to the right!
6. New Mexico -1:
New Mexico ran the ball for 482 yards and 8.6 yards per carry on UNLV. They were up 35-30 with 1:11 left in the fourth and then this happened:
How on earth did UNLV come up with that ball?!?! One play later was a UNLV touchdown. A lethal MOOSE on a Friday night. Not what you want going into a gambling weekend.
5. Oregon/Arizona Over 77:
The last three drives ended with two Arizona interceptions inside Oregon territory and a missed field goal by Oregon. The total stayed under by just one point. You just hate to see it.
4. Kent State +17.5:
Here is what Kent State did when they were down 35-23:
-Drive down to CMU’s 14. After a holding and a 6-yard loss, QB threw an interception on 4th-and-26.
-Thanks to an interception that was returned to CMU’s 3-yard line, the Golden Flashes were in prime position to score. Their next four plays went for a…wait for it….negative 31 yards. After a pass went incomplete on 4th-and-goal from the 34-yard line, CMU took over possession once again.
-Starting on their own 20, Kent State had a four-play drive that went for negative eighteen yards. CMU started the next drive on Kent State’s 3-yard line. One play later it was 42-23.
MOOSE.
3. Middle Tennessee/Western Kentucky Under 56:
10-3 was the score of this game going into the fourth quarter on Friday night. Yes, you read that correctly. Ten to three. Thirteen total points. Forty-three points under the total. Thanks to a 35 point fourth quarter and three overtimes, the final score was 41-38.
As much as I love how college football does overtime, it is sometimes the cruelest set up in sports.
2. Florida State -52:
Florida State won the game 77-6, but anybody who bet them didn’t make any money. Why is that? Well, Deleware State and Florida State agreed to 10 minute quarters in the second half. For a bet to qualify, at least 55 minutes need to be played. 15+15+10+10=50 minutes. Nothing like winning a bet, but not winning it. Here is how all FSU bettors felt like:
1. NC State +1.5:
Football is a game of inches, huh? Well, so is gambling. I WANT MY AL PACINO SPEECH NOW!
Until next week degen nation, continue to keep fighting off every MOOSE in sight!
Tweet any bad beats you have this upcoming weekend to @JackMacCFB