Notre Dame crushes USC bettors, caps book’s 2 best days of season

The Review-Journal’s Todd Dewey will track the biggest betting storylines every Saturday of the college football season.

The worst collapse in Colorado history and the largest comeback in Stanford history on Friday night was the biggest win of the college football season at sportsbooks.

The next day, Notre Dame’s 48-20 rout of Southern California capped the best Saturday of the season at the Westgate SuperBook, which won six figures on that game alone.

“We did really, really well on the Notre Dame game. We took a lot of USC bets,” SuperBook director John Murray said. “A lot of guys were chasing USC in-game, and Notre Dame covered every number. It was an awesome result.

“Our two best days of the college football season were (Friday) and (Saturday).”

Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams threw three first-half interceptions as the Fighting Irish took a 24-6 halftime lead.

Williams pulled USC within 31-20 with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Brenden Rice with 9:04 left in the fourth quarter. But Jadarian Price returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a score as the Trojans lost their first game of the season and dropped their fifth straight at Notre Dame Stadium.

Bettors cashed in on over the total of 60½ points at Station Casinos.

“The key to the Notre Dame game for us was keeping it under, and it went over,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “In that regard, it wasn’t a good outcome. We really needed it under.

“Overall, it was a good day.”

Buffs blow 29-0 lead

The Buffaloes, 12½-point home favorites under coach Deion Sanders, aka “Coach Prime,” blew a 29-0 halftime lead as the Cardinal stormed back for a stunning 46-43 victory in double overtime in Boulder.

“Huge win for us,” Murray said. “The biggest of the college football season to date. So many money-line parlays with the Buffs. The volume we write on their games is incredible. I wish they always played in prime time.”

Station Casinos also won big on the game, and BetMGM reported a solid low-six-figure win.

“It was one of the best college football outcomes of the year,” Esposito said. “Surprisingly enough, we got a lot of under play as well. This Stanford team doesn’t score a lot of points. We saw a lot of Colorado and under play, when it’s usually the favorite and over.”

The game soared over the total of 59.

Colorado had a 99.8 percent chance of winning in the third quarter, according to ESPN. But Stanford scored TDs on its first five possessions of the second half, including a 97-yard TD catch by Elic Ayomanor, who had a school-record 294 yards receiving.

The Cardinal tied it 36-36 on Joshua Karty’s 46-yard field goal as time expired. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw an interception in the end zone in the second OT. Karty then kicked a 31-yard field goal to lift Stanford to the win.

A DraftKings bettor placed a $150 wager on Stanford on the live money line at 40-1 odds that paid $6,000 when the Cardinal completed the unlikely comeback.

UNLV beats UNR, stays perfect ATS

The sharp money was on UNR in its rivalry game against UNLV, which was as high as a 10-point favorite before closing at -7½. But that money turned out to be sharp as a spoon as the Rebels took a 28-7 halftime lead and whipped the Wolf Pack 45-27 to run their ATS record to 6-0.

Jayden Maiava threw two TD passes and Donavyn Lester ran for three more as UNLV (5-1) kept the Fremont Cannon and cashed another ticket for its backers.

“You can almost couple UNLV in now with the Raiders, Aces and Knights,” Esposito said. “They’re 5-1 with their only loss coming to Michigan, and bettors are backing them, like other Vegas teams when they’re playing well and are relevant.

“We’ve seen a lot more money on UNLV football than we have in a long time. We were clearly UNR fans (Saturday).”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.