Early football line moves

Betting was fast and furious Sunday night at the Stardust as the opening lines were put up for this upcoming weekend's games. With the NFL season under way, this was the first full "lottery" - in which big bettors are selected in random order to get first crack at the first lines available in Las Vegas.

The college games usually attract the biggest action, partly because the bettors have had a full day to handicap the next week's card and partly because bettors perceive the college lines as being easier to beat.

The steadiest flow of money in the early flurry of betting was Southern Mississippi vs. Memphis. Southern Miss opened at -8 1/2 and the Stardust took several large bets and moved the line all the way to 10 1/2 in half-point increments within a 10-minute period. By the time the lottery had ended, other big college moves included No. 1 Miami-Fla. being bet from -35 1/2 to -38 1/2 vs. Temple, Kentucky being bet from -15 to -17 vs. Indiana.

On the NFL board, the Falcons attracted the most early money as they opened as 1 1/2-point favorites over the Bears and got bet up to -3 (even-money). The Jaguars, Vikings and 49ers also attracted early action.

COLLEGE

Took moneyOpenBet ToOpponent

Marshall (Thursday)+12.5+12VIRGINIA TECH

Georgia Tech+3+2.5CLEMSON

AUBURN-20-21Vanderbilt

NC STATE-12.5-13Wake Forest

Michigan-3-3.5NOTRE DAME

OHIO ST.-7-7.5Washington St.

TEXAS TECH-4-5.5Mississippi

NEVADA-RENO +16.5+15Brigham Young

IOWA -3-3.5Iowa St.

Ucla -5.5-6.5OKLAHOMA ST.

Tulane +9.5+8.5EAST CAROLINA

Miami-Fla.-35.5-38.5TEMPLE

KENTUCKY-15-17Indiana

SOUTHERN MISS -8.5-10.5Memphis

Texas-El Paso+44+43.5OKLAHOMA

Texas -14-14.5NORTH CAROLINA

Baylor +10.5+10NEW MEXICO

Utah -2-3ARIZONA

PURDUE-15.5-16.5Western Michigan

OREGON-30.5-32Idaho

Central Michigan-1.5-2.5AKRON

ARKANSAS-10.5-11South Florida

North Texas+23+22ALABAMA

BUFFALO+3+2.5Connecticut

HOUSTON-6-7UL Lafayette

Miami-Ohio+14.5+14LSU

NFL

Took moneyOpenBet ToOpponent

Jaguars +5.5+4.5CHIEFS

FALCONS-1.5-3(EV)Bears

VIKINGS-4.5-5.5Bills

49ERS -3-3.5Broncos

Packers-Saints over44.546

Bears-Falcons over 4142.5

Home team in CAPS

Last week: The lottery line moves went only 2-6 last week in college games, as the early bettors were right on UCLA and Troy State, but lost on West Virginia, New Mexico, Wake Forest, Syracuse, Houston and Iowa. For the year, the college line moves are 15-18. The "unofficial" NFL line moves (so-called because there was no lottery held) went 3-5 with winners on the 49ers and the under in the 49ers-Giants game, plus the Saints, but with losers on the Cardinals-Redskins under, the Chiefs-Browns under, the Rams, the Rams-Broncos over, and the Cowboys.