Don’t ignore lesser conferences when looking for betting value in college football. The market can be slow to react to extremes in either direction because leagues such as the American Athletic Conference, Sun Belt, Conference USA, Mid-American and Mountain West get less media attention and mainstream betting interest.

As we approach the midway point of the college season, all of the following teams have cashed 80 percent or more of their tickets.

Under-the-radar launches (ATS)
TEAM                      W-L
Utah State               5-0
Georgia Southern   5-0
Appalachian St.      4-0
Cincinnati                5-1
UCF                          4-1
Fla. Int.                     4-1
Troy                          4-1
Western Kentucky   4-1
UAB                          4-1
Fresno St.                 4-1

Now, VSiN isn’t suggesting anyone should have anticipated all of those great cover runs before the season started. But certainly early success was followed by more success. There were quality indicators out of the gate. Important market influences didn’t adjust.

Maybe they still haven’t adjusted enough. Sharps hit Utah State very hard this past Friday night as a short underdog at BYU. Utah State would win that rivalry showdown, 45-20. Georgia Southern remained undefeated ATS with a 48-13 win as just a 12-point favorite over South Alabama. Cincinnati covered by more than a touchdown in a 37-21 win over Tulane for its fifth cash. Underdog UAB covered by four touchdowns at Louisiana Tech.

On the other end of the spectrum, these teams have been disasters in the first half of the season:

Under-the-radar crashes (ATS)
TEAM             W-L
Connecticut 0-5-1
Fla. Atlantic    1-5
La.-Monroe    1-5
Wyoming       1-5
Navy               1-4
Marshall         1-4
Ark. St.           1-4
UTSA             1-4

Wyoming fooled the nation in a strong, early win at New Mexico State that got “over-covered” in media and handicapping chatter because there were so few games that week. Cowboys haven’t covered since! That includes an outright loss as a favorite at Hawaii this past weekend when the host’s starting quarterback was a late-day scratch.

Navy was a short road favorite at Air Force in the “Commander in Chief” series and got sunk 35-7.

First-year football bettors are tempted to focus on TV games because it’s so much fun to root for your bet. By this stage of the season, many of you are learning it’s not fun to watch yourself lose money on TV! Think about embracing some of these lower-profile leagues. You may enjoy the best of both worlds as some are about to scoot into mid-week TV windows. Appalachian State visits Arkansas State (both from today’s lists) Tuesday night at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

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