A steep, sudden change in the betting line ahead of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl between UNLV and Kansas has raised eyebrows.
UNLV, which already had a game flagged in November for suspicious betting patterns for a clash with New Mexico State, moved from 13-point underdogs to 6.5-point underdogs on BetRivers Sportsbook on Tuesday for seemingly no reason.
The line movement occurred in just 24 hours with no last-second opt-outs to speak of.
Speculation immediately began online about the line movement, though there’s been no evidence suggesting there was suspicious betting.
The officiating in the game, however, only fueled more theorizing.
Officials called 27 penalties for 309 combined yards, with Kansas getting flagged 18 times for 216 yards.
The 18 penalties Kansas took tied the Guaranteed Bowl record and the yardage set a new mark.
Coach Lance Leipold was furious at halftime, telling reporters he didn’t know what to tell his team going into the locker room.
“I don’t know if we can get a new crew or not in time,” Leipold told the Jayhawk Radio Network at halftime. “I tell you what, we have no rhythm in this thing, no [rhythm] whatsoever. I don’t know what’s going on.”
Kansas was the 14th-best team in the country against penalties, with only 55 during the season; they had nearly a third of their season total in one game.
They still went on to win 49-36 and cover the final spread, although the opening spread of 13.5, which was available throughout the day on Christmas, did not cover.
UNLV was under investigation in November after it played New Mexico, a 56-14 win for the Rebels.
The investigation recently concluded, clearing both schools of any wrongdoing, despite multiple sources telling USA Today that several new accounts were created for the “sole purpose” of betting $10,000 to $20,000 on UNLV against this spread.
UNLV moved from 10.5-point favorites to 16.5-point favorites by kickoff in that game.
For now, no investigation into UNLV-Kansas has been announced.
Multiple sportsbooks declined to comment to The Post on the line movement, given the likelihood of another potential investigation.
Betting on College Football?
The bizarre circumstances involving the betting and unusually high penalty numbers lend plenty of questions that are, for now, unanswered.
Leipold was thrilled that his team was able to overcome the obstacles put in front of them, though, and come away with a win.
“I’m really proud of this football team for a lot of reasons,” Leipold said. “[We] overcame a lot tonight and persevered. It wasn’t our prettiest performance, but we found a way to make plays and stops when we needed too.”
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