The worst college football betting lines from Week 11

SMU wide receiver Key'Shawn Smith (9) and his Mustang teammates dominated Boston College on Saturday, besting the pre-game odds by more than 20 points. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The weather is turning colder, but the college football action is still heating up. Week 11 of the regular season brought several big upsets and lopsided final scores involving teams looking to secure postseason eligibility. The worst lines of the weekend can be found in games stretching from the ACC and SEC to the MAC and MWC.

Hawaii 38, San Diego State 6

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors were 4-1 at home this season, so the 6.5-point line was justified even with 7-1 San Diego State coming to town. A 32-point blowout was not expected by anyone, however, and makes this Mountain West Conference race much more interesting. Michigan transfer quarterback Jayden Denegal was not particularly good against Wyoming in Week 10, but he was downright awful for the Aztecs against Hawaii, completing just 37% of his passes and throwing two interceptions.

Gametime odds: Hawaii +6.5

Difference: 38.5 points

Kentucky 38, Florida 7

A blowout win over Florida was just what 13-year Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops needed to cool off his seat. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

In its second game of the post-Billy Napier era, the wheels completely came off the Florida bus in a blowout loss to Kentucky. The Gators were a live contender the week previous against No. 5 Georgia, dropping a narrow 24-20 final after holding the lead in the fourth quarter. This past weekend, though, Florida may have helped embattled Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops’ job situation. Now sitting at 4-5, the Wildcats will have a shot at the postseason if they win two of their final three against Tennessee Tech, Vanderbilt and Louisville.

Gametime odds: Kentucky +4.5

Difference: 35.5 points

Utah State 51, Nevada 14

Year 2 of the Jeff Choate era at Nevada is not showing much improvement over 2024’s 3-10 campaign, especially after this blowout loss to Utah State on Saturday. The Wolfpack still have not recorded a win over an FBS team this season. Bronco Mendenhall, meanwhile, could be on the verge of a career resurgence at Utah State, which needs just one win over its final three games to earn bowl eligibility.

Gametime odds: Utah State -9.5

Difference: 27.5 points

Florida International 56, Middle Tennessee State 30

Florida International was deemed a slight underdog by the sportsbooks going into Saturday’s contest against a Middle Tennessee State team that had just one win so far this season. The Blue Raiders have been competitive this season, though, losing their previous three games by just a combined eight points. This game was a shootout from opening kick to final whistle, and Middle Tennessee just did not have the firepower to stick with the Panthers for four quarters. 

Gametime odds: FIU +1.5

Difference: 27.5 points

UNLV 42, Colorado State 10

UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea led the Rebels to a 42-10 win over Colorado State in Fort Collins on Saturday night. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

This was a strange line even before kickoff on Saturday. It did move a point in UNLV’s direction during the week, but the Rebels are 7-2 this season and Colorado State has just one win against an FBS opponent. Maybe there was some information out there that resulted in UNLV being less than a touchdown favorite, but the outcome of the game seems to line up with how this matchup looked on paper. The Rebels scored the final 35 points in this game to cruise to victory.

Gametime odds: UNLV -5.5

Difference: 26.5 points

San Houston State 21, Oregon State 17

Of all the upsets this weekend, Sam Houston State getting their first win of the 2025 season on the road against Oregon State may be the biggest. Oregon State only had two wins coming into this game, but those wins came in their most recent two games and it looked like the Beavers were starting to gain momentum after firing head coach Trent Bray last month. Meanwhile, only Massachusetts was lower than Sam Houston State on ESPN’s FBS Football Power Index before this weekend.

Gametime odds: Sam Houston State +20.5

Difference: 24.5 points

Toledo 42, Northern Illinois 3

Since upsetting No. 2 ranked Notre Dame in South Bend at the beginning of the 2024 season, Northern Illinois has gone just 8-12 in their games since. What should have been a program-launching win has turned into an anomaly, and the Huskies most recent defeat was particularly bad. Toledo had high prospects in the MAC coming into this season, but has been up and down en route to a 5-4 record. This win puts them in strong contention for a postseason bowl berth.

Gametime odds: Toledo -14.5

Difference: 24.5 points

California 29, Louisville 26

California wide receiver Jacob de Jesus scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime as the Golden Bears upset Louisville on Saturday. | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

After Georgia Tech’s loss last week, Louisville controlled its own destiny in its bid to play for the ACC Championship, but the Cardinals stumbled at home with an overtime loss to California on Saturday. Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was electric, throwing for 323 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime, to lead the Golden Bears to victory. Cal is now bowl eligible with just rival Stanford and a home game against SMU left on the regular season schedule.

Gametime odds: California +18.5

Difference: 21.5 points

SMU 45, Boston College 13

Outside of this being a home game for Boston College, there was little to suggest anything different would happen here other than the eventual outcome. Apparently too much credit was given to the fact that the Eagles did not get completely blown out by Notre Dame a week prior, but they still don’t have an FBS win this season. SMU, meanwhile, is a last-second field goal by Wake Forest away from being undefeated in the ACC.

Gametime odds: SMU -10.5

Difference: 21.5 points

Akron 44, Massachusetts 10

The entire state of Massachusetts is 0-20 against FBS teams this season. Hey, at least the New England Patriots are showing some life. For all the bad football being played in the Bay State this fall, its flagship university is setting the lowest bar. UMass is 0-9 on the season and this was the Minutemen’s fifth loss by at least 30 points. The 4-6 Akron Zips have not been sensational themselves, but this win keeps their postseason hopes alive.

UMass, underhead coach Joe Harasymiak (right), is the lowest-ranked FBS team in the College Football Power Index this season. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gametime odds: Akron -12.5

Difference: 21.5 points

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.