Oklahoma deals lopsided loss to Nebraska, sportsbooks

No trip to the mall used to be complete without a visit to Brookstone. The store was a bachelor’s paradise, filled with novelty items for around the house such as vibrating recliner chairs.

But that was 25 years ago. Hardly anyone goes to the mall nowadays, and Brookstone can only be found in airports and online. Its place as a retail powerhouse is long gone.

Similar to the Nebraska football program.

Once a national brand like Brookstone, the Cornhuskers have fallen on hard times and no longer carry the same prestige with recruits. Saturday’s 49-14 loss to visiting Oklahoma showed just how far Nebraska has slipped since its glory days.

The Sooners scored 49 consecutive points and embarrassed Nebraska in its first game since coach Scott Frost was fired.

Oklahoma had no problem covering as a 10½-point favorite after opening the week as high as -14½.

“The public was big on Oklahoma, while the wiseguys had Nebraska,” South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews said via text message. “We wound up needing Nebraska.”

Oklahoma-Nebraska was the most-bet game at BetMGM, with the Sooners garnering 74 percent of the spread tickets and 70 percent of the handle, the highest of any team.

It was the same at WynnBET, where the game saw more spread tickets than any other college football market. The Sooners had 70.2 percent of those tickets and 54.9 percent of the handle.

At Caesars Sportsbook, Oklahoma collected 67 percent of the spread tickets and 55 percent of the handle.

The public turned out to be correct, as the Cornhuskers fell to 1-3 straight up and 0-4 against the spread.

Nebraska needs a coach to restore its once-proud image and reportedly contacted Urban Meyer about the opening. But no matter who they hire, the Cornhuskers will never be what they were.

Just like Brookstone.

Helpful hankies

Sometimes, officials’ calls benefit bettors. The Purdue-Syracuse game is a fine example.

Purdue led 9-3 at halftime, and the total of 60 didn’t appear to be in jeopardy, but there were six lead changes in the second half and a flag-filled ending that delighted Syracuse and over bettors.

The Boilermakers missed a field goal that would have tied the game at 25 with less than three minutes left, but got the ball back and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 51 seconds remaining. But two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on the extra-point attempt meant Purdue had to kick off from its 10-yard line.

Syracuse returned the ball to midfield, and on third down, the Boilermakers were called for defensive holding. A third-down pass interference penalty on Purdue extended the drive again, and Garrett Shrader hit Oronde Gadsden II for a 25-yard touchdown on the next play to give the Orange the lead with seven seconds left.

Favored Syracuse won 32-29, covering -1½. The final extra point also was significant, as it bumped the total over.

The fantastic finish was in contrast to many of the blowouts that took place in the early games.

“Great day in regards to handle,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said via text. “However, it’s clearly been blowout Saturday to this point. Not a lot of great matchups. Easy wins and covers for Michigan, Baylor, Oklahoma, (Alabama), Oregon, Wisconsin, Penn State, (Minnesota), Ole Miss and UNLV.”

Producing points

The Westgate SuperBook opened the total for the UNLV-North Texas game at 59, and it continued to climb during the week.

The number reached as high as 64 on Friday before it finally settled at 62½.

But over bettors were on the correct side, as UNLV rolled to a 58-27 victory over the Mean Green. Rebels quarterback Doug Brumfield accounted for four touchdowns.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.