Allure of college football is difficult to ignore

Sitting in my mailbox last month was a photo of Terrelle Pryor, the multi-talented quarterback who is expected to lead Ohio State to college football’s phony national championship game this season.

Pryor is on the cover of Phil Steele’s preview magazine. Also in the mailbox was an issue of Playboy. I’ve read parts of all 328 pages of Steele’s preview, but as for the other magazine, I have still not looked to see who’s on the cover or in the centerfold.

It’s sad to write that. But that’s the power of attraction of football — reading about it, talking about it, watching it and especially betting it. Soccer is OK, but we all miss the better version of football.

Golden Nugget sports book director Tony Miller understands that, so at 11 a.m. on June 11 he opened lines on 200 of the season’s top college football games.

“It was a crazy day,” Miller said. “It was nonstop action for hours.”

Miller was the first in the world to post those numbers, so the buzzards and sharks were circling. By 9 a.m., guys were crowding into his book — wiseguys and runners for wiseguys — and lining up to fire $1,000 limit bets at lines that appeared soft.

By the end of the first day, Miller said the Nugget accepted about $130,000 in wagers, and the cash has continued to flow in the two weeks since to push the handle well over $200,000.

“We’re still getting guys coming in every day,” he said. “There’s certainly nothing better than college football and college basketball. It’s the best. I like it so much better than the pros.”

It’s a tough task in June to put razor-sharp lines on games that will be played in September, October, November and December. Some numbers will turn out to be off by several points, and that’s why the wiseguys and runners showed up at the Nugget. Betting a good number now could potentially open a fat middle opportunity later.

Ohio State opened as a 7-point home favorite over Penn State on Nov. 13. The Buckeyes took the early money, moving the line to 10.

UNLV opened as a 23-point home underdog to Wisconsin on Sept. 4. The bettors jumped on the Rebels and drove the number to 19. That’s a sharp move, and I approve. The sideline circus is over at UNLV. Bobby Hauck is the new coach, and he’ll someday look like Vince Lombardi compared to the guy he replaced.

Still, some doubt Hauck can find a way to solve the riddle of UNR quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the poor man’s West Coast version of Pryor. The Wolf Pack was a 7-point road favorite over the Rebels, but the number fluctuated, and the game is temporarily off the board.

In Brian Kelly’s debut as Notre Dame coach, the Irish are 9-point home favorites over Purdue on Sept. 4. That number has not changed. Who knows what to expect from Notre Dame in its first game?

“There were two teams they totally bet against,” Miller said. “All games that involved Tennessee, they played the other side. The other team was North Carolina.”

Miller used five opinions, including his own, to set the lines. Two staff members and two oddsmakers from Las Vegas Sports Consultants assisted him.

“It was a lot of work. It was a three-month project,” Miller said. “It’s a crapshoot. You take a risk. Our numbers might be off, but I have faith in my numbers and faith in my staff. I’m not scared to put up things.”

For those who complain that Las Vegas sports books have become too corporate and stale, what Miller is doing at the Nugget is an argument to the contrary.

And there are other examples. Here’s two of many: The M Resort is innovative with its live wagering, and the Las Vegas Hilton tops the offshore market with its props. Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said he will post college football lines in mid-July.

Miller put up 59 college games in 2008 and 129 last year. He swam with the sharks, survived and decided to get riskier with his business by expanding to 200 games, 80 percent of which have been bet. By August, he said, limits will be raised to $3,000 a side.

“We’ve won on it pretty good the last couple years. Every weekend we came out on the plus side last year,” he said. “But it’s you against them one on one. It’s a tough battle.”

Study the Nugget’s numbers, and do your homework.

Steele, a longtime handicapper from Cleveland, produces a magazine that serves as a bible for college football bettors. He ranks Oklahoma No. 1, Ohio State No. 2 and defending champion Alabama No. 3.

Read the entire preview, or just skip to page 329, where there’s a photo of well-endowed girl in a bikini.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.