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By Max Meyer

Four battles between top-25 squads headline the Week 6 college football slate, highlighted by a top-5 matchup along with one of the best rivalries in the sport.

Additionally, two top-25 teams have drawn at least 90% for both total number of tickets and total dollars wagered on their respective spreads this weekend. There have been three such examples for Friday spread trends this season at Caesars Sportsbook, and none of them have covered the number. Will that change this week?

We begin, though, with the marquee matchup of Week 6 between No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Iowa. The Hawkeyes opened as 1.5-point home favorites and are still at -1.5, though the total has dropped from 43 to 41.

Iowa has gotten the bulk of the action so far, snagging 82% of the total number of tickets and 73% of the total dollars wagered among all spread bets against Penn State. Penn State at Iowa is the most popularly bet spread by tickets among all Saturday Week 6 contests, and ranks second in handle.

The Saturday spread that is tops in handle, though, is No. 9 Michigan at Nebraska. The undefeated Wolverines are just 3-point favorites on the road in Lincoln. Michigan has collected 80% of the total number of tickets but just 57% of the total dollars wagered among all spread bets against Nebraska.

“The public is high on Michigan and the sharps are attacking Nebraska, so there’s a clear divide between the two,” said Craig Mucklow, Vice President of Trading at Caesars Sportsbook. “I don’t think this line is going to move off 3 unless we something really significant from now until kickoff. It’s supposed to be unseasonably warm there, I’m expecting some points in this one.”

Besides Penn State at Iowa, the three other affairs between top-25 teams this weekend are No. 2 Georgia (-15) at No. 18 Auburn, No. 13 Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss (-5.5) and No. 6 Oklahoma (-3) vs. No. 21 Texas at the Cotton Bowl.

The majority of bettors are all over the Bulldogs despite laying over two touchdown on the road, as Georgia is accumulating 80% of the total number of tickets and 83% of the total dollars wagered. The other two spreads are much tighter in action, with Ole Miss reeling in 58% of the total number of tickets and 51% of the total dollars wagered while Oklahoma is at 52% and 51% respectively.

“Texas-Oklahoma, it feels like these games are always dramatic,” Mucklow said. “The betting has been level on the spread, so we have the right number there. We are seeing some over money for this game, which is no surprise because this is usually a shootout. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Oklahoma get out of its offensive funk in this one.”

Meanwhile, the two most lopsided top-25 spreads in terms of betting action are a pair of top-10 teams going up against unranked foes.

No. 10 BYU originally was listed as a 2.5-point home favorite over Boise State. That line has jumped up to BYU -6, as that 3.5-point swing is tied with Wisconsin (-7.5 to -11) at Illinois for the third-biggest spread shift at Caesars Sportsbook for upcoming games this week. They trail New Mexico State (+33.5 to 29) at Nevada and Stanford at No. 22 Arizona State (-9 to -13).

The Cougars have managed to pull in 90% of the total number of tickets and 95% of the total dollars wagered among all spread bets against Boise State.

Then there’s No. 1 Alabama, the defending champion and current championship favorite (+160) at Caesars Sportsbook. The Crimson Tide head to College Station to play Texas A&M, and they’re 18-point road chalk.

Alabama has captured 93% of the total number of tickets and 97% of the total dollars wagered among all spread bets against Texas A&M. BYU and Alabama join Oregon (-28.5 vs. Arizona) in Week 4, Auburn (-27 vs Georgia State) in Week 4 and Fresno State (-10.5 at Hawaii) in Week 5 as the only spreads to get at least 90% in each category. Oregon, Auburn and Fresno State all did not cover the spread in those instances.

Alabama’s first-half spread (-11) vs. Texas A&M has seen an even more extreme percentage, receiving 98% of the total number of tickets and 99% of the total dollars wagered.

“Alabama has been dynamite on first-half spreads over the year,” Mucklow said. “At some stage, the number is going to get high up that it’ll be out of the norm from a full-game spread to a first-half spread. There is no other college team that gets anywhere near the action on first-half spreads as Alabama does week to week.”

Check out Caesars Sportsbook’s latest odds and trends for every upcoming Week 6 top-25 spread below.