Howard University wasn’t given much of a chance on Saturday in their matchup against UNLV.
As 45-point road underdogs, it was easy to think before the game that this would be little more than a tune-up match for the UNLV Rebels; a chance to put their team to a light test before taking on bigger schools on the schedule. Unfortunately for them, no one told the visitors that, and Howard University proved to be too much for UNLV to handle, winning the game 43-40.
Howard was led by Caylin Newton, younger brother of Cam Newton, and showed some of the same dual-attack ability his sibling is known for, finishing the game with 330 total yards and three touchdowns in the game. The upset came just a day after the ten-year anniversary of Appalachian State’s wild upset over Michigan in Ann Arbor, but as ESPN notes, that game did not have a spread archived at the time it was played, making Howard’s win the biggest upset in history in the context of Vegas lines.
While Las Vegas didn’t offer a moneyline on the game, some online sportsbooks had Howard to win the game available at prices up to 600/1, with some lucky bettors cashing in on bets, if Twitter is to be believed.
I had Howard ML for $10 pic.twitter.com/q7oJbACVUM
— BismarckOtto (@BismarckOtto0) September 3, 2017
Ladies and Gentlemen: The Woman, the Myth, the Legend, @thespinzone pic.twitter.com/KEAjzayty2
— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) September 3, 2017
Me too. I had for $4 pic.twitter.com/Nn8s1IqeAB
— Joshua Auchmoody® (@morticianoflove) September 3, 2017
Howard wasn’t the only big upset in this debut weekend of college football — Liberty University beat Baylor outright as 33-point underdogs. While it’s unlikely any bettor was crazy enough to do it, RJ Bell notes that had a bettor parlayed the teams with a $100 bet, it would’ve provided quite a payday.
Only in dreams:
Howard +45 ov UNLV
Liberty +33 ov Baylor
(both Top 10 upsets ALL-TIME)
$100 parlay on BOTH wins would’ve paid $4.1 MILLION!!
— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) September 3, 2017
Every bet looks crazy until it’s a winner.
