Pittsburgh vs. Eastern Michigan Betting Pick: Late Sharp Action Moves Quick Lane Bowl Spread

Of all the point spreads this bowl season, perhaps the one with the most interesting story comes out of the Quick Lane Bowl between Pittsburgh and Eastern Michigan. Luckily, we're able to tell the whole thing because some guy named Darren Rovell was inside the Circa Sportsbook while oddsmakers were drawing up the first lines to market.

In the room, a pair of Matts (Lindeman and Metcalf, the head oddsmakers at Circa) disagreed on just how large this spread should be. One argued for Pitt to be a 19-point favorite; the other for 14.5. The latter won the argument, and they actually took a more conservative approach with a 14-point opening line.

Even that was far too high based on the early response. Within a day, the number was down to Pitt -10.

The early sharp-action indicators from Sports Insights backed the notion that sharps were behind the line move. Two Bet Signals — which track and record instances of market-wide movement as a result of sharp action — hit Eastern Michigan (at +11 and +10.5), helping to drop the line. Some books even made it inside the key number to +9.5.

The story doesn't end there, though.

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Pittsburgh vs. Eastern Michigan Late Sharp Action Report

8 p.m. ET | ESPN | Detroit, Mich.

If you happened to check the current lines prior to reading this post, you're already aware that we're no longer in the 9- to 10-point range for this matchup.

Pittsburgh has charged right back up to -13, and it's not because public bettors are all over the Panthers. In fact, at the time of writing, spread tickets are split right down the middle, with each side drawing an even 50%.

But while the public isn't necessarily taking a side, sharps are — though it took them a while.

Since those initial two SI Bet Signals that landed on EMU, three Pittsburgh signals have been triggered, the most recent two came just today (at -11 and -11.5).

Generally speaking, later moves tend to be more indicative of strong sharp opinions, as they come once sportsbooks have raised limits, allowing pros to make their big bets.

And speaking of big bets, the 50% backing of Pitt has generated 55% of actual money. While that's not a huge discrepancy by any means, it does reveal that the tickets on the Panthers have been of the bigger variety.

Late sharp angle: Pittsburgh (moved from -11 to -13)