Sometimes the worst bad beats come from games involving top-ranked teams, while others come via late scores by South Alabama, Murray State and Lehigh. You just never know.
Here are the weekend's worst bad beats:
Saturday
Alabama Crimson Tide at Ole Miss Rebels Line: Over/under 71
If an over/under of 71 in an Alabama game seemed high, it's because it was. This game marked the highest recorded total in Nick Saban's head-coaching career. Not only was this over/under historic, but it would also go down as one of worst bad beats of the weekend.
Those who took the over really couldn't have asked for better start. On the game's first play from scrimmage, Jordan Ta'amu hooked up with D.K. Metcalf on a 75-yard touchdown to give Ole Miss an early 7-0 lead. Alabama then responded with four touchdowns to go up 28-7 with 4:40 left in the first quarter. It looked like the over might hit in the first half.
But unfortunately for some, there would be more points scored in the first 10:20 than in the final 49:40. The Crimson Tide certainly did their part, as they ended up with 62 points, becoming the first SEC school with 50-plus points in each of its first three games. Ole Miss, on the other hand, totaled zero points and just 58 passing yards after that touchdown on the opening play.
Final score: Alabama 62, Ole Miss 7 (Total goes under)
Texas State Bobcats at South Alabama Jaguars Line: South Alabama -9.5
You'd have to imagine bettors who took Texas State were feeling pretty good in the third quarter. The Bobcats led 31-16 and had the ball inside South Alabama territory with less than 22 minutes left in the game. At that point, it would seem crazy for them to not cover as 9.5-point underdogs ... right?
Well, it all started to go downhill when Texas State's Tyler Vitt threw an interception that was returned 55 yards for a touchdown by South Alabama's Jalen Thompson with 6:10 left in the third. Those points marked the first of 25 unanswered by South Alabama, but the final scoring play is what will haunt those who bet Texas State. On fourth-and-goal from the 18-yard line, the Jaguars, for some unknown reason, put it in the hands of quarterback Evan Orth, who hooked up with Jamarius Way for a touchdown that gave the home favorites a 10-point win.
Final score: South Alabama 41, Texas State 31 (South Alabama covers)
Murray State Racers at Kentucky Wildcats Line: Kentucky -39
Fresh off its upset win at Florida, Kentucky returned home and hosted a winless FCS opponent in Murray State. You could argue that this was a classic "sandwich" game, with the Wildcats hosting 14th-ranked Mississippi State next week. It is, of course, easy to say that now.
Kentucky led throughout the game, and with 3:38 left in the fourth quarter, Danny Clark's 2-yard touchdown run gave the 39-point favorites a 48-3 lead. At that point, all the Wildcats had to do was keep Murray State out of the end zone on its final drive. Murray State's third-string quarterback, Preston Rice, had other ideas. With both his legs and arm, Rice converted three times on third down during the drive, capped off by his 21-yard touchdown run on third-and-8 with 30 seconds left. Gabriel Vicente tacked on the PAT to cover the spread by one point.
Final score: Kentucky 48, Murray State 10 (Murray State covers)
Lehigh Mountain Hawks at Navy Midshipmen Line: Navy -33
It's probably safe to say that not many people had action on this game. That doesn't mean the small group of folks who had Navy -33 aren't still in disbelief right now.
As expected, Navy dominated the game by rushing for a million yards (484, to be exact) and led 48-7 entering the fourth. Despite allowing a Lehigh touchdown on the third play of the final quarter, a Midshipmen field goal put them up 51-14. Just when it seemed like Navy would run the ball and kill clock en route to a 37-point win, a Dalen Morris fumble gave the Mountain Hawks one last shot at a backdoor cover. With 13 seconds left, Lehigh ran right through that back door, as Tyler Monaco hooked up with Cam Richardson for a 2-yard touchdown to crush those who took Navy.
Final score: Navy 51, Lehigh 21 (Lehigh covers)
Sunday
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets 1st-half line: Over/under 21
In what was an otherwise lackluster game between these AFC East rivals, the range of emotions for those who bet this first-half total was anything but.
If you took the over 21, let's be honest, it looked like you had no chance with Miami leading 7-0 late in the second quarter. But all of sudden, you had life when the Dolphins came through with two quick scoring drives, capped off by A.J. Derby's 18-yard touchdown with 42 seconds left in the half. A Jason Sanders extra point would have made it 21-0 Miami and a likely push for bettors, but he missed it and the score remained at 20-0. While those on the under were rejoicing, Sam Darnold quickly got the Jets down to the Miami 14-yard line with 10 seconds left. In a truly bizarre end to the half, New York trusted its rookie quarterback with no timeouts, and he proceeded to complete a pass inbounds and short of the end zone. Half over. Total under. Ouch.
Halftime score: Dolphins 20, Jets 0 (Total goes under)