Time for the latest edition of the Public Action Report. We've had technical issues galore this year, so the Report has been far from consistent. That means that we are due for a refresher on just what this beauty is. Betting lines operate basically like a market - the more demand there is for something, the higher we would expect the price to be, and vice versa. What we are looking for with the Public Action Report are situations in which the market doesn't act as expected. We look for games in which at least 70 percent of all bets have been placed on one team. We can't know how much money has been bet on each team, but based on the number of bets we can assume that the more-popular team has drawn most of the action in a lopsided situation like this. If the line has moved to make that more-popular team more attractive, though, then we know that the market is acting in weird ways. It could be that the unexpected shift is because sharp money is on the less-popular team or a small number of aggressive and active bettors have hit the unpopular team hard. Or maybe the sportsbooks just aren't afraid of taking as much action as they can get on the popular team - which means they are more confident than normal in the outcome of the game. Either way, we have learned over the long term with this Report that taking a close look at the less-popular teams can be helpful at finding betting spots - and often at finding juicy moneyline payoffs.

There are five games that fit our criteria this week:

College Football

Illinois (+3.5) vs. Iowa (Saturday, Noon ET): Iowa has drawn nearly 80 percent of bets in this game, yet the line opened at 5.5 and has fallen two full points to 3.5. That's a clear sign that Illinois is worthy of our attention here. The Illini have been lousy, but they are finally getting QB Wes Lunt back from injury, and that should provide a real boost. They are also coming off a bye and pulled off a big win against Minnesota after their last bye. Iowa was blown out and embarrassed by that same Minnesota team last week, so their confidence could be at a low point, and they could be vulnerable.

Virginia Tech (+5) at Duke (Saturday, Noon ET): For the last two years bettors have had a serious love affair with Duke, and it continues here. More than 80 percent of bettors have been on the Blue Devils, yet the line has fallen from 6.5 to 5 and can even be found at 4.5 in spots. That means that the Hokies get our attention here. Virginia Tech is coming off a much-needed rest week that will let them get healthy. They have been a dramatically better team on the road this week than at home. Duke could clinch their division with help this week, and that prospect could serve as a distraction.

Alabama (-9.5) vs. Mississippi State (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET): This one is striking because it is such a high-profile game, and the movement has been so significant. The Tide opened as favorites by a touchdown, but that has moved by as much as a field goal in some spots. More than 70 percent of bets have been on the Bulldogs, and this is understandably a high-volume game, so it seems clear that sharp action has hit the Tide hard. Remarkably because they are so high-profile and typically such a public team, Alabama is a strong play here. Alabama is infinitely more experienced in these situations, and they are playing at home. Mississippi State hasn't played a meaningful game in more than a month and has shown signs of sloppiness.

Stanford (-8) vs. Utah (Saturday, 6 p.m. ET): The Utes have drawn 70 percent of the action in this one, yet the line has moved from 7.5 to 8. Stanford gets the attention here. Utah has lost two in a row and could be frustrated. Their offense is far from the most productive out there, too. Stanford has struggled, but their defense has been very strong against mortal offenses and should be able to contain the Utes here. Teams have been able to score on Utah, and even the inconsistent Stanford offense may be able to here.

NFL

Indianapolis (-3) vs. New England (Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET): Not surprisingly, the Patriots have drawn three-quarters of the bets in this one - they are as consistently public as a team can be. What is striking given that is that the game opened with the Colts favored by 2.5, and that has moved to the key number of three. Moves involving three are particularly significant because it is the most common margin of victory in football, so Indianapolis is worth a close look in this one. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski draw the attention and the headlines here, and they deserve it, but Andrew Luck has seven straight 300-yard games and is hardly a slouch. The Colts have played well at home, while the Patriots have two rough losses on the road.

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