cware96,
I'd be lying if I said I didn't think the SAME thing when I first saw this line.
However, since, I have seen a significant amount of love for the Cocks. If the Rebs lose this game, it won't be because they were looking ahead, or underestimated their opponent.
I think what you have here-and the reasoning most people are missing--is a focused favorite. Everyone knows that the best bet in all of sports is the focused favorite. I've heard a lot of "Thursday night dog" reasoning, but I think the market has that angle priced in here.