Sure, one can watch a team through the first few weeks of the season and compare them to arbitrary expectations or against their rankings -- assuming they were ranked to begin with. But another measure is to look at their record "against the spread". Now is particularly a good time so early in the season when the book hasn't been written about each time and the betters and oddsmakers are still catching up to performance.
For example, Vanderbilt is now 4-0 against the spread. In a very isolated sense, they continue to outperform expectations this year. So too does No. 5 Texas, who is now 4-0 against the spread. How about No. 2 Alabama? Well, they're 4-1-0 so far in beating the spread. In-state rival Auburn with their anemic offense is just 1-4-0. Another disappointing team is Clemson who is now 0-3 against the spread.
Congratulations go out to Turner Gill, coach at Buffalo whose Bulls have beaten the odds to a 4-1-0 mark so far. Similarly, coach David Cutcliffe is now 3-0 against the spread at Duke. Both are tough places to coach at and succeed, and success is sometimes more a game of beating expectation than raw victory totals.
Fresh off a BCS Championship, LSU has started the year 1-2 against the spread. Chalk this up a bit to their being a known quantity with perhaps too much respect from the oddsmakers and betters. Ohio State has failed to cover in any game and is now 0-4 ATS. Same with disappointing Pittsburgh, also at 0-4.
And finally there's No. 1 Oklahoma, who despite high standards has put on an all-out offensive blitz early in the season to cruise to a 3-0 mark against the spread.
