Iowa-Michigan State remains a coin-flip in Las Vegas - and Beano Cook weighs in, sort of

Depending on where you shop for you sports-betting needs in the desert oasis known as Las Vegas, Iowa is either a 1-point favorite over Michigan State Saturday, or the game is called a pick 'em.

That seems about right to me. Just don't actually be tied after four quarters, Hawkeyes and Spartans. I'm on a deadline with the night game, and overtime is out of the question.

Anyway, to see how the betting lines on this game have moved in several Vegas casinos, click here.

Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz tried to pass his team off as the underdog at his weekly Tuesday press conference, but was informed that wasn't the case. That's unlike the week before, when Iowa was a slight underdog at Wisconsin.

"I think we're underdogs going up there, too," Ferentz said. It might be a record. I don't know if a top 10 team, I guess we're top 10 this week, right? So we're hovering near it last week and we're underdogs two straight weeks. "

He seemed disappointed when someone informed him Iowa was actually a slight favorite at MSU.

I always get a kick out of listening to Beano Cook's weekly Wednesday segments on Colin Cowherd's ESPN Radio show. Old Beano may not really know much about what's going on in college football these days -- or maybe he does -- but he's got a

 sense of humor and knows a lot about what's really what, having worked in the University of Pittsburgh's sports information office.

Today, Beano said whenever a coach tells you he doesn't know if his team is the favorite or not, it's a lie. Coaches embrace the oddsmakers when their teams are made underdogs, disdain them if they're teams are favored.

Beano had one of the great lines in sports history. After Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn offering the 53 returning hostages from Iran lifetime baseball passes following their 444 days in captivity that ended early in 1981.

"Haven't they suffered enough?" Beano asked.