1 College Football Playoff Betting Action Report: 'All the Money is Coming in On Texas'
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The college football world was hoping for a March Madness type of feel for the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff, with upsets galore. Instead, the 4 first-round matches underwhelmed, supplying a lot of time for holiday shopping. Favorites went a perfect 4-0 versus the spread, including 3 fairly non-competitive efficiencies by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the general public don't appear to think so. At least in 2 cases.
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Both Penn State-Boise State and Texas-Arizona State function double-digit spreads favoring the lower-seeded Nittany Lions and Longhorns. And the latter has been an especially popular pick with the general public. The Longhorns -12.5 is the most-bet side at BetMGM nationally in regards to total dollars as of Monday .

"All the cash is being available in on Texas," Seamus Magee, a BetMGM trader, wrote in a text to The Athletic. "We require Arizona State to cover +13.5."
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The interest for the Longhorns reaches the futures market too. Remember that enormous $1.5 million wager on Texas to win everything at +390 chances? The ticket is still out there at Caesars Sportsbook.

Interestingly, the Longhorns' challenger, Arizona State - the most significant underdog among the College Football quarterfinal matches - is getting the most enjoy from sharp gamblers. The Athletic talked to a number of bookies who had actually taken sharp action on No. 4 Arizona State - which had actually gotten as high as a 14-point underdog at some books versus No. 5 Texas - to press the line down to -12.5 or -12.

John Murray, the executive director at The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, told us he got a wager on Arizona State +13.5 from a "very highly regarded player."

Although reputable cash has actually can be found in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely need the Sun Devils to do simply that, as public wagerers are stacking on Texas.
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"We would love to see ASU cover, and after that Texas win the video game, so we get our Arizona State liability off the futures book," Magee added.

While the Texas video game will be huge for the books, it isn't the only video game in the area. We talked with several bookmakers to break down where the sports betting action is on the other three College Football quarterfinal matches. 6 Penn State (-11, 53) at No. 3 Boise State
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This video game opened Penn State -10.5 at a lot of sportsbooks and has actually crept up slightly to a consensus of -11. sports betting on the spread is relatively divided at most sportsbooks. The overall dollars bet varies by book, as 52% of bets and 79% of the cash at BetMGM nationally are on Boise State -11, while 56% of bets but only 42% of the cash at DraftKings is on Boise State -11.5. Penn State to cover is presently the second most popular CFP wager in terms of total tickets at BetMGM books.

"We opened Penn State -10.5 and are sitting on Penn State -11," Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in Atlantic City, informed The Athletic. "I wouldn't be amazed if this line sneaks up a bit more before kickoff, but I currently invite any Boise State cash."

Ohio State got the Oregon 2nd chance it desired. Are the Buckeyes prepared for revenge?

No. 8 Ohio State (-2.5, 55.5) vs. No. 1 Oregon

Perhaps most surprising to the public is that No. 1 seed Oregon is an underdog against No. 8 Ohio State. These groups satisfied back on Oct. 7 in Eugene, and Oregon won 32-31 as a 3.5-point home dog.

So why is OSU preferred?

Several oddsmakers The Athletic talked to before the CFP first round had Ohio State atop their power ratings, and the lookahead lines for this hypothetical match were Ohio State -1 or -1.5. One oddsmaker discussed that Ohio State playing up to its power score in its dominant first-round win over Tennessee also formed his opening line.

Ohio State opened as a 1- or 1.5-point favorite (depending upon the sportsbook) in this video game before reputable cash pushed it to the present line of -2.5. A a little higher majority of wagers at numerous sportsbooks, approximately 60%, are on the Ducks to cover, while near 60% of the cash has been available in on the Buckeyes. This will likely be the highest-handle video game of the 4 come kickoff.

"We did take some highly regarded cash at -1.5, rapidly went to -2.5 where it's remained," Gable stated. "It's good two-way action at that number today. The overall has actually increased three points from 52.5 to 55.5, which has been the greatest move of any of the totals. Money has all been on the over so far.

Joe Brennan, the CEO of Prime sports betting, a sportsbook in Ohio and New Jersey that accommodates sharp gamblers, informed The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point favorite, and instantly our Ohio wagerers believed we were too low. Our opening rate of Ohio State -1 has been increased to -2.5 and the overall from 52 to 55."

He did note, however, that the book had actually seen significant buyback at the current line of Ohio State -2.5 and that 52% of the overall dollars at his book were taking the points with the Ducks.

GO DEEPER

The most likely upsets for the College Football Playoff's second round

No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Georgia (-1, 45)

The preferred flipped in this video game, as Notre Dame opened a 1.5-point preferred and is currently a 1- or 1.5-point underdog at sportsbooks.

What caused the line turn? Put simply, the wagering action.
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Although Georgia's beginning QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has been changed by relative unknown Gunner Stockton, gamblers are gravitating towards the Bulldogs.

Georgia to cover is the most popular versus the spread wager at BetMGM books nationally in terms of ticket count (second-most popular by overall dollars bet), and it has actually been "one-way traffic on Georgia," according to Magee. Nearly 70% of bets are on the Bulldogs at multiple sportsbooks.