1 College Football Playoff Betting Action Report: 'All the Money is Coming in On Texas'
Bruno Eng edited this page 2025-01-08 21:46:40 +08:00

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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 four first-round matches underwhelmed, offering a lot of time for vacation shopping. Favorites went an ideal 4-0 against the spread, consisting of 3 relatively non-competitive efficiencies by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the public do not seem to think so. A minimum of in 2 cases.
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Both Penn State-Boise State and Texas-Arizona State feature double-digit spreads favoring the lower-seeded Nittany Lions and Longhorns. And the latter has been a particularly popular pick with the general public. The Longhorns -12.5 is the most-bet side at BetMGM nationally in terms of total dollars as of Monday afternoon.
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"All the cash is can be found in on Texas," Seamus Magee, a BetMGM trader, wrote in a text to The Athletic. "We require Arizona State to cover +13.5."

The enthusiasm for the Longhorns reaches the futures market also. Remember that enormous $1.5 million wager on Texas to win everything at +390 odds? The ticket is still out there at Caesars Sportsbook.

Interestingly, the Longhorns' challenger, Arizona State - the most significant underdog amongst the College Football quarterfinal matchups - is getting the most like from sharp wagerers. The Athletic spoke 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 against No. 5 Texas - to push the line to -12.5 or -12.

John Murray, the executive director at The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, informed us he received a wager on Arizona State +13.5 from a "extremely reputable gamer."

Despite the fact that highly regarded cash has been available in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely need the Sun Devils to do just that, as public bettors are stacking on Texas.
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"We would like to see ASU cover, and then Texas win the game, so we get our Arizona State liability off the futures book," Magee included.

While the Texas game will be big for the books, it isn't the only video game in town. We talked with numerous bookmakers to break down where the wagering action is on the other 3 College Football quarterfinal matchups. 6 Penn State (-11, 53) at No. 3 Boise State

This video game opened Penn State -10.5 at many sportsbooks and has actually crept up slightly to a consensus of -11. sports betting on the spread is fairly split at a lot of sportsbooks. The overall dollars wagered 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 just 42% of the cash at DraftKings is on Boise State -11.5. Penn State to cover is currently the second most popular CFP wager in terms of total tickets at BetMGM books.
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"We opened Penn State -10.5 and are resting on Penn State -11," Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in Atlantic City, informed The Athletic. "I wouldn't be shocked if this line sneaks up a little bit more before kickoff, however I currently welcome any Boise State cash."

Ohio State got the Oregon second opportunity it desired. Are the Buckeyes ready for revenge?

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

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

So why is OSU favored?

Several oddsmakers The Athletic talked with before the CFP very first round had Ohio State atop their power rankings, 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 rating in its dominant first-round win over Tennessee likewise 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 money pressed it to the existing line of -2.5. A slightly greater majority of wagers at numerous sportsbooks, roughly 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 four come .

"We did take some reputable money at -1.5, rapidly went to -2.5 where it's stayed," Gable said. "It's decent two-way action at that number today. The total has increased 3 points from 52.5 to 55.5, which has actually been the greatest move of any of the totals. Money has all been on the over so far.
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Joe Brennan, the CEO of Prime sports betting, a sportsbook in Ohio and New Jersey that deals with sharp wagerers, informed The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point favorite, and instantly our Ohio gamblers believed we were too low. Our opening cost of Ohio State -1 has been increased to -2.5 and the total from 52 to 55."

He did note, though, that the book had seen considerable 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 2nd round

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

The favorite turned in this game, as Notre Dame opened a 1.5-point favorite and is presently a 1- or 1.5-point underdog at sportsbooks.

What caused the line turn? Put simply, the wagering action.
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Despite the fact that Georgia's starting QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has been replaced by relative unknown Gunner Stockton, bettors 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 numerous sportsbooks.