1 College Football Playoff Betting Action Report: 'All the Cash is Coming in On Texas'
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The college football world was wishing 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 lots of time for vacation shopping. Favorites went a perfect 4-0 against the spread, consisting of 3 relatively by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the public don't appear to think so. At least in two cases.

Both Penn State-Boise State and Texas-Arizona State feature double-digit spreads preferring the lower-seeded Nittany Lions and Longhorns. And the latter has been a specifically popular pick with the 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, composed in a text message to The Athletic. "We need Arizona State to cover +13.5."

The enthusiasm for the Longhorns extends to the futures market as well. Remember that enormous $1.5 million wager on Texas to win all of it at +390 odds? The ticket is still out there at Caesars Sportsbook.

Interestingly, the Longhorns' challenger, Arizona State - the greatest underdog amongst the College Football quarterfinal matches - is getting the most enjoy from sharp wagerers. The Athletic spoke to a number of bookies who had 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 push the line to -12.5 or -12.

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

Even though respected cash has actually can be found in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely need the Sun Devils to do just that, as public gamblers are stacking on Texas.

"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 added.

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

This video game opened Penn State -10.5 at most sportsbooks and has crept up slightly to a consensus of -11. sports betting on the spread is fairly split at many 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 just 42% of the cash at DraftKings is on Boise State -11.5. Penn State to cover is presently the 2nd most popular CFP wager in terms of total tickets at BetMGM books.

"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 would not be amazed if this line sneaks up a bit more before kickoff, however I currently invite any Boise State cash."

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

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 against No. 8 Ohio State. These teams met 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 ratings, and the lookahead lines for this hypothetical matchup were Ohio State -1 or -1.5. One oddsmaker mentioned that Ohio State playing up to its power score in its dominant first-round win over Tennessee also shaped his opening line.

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

"We did take some reputable money at -1.5, quickly went to -2.5 where it's remained," Gable stated. "It's decent two-way action at that number right now. The total has actually increased 3 points from 52.5 to 55.5, which has been the biggest move of any of the totals. Money has actually all been on the over up until now.

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 preferred, and right away our Ohio bettors believed we were too low. Our opening cost of Ohio State -1 has actually been driven up to -2.5 and the total from 52 to 55."

He did note, however, that the book had seen considerable buyback at the existing line of Ohio State -2.5 which 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 favorite and is currently a 1- or 1.5-point underdog at sportsbooks.

What triggered the line flip? Basically, the sports betting 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, gamblers are gravitating towards the Bulldogs.

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