1 College Football Playoff Betting Action Report: 'All the Money is Coming in On Texas'
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The college football world was wishing for a March Madness kind of feel for the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff, with upsets galore. Instead, the 4 first-round matches underwhelmed, providing a lot of time for holiday shopping. Favorites went a perfect 4-0 against the spread, including three fairly non-competitive efficiencies by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the general public don't seem to believe so. At least in two cases.
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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 an especially popular choice with the general public. The Longhorns -12.5 is the most-bet side at BetMGM nationally in regards to overall 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 encompasses the futures market too. Keep in mind that enormous $1.5 million wager on Texas to win it all at +390 odds? The ticket is still out there at Caesars Sportsbook.

Interestingly, the Longhorns' challenger, Arizona State - the biggest underdog among the College Football quarterfinal matches - is getting the most love from sharp bettors. The Athletic spoke to several 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 press 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 "very respected player."

Even though respected cash has come in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely need the Sun Devils to do just that, as public bettors are piling on Texas.

"We would love to see ASU cover, and then Texas win the video game, so we get our Arizona State liability off the futures book," Magee included.

While the Texas video game will be huge for the books, it isn't the only video game in the area. We chatted with several bookmakers to break down where the sports betting action is on the other 3 College Football quarterfinal matches. 6 Penn State (-11, 53) at No. 3 Boise State

This game opened Penn State -10.5 at a lot of sportsbooks and has sneaked up slightly to a consensus of -11. sports betting on the spread is fairly divided at many sportsbooks. The total 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 currently the 2nd most popular CFP wager in regards to overall 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, told The Athletic. "I would not be surprised if this line approaches a bit more before kickoff, however I presently invite any Boise State cash."

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

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 met back on Oct. 7 in Eugene, and Oregon won 32-31 as a 3.5-point home canine.

So why is OSU favored?

Several oddsmakers The Athletic consulted with before the CFP preliminary had Ohio State atop their power scores, and the lookahead lines for this hypothetical matchup were Ohio State -1 or -1.5. One oddsmaker pointed out that Ohio State playing up to its power ranking in its dominant first-round win over Tennessee likewise shaped his opening line.

Ohio State opened as a 1- or 1.5-point favorite (depending on the sportsbook) in this video game before respected cash pushed it to the existing line of -2.5. A somewhat greater bulk of wagers at numerous sportsbooks, roughly 60%, are on the Ducks to cover, while near to 60% of the cash has can be found in on the Buckeyes. This will likely be the highest-handle video game of the 4 come kickoff.

"We did take some respected money at -1.5, quickly went to -2.5 where it's remained," Gable stated. "It's good two-way action at that number today. The total has actually gone up 3 points from 52.5 to 55.5, which has been the greatest relocation of any of the overalls. 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 deals with sharp gamblers, informed The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point preferred, and right away our Ohio wagerers believed we were too low. Our opening price 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 significant buyback at the present line of Ohio State -2.5 which 52% of the total 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 turned in this video 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? Basically, the sports betting action.
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Even though Georgia's starting QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has been replaced by relative unidentified Gunner Stockton, bettors 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 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.
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