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, offering plenty of time for holiday shopping. Favorites went a perfect 4-0 versus the spread, including 3 relatively non-competitive performances by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the public do not appear to believe so. A minimum of in two cases.
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 actually been a particularly popular pick with the public. The Longhorns -12.5 is the most-bet side at BetMGM nationally in terms of total dollars since Monday afternoon.
"All the money is can be found in on Texas," Seamus Magee, a BetMGM trader, wrote in a text message to The Athletic. "We require Arizona State to cover +13.5."
The enthusiasm for the Longhorns extends to the futures market also. Keep in mind that massive $1.5 million wager on Texas to win it all at +390 chances? The ticket is still out there at Caesars Sportsbook.
Interestingly, the Longhorns' opponent, Arizona State - the biggest underdog amongst the Football quarterfinal matches - is getting the most enjoy from sharp gamblers. The Athletic talked to numerous bookmakers who had taken sharp action on No. 4 Arizona State - which had gotten as high as a 14-point underdog at some books versus No. 5 Texas - to push the line down to -12.5 or -12.
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John Murray, the executive director at The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, informed us he received a wager on Arizona State +13.5 from a "really reputable gamer."
Even though respected money has been available in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely require the Sun Devils to do just that, as public gamblers are overdoing Texas.
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"We would enjoy 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 game will be big for the books, it isn't the only game in town. We chatted with several bookmakers to break down where the wagering action is on the other 3 College Football quarterfinal matches. 6 Penn State (-11, 53) at No. 3 Boise State
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This game opened Penn State -10.5 at most sportsbooks and has actually crept up slightly to a consensus of -11. sports betting on the spread is fairly split at many sportsbooks. The overall dollars wagered differs 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 2nd most popular CFP wager in regards to overall 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, told The Athletic. "I would not be amazed if this line approaches a little bit more before kickoff, but I presently invite any Boise State cash."
Ohio State got the Oregon second possibility it desired. Are the Buckeyes ready 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 versus No. 8 Ohio State. These teams fulfilled 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 spoke with before the CFP preliminary had Ohio State atop their power scores, and the lookahead lines for this hypothetical match were Ohio State -1 or -1.5. One oddsmaker mentioned that Ohio State playing up to its power rating 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 on the sportsbook) in this game before respected money pushed it to the present line of -2.5. A slightly greater majority of wagers at a number of sportsbooks, roughly 60%, are on the Ducks to cover, while near to 60% of the money has actually 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 highly regarded money at -1.5, quickly went to -2.5 where it's remained," Gable said. "It's decent two-way action at that number right now. The overall has actually gone up three 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 up until now.
Joe Brennan, the CEO of Prime sports betting, a sportsbook in Ohio and New Jersey that deals with sharp bettors, 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 actually been increased to -2.5 and the total from 52 to 55."
He did note, however, that the book had seen substantial buyback at the existing 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 favorite flipped in this game, as Notre Dame opened a 1.5-point preferred and is presently a 1- or 1.5-point underdog at sportsbooks.
What caused the line turn? Simply put, the sports betting action.
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Although Georgia's starting QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has been replaced by relative unidentified Gunner Stockton, gamblers are gravitating towards the Bulldogs.
Georgia to cover is the most popular against the spread wager at BetMGM books nationally in regards to ticket count (second-most popular by overall dollars bet), and it has been "one-way traffic on Georgia," according to Magee. Nearly 70% of bets are on the Bulldogs at multiple sportsbooks.
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College Football Playoff Betting Action Report: 'All the Money is Can Be Found In On Texas'
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