1 College Football Playoff Betting Action Report: 'All the Money is Being Available 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 best 4-0 against the spread, including three fairly 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 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 regards to total dollars as of Monday afternoon.
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"All the cash is coming 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. Remember that massive $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 greatest underdog among the College Football quarterfinal matches - is getting the most love from sharp gamblers. The Athletic spoke to a number of bookmakers 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 to -12.5 or -12.

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

Despite the fact that reputable money has been available in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely need the Sun Devils to do simply that, as public gamblers are stacking on Texas.

"We would enjoy to see ASU cover, and after that 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 game in town. We talked with multiple 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

This video game opened Penn State -10.5 at the majority of sportsbooks and has sneaked up a little to an agreement of -11. sports betting on the spread is fairly divided at a lot of sportsbooks. The overall dollars bet varies by book, as 52% of bets and 79% of the money at BetMGM nationally are on Boise State -11, while 56% of bets however only 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.

"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 surprised if this line approaches a little bit more before kickoff, however I presently invite any Boise State money."

Ohio State got the Oregon second opportunity it desired. Are the Buckeyes all set for vengeance?

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

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

So why is OSU preferred?

Several oddsmakers The Athletic spoke to before the CFP very first round had Ohio State atop their power scores, and the lookahead lines for this theoretical matchup were Ohio State -1 or -1.5. One oddsmaker mentioned that Ohio State playing up to its power ranking in its dominant first-round win over Tennessee also formed his opening line.

Ohio State opened as a 1- or 1.5-point preferred (depending upon the sportsbook) in this game before reputable cash pressed it to the current line of -2.5. A somewhat greater majority of wagers at a number of sportsbooks, approximately 60%, are on the Ducks to cover, while close to 60% of the cash has come in on the Buckeyes. This will likely be the highest-handle 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 today. The overall has actually increased 3 points from 52.5 to 55.5, which has actually been the most significant relocation of any of the overalls. Money has actually 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 bettors, informed The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point favorite, and instantly our Ohio bettors believed we were too low. Our opening price of Ohio State -1 has actually been increased to -2.5 and the overall from 52 to 55."

He did note, though, that the book had actually seen significant buyback at the present 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 favorite turned 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? Put simply, 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 unidentified Gunner Stockton, wagerers 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.