The college football world was expecting a March Madness kind of feel for the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff, with upsets galore. Instead, the four first-round matchups underwhelmed, supplying a lot of time for vacation shopping. Favorites went a perfect 4-0 against the spread, consisting of three fairly non-competitive efficiencies by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the general 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 favoring the lower-seeded Nittany Lions and Longhorns. And the latter has been a particularly popular choice 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 coming in on Texas," Seamus Magee, a BetMGM trader, wrote in a text to The Athletic. "We need Arizona State to cover +13.5."
The enthusiasm for the Longhorns reaches the futures market as well. Bear 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 College Football quarterfinal matchups - is getting the most like from sharp wagerers. The Athletic spoke to a number of bookmakers who had actually taken sharp action on No. 4 Arizona State - which had gotten as high as a 14-point underdog at some books against 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 got a wager on Arizona State +13.5 from a "extremely reputable gamer."
Even though respected money has been available in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely need the Sun Devils to do simply that, as public bettors are overdoing 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 added.
While the Texas game will be huge for the books, it isn't the only video 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
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This video game opened Penn State -10.5 at many sportsbooks and has approached somewhat to an agreement of -11. sports betting on the spread is relatively divided at a lot of sportsbooks. The overall dollars bet 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 just 42% of the money at DraftKings is on Boise State -11.5. Penn State to cover is currently the 2nd most popular CFP wager in terms of 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 shocked if this line creeps up a little bit more before kickoff, however I presently invite any Boise State money."
Ohio State got the Oregon 2nd opportunity it wanted. Are the Buckeyes ready for vengeance?
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No. 8 Ohio State (-2.5, 55.5) vs. No. 1 Oregon
Perhaps most surprising to the public is that No. 1 seed Oregon is an underdog against No. 8 Ohio State. These groups satisfied back on Oct. 7 in Eugene, and Oregon won 32-31 as a 3.5-point home dog.
So why is OSU preferred?
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Several oddsmakers The Athletic talked with before the CFP preliminary had Ohio State atop their power rankings, and the lookahead lines for this theoretical 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 favorite (depending on the sportsbook) in this game before reputable cash pushed it to the present line of -2.5. A a little 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 come in on the Buckeyes. This will likely be the highest-handle video game of the four come kickoff.
"We did take some highly regarded money at -1.5, quickly went to -2.5 where it's remained," Gable stated. "It's good two-way action at that number right now. The total has gone up three points from 52.5 to 55.5, which has actually been the most significant relocation of any of the totals. Money has actually 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 accommodates sharp gamblers, told The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point preferred, and instantly our Ohio gamblers thought we were too low. Our opening rate of Ohio State -1 has been driven up to -2.5 and the total from 52 to 55."
He did note, though, that the book had seen substantial buyback at the current line of Ohio State -2.5 and that 52% of the total dollars at his book were taking the points with the Ducks.
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GO DEEPER
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The most likely upsets for the College Football Playoff's 2nd 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 currently a 1- or 1.5-point underdog at sportsbooks.
What triggered the line flip? Put simply, the wagering action.
Even though Georgia's beginning QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has been replaced by relative unknown Gunner Stockton, wagerers are gravitating towards the Bulldogs.
Georgia to cover is the most popular against the spread wager at BetMGM books nationally in terms of ticket count (second-most popular by total dollars wagered), and it has actually been "one-way traffic on Georgia," according to Magee. Nearly 70% of bets are on the Bulldogs at several sportsbooks.
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College Football Playoff Betting Action Report: 'All the Cash is Coming in On Texas'
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