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 kind of feel for the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff, with upsets galore. Instead, the four first-round matchups underwhelmed, providing a lot of time for . Favorites went an ideal 4-0 against the spread, including three relatively non-competitive performances by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the general public don't seem to think so. At least in 2 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 specifically popular choice with the public. The Longhorns -12.5 is the most-bet side at BetMGM nationally in regards to overall dollars as of Monday afternoon.

"All the cash is can be found in on Texas," Seamus Magee, a BetMGM trader, composed in a text to The Athletic. "We require Arizona State to cover +13.5."
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The enthusiasm for the Longhorns reaches the futures market too. Keep in mind 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 biggest underdog among the College Football quarterfinal matches - is getting the most enjoy from sharp bettors. The Athletic spoke with 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 against No. 5 Texas - to push 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 "very reputable gamer."

Although highly regarded money has can be found in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely require the Sun Devils to do just that, as public wagerers are overdoing Texas.

"We would enjoy to see ASU cover, and after that Texas win the 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 game in town. We talked with numerous 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 game opened Penn State -10.5 at a lot of sportsbooks and has actually approached slightly to a consensus of -11. sports betting on the spread is relatively split 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 cash at DraftKings is on Boise State -11.5. Penn State to cover is currently the second most popular CFP wager in regards to total tickets at BetMGM books.
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"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 wouldn't be surprised if this line sneaks up a bit more before kickoff, but I presently invite any Boise State cash."
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Ohio State got the Oregon 2nd opportunity 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 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 favored?

Several oddsmakers The Athletic talked with before the CFP very first round had Ohio State atop their power rankings, 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 score 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 video game before respected money pushed it to the current line of -2.5. A slightly higher majority of wagers at several sportsbooks, roughly 60%, are on the Ducks to cover, while near to 60% of the cash has actually come in on the Buckeyes. This will likely be the highest-handle video game of the four come kickoff.
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"We did take some highly regarded money at -1.5, rapidly went to -2.5 where it's remained," Gable said. "It's good two-way action at that number today. The overall has increased 3 points from 52.5 to 55.5, which has been the most significant 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 caters to sharp gamblers, informed The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point preferred, and right away our Ohio wagerers thought we were too low. Our opening rate of Ohio State -1 has actually been driven up to -2.5 and the overall from 52 to 55."
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He did note, however, that the book had seen considerable buyback at the existing line of Ohio State -2.5 and that 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 2nd round

No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Georgia (-1, 45)

The preferred turned 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 flip? Simply put, the sports betting action.

Although Georgia's starting QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has actually been replaced by relative unidentified Gunner Stockton, bettors are gravitating toward 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 total dollars bet), and it has been "one-way traffic on Georgia," according to Magee. Nearly 70% of bets are on the Bulldogs at several sportsbooks.