1 College Football Playoff Betting Action Report: 'All the Money is Coming in On Texas'
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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 4 first-round matches underwhelmed, providing a lot of time for vacation shopping. Favorites went a perfect 4-0 against the spread, consisting of 3 fairly non-competitive performances by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the general public don't seem to believe so. At least in 2 cases.
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Both Penn State-Boise State and Texas-Arizona State function double-digit spreads favoring the lower-seeded Nittany Lions and Longhorns. And the latter has actually been a particularly popular choice with the public. The Longhorns -12.5 is the most-bet side at BetMGM nationally in regards to total dollars since Monday afternoon.
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"All the money is can be found 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 encompasses the futures market too. Bear in mind that enormous $1.5 million wager on Texas to win all of it at +390 ? The ticket is still out there at Caesars Sportsbook.

Interestingly, the Longhorns' challenger, Arizona State - the biggest underdog among the College Football quarterfinal matchups - is getting the most love from sharp bettors. The Athletic talked to several 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 push 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 highly regarded gamer."

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

"We would like 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 substantial for the books, it isn't the only game in town. We talked with several bookies to break down where the wagering 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 many sportsbooks and has crept up somewhat to an agreement of -11. sports betting on the spread is relatively divided at most 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 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 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 shocked if this line creeps up a bit more before kickoff, however I presently welcome any Boise State money."

Ohio State got the Oregon second chance it desired. Are the Buckeyes all set for revenge?
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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 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.

So why is OSU favored?

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

Ohio State opened as a 1- or 1.5-point favorite (depending upon the sportsbook) in this game before highly regarded cash pressed it to the current line of -2.5. A slightly higher majority of wagers at numerous sportsbooks, approximately 60%, are on the Ducks to cover, while near 60% of the cash has been available in on the Buckeyes. This will likely be the highest-handle video game of the 4 come kickoff.

"We did take some reputable cash at -1.5, quickly went to -2.5 where it's stayed," Gable said. "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 totals. 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 gamblers, informed The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point favorite, 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 overall from 52 to 55."

He did note, though, that the book had seen considerable buyback at the present 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 second round

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

The preferred flipped 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 triggered the line turn? Simply put, the wagering action.

Despite the fact that Georgia's starting QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has actually been changed by relative unknown 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 total dollars bet), and it has actually been "one-way traffic on Georgia," according to Magee. Nearly 70% of bets are on the Bulldogs at numerous sportsbooks.
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