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 four first-round matches underwhelmed, offering lots of time for holiday shopping. Favorites went a best 4-0 against the spread, including 3 fairly non-competitive performances by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the general public do not appear to think so. A minimum of in two cases.

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 an especially popular choice with the public. The Longhorns -12.5 is the most-bet side at BetMGM nationally in terms of overall dollars since Monday afternoon.

"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 encompasses the futures market as well. Bear in mind that massive $1.5 million wager on Texas to win it all at +390 odds? The ticket is still out there at Caesars Sportsbook.

Interestingly, the Longhorns' opponent, Arizona State - the greatest underdog among the College Football quarterfinal matches - is getting the most love from sharp gamblers. The Athletic talked to several bookies 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 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 got a wager on Arizona State +13.5 from a "extremely reputable player."

Although highly regarded money has actually come 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 like to see ASU cover, and then Texas win the video game, so we get our Arizona State liability off the futures book," Magee added.

While the Texas game will be substantial for the books, it isn't the only game in the area. We chatted with several bookies to break down where the wagering action is on the other 3 College Football quarterfinal matchups. 6 Penn State (-11, 53) at No. 3 Boise State

This game opened Penn State -10.5 at the majority of sportsbooks and has sneaked up a little 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 presently the second most popular CFP wager in regards to total tickets at BetMGM books.

"We opened Penn State -10.5 and are resting on Penn State -11," Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in Atlantic City, informed The . "I would not be amazed if this line approaches a bit more before kickoff, however I presently welcome any Boise State money."

Ohio State got the Oregon second chance it wanted. Are the Buckeyes all set for vengeance?
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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 met back on Oct. 7 in Eugene, and Oregon won 32-31 as a 3.5-point home dog.

So why is OSU favored?
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Several oddsmakers The Athletic consulted with before the CFP first round had Ohio State atop their power rankings, 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 formed his opening line.

Ohio State opened as a 1- or 1.5-point preferred (depending upon the sportsbook) in this video game before highly regarded cash pushed it to the current line of -2.5. A somewhat greater bulk of wagers at numerous sportsbooks, approximately 60%, are on the Ducks to cover, while close to 60% of the money has actually can be found in on the Buckeyes. This will likely be the highest-handle game of the four come kickoff.

"We did take some reputable cash at -1.5, rapidly went to -2.5 where it's stayed," Gable stated. "It's decent two-way action at that number today. The total has actually gone up 3 points from 52.5 to 55.5, which has actually been the greatest move 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 immediately our Ohio gamblers thought we were too low. Our opening rate of Ohio State -1 has actually been driven up to -2.5 and the total from 52 to 55."

He did note, however, that the book had actually seen substantial buyback at the present 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 turned in this video game, as Notre Dame opened a 1.5-point preferred and is currently a 1- or 1.5-point underdog at sportsbooks.

What triggered the line flip? Basically, the sports betting action.

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