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 hoping 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, offering plenty of time for vacation shopping. Favorites went a best 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 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 pick with the public. The Longhorns -12.5 is the most-bet side at BetMGM nationally in regards to total dollars since Monday afternoon.

"All the cash is being available 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. Keep in mind 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 biggest underdog amongst the College Football quarterfinal matches - is getting the most enjoy from sharp wagerers. The Athletic spoke with numerous 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 push the line down to -12.5 or -12.

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

Although respected cash has actually come in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely require the Sun Devils to do just that, as public bettors are overdoing Texas.

"We would love to see ASU cover, and after that Texas win the 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 video game in town. We talked with numerous bookmakers to break down where the wagering action is on the other 3 College Football quarterfinal matches. 6 Penn State (-11, 53) at No. 3 Boise State

This video game opened Penn State -10.5 at a lot of sportsbooks and has actually sneaked up a little to an agreement of -11. sports betting on the spread is fairly split at a lot of . The total 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 however only 42% of the cash at DraftKings is on Boise State -11.5. Penn State to cover is currently the 2nd most popular CFP wager in regards to 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, told The Athletic. "I wouldn't be surprised if this line approaches a little bit more before kickoff, however I currently welcome any Boise State money."

Ohio State got the Oregon 2nd chance it wanted. Are the Buckeyes prepared for revenge?

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 teams satisfied back on Oct. 7 in Eugene, and Oregon won 32-31 as a 3.5-point home 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 hypothetical match were Ohio State -1 or -1.5. One oddsmaker discussed 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 preferred (depending on the sportsbook) in this game before respected money pushed it to the existing line of -2.5. A slightly greater bulk of wagers at numerous sportsbooks, roughly 60%, are on the Ducks to cover, while near to 60% of the cash has been available in on the Buckeyes. This will likely be the highest-handle video game of the four come kickoff.

"We did take some reputable cash at -1.5, rapidly went to -2.5 where it's remained," Gable stated. "It's good two-way action at that number today. The total has actually gone up three points from 52.5 to 55.5, which has been the biggest 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 accommodates sharp bettors, informed The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point favorite, 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 total from 52 to 55."

He did note, however, that the book had actually seen substantial buyback at the current 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 2nd 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 preferred and is currently a 1- or 1.5-point underdog at sportsbooks.

What caused the line flip? Put simply, the wagering action.
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Although Georgia's beginning QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has been replaced by relative unidentified Gunner Stockton, gamblers 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 overall 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.
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