The college football world was expecting 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, providing lots of time for vacation shopping. Favorites went a best 4-0 against the spread, including three fairly non-competitive efficiencies 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 a specifically popular pick 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 need Arizona State to cover +13.5.“

The enthusiasm for the Longhorns reaches the futures market also. Keep in mind that huge $1.5 million wager on Texas to win everything at +390 odds? 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 like from sharp bettors. The Athletic talked with a number of bookies who had 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 press the line down 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 “really highly regarded player.“

Although reputable cash has been available in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely need the Sun Devils to do simply that, as public wagerers are stacking on Texas.
bit.ly
"We would enjoy to see ASU cover, and then Texas win the video game, so we get our Arizona State liability off the futures book,” Magee included.
bet9ja.com
While the 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 matches. 6 Penn State (-11, 53) at No. 3 Boise State
bet9ja.com
This game opened Penn State -10.5 at a lot of sportsbooks and has actually approached a little to a consensus of -11. sports betting on the spread is relatively split at a lot of sportsbooks. The overall dollars wagered 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 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 regards to 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, informed The Athletic. “I would not be shocked if this line approaches a bit more before kickoff, however I presently invite any Boise State cash.“

Ohio State got the Oregon second possibility it desired. Are the Buckeyes ready for revenge?
bet9ja.com
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 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 canine.

So why is OSU favored?

Several oddsmakers The Athletic talked to before the CFP preliminary had Ohio State atop their power scores, and the lookahead lines for this hypothetical matchup 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 likewise shaped his opening line.
bet9ja.com
Ohio State opened as a 1- or 1.5-point favorite (depending on the sportsbook) in this game before highly regarded money pressed it to the existing line of -2.5. A a little higher majority of wagers at several sportsbooks, roughly 60%, are on the Ducks to cover, while close to 60% of the money 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 respected cash at -1.5, rapidly went to -2.5 where it's remained,” Gable said. “It's decent 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 greatest relocation of any of the overalls. 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 caters to sharp gamblers, informed The Athletic that “Ohio State opened as a 1-point favorite, and right away our Ohio bettors thought we were too low. Our opening price of Ohio State -1 has actually been driven up to -2.5 and the total from 52 to 55.“

He did note, though, that the book had actually seen considerable buyback at the current line of Ohio State -2.5 which 52% of the overall dollars at his book were taking the points with the Ducks.
bet9ja.com
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 favorite turned in this 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 turn? Simply put, the sports betting action.

Although Georgia's beginning QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has actually been replaced by relative unidentified Gunner Stockton, bettors are gravitating towards the Bulldogs.

Georgia to cover is the most popular versus 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 numerous sportsbooks.