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The college football world was hoping 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, offering lots of time for vacation shopping. Favorites went a best 4-0 versus the spread, consisting of 3 fairly non-competitive performances by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the general public do not seem to think so. At least in 2 cases.
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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 actually been an especially popular pick with the general public. The Longhorns -12.5 is the most-bet side at BetMGM nationally in regards to overall dollars as of Monday afternoon.
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"All the money 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 interest for the Longhorns reaches the futures market also. Bear in mind that massive $1.5 million wager on Texas to win all of it at +390 chances? The ticket is still out there at Caesars Sportsbook.

Interestingly, the Longhorns' opponent, Arizona State - the most significant underdog among the College Football quarterfinal matchups - is getting the most like from sharp wagerers. The Athletic spoke with a number of 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 versus No. 5 Texas - to press 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 "extremely highly regarded gamer."

Even though highly regarded money has come in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely require the Sun Devils to do simply that, as public gamblers are overdoing Texas.

"We would love to see ASU cover, and then Texas win the video game, so we get our Arizona State liability off the futures book," Magee included.
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While the Texas game will be huge for the books, it isn't the only game in town. We talked with multiple bookmakers 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

This video game opened Penn State -10.5 at most sportsbooks and has actually approached slightly to a consensus of -11. sports betting on the spread is fairly divided at many 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 terms of 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 wouldn't be surprised if this line approaches a little bit more before kickoff, however I presently welcome any Boise State money."

Ohio State got the Oregon 2nd opportunity it desired. Are the Buckeyes prepared for ?

No. 8 Ohio State (-2.5, 55.5) vs. No. 1 Oregon

Perhaps most unexpected to the general public is that No. 1 seed Oregon is an underdog against No. 8 Ohio State. These groups satisfied back on Oct. 7 in Eugene, and Oregon won 32-31 as a 3.5-point home canine.

So why is OSU preferred?

Several oddsmakers The Athletic talked to before the CFP preliminary had Ohio State atop their power rankings, and the lookahead lines for this theoretical 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 likewise formed his opening line.

Ohio State opened as a 1- or 1.5-point favorite (depending on the sportsbook) in this game before reputable cash pressed it to the existing line of -2.5. A a little greater majority of wagers at a number of sportsbooks, approximately 60%, are on the Ducks to cover, while near to 60% of the cash has actually been available in on the Buckeyes. This will likely be the highest-handle game of the four come kickoff.

"We did take some respected cash at -1.5, quickly went to -2.5 where it's stayed," Gable stated. "It's decent two-way action at that number today. The total has gone up 3 points from 52.5 to 55.5, which has actually been the most significant relocation of any of the totals. 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 caters to sharp wagerers, informed The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point preferred, and right away our Ohio wagerers believed 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, though, that the book had 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 turned in this video game, as Notre Dame opened a 1.5-point favorite and is currently a 1- or 1.5-point underdog at sportsbooks.

What caused the line turn? Put simply, the sports betting action.
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Despite the fact that Georgia's starting QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has been changed by relative unknown Gunner Stockton, wagerers 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 overall dollars wagered), 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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