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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 4 first-round matchups underwhelmed, providing lots of time for vacation shopping. Favorites went a best 4-0 versus the spread, consisting of 3 relatively non-competitive performances by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the public do not appear to think so. At least in two 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 been a particularly popular choice with the 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 cash is coming in on Texas," Seamus Magee, a BetMGM trader, wrote in a text to The Athletic. "We require Arizona State to cover +13.5."

The interest for the Longhorns extends to the futures market too. 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 amongst the College Football quarterfinal matches - is getting the most like from sharp wagerers. The Athletic spoke to 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 push the line down to -12.5 or -12.

John Murray, the executive director at The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, informed us he got a wager on Arizona State +13.5 from a "extremely reputable player."
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Despite the fact that respected money has been available in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely need the Sun Devils to do just that, as public gamblers are stacking on 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 added.

While the Texas game will be substantial for the books, it isn't the only video game in the area. 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 game opened Penn State -10.5 at a lot of sportsbooks and has sneaked up somewhat to an agreement of -11. sports betting on the spread is fairly split at most . The total dollars bet varies by book, as 52% of bets and 79% of the money at BetMGM nationally are on Boise State -11, while 56% of bets however just 42% of the money at DraftKings is on Boise State -11.5. Penn State to cover is currently the second 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, told The Athletic. "I wouldn't be shocked if this line sneaks up a little bit more before kickoff, but I presently welcome any Boise State money."

Ohio State got the Oregon 2nd possibility it wanted. Are the Buckeyes all set for revenge?

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 met 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 ratings, and the lookahead lines for this theoretical match were Ohio State -1 or -1.5. One oddsmaker mentioned that Ohio State playing up to its power ranking in its dominant first-round win over Tennessee likewise shaped his opening line.

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

"We did take some highly regarded money at -1.5, rapidly went to -2.5 where it's stayed," Gable stated. "It's good two-way action at that number right now. The overall has increased 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 bettors, informed The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point preferred, and right away our Ohio bettors 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 significant 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 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 presently a 1- or 1.5-point underdog at sportsbooks.
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What triggered the line turn? Basically, the sports betting action.

Even though Georgia's beginning QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has been replaced by relative unknown Gunner Stockton, bettors 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 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 several sportsbooks.