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The college football world was wishing for a March Madness type of feel for the 12-team College Football Playoff, with upsets galore. Instead, the 4 first-round matchups underwhelmed, offering lots of time for vacation shopping. Favorites went a perfect 4-0 versus the spread, including 3 fairly non-competitive performances by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the public don't appear 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 been an especially popular pick with the general public. The Longhorns -12.5 is the most-bet side at BetMGM nationally in terms of 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 extends to the futures market also. Keep in mind that huge $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' challenger, Arizona State - the biggest underdog amongst the College Football quarterfinal matches - is getting the most like from sharp wagerers. The Athletic spoke to a number of bookmakers who had 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 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 "very highly regarded gamer."

Despite the fact that highly regarded money has actually can be found in on Arizona State to cover, sportsbooks will likely require the Sun Devils to do simply that, as public bettors are stacking on Texas.

"We would love to see ASU cover, and then Texas win the game, so we get our Arizona State liability off the futures book," Magee added.

While the Texas game will be huge for the books, it isn't the only video game in the area. We talked with numerous 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 video game opened Penn State -10.5 at the majority of sportsbooks and has actually approached a little to a consensus of -11. sports betting on the spread is fairly divided at the majority 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 only 42% of the money at DraftKings is on Boise State -11.5. Penn State to cover is presently 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 surprised if this line sneaks up a bit more before kickoff, however I currently welcome any Boise State cash."
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Ohio State got the Oregon second possibility it desired. Are the Buckeyes ready for vengeance?

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 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 pet dog.

So why is OSU favored?

Several oddsmakers The Athletic talked to before the CFP first round had Ohio State atop their power scores, and the lookahead lines for this theoretical match were Ohio State -1 or -1.5. One oddsmaker pointed out that Ohio State playing up to its power score 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 on the sportsbook) in this video game before respected money pushed it to the current line of -2.5. A somewhat greater bulk of wagers at a number of sportsbooks, roughly 60%, are on the Ducks to cover, while near to 60% of the cash has actually can be found in on the Buckeyes. This will likely be the highest-handle game of the 4 come kickoff.

"We did take some highly regarded cash at -1.5, quickly went to -2.5 where it's remained," Gable stated. "It's decent two-way action at that number today. The total has actually increased 3 points from 52.5 to 55.5, which has been the greatest move of any of the totals. Money has 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 gamblers, informed The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point favorite, and right away our Ohio wagerers believed we were too low. Our opening price of Ohio State -1 has been increased to -2.5 and the total from 52 to 55."

He did note, however, that the book had actually seen significant buyback at the existing 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)
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The preferred 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.

What triggered the line turn? Simply put, the sports betting action.

Despite the fact that Georgia's beginning QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has actually 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 been "one-way traffic on Georgia," according to Magee. Nearly 70% of bets are on the Bulldogs at several sportsbooks.
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