The college football world was wishing 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, providing a lot of time for holiday shopping. Favorites went a perfect 4-0 versus the spread, consisting of three fairly non-competitive performances by underdogs Indiana, SMU and Tennessee. Sportsbooks and the general public do not appear to believe so. At least in 2 cases.

Both Penn State-Boise State and Texas-Arizona State function double-digit spreads preferring the lower-seeded Nittany Lions and Longhorns. And the latter has actually been a specifically popular pick with the general public. The Longhorns -12.5 is the most-bet side at BetMGM nationally in regards to total dollars since Monday afternoon.
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"All the cash is being available in on Texas," Seamus Magee, a BetMGM trader, wrote in a text to The Athletic. "We require Arizona State to cover +13.5."

The enthusiasm for the Longhorns reaches the futures market as well. Remember 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 among the College Football quarterfinal matchups - is getting the most like from sharp gamblers. The Athletic talked with several 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 against No. 5 Texas - to press the line 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 reputable gamer."

Although reputable money has actually been available 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 like to see ASU cover, and then Texas win the game, so we get our Arizona State liability off the futures book," Magee included.

While the Texas video game will be big for the books, it isn't the only game in town. We chatted 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

This video game opened Penn State -10.5 at many sportsbooks and has sneaked up somewhat to an agreement of -11. sports betting on the spread is fairly divided at the majority of sportsbooks. The overall 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 cash at is on Boise State -11.5. Penn State to cover is currently the 2nd most popular CFP wager in terms of total tickets at BetMGM books.
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"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 would not be amazed if this line creeps up a bit more before kickoff, however I presently welcome any Boise State money."

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

So why is OSU favored?

Several oddsmakers The Athletic talked with before the CFP preliminary had Ohio State atop their power ratings, 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 score in its dominant first-round win over Tennessee also formed his opening line.

Ohio State opened as a 1- or 1.5-point favorite (depending on the sportsbook) in this game before highly regarded money pushed it to the current line of -2.5. A a little greater majority of wagers at numerous sportsbooks, roughly 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 game of the four 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 decent 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 move 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 deals with sharp gamblers, told The Athletic that "Ohio State opened as a 1-point favorite, and immediately our Ohio wagerers believed we were too low. Our opening cost of Ohio State -1 has actually been increased to -2.5 and the overall from 52 to 55."

He did note, however, that the book had actually seen considerable 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 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.

What caused the line flip? Simply put, the sports betting action.
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Despite the fact that Georgia's beginning QB Carson Beck is out for the season and has been changed by relative unknown 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 numerous sportsbooks.
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