The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff returns to action with bettors showing plenty of love to the favorites.
Several sportsbooks provided Covers insights into CFP action, beginning with Tuesday night’s Fiesta Bowl between Penn State and Boise State.
The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions entered the first quarterfinal of the week as an 11-point favorite and cashed in a 31-14 victory over the Broncos.
“The Penn State faithful are backing the Nittany Lions heavily in the first quarterfinal game,” BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said. “Boise State and Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty covering would be great for the book.”
Penn State was the second-most-bet team at DraftKings, with the most-bet team in action Wednesday night.
Texas vs. Arizona State
The first game on Wednesday features the second double-digit spread. The 12.5-point favored Texas Longhorns are seeing the largest amount of money at BetMGM, which reported 62% of the handle backing another team that’s already played a playoff game.
Fourth-seeded Arizona State, which won the Big 12, is getting 53% of the bets in Atlanta’s Peach Bowl. DraftKings reported similar splits while ESPN BET has seen 68.5% of the tickets on fifth-seeded Texas, which beat Clemson by two touchdowns in the first round.
DraftKings and ESPN BET both reported that 85% of the point-total handle has come in on the over 51.5.
The Longhorns have seen the biggest change in odds to win the national title, going from +1,000 at open to +300, making them the favorite to claim the playoff championship at BetMGM. Texas is third with 9.7% of the futures market’s tickets.
Arizona State is BetMGM’s biggest liability and is currently listed in a tie for last with Boise State with +6,600 odds.
Ohio State vs. Oregon
The Rose Bowl is the site of a Big Ten rematch on Saturday. With top-seeded Oregon catching two points, DraftKings has seen 62% of the handle come in on the underdog Ducks but 58% of the tickets on the favored Buckeyes.
BetMGM has eight-seeded Ohio State (-1.5) getting 66% of the handle and 45% of the bets while ESPN BET reported Oregon (+2.5) is catching 59.6% of the money and 49.1% of the tickets.
And once again, the over is getting the bulk of the Ohio State vs. Oregon predictions action, including 96% of the money at BetMGM’s 55.5 points.
The Buckeyes are right behind Texas at +350 to win the national title at BetMGM and are getting 16.1% of the tickets, the highest of any team remaining. Oregon is listed third at +450, but the nation’s No. 1 team for the last couple of months isn’t in the biggest liability top 3.
Notre Dame vs. Georgia
The final playoff game of the weekend features another low spread. The second-seeded Georgia Bulldogs are just a 1.5-point favorite at BetMGM, but the SEC champions are catching 63% of the bets and 61% of the handle in the Sugar Bowl.
While ESPN BET is reporting similar splits, DraftKings has seen more of a lean on the favorite. Georgia is the most-bet team by handle and tickets at the online sportsbook, getting 77% of the money and 69% of the wagers.
Seventh-seeded Notre Dame is getting the second-highest percentage of moneyline wagers among the underdogs behind Oregon at ESPN BET. The Irish at +650 to win the national championship is BetMGM’s second-biggest liability.
The point total of around 45 is the lowest on the board this weekend and has seen much less one-sided action than the other playoff totals.
