Betting Interest Wanes As First Round Of College Football Playoff
LAS VEGAS (AP) - With the noteworthy exception of Friday night's Alabama-Oklahoma showdown, gamblers aren't exactly hurrying to place wagers on the opening week of this season's College Football Playoff.
The existence of two Group of Five representatives - 11th-seeded Tulane and 12th-seed James Madison - in matchups in which they are significant underdogs has actually taken a great deal of the radiance off the first round.
is preferred by 17 1/2 points at BetMGM Sportsbook over Tulane, and No. 5 Oregon is a 20 1/2-point favorite over James Madison.
"It's not as hyped up and interesting as it has actually been in years prior," said Joey Feazel, head of football at Caesars Sportsbook. "But I make certain when we get to the next round, it will be amazing and we'll gather a great deal of handle there."
The New Year's Eve and Day quarterfinals could have a number of interesting matches, but there is a genuine possibility this weekend will end with a number of blowouts.
"We're still waiting for a bulk of the action to come through," BetMGM trading supervisor Seamus Magee said.
FILE - Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti holds up the championship trophy after the Big Ten champion NCAA college football video game versus Ohio State in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
The most awaited match today is eighth-seeded Oklahoma's home game versus No. 9 seed Alabama. The betting line has recovered and forth between which team is the favorite.
The Sooners were favored by 1 1/2 points at BetMGM since Thursday afternoon in their 3rd conference in 13 months. Oklahoma won the very first two games and will be at home for this matchup.
CBS SportsLine handicapper Bruce Marshall kept in mind both offenses have major question marks. Bama's running video game has not fared fantastic against top competitors and had minus-3 yards in the Southeastern Conference title game loss to Georgia. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has actually struggled to discover a rhythm given that returning from injury.
"The rematch thing sort of makes you like Alabama a little bit here, however I do not understand they appear like they're a hazard to go any deeper than this round," Marshall said. "They might get by this one, but they're going to need to play a lot much better than they have in the last month, certainly a lot much better than they did against Georgia. That effort didn't make any sense. There was no reason for them to be as flat as they remained in that game."
Second-seeded Ohio State may have lost the Big Ten title game to Indiana, delivering the leading seed to the Hoosiers, but the odds still favor the Buckeyes.
BetMGM lists the Buckeyes at +225 to win the championship game; Indiana is best behind at +275. Third-seeded Georgia is the next closest at +500.
Bettors have actually seen this motion picture. Ohio State went into last season's playoffs off a confounding loss to Michigan, however then rolled through the postseason to win the national championship. Each success was by double digits.
"Ohio State is the No. 1 most-bet group by a broad margin, but their price has actually been so short all year," Magee said. "My prediction is Ohio State over Indiana. You saw it last year Ohio State losing to Michigan, they lose to Indiana this year, however you see what this group is capable of come playoff time."
Lane Kiffin wished to remain Ole Miss' coach in the playoff after taking the LSU job, however was told his services were no longer required in Oxford.
What that means to the Rebels' fortunes is difficult to understand. They were considered borderline championship game competitors under Kiffin, however other than an expected triumph in the preliminary, how far the Rebels go is far from particular. They are noted at 25-1 at BetMGM to win the title - behind eight other groups.
Marshall said quarterback Trinidad Chambliss' development under Kiffin could be tough to replicate.
"Kiffin was so associated with the mechanics of that and the play calling, (his absence) might in fact harm Ole Miss a bit," Marshall said. "It might work both ways. They could really galvanize and circle the wagons around (coach Pete) Golding, however I believe the specifics without Kiffin the play caller might hurt Chambliss a bit."
All four schools with a first-round bye lost in the quarterfinals last season when the CFP went to a 12-team format for the very first time.
The major downside of getting the bye is waiting about three weeks to take the field for a video game and possibly not being as sharp.
Feazel, however, didn't purchase that theory.
"That's describing a 1 year trend," Feazel said. "We're discussing (only) four games where that took place in 2015. ... I think it still is a benefit to get a bye, especially just the time to prepare depending on the coach."
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Alabama running back Dre Washington (20) runs versus Georgia throughout the first half of a Southeastern Conference champion NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)