Betting Interest Wanes As 1st Round Of College Football Playoff
LAS VEGAS (AP) - With the notable exception of Friday night's Alabama-Oklahoma showdown, wagerers aren't precisely rushing to put wagers on the opening week of this Football Playoff.
The presence of 2 Group of Five representatives - 11th-seeded Tulane and 12th-seed James Madison - in matchups in which they are significant underdogs has actually taken a lot of the radiance off the preliminary.
Sixth-seeded Mississippi 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 remained in years prior," said Joey Feazel, head of football at Caesars Sportsbook. "But I'm sure when we get to the next round, it will be exciting and we'll amass a lot of manage there."
The New Year's Eve and Day quarterfinals might have a variety of intriguing matches, but there is a genuine possibility this weekend will end with a couple of blowouts.
"We're still waiting for a bulk of the action to come through," BetMGM trading supervisor Seamus Magee stated.
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 matchup this week is eighth-seeded Oklahoma's home game against No. 9 seed Alabama. The wagering line has actually gotten better and forth in between which group is the favorite.
The Sooners were preferred by 1 1/2 points at BetMGM as of Thursday afternoon in their 3rd conference in 13 months. Oklahoma won the very first 2 games and will be at home for this matchup.
CBS SportsLine handicapper Bruce Marshall noted both offenses have major concern marks. Bama's running game has not fared terrific versus leading competitors and had minus-3 backyards in the Southeastern Conference title video game loss to Georgia. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has struggled to discover a rhythm because returning from injury.
"The rematch thing kind of makes you like Alabama a little bit here, however I don't understand they look like they're a danger to go any deeper than this round," Marshall said. "They may manage this one, however they're going to need to play a lot better than they have in the last month, certainly a lot 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 were in that video game."
Second-seeded Ohio State might have lost the Big Ten title game to Indiana, delivering the top seed to the Hoosiers, but the odds still favor the Buckeyes.
BetMGM notes the Buckeyes at +225 to win the championship game; Indiana is right behind at +275. Third-seeded Georgia is the next closest at +500.
Bettors have seen this film. Ohio State went into last season's playoffs off a confounding loss to Michigan, but then rolled through the postseason to win the nationwide champion. Each victory was by double digits.
"Ohio State is the No. 1 most-bet group by a wide margin, but their cost has actually been so short all year," Magee stated. "My forecast is Ohio State over Indiana. You saw it last year Ohio State losing to Michigan, they lose to Indiana this year, but you see what this team can come playoff time."
Lane Kiffin wished to stay Ole Miss' coach in the playoff after taking the LSU job, but was informed his services were no longer required in Oxford.
What that means to the Rebels' fortunes is difficult to know. They were thought about borderline championship game contenders under Kiffin, however aside from an expected success in the very first round, how far the Rebels go is far from certain. They are noted at 25-1 at BetMGM to win the title - behind eight other teams.
Marshall said quarterback Trinidad Chambliss' growth under Kiffin might be challenging to duplicate.
"Kiffin was so included in the mechanics of that and the play calling, (his absence) may in fact injure Ole Miss a bit," Marshall said. "It could work both methods. They could truly galvanize and circle the wagons around (coach Pete) Golding, but I believe the specifics without Kiffin the play caller could hurt Chambliss a bit."
All 4 schools with a first-round bye lost in the quarterfinals last season when the CFP went to a 12-team format for the first time.
The significant drawback of getting the bye is waiting about 3 weeks to take the field for a game and perhaps not being as sharp.
Feazel, nevertheless, didn't purchase that theory.
"That's referring to a 1 year trend," Feazel said. "We're speaking about (just) four games where that happened in 2015. ... I think it still is a benefit to get a bye, particularly just the time to prepare depending upon the coach."
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Alabama running back Dre Washington (20) runs against Georgia during the first half of a Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football video game, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)