Similar Betting Patterns for the 2018 College Football Playoff Games
Tonight is the 2018 College Football Playoff and we’ve got you updated on market movement, betting percentages, lookahead title odds, exact outcomes and more.
In the first playoff game on Monday (5 pm ET), Georgia is now listed as 3-point favorites over Oklahoma around most of the market after opening as the underdog. It was a slow, gradual line increase and didn’t hit the key number of -3 until Saturday afternoon.
The early majority of tickets was on Oklahoma but public percentages have been pretty split over the entire month. Clearly sharp money has boosted the UGA line up to -3, but that’s where we could see some buyback on Oklahoma. Some sportsbooks like 5Dimes are actually holding UGA at -2.5 (-115) and don’t want to hit the key number quite yet.
In the second playoff game on Monday (8:30 pm ET), sharp money has also been on the SEC side. Alabama opened -2 around most of the betting market but moved to -3 a couple weeks ago and sportsbooks haven’t looked back. The line movement and betting percentages in this game are very similar to the other playoff game. The early majority of tickets came in on Clemson but betting has been very balanced over the course of the month.
Sharp money took Alabama at -2 and -2.5 and even at -3. It’s possible this could move to -4 before seeing any sharp Clemson money.
Looking Ahead
Alabama attracted the most action to win the National Championship prior to the season, much of it sharp money, and they’re still the favorites to win it all. However, bettors were able to get a really good number (+1200) after their loss to Auburn.
| School | Dec 31 (5Dimes) | Dec 4 morning (5Dimes) | Dec 3 afternoon (5Dimes) | Dec 3 morning (5Dimes) | Nov 30 (BetOnline) | Nov 27 (BetOnline) | Nov 1 (BetOnline) | Oct 24 (BetOnline) | Oct 16 (BetOnline) | Oct 9 (BetOnline) | Oct 2 (BetOnline) | Sep 25 (BetOnline) | Sep 18 (BetOnline) | Sep 11 (BetOnline) | Sep 7 (5Dimes) | Aug 21 (5Dimes) | July 18 (5Dimes) | June 24 (5Dimes) | Jan 9 (Westgate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama CRIMSON TIDE | +178 | +183 | +167 | +270 | +360 | +1200 | -135 | -120 | +100 | +125 | +140 | +150 | +175 | +200 | +225 | +245 | +265 | +310 | +300 |
| Clemson TIGERS | +290 | +260 | +255 | +250 | +400 | +350 | +1000 | +1100 | +1000 | +300 | +350 | +500 | +800 | +1200 | +2000 | +3600 | +3500 | +3500 | +2000 |
| Georgia BULLDOGS | +340 | +370 | +350 | +290 | +700 | +1000 | +800 | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 | +1200 | +1400 | +2000 | +2800 | +4150 | +3500 | +5000 | +5000 | +3000 |
| Oklahoma SOONERS | +395 | +350 | +305 | +340 | +400 | +350 | +3300 | +2500 | +1600 | +2500 | +700 | +700 | +700 | +800 | +1800 | +1800 | +1300 | +1300 | +800 |
Exact Playoff Outcomes at BetOnline:
BAMA beats OKLA: +300
BAMA beats UGA: +350
CLEM beats OKLA: +400
CLEM beats UGA: +450
OKLA beats BAMA: +500
UGA beats BAMA: +550
UGA beats CLEM: +600
OKLA beats CLEM: +700
And finally, here’s where 5Dimes is listing National Championship Game odds:
SPREADS
Alabama -3.5 (-110) vs. Georgia
Alabama -3 (-105) vs. Oklahoma
Clemson -3 (-120) vs. Georgia
Clemson -3 (+100) vs. Oklahoma
MONEYLINES
Alabama (-175) vs. Georgia (+155)
Alabama (-150) vs. Oklahoma (+130)
Clemson (-165) vs. Georgia (+145)
Clemson (-145) vs. Oklahoma (+125)
TOTALS
Alabama/Georgia 43.5
Alabama/Oklahoma 62.5
Clemson/Georgia 44
Clemson/Oklahoma 62.5
No matter what matchup we get in the title game, it’s going to be around a field goal spread. Best of luck to all your bets in 2018!
(Photo Credit: © Montgomery Advertiser-USA TODAY Sports)
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