Alabama is favored by more points than any team in the short history of the College Football Playoff, but most bettors were not discouraged by the spread of the historic point.
Crimson Tide is the 19.5-point consensus favorite over Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, the first of two CFP semifinals on Friday (4 p.m. ET, ESPN). Only two bowl games since 1978 have had larger spreads, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The last time the Irish fighters were older subjects was in 2008 against Southern Cal (-32.5).
The spread of historical points did not slow down the action on Alabama, with about twice as much money bet on the Crimson Tide as it was on Notre Dame at several sports books in the US. At FanDuel, almost 70% of the money that had been wagered on the Rose Bowl point spread was in Alabama.
In the Sugar Bowl, Friday’s second semifinal (8 pm ET, ESPN), Clemson was a growing favorite over Ohio State. The Tigers opened as favorites around 7 points over the Buckeyes. The line rose to Clemson -7.5 on several sports cards through Friday morning, with unusual action on the Tigers. Entering the day of the game, 80% of the bets and 79% of the money wagered on the Sugar Bowl point spread were on Clemson to William Hill from the US sports books.
“Until another team, such as an Ohio State or Notre Dame, intensifies, the masses will bet on Alabama and Clemson in the semesters each year,” said Nick Bogdanovich, chief trading officer for William Hill USA. a statement.
Alabama is the favorite to win the national championship and attracted big money. Las Vegas veteran Jimmy Vaccaro of the South Point sports book reported that he bet $ 125,000 on Alabama to win the national title at odds of -185.
Clemson is the second favorite at +275, followed by Ohio State at 10-1 and Notre Dame at 30-1.
Alabama is listed at William Hill USA as a 4-point favorite over Clemson in a potential national championship game.
The highest spread of the bowl point, according to ESPN Statistics and Information, was: