Alabama is favored by more points than any team in the College Football Playoff’s brief history, but most punters were not intimidated by the spread of historic points.
Crimson Tide is the favorite 19.5-point consensus over Notre Dame at the Rose Bowl, the first of the CFP’s two semifinals on Friday (4pm, ESPN). Only two bowl games since 1978 have had wider spreads, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The last time Fighting Irish was the biggest underdog was in 2008 against Southern Cal (-32.5).
The spread of the historic point did not slow down the action in Alabama, with approximately twice as much money betting on the Crimson Tide than on Notre Dame in various US sportsbooks. At FanDuel, almost 70% of the money bet on the Rose Bowl point spread was in Alabama.
At the Sugar Bowl, the second semifinal on Friday (8 pm, ESPN), Clemson was a growing favorite over Ohio. The Tigers opened as favorites of about 7 points over the Buckeyes. The line had grown to Clemson -7.5 on several sportsbooks on Friday morning, with unbalanced action on the Tigers. Upon entering game day, 80% of the bets and 79% of the money wagered on the Sugar Bowl point spread went to Clemson at William Hill US sportsbooks.
“Until another team like Ohio State or Notre Dame appears, the masses will be betting on Alabama and Clemson in the semifinals every year,” said Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading at William Hill US, in a statement.
Alabama is the favorite to win the national championship and has attracted a lot of money. Las Vegas veteran bookmaker Jimmy Vaccaro of the South Point sportsbook reported making a $ 125,000 bet in Alabama to win the national title with a probability of -185.
Clemson is the second favorite with +275, followed by Ohio State with 10-1 and Notre Dame with 30-1.
Alabama is listed on William Hill US as a 4-point favorite over Clemson in a potential national championship game.
The biggest spreads for bowl points, according to ESPN Stats & Information, were:
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Cheribundi Tart Cherry 2017 Boca Raton Bowl: Florida Atlantic -22.5 vs. Akron
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2020 Myrtle Beach Bowl: Appalachian State -21.5 vs. North Texas
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2021 Rose Bowl: Alabama -19.5 vs. Notre Dame