The state of Ohio impressed oddsmakers with its Clemson turnaround, but the Buckeyes are still listed as touchdown underdogs for Alabama in the January 11th National College Football Playoff championship game.
The Crimson Tide is a consensus of 7 favorite points over the Buckeyes in the national title game (8 pm ET, ESPN).
Prior to Friday’s playoff semifinals, Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill had Alabama listed as an 11-point favorite over the Buckeyes in a forward line in a possible championship clash. However, after the state of Ohio strangled Clemson 49-28 in the Sugar Bowl, sports betting repositioned Alabama as a 7-point favorite against the Buckeyes.
The line briefly scored until Crimson Tide -7.5 on Friday night, but was at -7 on almost all bets on Saturday morning.
Crimson Tide also won comfortably in their semifinals, beating Notre Dame 31-14 in the Rose Bowl. Alabama has been the favorite in 79 consecutive games and 151 of its last 152 games overall entering the league.
The top / bottom total in the league game is set to 76, making it the highest total for a league game in the BCS and College Football Playoffs.
The semifinals were a blessing for most sportsbooks, with both underdogs – Notre Dame (+19) and Ohio State (+7) – covering the spread. The majority of the betting public sided strongly with Alabama and Clemson and won.
An Indiana punter, however, won a lot in the Buckeyes. FanDuel reported making a $ 1.3 million bet in Ohio +7.5 from a gambler that the sportsbook identified only as “The Indiana Man”.