Alabama is favored by more points than any team in the short history of the College Football Playoff, but the majority of the bettors are uncomfortable by the historic points spread.
The Crimson Tide is a 19.5-point consensus on Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, the first of two CFP semifinals on Friday (16:00, ESPN). According to ESPN Stats & Information, since 1978 there have been only two bowling games larger distributions. The last time the Fighting Irish had a bigger backlog was in 2008 against Southern Cal (-32.5).
The historic point spread did not slow down the action on Alabama, and there was about twice as much money put on the Crimson Tide as in the American sports books on Notre Dame. At FanDuel, nearly 70% of the money distributed at the Rose Bowl point was in Alabama.
In the Sugar Bowl, the second semifinal on Friday (20:00, ESPN), Clemson was a growing favorite over the state of Ohio. The Tigers opened as 7-point favorites over the Buckeyes. The line grew to Clemson -7.5 at several sports books on Friday morning, with a sudden action against the Tigers. At the start of match day, 80% of the bet and 79% of the money distributed at the Sugar Bowl point was on Clemson at William Hill American sports books.
“Until another team acts like Ohio State or Notre Dame, the masses will bet on Alabama and Clemson in the semis each year,” said Nick Hilldanovich, director of trade for William Hill US.
Alabama is the best favorite to win the national championship and has attracted big money. Veteran Las Vegas bookmaker Jimmy Vaccaro of the South Point Sportsbook reportedly took a $ 125,000 bet on Alabama to win the -185 national title.
Clemson is the second favorite at +275, followed by Ohio State at 10-1 and Notre Dame at 30-1.
Alabama is named at William Hill US as a 4-point favorite over Clemson in a potential national championship game.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the biggest distribution point was:
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2017 Cheribundi Tert Cherry 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 against Notre Dame