Saturday, Dec. 21
4 p.m. ET: A few hours before the Las Vegas Bowl between Boise State and Washington, CG Technology in Vegas took a huge bet on the underdog Broncos. One client put $63,000 on Boise State +3. The bet would profit $60,000 if Boise covers.
Thursday, Dec. 19
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
Bowl season.
But before we get into the nitty gritty on the highly-anticipated Bahamas Bowl, let's take a quick look at the early market for the College Football Playoff.
College Football Playoff Betting Market
According to FanDuel, the ticket count is pretty even for Ohio State-Clemson. Fifty-three percent of the bets are on the Tigers, but 67% of the early loot is on Ohio State as 2-point underdogs.
According to Eric Osterman at the Westgate SuperBook, they will need Oklahoma (+13.5) and the Over (76.5) as LSU is seeing the most action of the four playoff teams.
LSU is also the most popular team in the playoff according to our market-wide data:
- LSU (-13.5) 74% of tickets
- Clemson (-2) 61% of tickets
Bowl Game Market Reports
Mother Nature Playing Her Part in Bahamas Bowl: There are some crazy winds predicted for the 2019 Bahamas Bowl between Buffalo and Charlotte. Predictably, that has caused the Over/Under to tank from 58 down to 51.5 at PointsBet.
"The biggest sharp play across the entire bowl slate so far has been the Under on this game," said PointsBet's Matt Chaprales. "We've been hit at multiple price points, including 58 and 56.5. The number has since plummeted all the way down to 51.5."
I don't blame anybody for not wanting to bet the Under in the Bahamas Bowl after what happened in last season 's fixture.
According to our market-wide data, Buffalo is on pace to be one of the most popular bets for the first handful of bowl games. The Bulls have attracted 77% of the bets as of Thursday evening.
Jordan Love Uncertainty: Osterman says that they are starting to see some money come in on Kent State in the Frisco Bowl thanks to the uncertainty over Utah State quarterback Jordan Love's status. Love, along with running back Gerold Bright, was cited for marijuana possession earlier in the week.
Sharps Battling in Boca Bowl: Saturday's game between SMU (-3) and Florida Atlantic is also attracting some interesting betting traffic.
"We've actually seen two-way sharp action on this game, with the biggest position being a little over $2,000 on Florida Atlantic +3," Chaprales said. "The line has remained firm on the key number."
The Public Still Loves Bama: Even on the heels of a disappointing season bettors are still flocking to back Alabama as 7-point favorites against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day. FanDuel reportst that 92% of bets and 93% of money is on Alabama and Osterman says that the Westgate will need the Wolverines "pretty big."
The U Is for Unpopular: The Independence Bowl features a pretty surprising market. Louisiana Tech opened as a 7.5-point against Miami but this line has crept down to Miami -6. Even though the Hurricanes are clearly the more recognizable team in this match, the public is actually backing the underdog. According to the Action Network's bet-tracking data, Louisiana Tech is getting 72% of the tickets and 86% of the money.
