Betting Interest Wanes As 1st Round Of College Football Playoff
LAS VEGAS (AP) - With the notable exception of Friday night's Alabama-Oklahoma showdown, bettors aren't precisely rushing to position wagers on the opening week of this season's College Football Playoff.
The existence of 2 Group of Five agents - 11th-seeded Tulane and 12th-seed James Madison - in matchups in which they are substantial underdogs has taken a lot of the appeal off the preliminary.
Sixth-seeded Mississippi is favored by 17 1/2 points at BetMGM Sportsbook over Tulane, and No. 5 Oregon is a 20 1/2-point favorite over James Madison.
"It's not as hyped up and exciting as it has actually remained in years prior," said Joey Feazel, head of football at Caesars Sportsbook. "But I make sure when we get to the next round, it will be exciting and we'll amass a lot of manage there."
The New Year's Eve and Day quarterfinals might have a number of intriguing matchups, however there is a genuine possibility this weekend will end with a number of blowouts.
"We're still awaiting a bulk of the action to come through," BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee stated.
FILE - Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti holds up the champion trophy after the Big Ten championship NCAA college football video game versus Ohio State in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
The most anticipated matchup today is eighth-seeded Oklahoma's home game versus No. 9 seed Alabama. The betting line has actually gotten better and forth in between which team is the favorite.
The Sooners were preferred by 1 1/2 points at BetMGM as of Thursday afternoon in their third conference in 13 months. Oklahoma won the very first two games and will be at home for this matchup.
CBS SportsLine handicapper Bruce Marshall noted both offenses have significant enigma. Bama's running video game has not fared great versus top competition and had minus-3 backyards in the Southeastern Conference title video game loss to Georgia. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has actually had a hard time to discover a rhythm given that returning from injury.
"The rematch thing kind of makes you like Alabama a bit here, but I do not understand they appear like they're a threat to go any deeper than this round," Marshall said. "They may manage this one, however they're going to need to play a lot much better than they have in the last month, certainly a lot better than they did versus Georgia. That effort didn't make any sense. There was no factor for them to be as flat as they remained in that video game."
Second-seeded Ohio State may have lost the Big Ten game to Indiana, ceding the front runner to the Hoosiers, but the odds still prefer the Buckeyes.
BetMGM notes the Buckeyes at +225 to win the championship game; Indiana is right behind at +275. Third-seeded Georgia is the next closest at +500.
Bettors have actually seen this movie. Ohio State entered into last season's playoffs off a confounding loss to Michigan, but then rolled through the postseason to win the championship game. Each triumph was by double digits.
"Ohio State is the No. 1 most-bet team by a large margin, however their price has been so short all year," Magee stated. "My forecast is Ohio State over Indiana. You saw it last year Ohio State losing to Michigan, they lose to Indiana this year, however you see what this team can come playoff time."
Lane Kiffin wished to stay Ole Miss' coach in the playoff after taking the LSU job, however was informed his services were no longer needed in Oxford.
What that means to the Rebels' fortunes is difficult to know. They were considered borderline national champion contenders under Kiffin, however aside from an expected success in the very first round, how far the Rebels go is far from certain. They are listed at 25-1 at BetMGM to win the title - behind 8 other teams.
Marshall stated quarterback Trinidad Chambliss' growth under Kiffin might be tough to duplicate.
"Kiffin was so associated with the mechanics of that and the play calling, (his lack) may really harm Ole Miss a bit," Marshall said. "It might work both ways. They might actually galvanize and circle the wagons around (coach Pete) Golding, but I believe the specifics without Kiffin the play caller might injure Chambliss a bit."
All four schools with a first-round bye lost in the quarterfinals last season when the CFP went to a 12-team format for the first time.
The significant disadvantage of getting the bye is waiting about 3 weeks to take the field for a game and maybe not being as sharp.
Feazel, however, didn't purchase that theory.
"That's describing an one-year trend," Feazel stated. "We're discussing (only) 4 games where that occurred last year. ... I think it still is a benefit to get a bye, especially simply the time to prepare depending on the coach."
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Alabama running back Dre Washington (20) runs versus Georgia during the first half of a Southeastern Championship game NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)