‘It’s been all Ohio State’: Late surge moves line of CFP title game
The early sharp action on the College Football Playoff national championship was on Notre Dame as a 9½-point underdog to Ohio State, which caused the line to drop to 8.
But a late surge of sharp and public money on the Buckeyes in Monday’s game has caused the line to creep back up to 9 at several sportsbooks, including Circa, Caesars and the South Point.
“We opened Ohio State 9½. (Sharp bettors) took the 9½ and they took the 9. We went to 8 and from there, it’s been all Ohio State,” South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews said. “The early sharp action was on Notre Dame but now definitely the sharp action and the public is on Ohio State. We were the first ones to go to 9 but now there’s a lot of it in the market.
“We need Notre Dame, and that’s fine.”
The line is still at 8½ at Station Sports, BetMGM and the Westgate SuperBook, where the Fighting Irish lead the money count by a 2-1 ratio and the Buckeyes account for more than 60 percent of the tickets.
The SuperBook took sharp bets on the Irish at +9½ and +9.
Ohio State is -410 on the money line and Notre Dame is +340.
“Now the public is playing (Ohio State), plus we have some residual liability from the NFL games going to the favorite and Ohio State teasers and money lines,” Westgate vice president of risk Jeff Sherman said. “That’s why it ticked back up a little bit. Our best case would be Notre Dame outright.”
The betting public is all over the Buckeyes at BetMGM, where 94 percent of the money is on Ohio State -3 in the first quarter and 78 percent of the money is on Ohio State -6 in the first half.
A BetMGM bettor wagered $100,000 to win $27,000 on the Buckeyes on the money line (-370).
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.