Alabama prefers more points than any team in the brief history of the College Football Playoff, but the majority of gamblers were not deterred by the historical point spread.
The Crimson Tide is a consensus 19.5 point favorite over Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, the first of two CFP semifinals on Friday (4pm, ESPN). According to ESPN Stats & Information, only two bowl games have had wider spreads since 1978. The last time the Fighting Irish were bigger underdogs was in 2008 against Southern Cal (-32.5).
The historic point spread hasn’t slowed down the action in Alabama, with about twice as much money wagered on the Crimson Tide as on Notre Dame on multiple US sportsbooks. At FanDuel, nearly 70% of the money put into the Rose Bowl point spread was in Alabama.
In the Sugar Bowl, the second semifinal on Friday (8pm, ESPN), Clemson became a growing favorite over Ohio state. The Tigers opened as about 7-point favorites over the Buckeyes. The line had grown to Clemson -7.5 at several sportsbooks by Friday morning, with skewed action on the Tigers. On match day, 80% of the bets and 79% of the money bet was on the Sugar Bowl points spread on Clemson at William Hill US Sportsbooks.
“Until another team like an Ohio State or Notre Dame steps up, the masses will bet on Alabama and Clemson in the semifinals every year,” Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill US Trade Director, said in a press release.
Alabama is the odds-on favorite to win the national championship and has attracted a lot of money. Veteran Las Vegas bookmaker Jimmy Vaccaro of the South Point Sportsbook reported a bet of $ 125,000 on Alabama to win the national title with a odds of -185.
Clemson is the second favorite at +275, followed by Ohio State at 10-1 and Notre Dame at 30-1.
Alabama is listed on William Hill US as a 4-point favorite over Clemson in a potential national championship game.
The largest spreads for bowl points, according to ESPN Stats & Information, were:
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Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl 2017: 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 vs. Notre Dame