College Football Playoff Championship Game odds are seeing the public betting masses make a clear choice: They want big underdog Notre Dame to not just cover the spread but beat Ohio State outright.
At least that’s the case at DraftKings Sportsbook ahead of tonight’s title tilt in Atlanta.
“They’re betting Notre Dame on the moneyline. So that’s our hazard right now,” said Johnny Avello, director of sportsbook operations for DraftKings.
Avello serves up more insights on College Football Playoff championship odds.
The Super Bowl Middle
When this matchup was first set on Jan. 10, DraftKings opened Ohio State as a 9.5-point favorite. By Jan. 12, action on Notre Dame helped take the point spread down to Buckeyes -8.5.
Since then, Ohio State has toggled between -8.5/-7.5, and the Buckeyes are now -8.5 ahead of tonight’s 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. And the bulk of late point-spread action is on the favorite.
“They’re definitely betting Ohio State on the spread, but it’s just normal action,” Avello said, noting Notre Dame moneyline play is significantly heavier than Ohio State spread play.
So while a majority of DK’s customers would like a Fighting Irish victory, the book would like to see what’s termed a Super Bowl middle: the favorite wins the game, the underdog covers the spread.
“That would be kind of a perfect scenario. Sometimes it happens for us, sometimes it doesn’t,” Avello said.
Built For The Futures
Championship futures odds have been on betting boards since last January, after Michigan beat Washington for the 2023-24 national title. Factoring in all that action, DraftKings Sportsbook is again a fan of the Buckeyes.
“Overall, Ohio State would probably be a better scenario. That’s only because they were never at a high price,” Avello said.
Indeed, the Buckeyes’ championship odds were short all season long.
On the flip side, thanks to a stunning Week 2 home loss to Northern Illinois, Notre Dame was at one point this season a long shot. And quite a few bettors jumped on the Fighting Irish at longer odds, helping build up notable liability.
“Notre Dame was up in the 100/1 range,” Avello said.
Caesars Sports noted that it took a seemingly modest $500 bet on Notre Dame way back on Sept. 9. That was just after the loss to Northern Illinois.
At that point, nobody thought Notre Dame would be playing on Jan. 20. But here the Fighting Irish are, and that bettor has a chance to cash out for $40,000 tonight. And there are boatloads of small-dollar futures tickets — $20/$50/$100 — at longer odds on Notre Dame to win it all.
As noted last week, I’ll be rooting for that to happen. Not just for that savvy bettor looking at a $40,000 win, but because fellow FOX Sports betting analyst Sam Panayotovich got a piece of Notre Dame before the Playoff began. Panayotovich put $1,000 on Notre Dame at +1000.
That’ll clear $10,000 tonight if the Irish pull off the upset. Not bad for a one-month investment.
Enjoy the title game!
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas
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