Indiana not only looks like the team to beat when the College Football Playoff resumes this week, but the Hoosiers are also a popular pick for bettors.
Key Takeaways
- The Hoosiers are +130 favorites to capture the national championship.
- One sportsbook is rooting for an Indiana-Ole Miss final.
- The Rebels are seeing some moneyline love.
Coming off a dismantling of Alabama in the Rose Bowl, the No. 1 seed enters Friday’s semifinal against No. 5 Oregon in the Peach Bowl as a 3.5-point favorite that’s getting the majority of bets and money at multiple sportsbooks.
Indiana, once listed at +10,000 to win it all at BetMGM, has also been the favorite to capture the national championship in the futures market since Ohio State was eliminated by Miami in the Cotton Bowl. The Hoosiers are listed at +130 at FanDuel, with the Ducks at +300.
Miami (+340) is ahead of Ole Miss (+550) heading into Thursday’s showdown in the Fiesta Bowl. Since the semifinals were set Jan. 1, Indiana has taken the most action in theScore Bet’s national championship market, with 55% of the bets and 69% of the handle.
That has led to Oregon getting the least amount of wagers and money, while the Hurricanes and Rebels are slightly into double digits in handle percentage. However, BetMGM is rooting for Hoosier dominance, even with Indiana getting 9.5% of the entire futures market’s handle.
“Indiana-Ole Miss would be an ideal national championship game for the sportsbook,” said Seamus Magee, BetMGM trading manager. “The Hoosiers winning it all is the best outcome at the moment.”
| CFP Games | DraftKings Splits | BetMGM Splits | FanDuel Splits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Ole Miss (+3.5) | MISS 58% bets MISS 51% handle |
MIA 58% bets MIA 65% handle |
MIA 51% bets MIA 53% handle |
| Oregon-Indiana (-3.5) | IND 77% bets IND 73% handle |
IND 83% bets IND 85% handle |
IND 77% bets IND 77% handle |
Fiesta Bowl
While the majority of bettors are fixated on one team in Friday’s semifinal, Thursday night’s game offers much more variety. Ole Miss (+3.5) is getting just over 50% of the handle at both DraftKings and theScore Bet, with similar percentages on bets placed. Miami has seen 53% of the money at FanDuel and 65% of the handle at BetMGM, and the Hurricanes are only slightly ahead in tickets at FanDuel.
FanDuel also reported a split in moneyline Miami vs. Mississippi wagering, with Ole Miss getting 69% of the bets and Miami bringing in 66% of the money. BetMGM has seen a similar share between the two teams, while Ole Miss is slightly ahead of the Hurricanes at DraftKings and theScore Bet, with odds of +140 and +145, respectively.
With a high total of 51.5, the under is taking the majority of the money at BetMGM, DraftKings, and theScore Bet. FanDuel has seen 76% of the total’s handle on the over. Miami receiver Malachi Toney’s under 67.5 receiving yards and teammate Carson Beck’s under 245.5 passing yards are the two most-bet player props by tickets at BetMGM.
Peach Bowl
None of the four online sportsbooks that provided Covers with betting insights have seen less than 60% of the money come in on the Hoosiers to cover the 3.5-point spread. BetMGM has seen 83% of the spread’s handle backing the favorites, while DraftKings and FanDuel are both over 70%.
BetMGM reported that 56% of the moneyline wagers are on Indiana, while FanDuel has seen 45% of the outright winner bets come in on Oregon. Moneyline tickets and handle have been significantly one-sided at theScore Bet and DraftKings.
As for a total that varies between 46.5 and 47.5, the majority of DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM customers are backing the over. However, theScore Bet has taken 61% of the money on the under.
