The five bets against the spread with the highest handle (total money) were all off the mark during the Week 1 kick-off of college football, according to BetMGM’s John Ewing.
Key Takeaways
- The most-bet side against the spread was Texas +1 against Ohio State.
- Alabama had the worst showing of all the popular betting options.
- Miami made the biggest jump in national championship odds among top teams.
While the 2025 college football season technically began with five matchups in Week 0, the campaign began in full last week in what was arguably the most anticipated beginning to a season ever.
Matchups between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Clemson and No. 9 LSU, and No. 8 Alabama and Florida State headlined the weekend's action. However, sportsbooks walked away with completely different headlines due to the favorable outcomes.
BetMGM’s five most popular bets in dollar amount - all of which were off the mark - were as follows:
- Texas +1
- Alabama -13
- Notre Dame -3
- Clemson -4
- Indiana -24
Not only did all of these bets lose, but none were closer than six points from covering the spread. The five bets lost by an average of 12.2 points, with Alabama’s 27-point underperformance being the largest disappointment of the weekend.
| Bet | Opponent | Result | Difference |
| No. 1 Texas +1 | No. 3 Ohio State | Texas 7, Ohio State 14 | -6 |
| No. 8 Alabama -13 | Florida State | Alabama 17, Florida State 31 | -27 |
| No. 6 Notre Dame -3 | No. 10 Miami | Notre Dame 24, Miami 27 | -6 |
| No. 4 Clemson -4 | No. 9 LSU | Clemson 10, LSU 17 | -11 |
| No. 20 Indiana -24 | Old Dominion | Indiana 27, Old Dominion 14 | -11 |
National championship odds movement
Four of the five teams that received the most backing from the public lost outright as favorites. That created a chain reaction in futures odds to win the national championship, which already look much different than they did just one week ago.
Texas, the consensus preseason favorite to win the national title, is down to fourth in odds at FanDuel at +700. Georgia, Penn State, and Ohio State, all of which won in Week 1, are at +600.
Alabama tumbled from +800 to +1,800 following its road defeat to the Seminoles, where the Crimson Tide were beaten at the point of attack on both sides. Alabama is now just 5-5 over its last 10 games, including its bowl game loss to Michigan at the end of last season.
Clemson moved from +900 to +1,700, which is more in line with where their odds were at the time of opening. Those odds fell after multiple sportsbooks reported that the Tigers were their most popular pick to win the national championship, one of those being a $115,000 wager at BetMGM at +1,300 odds.
On the other hand, LSU is up from +1,600 to +1,100. Head coach Brian Kelly has endured his share of struggles in Week 1 over his career and still faces a tough SEC schedule, but he bought himself lots of credibility with an impressive road win.
Notre Dame fell to +1600, while Miami is up from +4,100 to +2,500. Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck was 24-3 as a starter at Georgia and just scored a win against the reigning national runners-up in his first game back from a torn UCL.
Important upcoming matchups
There’s only one top-25 matchup in Week 2: No. 14 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma.
Three top-25 showdowns will occur in Week 3, including:
- No. 5 Georgia at No. 24 Tennessee
- No. 19 Texas A&M at No. 6 Notre Dame
- No. 15 Florida at No. 9 LSU
