It’s a football lover’s Saturday, with two NFL games and the other three College Football Playoff first-round matchups on tap.
The betting public is backing Tennessee +7 to cover against Ohio State, as it’s the most-bet side by total ticket count and BetMGM and 65% of the wagers at DraftKings are on the Volunteers.
A quick CFP betting report from Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in Atlantic City:
“Haven’t moved the SMU-Penn State line from 8.5. Surprisingly balanced here, but I have a feeling we will see some Penn State money late. Everyone is on Texas in the second game. Respected money early on, then grabbing the better numbers, but the public hasn’t let up even after the number has moved.”
In the NFL, the betting action is much more evenly split in Texans-Chiefs (-3.5) and Steelers-Ravens (-7). I would recommend seeing how Patrick Mahomes looks early on with that high ankle sprain before investing too heavily in the Texans-Chiefs matchup — there’s a pretty steep drop-off between him and Carson Wentz.
Below, I’ve aggregated best bets on the today’s College Football Playoff and NFL games from a variety of sources and have public betting information from BetMGM and DraftKings. I’ve also added a few sharp plays from my conversations with oddsmakers into the paid chat.
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Enjoy your Saturday!
College Football Playoff
DraftKings
Betting splits:
58% of bets, 69% of $$ on Penn State -8
54% of 🎟️, 51% of 💵 on Clemson +13.5
66% of 🎟️, 65% of 💵 on Tennessee +7
BetMGM
Most bet teams (tickets)
- Tennessee +7
- Penn State -8.5
- Clemson +13.5
Most bet teams (handle)
- Penn State -8.5
- Tennessee +7
- Texas -13.5
Photo by Kym MacKinnon on Unsplash
NFL
BetMGM
Most bet (tickets) Chiefs-Texans player props
- Joe Mixon over 60.5 rushing yards (-115)
- Isiah Pacheco under 1.5 receptions made (-120)
- Xavier Worthy over 3.5 receptions made (+105)
- Xavier Worthy over 1.5 rushing yards (-115)
- Noah Gray under 2.5 receptions made (-105)
Most bet (tickets) Chiefs-Texans players to score anytime touchdown
- Travis Kelce +200
- Isiah Pacheco +135
- Nico Collins +140
- DeAndre Hopkins +210
- Joe Mixon -145
Most bet (tickets) Chiefs-Texans players to score 1st touchdown
- Joe Mixon +400
- Isiah Pacheco +650
- Nico Collins +700
- DeAndre Hopkins +1100
- Travis Kelce +850
Most bet (tickets) Ravens-Steelers player props
- Najee Harris under 13.5 rushing attempts (-125)
- Lamar Jackson over 46.5 rushing yards (-115)
- Justice Hill over 2.5 receptions made (-160)
- Pat Freiermuth over 3.5 receptions made (+100)
- Najee Harris under 1.5 receptions made (+135)
Most bet (tickets) Ravens-Steelers players to score anytime touchdown
- Mark Andrews +210
- Pat Freiermuth +300
- Derrick Henry -200
- Lamar Jackson +200
- Najee Harris +135
Most bet (tickets) Ravens-Steelers players to score 1st touchdown
- Derrick Henry +360
- Lamar Jackson +1000
- Mark Andrews +900
- Najee Harris +800
- Pat Freiermuth +1700
DraftKings
Best Bets For Today’s NFL/College Football Playoff Games
No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State (-9, 53)
Saturday, Noon ET, ABC
Penn State -8.5 — Collin Wilson, Action
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