2016-17 College Football Playoffs: Early Preview
The 2016-17 College Football Playoffs have been set and the semifinal matchups are (1) Alabama vs. (4) Washington, and (2) Clemson vs. (3) Ohio State.
Immediately after seedings were announced, CG Technology released lines for both semifinal games:
Alabama -11 vs. Washington
Ohio State -3.5 vs. Clemson
Then Westgate offered odds:
Alabama -14 vs. Washington
Ohio State -3 vs. Clemson
93% of early offshore spread money on #Alabama as well. https://t.co/E81tPDgx2t
— Sports Insights (@SportsInsights) December 5, 2016
As for the offshore market, Pinnacle opened Alabama -13.5 and CRIS opened Alabama -14.5. Each of those sharp sportsbooks had increased their spreads 1 point behind 72% of tickets around the market but CRIS has recently moved to Alabama -16.5, so there’s serious line movement on the Crimson Tide.
Ohio State opened -3.5 at CRIS and -3 around the rest of the market, where the line currently sits. Clemson is getting the slight majority of tickets with 59% of bets and you’ll want to pay attention to which way this line moves off the key number.
Here’s a look at each team’s preseason odds to make the playoffs, as well as their title odds:
| Team | Preseason Playoff Odds | Preseason Title Odds | Highest Title Odds | Current Title Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | +125 | +600 | +600 | -325 |
| Clemson | +155 | +800 | +1200 | +1000 |
| Ohio State | +195 | +1000 | +1000 | +550 |
| Washington | +500 | +4000 | +6600 | +1000 |
Washington was 40:1 in the preseason to win the title but were as high as 66:1 in early September. Clemson’s highest odds to win the title were 12:1 in mid-November. Alabama’s best title odds were 6:1 in the preseason and they saw their odds get shorter every single week of their undefeated season. Ohio State’s best odds were also in the preseason at 10:1, but they did reach 6:1 in early November.
On Sunday morning before the playoff was announced, 5Dimes listed Alabama as -205 favorites to win the title with the field listed at +165. Westgate re-opened title odds Sunday afternoon with Alabama -225, Ohio State +350, Clemson +600, Washington +1500. By Sunday night 5Dimes was listing Alabama at -325 to win it all. Here’s a look at the title odds from 5Dimes throughout the season:
And late Sunday night William Hill updated their betting trends for each team:
Back on October 22, 5Dimes listed potential playoff odds:
Bama -6.5 vs. Ohio State
Bama -7.5 vs. Clemson
Bama -12 vs. Washington
And here’s how each playoff team fared ATS this season:
Alabama 9-4
Clemson 5-7
Ohio St 6-6
Washington 7-5
You can track all the latest odds and betting percentages from our Free Live Odds page.
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