Rovell: SuperBook Takes $55,000 Bet on LSU vs. Clemson National Title Game Right Away

Saturday Updates

12:28 a.m. ET: The national title is set — LSU vs. Clemson — and the SuperBook opened its spread at LSU -3.5, quickly moving to LSU -4. They took a massive bet right out of the gate: $55,000 to win $50,000 on LSU -4.

Other sportsbooks much more aggressively favor LSU at the moment.

DraftKings has the Tigers as a 5.5-point favorite after getting as high as LSU -6.5. Same goes for PointsBet: The New Jersey book sits at LSU -5.5.

FanDuel, meanwhile, opened at LSU -3, moved almost immediately to LSU -3.5 and, as of 12:40 a.m. ET, is at LSU -4.5.

7:45 p.m. ET: LSU's blowout win in the first College Football Semifinal game meant one bettor profited more than $180,000 on a $200,000 wager (LSU -13). Not a bad start to the evening.

In Semifinal No. 2, we've got what's expected to be a much tighter affair. Clemson is a 2.5-point favorite at most sportsbooks, and the big bets are pretty split.

The South Point in Las Vegas took the biggest bet we've heard of in this game, a $150,000 wager on Clemson -2.5. It would profit $136,363 if Dabo Swinney's team goes on to cover the spread. CG Technology took a five-figure bet on the Tigers: $37,500 to win $30,000 on Clemson -2.5.

Ohio State is not without its supporters. Two separate $60,000 wagers came in on the Buckeyes in Vegas — one of the moneyline and the other on the spread (+3). The moneyline bet, which was placed at the SuperBook, would profit $75,000.

6:45 p.m. ET: LSU's historic first half — which included an incredible 49 points, 400+ yards and seven passing TDs from Joe Burrow — hit one bettor especially hard.

Shortly before kick, a bettor at William Hill plopped down $220,000 to win $200,000 in total on two separate bets:

• $110,000 to win $100,000 on Oklahoma +7 in the first half
• $110,000 to win $100,000 on Under 37.5 in the first half

LSU won the first half by 35 points, 49-14, and the total easily sailed Over.

Yikes.

4 p.m. ET: Right before kickoff William Hill took two massive bets on the LSU-Oklahoma game — both from the same bettor:

• $110,000 to win $100,000 on Oklahoma +7 in the first half
• $110,000 to win $100,000 on Under 37.5 in the first half

MGM also took action on OU … One bettor placed a $55,000 wager to win $50,000 on Oklahoma +14.

The SuperBook in Vegas, meanwhile, got hit with a big moneyline bet on the other game: $60,000 to win $75,000 on Ohio State to win outright.

Here's a recap of all the big bets we heard of in the run-up to kickoff of the first game.

2:50 p.m. ET: The floodgates have opened, apparently. CG Technology in Vegas just took a $37,000 bet on Clemson -2.5; it would payout $30,000 if Clemson advances.

2:30 p.m. ET: It had been eerily quiet on the big-bet front all day. Nick Bogdanovich — the director of trading at William Hill, the largest retail sportsbook in the country — went so far as to tell me his book had "none," adding, "It's like they're not playing."

But that changed in a hurry — at least at a few books.

The Borgata in Atlantic City tweeted that it took a $200,000 bet on LSU -13 against Oklahoma. That jives with what we reported on Friday: Sportsbooks will need the Oklahoma to cover in a big way this afternoon.

Jimmy Vaccaro from the South Point in Las Vegas reported that his shop took a $150,000 bet on Clemson -2.5. The wager would profit just north of $136,000 if the Tigers cover. Vaccaro's shop also took a $60,500 bet to win $55,000 on Ohio State +3.

12:30 p.m. ET: Of Saturday's two Semifinal games, there's no doubt which one carries more interest in the eyes of the betting public: Clemson vs. Ohio State.

In fact, there's been some speculation that this could be the most-bet college football game ever in terms fo money wagered. But Nick Bogdanovich — the director of trading at William Hill, the largest retail sportsbook in the country — says that very likely won't be the case at his shop.

"It better pick up at meteor like speed for that to be the case," Bogdanovich said.

John Murray from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook echoed that sentiment, saying, "Too early to say that. I doubt it will out-handle some of the Alabama-Clemson title games, though."

Bookmakers will be rooting for underdogs and against the big cats on Saturday.

There's still time for things to change, but the betting market for the College Football Playoff has been open for weeks and it's pretty clear that the public is comfortable laying the points with the favorites.

Peach Bowl Odds: LSU (-13.5) vs. Oklahoma | Over/Under: 76.5

It seems that the love for Ed Orgeron's LSU Tigers knows no bounds.

According to our market-wide data, LSU is the most popular bet of the semifinals. The Tigers are attracting 65% of the tickets and 67% of the money as 13.5-point favorites against Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl.

FanDuel reports that LSU is getting 66% of the spread bets and 69% of the money.

Things are a little more skewed at PointsBet.

"The public has pounded LSU, pushing the line as high as 14," PointsBet's Matt Chaprales said. "Not surprisingly, Oklahoma +14 has been marked as a sharp resistance point. The number currently sits at LSU -13.5 with 80% of the money on the Tigers."

John Murray of the Westgate SuperBook said they are seeing push-back anytime the number gets to 14.

"The spread on this game has hit 14 twice and each time it gets there, sharps come in and bet it down," Murray explained.

On Friday evening, the total for LSU-Oklahoma sat at 76 points at most sportsbooks. If it closes there, it will be one of the highest totals in College Football Playoff history. That may seem strange considering LSU allowed just 10 points against Georgia in the SEC Championship.

"LSU's defense wasn't really that good against Georgia, the Bulldogs were just missing some key players," Murray said. "And we have no idea how Oklahoma is going to stop LSU."

Murray said the Westgate opened the Over/Under at 79.5 and it has since been bet down to 76.

Our data shows 73% of the bets are on the under in the Peach Bowl.

As for the futures book, Murray said that Oklahoma would be the biggest hit of the four outcomes.

"We aren't worried about that," he said.

Clemson (-2.5) vs. Ohio State | Over/Under: 62

Clemson may not be as popular as the other Tigers, but it looks like Dabo Swinney's team is the public side in the Fiesta Bowl. According to our market-wide data, Clemson has garnered 63% of the bets and 62% of the money in this matchup. That seems to be the consensus around the bookmaking world.

Murray says that the Westgate is hoping that Ohio State can pull off the upset in a low-scoring game.

"The worst result for us would be Clemson and Over 63.5," Murray said. "We expect a lot of money to come in and we already took a $20,000 parlay tying Clemson -2 with the Over 63.5."

The folks at PointsBet are also seeing a lot of Clemson money, but they are pretty comfortable with the drastic split.

"We're Clemson-heavy in this matchup with over 85% of the money on the Tigers," Chaprales said. "But Ohio State is by far our biggest liability in the futures market. We'll happily sacrifice the battle to win the war."