Michigan holds 5-point favorite against Washington in college tournament
The No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (14-0, Big Ten) are the early favorites for the College Football Playoff National Championship against No. 2 Washington (14-0, Pac-12 ).
Oddsmakers said before the CFP semifinals that the winner of the Rose Bowl matchup between Michigan and Alabama could be the favorite in the title game.
The Wolverines and coach Jim Harbaugh defeated legendary coach Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide team in a thrilling 27-20 overtime victory. Harbaugh praised his quarterback J.J. McCarthy led the Wolverines into the fourth quarter and won the game in overtime.
This is the greatest quarterback in Michigan college football history. "He still has a long way to go to get to where Tom Brady ultimately is, who is the GOAT, but no one in the state of Michigan was better than J.J. during his college career," Harbaugh explained.
Washington may have a better quarterback. Michael Penix Jr. had an outstanding performance in the Sugar Bowl, going 29/38 passing for 430 yards and two touchdowns in what is considered the most dominant performance in CFP history One of the performances. He also ran for 31 yards.
The Huskies defense managed to hold off an improbable last-minute comeback en route to a 37-31 victory over No. 3 Texas (12-2 Big 12).
"I have the best outside playmaker. So you just do it." Penix said modestly.
Michigan Early Favorites
Michigan and Washington State will compete for the College Football Playoff national championship trophy next Monday, January 8.
ESPN Bet, the sports betting operator owned by Penn Entertainment, has established the Wolverines as 5-point favorites through its $1.5 billion partnership with ESPN. DraftKings and BetMGM have Washington opening at 4.5 points, while Michigan State is at 3.5 points.
The Big Ten championship team saw some big action early. ESPN Bet confirmed that Michigan State accepted a $1.35 million moneyline bet at -130 to win. If the Wolverines win, the bet will return $1,038,461.54.
According to BetMGM, nearly 70% of the money raised for the championship game since Monday night's game was decided has been donated to Michigan State. About 60 percent of the tickets went to the underdog Huskies.
The over/under ratio for this contest is 55.5 points. Nearly 80% of early bets and 94% of funds raised were closed.
Oddsmakers doing well
New Year's Day's CFP semifinals were largely a success story for the oddsmakers.
Alabama accounts for most of the Rose Bowl money and tickets.BetMGM said the Crimson Tide accounted for 60% and 61% of total bets. With Michigan State winning by 7 points and leading by 4.5 points, most of the money will likely remain on the books.
BetMGM also said it has officially reserved a $205,500 preseason futures bet on the Alabama state championship.
Washington's win wasn't that lucrative, as BetMGM reported the Huskies played 59 percent of the game. The Texas Blue Bloods program is an early crowd favorite. But Sharps’ late money flowing into the Huskies allowed the books to take root.
Monday's game will pit the Big Ten against the Pac-12. But next season, Washington will be a member of the Big Ten Conference.
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Source: www.casino.org
