No Clemson money yet as LSU line climbs for CFP title game
The Clemson money might be coming, but sportsbooks remain heavy on Louisiana State heading into the College Football Playoff championship game.
Several Las Vegas books moved LSU up to a 6-point favorite Tuesday afternoon after sitting at 5½ for most of the week amid heavy public action on the Southeastern Conference champions. The consensus total was 69½, with a couple of 70s available.
The game is at 5 p.m. PST Monday at the Superdome in New Orleans.
CG Technology said Tuesday that it took a $110,000 bet to win $100,000 on LSU minus 5½, then took another $90,000 to win $82,000 on LSU minus 6 from the same bettor.
The Golden Nugget was one of the first books to move to 6. Sportsbook director Aaron Kessler said the action was “all public,” and that sharp bettors were “waiting to see if they can get another half-point.”
Kessler said he expected to see Clemson money eventually and that he wouldn’t be surprised if the line ended up closing at 5½ or lower.
Westgate sportsbook vice president Jay Kornegay said Monday that LSU’s 63-28 destruction of Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl, combined with Clemson’s struggles in a 29-23 victory over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, had increased the public’s perception of LSU even more than before.
“The public’s really in love with LSU,” he said. “Of course, Oklahoma will make a lot of teams look good. It’s similar to a Super Bowl whenever one team rolls in the AFC or NFC championship game. The line is inflated.”
Kornegay said he thought Clemson coach Dabo Swinney would “relish the underdog role,” and he noted that Clemson has twice won the CFP as an underdog in the title game against Alabama.
But maybe LSU is just that good, Kessler said.
The line is “definitely a reaction (to the semifinals), but I don’t know about an overreaction,” he said. LSU is “obviously playing really well.”
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Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.
