Bettors Split Between Ohio State, Clemson in Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff Semifinal

Posted on: December 27, 2019, 08:51h. 

Last updated on: December 29, 2019, 07:52h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

Ohio State and Clemson face off in the Fiesta Bowl Saturday night with a spot in the College Football Championship on the line.

Running back J.K. Dobbins has helped Ohio State build a 13-0 record heading into Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl, a college football semifinal, against fellow undefeated squad Clemson. The game kicks off at 8 pm ET, and Clemson is a 2-point favorite. (Image: Ohio State Athletics)

With two of the final three undefeated teams left in college football squaring off, it’s not a surprise that both teams are generating interest in sportsbooks across the country. Clemson, despite being the lower seed in the College Football Playoff, is a two-point favorite at FanDuel and William Hill, and a 2.5-point favorite at DraftKings.

The game will feature some of college football’s most explosive players. Ohio State defensive end Chase Young leads all of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with 16.5 sacks in just 11 games. For Clemson, running back Travis Etienne leads all of FBS with an 8.2 rushing average per carry.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he sees it as a tossup between his Buckeyes and Dabo Swinney’s Tigers, the defending national champions.

They’re strong, they’re powerful, they’re tough,” Day said. “They’re fast. They have speed. We have speed. They have a really good quarterback. We have a really good quarterback. They have a really good running back. We have a really good running back. It goes back and forth. It is an equated game.”

The game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., is scheduled to kick off at 8 pm ET. ESPN will broadcast the game.

The Fiesta Bowl winner will face the winner of LSU-Oklahoma in the championship on Jan. 13 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. LSU and Oklahoma play in Saturday’s Peach Bowl.

Bettors Divided

According to data shared by the sportsbooks, bettors are divided on Ohio State-Clemson, with each camp looking to find the best value for their side.

From the Clemson perspective, the best value is in giving the points. At -110 odds, which means a $110 winning bet nets $100, William Hill has written 55 percent of the spread tickets on the Tigers, with those bets representing 66 percent of the handle.

That’s similar to what FanDuel is reporting over at oddsFire. Bettors have backed Clemson on 62 percent of the spread bets at FanDuel, and that equates to 60 percent of the handle.

On the moneyline, Ohio State bettors are getting slightly better than even-money odds on the Buckeyes at both FanDuel and William Hill. Both books have the Buckeyes at +110, while they offer the Tigers at -130. At FanDuel, 62 percent of the bets and 59 percent of the cash wagered on the moneyline are on the Buckeyes. It’s a little more tilted toward Ohio State at William Hill, where 79 percent of the moneyline tickets and 75 percent of the money are on the Buckeyes.

While both teams have excellent defenses, bettors expect the offenses to stand out. The over/under at William Hill is 63 points, and 70 percent of the bets are on the over, representing 61 percent of the money. At FanDuel, where the total is 62.5 points, 68 percent of the bets are for the over. That accounts for 63 percent of the money.

DraftKings Offers Player Prop Bets

If you’re looking for prop bets for Saturday’s semifinal, DraftKings has several available.

For total passing yards, DraftKings set the over/under for Ohio State’s Justin Fields at 250.5 and set it at 274.5 for Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.

For the running backs, DraftKings set the over/under at 95.5 rushing yards for Etienne and 128.5 for Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins.