Preliminary Line Movement Indicates CFP Selected The Top 4 Teams
Considering that the CFP’s goal was to field the top four teams, early movement in the lines at the sportsbooks indicates that they made the correct call. In the first game, the top-ranked Michigan Wolverines will play the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide.
UM was first projected as a slim three-point favourite against the Tide, but that margin quickly vanished. Many gamblers are betting on Nick Saban’s team to win in Pasadena.
Indeed, according to Yahoo Sports, “a stunning 93% of the money wagered on the money line is on Alabama to win outright, and nearly 80% of the money bet on the spread is taking Alabama plus the points.”
This would suggest that gamblers think Alabama and Michigan are closer to each other than Vegas first thought.
In the regular season, the Wolverines dominated their opponents, outscoring them 451-123 en route to a 12-0 record. In the B1G Championship, they would completely dominate Iowa to maintain their perfect record.
On the other hand, Alabama might not make it to the College Football Playoff at all. The Crimson Tide entered the SEC title game with an 11-1 record after losing to Texas in September, but they defeated Florida State by upset after defeating Georgia, the two-time defending champion.
The Seminoles defeated Louisville in the ACC Championship game after going undefeated in the regular season, which drew criticism from many. The committee reconsidered selecting the ‘Noles due to an injury to starting quarterback Jordan Travis; they might have been afraid of another embarrassing loss in the playoffs.
This early line movement between the two dominant teams appears to be supporting the CFP committee’s argument.
That online banter is in line with the initial response that Michigan players had when they saw Alabama, rather than Florida State, ranked as the No. 4 team. The Tide’s steal of the last position was met with little applause or celebration.
The CFP most likely put entertainment value first when choosing its teams, and this matchup should be exciting.
Swift said, “This whole thing started when Travis very sweetly made fun of me on his podcast, which I found to be really ironic.” “As soon as that happened, we got together. We actually spent a good deal of time together without anyone knowing, which I appreciate because it allowed us to get to know one another. We had become a couple by the time I attended that first game. I believe there are those who believe they witnessed our first date at that game. We would never be sufficiently insane to start a first date with violence.
