Sportsbooks crush betting public in college football Week 1: 'A fantastic weekend overall'
- - Sportsbooks crush betting public in college football Week 1: 'A fantastic weekend overall'
Ben FawkesSeptember 2, 2025 at 4:08 AM
The first full weekend of college football season is always exciting for bettors, with a dizzying array of games and potential betting opportunities. However, sometimes it can serve as a painful reminder of the importance of bankroll management and patience, lest that bankroll be gone before Week 2.
And for the betting public, it was unfortunately a Week 1 that they would soon like to forget.
At BetMGM, the top five college football sides by total bets and the top five college football sides by total dollars wagered all went the way of the house.
These were the top five wagers by total money bet at BetMGM sportsbooks:
1. Texas +1 (lost 14-7 to No. 3 Ohio State)
2. Alabama -14 (lost 31-17 to Florida State)
3. Notre Dame -3 (lost 27-24 to No. 10 Miami)
4. Clemson -4 (lost 17-10 to No. 9 LSU)
5. Indiana -24 (won 24-10, but didn't cover vs. Old Dominion)
"Very good Week 1 results," Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in Atlantic City, said in a text message. "Alabama and Clemson losing outright carried Saturday for us. And obviously Notre Dame [on Sunday night] was also a help."
One bettor wagered $1 million on the Texas money line at -105 odds at Caesars and Circa Sports took a $550,000 wager on Texas +1; both big bets lost and the game stayed well under the total of 46.5, as Arch Manning fell in his debut at Columbus.
"Seems like every sportsbook needed Ohio State, which was also the case for us," Jamey Pileggi, trader at Circa Sports said. "Great early start that carried into the evening games. We had a fantastic weekend overall."
Alabama not only not covering the 14-point spread, but losing outright was also a huge win for sportsbooks, as the Crimson Tide money line was a very popular teaser leg.
"Overall, a good start to college football!" Chuck Esposito, sportsbook director at Station Casinos, relayed. "Getting both Alabama and Notre Dame to lose outright, along with Clemson was huge. And also Texas. Handle, atmosphere and crowds were tremendous!"
Source: “AOL AOL Sports”
