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The College Football Playoff field is set, and the odds for the semifinals are up at William Hill.
William Hill first posted both spreads in New Jersey on Sunday afternoon. No. 1 Alabama opened as 17.5-point chalk over Notre Dame, while No. 2 Clemson was originally listed as a 6.5-point favorite against Ohio State.
Alabama is also atop the board for William Hill’s college football championship futures at -175, followed by Clemson at +200, Ohio State at 10/1 and Notre Dame at 22/1.
“Both games are great. It’s the top-4 marquee programs in the country,” said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill US. “Can Notre Dame slow Alabama down? Can [Justin] Fields outplay [Trevor] Lawrence? There’s nothing but good storylines across the board.”
The undefeated Crimson Tide are now up to -19.5 in the Rose Bowl semifinal on January 1 at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, with the total at 66. Alabama outlasted Florida in a 52-46 shootout in the SEC Championship Game this past weekend, while Notre Dame dropped its first contest of the season in a 34-10 defeat to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.
“This is the biggest Playoff spread we’ve had,” Bogdanovich said. “I think Notre Dame ran into a buzzsaw with Clemson playing to get in. I think Notre Dame will give Alabama a better game, they’ll be a little sharper and hungrier. They’re going to try and run the ball, and keep Alabama’s offense off the field. I do think Notre Dame will come with a big effort, so I think nearly 20 is high.”
Clemson and Ohio State will face off in the semifinals for the second year in a row, with this go-around at the Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. ET/5:45 p.m. PT on January 1. The Buckeyes are seeking revenge after the Tigers stormed back for a 29-23 victory last season. Clemson is now a 7.5-point favorite and -300 on the moneyline at William Hill, while the Buckeyes are +250 to pull off the outright upset. With the massive quarterback showdown between Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields awaiting, the total is sitting at 65.5.
“I envision Ohio State getting some money at some point,” Bogdanovich said. “Whether it’s at 7.5 is another story, it may go higher to 9 or so. I like good teams getting points, so I don’t have a problem going in with Ohio State or Notre Dame. With the later kickoff too, I’m expecting this one to be the higher-bet semifinal.”
Check out William Hill’s latest odds for the College Football Playoff semifinals below.
