Surge of bets on Miami moves line toward underdog Hurricanes - ESPN

The betting action on the College Football Playoff championship shifted over the weekend, with a surge of respected money coming in on the Miami Hurricanes and causing the point spread to move toward the underdog Hurricanes.

The Indiana Hoosiers, despite attracting the bulk of the money wagered on the game, dropped from 8.5- to 7.5-point favorites Sunday at sportsbooks across the U.S. Multiple bookmakers said «sharp money» came in on the Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon, around 3 p.m. ET, causing the line to drop across the betting market.

John Murray, a veteran Las Vegas bookmaker at the Westgate SuperBook, said sharp money showed up on Miami late in the week at his shop.

«I get it,» Murray said. «The line on an Indiana-Miami game would have been nowhere near this number all season. Miami would have likely been favored in this game most of the year, actually.»

In the lookahead lines offered before the CFP semifinals, the undefeated Hoosiers were only 5.5-point favorites over Miami. But after Indiana's impressive blowout of Oregon, sportsbooks re-opened the Hoosiers as 7.5-point favorites over the Hurricanes in the national championship game. The early action was extremely lopsided on Indiana, pushing the line up to -8.5, where it sat for most of last week. That changed on Sunday.

«Some sharper money has shown up on Miami, both on the money line and the spread,» Joey Feazel, head of football for Caesars Sportsbook, told ESPN. «We still expect Indiana support to build as we get closer to kickoff.»

The College Football Playoff championship kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday at Hard Rock Stadium, the Hurricanes' home field. Hard Rock Bet, Florida's only licensed bookmaker, said a Miami upset would produce the most successful