LAS VEGAS – While the top three teams in the College Football Playoff rankings appear to be set – as long as Alabama, Oregon and Florida State all win their conference title games on Saturday – the status of two starting quarterbacks figures to go a long way to determining the fourth team when the field is finally announced on Sunday, Dec. 7. These QB situations have already had an impact on the betting line.
Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett has been ruled out of the Big Ten Championship Game due to a fractured ankle suffered in last Saturday’s win over Michigan. The Buckeyes face Wisconsin for the conference title on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, opening as 3-point underdogs at The Wynn on Sunday and quickly getting bet down to +2.5 before rising to as high as +4 on Monday. Ohio State will replace Barrett with sophomore Cardale Jones, who has attempted just 19 passes in his college career, completing 11 of them for 121 yards with two touchdowns.
According to Johnny Avello, The Wynn’s executive director of race & sports operations, the Buckeyes would have opened as small favorites against the Badgers had Barrett been able to play. Avello noted that he dropped the futures odds for Ohio State to win the national championship from 6/1 to 8/1 following the injury. He also said the College Football Playoff selection committee will have a difficult decision to make if the Buckeyes win the Big Ten title with Jones under center.
“They would have been the favorite (vs. Wisconsin), just a reverse of what we have, about 3.5, 4,” Avello said of Ohio State. “The committee’s job is to put the four best teams on the field for this playoff, and with this kid Cardale in there, we don’t know if they’re one of the four best or not. … Unless Ohio State makes a statement in this game, I don’t believe the committee can stick them in. They’re not one of the four best teams with this kid until he proves that they are.”
Meanwhile, Baylor QB Bryce Petty remains questionable for this week’s Big 12 showdown with Kansas State due to a concussion, preventing most Vegas sports books from posting a number on the game.
“Although he says he wants to play, that doesn’t mean that he can play because they’re going to take serious precautions against him getting hurt any further,” Avello said of Petty. “I wanted to put that game up (Sunday), but I just couldn’t knowing that the NCAA has more control over this than Bryce Petty does.
“I was thinking around (Baylor minus) 8 or 9. It’s a big number to put up against a good Kansas State team, but I believe they control their own destiny here. They’ve handled Kansas State the last couple years, so I just felt that this number might be close early, but they would try to pour it on if they could.”
CG Technology, in fact, is dealing Baylor -9.
Avello said Petty is worth almost as much as Florida State’s Jameis Winston to the betting line. The Seminoles saw their line drop 10 points from an opener of -20.5 down to -10.5 vs. Clemson back in Week 4 when it was announced that Winston would miss the game due to a suspension.
“This game could go all the way down to a pick – he’s worth that much,” Avello said of Petty. “That’s why putting it up is a mistake (in case) he doesn’t play. It’s a big mistake.”
See a full list of The Wynn’s opening lines and updated futures prices right here at The Linemakers on Sporting News.
