Alabama wasn’t the only loser at the end of the day Monday night.
In the days leading up to the Clemson-Alabama College Football Championship game, and coming off the former’s shutout win over favored Ohio State, a significant amount of money was wagered on the underdog Tigers to upset the mighty Crimson Tide. So much so, in fact, sportsbooks in Las Vegas were rooting for an Alabama win and the game to fall below the +51 over/under.
Clemson, of course, won. Final score? 35-31. And, at least as far as the houses were concerned, it was bath time.
“It was as bad as a result as humanly possible,” William Hill director of trading Nick Bogdanovich told ESPN.com.
"[It was] the worst loss in any college football game I can remember,” Caesar’s Entertainment’s Bill Sattler told the website.
According to the report, "[b]ookmakers estimated $15 million to $20 million was bet statewide on the game in Nevada,” making it “the most-heavily bet college football game in recent memory.” One book saw the double the action on the title game than there was on an NFL wildcard game this past weekend.
No specific losses were detailed by ESPN.com, although MGM gave a general number of “high six-figures” when it came to losses stemming from the wagering on the title game.
“It was one of the worst college football losses we’ve ever had, definitely one of the top three,” MGM sportsbook manager Jeff Stoneback told CBSSports.com. “The handle [total amount bet] was phenomenal. We handled more on that game than any two of the NFL wildcard games combined.”