The College Football Playoff kicks off tomorrow, December 19th, and the University of Miami Hurricanes are in the field, hunting their first National Championship since 2001. As the only legal sportsbook in Florida we wanted to take the pulse of the state. Are Florida bettors getting behind the state’s lone representative?
The map below breaks down who each county in the Sunshine State is betting on to win the College Football National Championship since the bracket was released on December 7th.
“Florida is essentially two different football worlds right now: South Florida that believes in the Canes, and SEC country that’s all-in on the Dawgs,” said Neil Walsh, SVP-Sportsbook at Hard Rock Bet. “What this heat map really shows is how deeply local pride and regional culture influence betting—sometimes even more than rankings, odds, or logic.”
South Florida Rides with the Hurricanes
It should come as no surprise that the southern part of Florida is on the Hurricanes, led by Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade where bettors are disproportionally favoring the home team. Miami’s betting support is consistent moving north through Highlands and Okeechobee County, before the tide begins to turn…
#10 Miami (+2.5 point spread) will visit #7 Texas A&M in the first round of the CFP on Saturday, December 20th. The game will kick off at noon ET.
Florida Bets on the Bulldogs
Interestingly enough, a majority of counties in the state of Florida are getting behind the Bulldogs. To clarify, we’re talking about the #3 Georgia Bulldogs… #12 James Madison’s mascot is also a bulldog, and as an alum, I think it’s worth making this distinction.
Once you hit Polk County in the center of the state just about every county, with a couple of exceptions, has been betting on the state’s regional rival to the north: Georgia. This includes Alachua County, home to the University of Florida, and Leon County, home to Florida State University.
SEC Country
Florida’s preference for the Georgia Bulldogs is notable in that they’re only the third–favorite on the college football odds sheet to win the CFP at +575. Both #1 Indiana (+195) and #2 Ohio State (+325) represent the Big Ten… but after all, we’re talking about SEC country.
Indiana, Oregon: Also on the board
While Miami and Georgia have largely painted the map red and orange, there is a single county marked in green, Gilchrist County – just west of Gainesville, that has backed the Oregon Ducks. Similarly, two counties have thrown their support on the Indiana Hoosiers, marked in white.
Where’s Ohio State? They have the third-most bets when you take into account the entire state in total… but on a county by county basis, it seems bettors in Florida aren’t keen on a repeat champion.
Looking for more CFP content?
Yesterday we pulled the most interesting CFP tickets that bettors are currently sweating ahead of the 2025 tourney.
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