Late Clemson Tigers Touchdown in Title Game Against Alabama Costs Bettors Millions of Dollars

On Monday night Alabama Crimson Tide defeated Clemson Tigers in the College Football National Championship. It was an exciting game; a great game, even, with plenty of scoring and plenty of drama. But perhaps the most dramatic act of the night came on a rather anticlimactic play, when Clemson scored a meaningless touchdown with 12-seconds remaining. The score had no effect on the outcome of the game, but it did cost some people millions of dollars.

(Skip to 1:50 to see the pricey touchdown)

You see, Alabama was favored to win the game by 6.5 points. They won the game by 5 points, thanks to that late touchdown. That means people--bettors and gamblers of both the legal and illegal nature--who took Alabama to cover the spread no longer covered the spread, effectively resulting in millions of dollars changing hands.

Imagine you're one of those people--bettors and gamblers of both the legal and illegal nature who took Alabama to cover the spread. You're bet looks great. You're set to win big. You're planning what to do with that boat load of cash you're about to win--perhaps buy a boat? Then Clemson scores a meaningless touchdown with seconds remaining to take it all away. It's a feeling almost surely comparable to losing your fantasy football league to Susan in the billing office who could give two hoots about football.

That said, not everybody was upset about the late back-door cover. Take Vegas, for example.

"We're getting a lot of Clemson money-line bets. But I had a feeling we would see more Alabama money show up, and that's kind of what happened," said Jay Rood, MGM Resorts sports book director. "When it's all said and done, we'll probably be pulling for Alabama to win but not cover."

And, to the dismay of people--bettors and gamblers of both the legal and illegal nature who took Alabama to cover the spread--that's exactly what happened. Go figure.