Learning how to bet on college football will ensure you lock in the best, most well-informed college football picks. Point spread, moneyline and futures picks are some of your many options to bet on the NCAAF.
Join me as I analyze each type of college football bet and advise you on some things to keep in mind when betting on college football this season. Let's beat the books, together.
How to Bet on college Football
First thing is first, you need to understand the basics when betting on college football. Let's start with knowing how to handle and read the most popular markets -- the moneyline, total, and spread.
Odds Shark's NCAAF Betting Resources
Moneyline
A common wager when making NCAAF picks is betting on the moneyline. Here, you simply choose which team you believe will win the game outright.
If you back Alabama's moneyline over Tennessee and the Crimson Tide win, then your bet cashes. As always, your payout depends on the odds. Since college football can have some imbalance in skill, a heavily favored team winning won't pay out as well as correctly predicting an underdog victory.
Our betting calculator will do all the math for 'ya! Then you will know how much the odds plus your wager will pay out.
Totals (OVER/UNDER)
A total (or OVER/UNDER) bet involves predicting whether the combined score of each team will be OVER or UNDER the number specified by your sportsbook. These numbers can fluctuate greatly in college football, due to the varied offensive strengths of each team. A total may range anywhere from 50 to 70 points, depending on the conference and teams involved.
Point Spreads
Since there is a disparity in team strengths, wagering on the point spread is a common choice when betting on college football.
Here, you're betting on how much a team will win or lose by. Basically, sportsbooks will set a number and it's up to you whether you think the favorite will win by that amount or whether the underdogs will keep the game within the spread or even win the game outright.
The Georgia Bulldogs are usually always heavy, double-digit favorites against lesser opponents. Say sportsbooks set the Dawgs as -13.5 favorites against LSU (+13.5). In this case, Georgia is expected to win by at least two touchdowns. You may still think Kirby Smart's team will win, but if you think the Tigers keep the scoreboard within two scores, then you'd bet on them against the spread.
Futures
College football futures are betting on outcomes that will be decided in the future, like odds to win the National Championship, Heisman Trophy or picking whether a given team will go OVER or UNDER their set win total.
As the season progresses, and teams collect wins (or losses), the odds will shape to reflect their performances and can change quickly.
Here is a handful of futures odds and picks available:
Odds Shark NCAAF Futures Resources
Advanced College football Betting Options
Looking to be promoted to an advanced bettor? There's some college football betting options that expand beyond the basics.
NCAAF advanced betting options like parlays or live betting offer a greater risk for a higher reward. These types of bets are best made once you have a firm comprehension of basic college football betting principles.
Parlays
A parlay lets you combine a string of college football bets into one. But bettors beware! In order for a parlay to hit, each leg of the parlay must win for the bet to pay out. It's easy to gravitate towards curating your own parlay as the potential returns are enticing.
Build your college football parlays with our parlay calculator.
Live Betting
Live betting allows you to wager on college football games as they occur. This can be a very profitable strategy in college football as the fast pace, and frequent scoring can turn games on their head quickly.
Seeing a shift in momentum from Notre Dame in live time? Perhaps a live bet on the Fighting Irish is calling your name.
College Football Betting Tips & Strategies
- Use tools to gather data: Leverage resources like our NCAAF database, computer picks, and betting trends to help you make informed bets.
- Seek value in early weeks: Due to a plethora of conference, coaching and player movement, sportsbooks can be a step behind early in the year. Capitalize on the early season value.
- Place early season futures: Lock in inflated odds early in the season, before the rest of the college football world catches on.
- Focus on a specific conference: Only watch Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State? Focus on the Big 10 or one specific conference to give yourself a competitive edge.
- Fade the Public: Peer pressure? Never heard of it! Going against consensus picks can be a profitable betting strategy.
- Consider The Rivalry: School rivalries are the root of college football. Despite being considered a weaker opponent, a school may feed off their classmates energy in the stands or perhaps have extra energy to take on their historical rivalry. Again, using tools like our database will help you examine just how tight some of these rivalries have been through the years.
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How To Bet On College Football FAQ
How do college football spreads work?
A college football point spread, like NFL and NBA, is that a team is a favorite but to even the two teams out, the sportsbooks assign a point spread to the two teams. If Alabama is a huge favorite they may be -10 vs Florida which would be +10. This means at the final score you would take 10 points away from Alabama if it wins, it covers, if Florida then wins, it covers.
Is it illegal to bet on college sports?
Absolutely not! College football, as well as college basketball, are very popular betting markets. There are plenty of different options from regular game lines, to which team will win the National Championship or even who will win the Heisman Trophy.
Can you bet on college football online?
Depends on the laws in your specific location. Some places require you to visit your local sportsbook to place a wager, whereas other locations are legalizing online sports betting.
Do people build betting models?
Absolutely. Creating your own betting strategy or model is a good idea to help you evaluate a wager before placing it. Professional pick services use models for their suggestions.
