College Football Betting Point Spread Bets
Spread betting is one of the most basic forms of NCAA football betting. With even odds on both teams, points become the difference between the underdog and the favorite.
In the NFL, these spreads can be quite stable, with only a point or so change between the opening line and kickoff. But when it comes to NCAA football betting picks, these spreads can be far more volatile. That's because the differences between the teams are usually greater, and the money wagered on college football betting picks is less.
One thing to keep in mind for online college football betting in this market is that injuries are less likely to shift a spread because of the much larger rosters.
College Football Betting Totals
College football betting on the total points of a game (also known as over/under betting) is tricky in the NCAA. Conferences are hardly uniform in their style of play. While 21-17 may be a final score in the SEC, it might reflect only the first quarter in the Big 12.
And because of the disparity between Alabama and Georgia State, when the two teams meet in 2020, the total points will be hard to predict. Remember that, particularly in the early days of learning how to bet on college football.
College Football Betting Parlays
However, if you lose just one of the three bets, the entire wager is a loser. And that’s why sportsbooks also like parlays. Needless to say, parlays aren't the best college football bets for beginners.
College Football Betting Teasers
Teasers are also parlays, but with a twist. You can move the point spread six or seven points or as many as ten points for sportsbooks that offer NCAAF betting sweetheart teasers.
Of course, moving the spread to make it more favorable to you does lower the total potential payout.
College Football Futures Bets
Almost any team result can be placed as a futures bet. Online college football betting is available on the winner of the Big Ten, on how many wins Oregon will finish with, or on which team will ultimately win the National Championship.
All of these bets can be made at any time prior to the event taking place. That said, picking the National Champion in August will generally result in a much bigger payday than waiting until December to place your best college football bets.
There are also player futures bets, such as the eventual winner of the Heisman Trophy.
College Football Live Betting
You’ve heard of live betting, no doubt. And if you haven’t yet tried it, college football is a great sport to get your feet wet. There are shifting odds and point spreads as the game progresses, and multiple potential buy-outs. And because the in-game odds are generated automatically by a computer, they tend to be fairer. That's why a key part of knowing how to bet on college football is getting some live betting experience.
Homefield Hype
How to bet on college football often looks easy. We see the crazy crowds at places like Auburn, Virginia Tech, and Clemson and automatically think that visiting teams enter games at a distinct disadvantage. And in straight-up betting, they do.
Home teams win 58% of the time, and because of that, bettors love to put their money down on the home team. They simply look like the best college football bets.
But since bookmakers know this, they tend to shade the line toward the home team. That leaves the away team with the better value, and the away team ends up covering the spread more than half the time. Bear that in mind when you're looking to participate in some NCAA football betting.
Bye Hunting
Teams coming off a bye are better rested and more prepared because their coaches have had an extra week to prepare for an opponent. Favorites coming off a bye are in even better shape since they typically have better coaches and players.
Use this to your advantage and find those opportunities to place the best college football bets when online college football betting.
Home favorites off a bye cover the spread more than other weeks. This is especially true if that home favorite coming off a bye is also ranked.
Find Your Zone
There are simply too many teams and too many games for you to follow them all. And if you end up spreading yourself too thin, betting on Top 25 action, Thursday kickoffs, early Big East games, late Pac-12 games, and everything in between, you’re doing yourself a disservice. You can't expect to find the best college football bets today and the best college football bets this weekend just because you want to.
Instead, because a college football betting specialist. Pick a conference, and become an expert in that conference. And not just the best teams in that conference.
Everyone is going to be focused on Alabama and LSU in the SEC, and the lines will be harder to exploit. But if you have the inside info on Vanderbilt and Missouri, you are more likely to find an edge and spot useful college football betting trends.
As sports betting continues its nationwide march to legalization, there are more and more places coming online that accept sports wagering. And if a sportsbook is available to you, NCAA football betting will be prominently featured.
College Football Betting Sportsbook: FanDuel
If betting is legal in your state, FanDuel is there. Although it’s important to know that each state has different regulations regarding the offering of NCAA football betting odds.
When betting from New Jersey, for example, you are not allowed to bet on teams that play in the state, so no betting on Rutgers football. But in West Virginia sportsbooks, you can bet on the Mountaineers, which is a good thing for West Virginia since college football betting accounts for the majority of betting in the state.
College Football Betting Sportsbook: DraftKings
Another one of the Daily Fantasy Sports giants that have transitioned into a major player in the sportsbook world, DraftKings is offering NCAA football betting odds in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Indiana, New Hampshire, and Iowa. And more states are coming online each month.
College Football Betting Sportsbook: Caesars Sportsbook
Caesars Sportsbook online is currently offering NCAA football betting odds in Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Rhode Island. They also offer deposit bonuses and a variety of college football promotions and special bets during the season.
If you know how to bet on football, you know how to bet in person. And all sports bettors should make at least one trip to Las Vegas to take in the spectacle of a full college football Saturday in one of the larger sportsbooks.
As much fun as you have placing your best college football bets on your computer at home, there is no substitution for the cheering crowds (and groans) of a room full of bettors agonizing over every point scored. And nothing feels better than walking back up to the window and cashing in your winning betting slip.
Betting on NCAA football games is straightforward and easy to master. But there are always questions, even if you have down all of the fundamentals of how to bet on college football.
Remember to read our NFL Draft Betting guide as well.
What are the advantages of college football betting?
+Because there are so many teams, you might think that it is harder to be a successful bettor on college football. But that number of teams and games can also be used to your advantage.
It’s hard to know everything about the sport, and that means it’s also hard for the bookmaker to know everything. When you get outside of the Power 5 conferences, it’s possible to find point spreads that are off.
Find those, and you find your edge over the bookie.
What are the disadvantages of college football betting?
+Knowledge is the key ingredient in making successful predictions. But unlike the NFL, that is dealing with highly paid and largely consistent professionals, NCAA football players are considerably younger, more inexperienced, and far more prone to inconsistency.
So while you may have done all the right homework, and made the best possible bet, a player’s performance may not match from week to week.
Should I pay a handicapper for college football betting picks?
+If you don’t have the time to invest in researching a particular matchup but really want to bet it, then paying a handicapper for pick advice can be a good idea. It’s like paying an expert in any field for their services.
There are no guarantees that it will work, but it’s probably a smarter decision than making the pick by yourself with no information.
Paying for handicapping service is a personal choice, and should only be done with the understanding that there is no magic formula for picking college football winners. Experts lose picks all of the time, just like everyone else.
Where can I find NCAA football betting lines?
+NCAA football betting is available with most online sportsbooks. Having said that, not every state allows betting on NCAA football games, so be sure to check out our
state pages to clarify your own position.
