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College Football Betting Explained – NCAAF Betting

John Ford | November 14, 2023 | Updated on: January 10th, 2024



ncaa football betting

There is no denying that college football is a HUGE part of American culture. Some states or cities may not have an NFL team to get behind. But they do have a school that they’ll root for when it comes to college bowl games. Thus, it shouldn’t be surprising that college football betting is hugely popular at online sportsbooks.

The college scene is filled with players looking to make a name for themselves in the hopes of one day getting noticed by big league scouts. The result is a very competitive league featuring teams with rosters that change frequently. Although this makes for unpredictable outcomes, winning bets are just so much more rewarding.

If you would like to find out more about betting on games at sports betting sites, make sure to stick around. Below we go through all the ins and outs of college football betting. Some of the areas we cover include:

  • The type of bets you can make on games
  • How to read college football betting lines
  • Tips to keep in mind when making wagers

We also list online betting sites that offer the best NCAAF betting lines, such as Bovada. So, scroll and place bets on your favorite team today!

Best College Football Betting Sites 2024

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Today’s College Football Betting Picks

Looking for a solid bet on today’s college football games? Well, daily picks throughout the regular season and all through to the College Football Playoffs National Championship. So, be sure to check them out:

NCAAF Betting Links

college football betting lines

College Football Betting Lines Explained

There is no difference between the football betting lines available on NFL games and college games. However, if you are new to sports betting, here are the betting options you can expect to find on college football at online gambling sites:

Moneyline Bet

A moneyline bet is placed on a team to win the game. It is probably the bet that most people default to when they think about sports betting. Due to the big difference in talent between some schools, moneylines sometimes just aren’t worth it because of poor returns. Which is why you should look at spreads if you are looking to bet on a team to win or lose.

Point Spreads

Spread bets attempt to balance the playing field between two mismatched teams. The sportsbook declares a favorite and an underdog and then sets a line they expect the favorite to win by. You can then bet on either team to cover the spread, meaning:

  • The favorite wins by more points than expected
  • The underdog wins or loses by less than expected

A point spread line looks a bit different to other lines. Here is how they would appear at sportsbooks:

Ohio State -5 -110

Michigan +5 -110

In this hypothetical line, Ohio State is expected to win the game by at least five points. We can tell this by looking at the -5 next to the team. Michigan is expected to lose by at least five points.

Totals Bet

Total bets (also known as over/unders) involve predicting the total number of points that will be scored in a game. Sportsbooks will set a number of lines involving different scores and you will be able to pick one that suits your needs.

A lot of novice bettors with minimal betting experience like to stick to totals. As far as college football betting payouts, these are the bets most people are likely to get correct. However, this also means that they usually don’t offer lucrative odds.

ncaa college football betting

Futures Bets

Futures bets are made on events set to take place sometime in the feature. For example, you could place a bet on a football bowl, such as the Rose Bowl, at the beginning of the season. Or, you could bet on a player to win the Heisman Trophy long before the award ceremony.

These bets stay on your betting slip for long, and as such, they are the most likely college football betting results to have long odds. It is always important to remember that anything can happen throughout the season.

So, Trevor Lawrence winning the Heisman Trophy in 2020 may look like a good bet at the beginning of the season. But then he gets injured, and this puts a damper on his odds because you can’t win anything if you don’t play.

Prop Bets

These are event-based bets rather than outcome-based bets. So, for example, you could bet on which team will score first in a game. The end result of the game does not matter. As long as the team you predicted to score first does so, you will win the bet.

Props come in all shapes and sizes, and are really popular around championship games and bowl season. It is important to distinguish between regular and exotic props. Exotic props are those bets you can’t really research. For example, betting how long it will take for someone to sing the National Anthem.

Teaser Betting

Teasers are a very popular sportsbook offering throughout the football season. But before we explain what a teaser is, we need to explain what a parlay is. A parlay bet is simply a single wager with multiple bets stringed together.

For example, you could string a money line and spread on two separate games together. You will need to get both bets right to win but the result is longer odds of winning and thus a bigger prize if you do win.

A teaser is a variation of a parlay. It is slightly easier to win because you can alter the outcomes slightly to ensure more winning opportunities. However, this results in a smaller potential payout.
college football betting odds

College Football Odds

With regards to NCAA football betting, most inexperienced bettors are usually unsure of how to read NCAAF betting odds. Well, reading odds is easy.

The first thing you need to know is that there are three different odds formats:

  1. American
  2. Decimal
  3. Fractional

We are going to focus on American here as that is the default betting experience at our recommended sportsbooks. But you can read up on the others in our odds guide.

So, when you visit one of our sportsbooks, odds will be displayed in the following manner:

USC Trojans -110

UCLA Bruins +110

The first thing you need to note about the betting line is the plus or minus sign because that tell you how you are going to calculate the line. Depending on the signage, you use either one of the following formulas to work out your odds of winning:

  • Positive – Odds x (Stake/100)
  • Negative – (100/Odds) x Stake

A general rule of thumb is that an outcome with negative odds is favored, whereas an outcome with positive odds is not. But there are situations in which both options could have positive or negative odds.
ncaaf betting tips

Best College Football Betting Tips – How to Win Bets

Looking for some NCAAF betting tips? Our tips aren’t guaranteed to get you wins. However, they should help you think more strategically when placing bets.

Watch NCAAF Public Betting Trends

It is quite important to keep up with college football betting trends. You get to learn how the public believes a match is going to play out. Some betting experts would recommend betting against the public but remember to think with your head and not your heart/wallet.

While a bet on the underdog may payout a lot, the underdog is considered to be lesser than their opponent for a reason. So, do your research before you commit your cash.

Look for Larger Lines

Due to there being such a big talent gap in the NCAAF, it is not uncommon to find ridiculous spread bet lines that almost guarantee you a win if you go for the underdog. Be sure to have a lookout for such lines when gambling online but always remember to gamble responsibly.

Don’t Be Over-Reliant on Stats

So, you should always research every bet you wish to place. But in college sports, it is important to remember that numbers don’t always mean everything. In college football, there are a lot of players who come in from high school with great stats. But not every state has competitive high school leagues.

For example, you could have a quarterback coming in after throwing for 5000 yards in his senior year in high school and absolutely tanking in a college line-up. That’s because the opposition you face also determines whether you look good or not.

Join a College Football Betting Forum

Discuss your bets with other people. Join a reddit thread or download a college football betting app and get involved with communities. You will start making better bets for it because with critical feedback from others, you will analyze your bets in new ways.

If you are looking for more college football betting advice, make sure to follow our blog. There we post daily college football betting picks and more. If you do so, you will soon be on your way to making the best college football betting strategy.

How to Bet on College Football – FAQs

Check out our NCAAF betting picks guides: