We’re always looking for an edge. And with another season of college football well underway, it's time to brush up on our trends-investigating skills.
One underrated trend in the college football world is looking at how teams fare in the first half and first quarter:
College Football First-Quarter Betting Trends
| Betting Market | SU Record (Profits) | ATS Record (Profit) |
|---|---|---|
| Home Teams | 206-104-68 ($-2471.48) | 163-207-7 ($-6846.54) |
| Favorites | 238-71-68 ($-187.1) | 167-203-7 ($-5495.95) |
The above data from Odds Shark’s database is only for games including at least one FBS team.
It's still early, there haven't been many profitable blind bets so far in terms of college football first quarters. That being said, betting on favorites straight up in the 1st Qs has been profitable at times this year and is pretty close to even currently.
The trends do not favor blindly betting on favorites or home teams to cover in the first quarter at this point in the college football season. Check back in on this trend as the season rolls along. If you want to hone in on some more specific teams for an edge, the best first-quarter ATS records in 2023 so far belong to:
- East Carolina: 5-0 (+$388.46)
- Georgia State: 4-1 (+$253.11)
- Stanford: 4-1 (+$268.57)
College Football First-Half Betting Trends
| Betting Market | SU Record (Profits) | ATS Record (Profit) |
|---|---|---|
| Home Teams | 246-108-24 ($-2707.23) | 170-197-10 ($-4488.86) |
| Favourites | 281-71-24 ($-454.19) | 173-193-10 ($-3798.52) |
Once again, the above data from Odds Shark’s database is only for games including at least one FBS team.
First-half results have been just as bad as first quarter betting. The big takeaway here, don't blind bet first halves or quarters. You gotta look for a more specific edge, like individual teams by ATS first-half records. Here are the best teams after Week 5:
- Georgia Southern: 5-0 (+$458.88)
- UNLV: 5-0 (+$446.97)
- Army: 4-0 (+$352.73)
Betting Army to cover a -1.5-point spread spread against Boston College this weekend seems like a good play.
