Learn how to bet on college football games online with our NCAA football betting guide, which includes NCAAF betting tips.

How To Bet On College Football: What You Need To Know

In the world of college football betting – which is like the real world but with a run-and-shoot offense – there is something for everybody. From high-scoring blowouts between two unevenly matched teams to defensive showdowns between championship contenders in the Big 12, every Saturday brings dozens of interesting storylines and betting angles.

As Elton John once said, “Saturday night’s all right for betting.” OK, he actually said “Saturday night’s all right for fighting.” But instead of fighting, let’s learn how to place a bet on a college football game. Below we’ll explain how to bet on college football online for the regular season, bowl season and the national championship.

Moneyline: Picking A Winner

During the regular season and bowl games, you can make a moneyline bet. Often called a straight-up bet, you are simply picking which team you think will win the game. Let’s pretend that Alabama and Louisiana State University are facing off in one of their yearly rivalry games. Odds would look something like this:

  • Alabama -220
  • LSU +180

In this scenario, ‘Bama is the favorite – you can tell this because of the minus sign (-). And LSU is the underdog – you know this due to the plus sign (+). These symbols are universal across all betting sites that display American odds.

If you were to lay $25 on the Crimson Tide, and they won, you’d get a payout of $36.36 – your original $25 comes back plus your winnings of $11.36. On the other hand, if the Tigers sharpen their claws and say, “Not today, Saban!”, you’d get $70 – your $25 is returned along with your $45 loot.

To find out what you’d win based on the odds and how much you wager, check out our Odds Calculator.

Point Spread: Set Number Of Points

The point spread bet is a wager you make on how much a team will win or lose by. Oddsmakers give the underdog an advantage to not lose the game by more than a set number of points, or to win outright. They also put the favorite at a disadvantage by not allowing them to win by more than their set number of points.

When the Illinois Fighting Illini – say that fast 10 times – visit Ohio State, the Buckeyes will probably be favored to win. What makes a game like this worth betting on is the spread. Odds would look something like this:

  • Ohio State -40.5
  • Illinois +40.5

In this scenario, Ohio State is the heavy favorite and they’d need to prevail by 41 points or more for you to win your bet. On the other hand, Illinois would need to win the game outright or not lose by more than 40 points to cover the spread.

Spread betting turns every game on the NCAA football game board into a more even matchup, regardless of how lopsided they appear on paper. Choosing a team to cover the spread, as opposed to picking one to win outright, can make college football more fun to watch.

Totals: OVER Or UNDER

Another betting option is the OVER/UNDER, aka a totals bet. Sportsbooks set a number of total points expected to be scored in a college football game. As a bettor, you would need to bet on whether the actual combined number of points scored will be more or less than the set total.

Let’s say Wisconsin is playing Michigan and the total is set at 58.5. If you think the combined score will be 59 or more points, you would take the OVER. If you think the combined score will be 58 or fewer points, you’d bet the UNDER.

In rare cases, the total set by oddsmakers will not have a half-point (.5). Let’s pretend that instead of 58.5 for Wisconsin vs Michigan, it’s 58. If the final score is 58 exactly, you’d get your money back since it did not go OVER or UNDER. This is called a PUSH and the betting site will refund your money.

Props: Player Milestones

Prop bets are what make betting all that more fun. These are wagers that may not correlate exactly with the outcome of the game. For example, instead of betting on number of points, outright winner or spreads, you would bet on things like:

  • • Will Player X rush for over 50 yards?
  • • Will Player Y throw an interception?
  • • Will Player Z miss a field goal?

Parlays: Multiple Bets On One Ticket

Another fun way of betting on college football is a parlay. For this type of bet, you can combine multiple wagers on one ticket to increase your potential payout. You want to bet the Auburn vs Oregon moneyline and are also looking at the spread for the Utah vs USC game? With a parlay, you can bundle those onto one ticket.

You can also add a totals bet for Idaho State vs Nebraska. The only thing to look out for with this kind of bet is that all your bets must hit in order for you to cash in your ticket. If you lose even one bet, your entire ticket is a bust.

Futures: Events That Have Yet To Happen

Futures are bets you make that will pay off in time. These are wagers like which team will win their conference. Odds would look something like this for the SEC:

  • Arkansas +2500
  • Tennessee +6600
  • Vanderbilt +12500

If you lock in your futures bets early enough, you could see a major payout when the season ends. For instance, if you were to take Vandy as SEC champion, and you bet $15, you could be $1,875 richer if they do win the conference.

The thing to keep in mind when making a futures bet is that your money will be tied up until the end of the college football playing period. As long as you watch your bankroll after you make your futures picks, you can ensure that you have enough left to wager throughout the season.

Teasers: Altering The Odds

Teaser betting allows you to move the spread or totals odds in your favor on two or more bets. Like a parlay, all bets on your ticket must hit, otherwise your ticket is a total loss.

Let’s say you’re looking at two games: Clemson -10 vs Louisville +10, and Colorado -13 vs Arkansas +13. You have to pick one side of each match to change. The new odds on your betting slip would look something like this:

  • Clemson -3
  • Arkansas +20

In college football, the most common teasers are 6, 7 or 10 points. Generally, online gambling sites will give you two teams for 6 and 7 points and three teams for 10-point teasers.

Live Betting: When The Game Is In Play

Miami is playing Virginia Tech and you forgot to place your bets. Luckily, sportsbooks offer live betting, so you can bet on each play after the game has started. Live odds are released during the game to allow you to bet on the outcome of plays, like if they will end in a touchdown, interception or field goal.

Bowls, Bowls, All Types Of Bowls

There are 42 college football bowl games that are played during the month of December and the first week of January. These range from the Outback Bowl to the Liberty Bowl to the New Year’s Six (Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, Fiesta Bowl). Each year, two of the six are designated to be semifinal games to decide who will play in the championship matchup.

Odds are released for each bowl game with the same betting options you’d see during the regular season.

National Championship Betting

Sports betting, no matter if it’s Major League Baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer or the NFL, always culminates in a championship. If Florida State is facing off against Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff National Championship, the Sooners may be 3-point favorites over the Seminoles. Sportsbooks love big games and will provide sports bettors with numerous options. You can choose from a wide variety of betting opportunities – basically any of the ones we list above.

How To Sign Up At A Sportsbook To Bet On College Football

The majority of online sportsbooks – or at least the NCAA football betting sites we recommend – have lines and odds on most college games. We’ve researched each one and can attest to their security and ease of use.

Choose one of the betting sites we support and create an account. This takes a few minutes and you’ll need to have your email address and deposit information ready. The sportsbooks we vouch for take everything from Bitcoin to PayPal.

Once the sign-up process is complete, check out the reward options. Some college football gambling sites will offer a welcome bonus that will match a percentage of your first deposit up to a certain amount.

An example of a reward could be something like a 100 percent equivalent of your first deposit up to $200. That means if you were to bet $100, you would get an extra $100 added to your bankroll. Terms and conditions do apply so make sure you read the fine print before accepting any bonuses.

Ready To Make Your Betting Picks?

Now that you know how to bet on college football games and which online sportsbooks to use, look to our more advanced tutorials for NCAA football betting. Furthermore, Odds Shark offers Betting Trends so you can see how the public has bet in the past on certain teams. We also have Odds so you can look for any line movement that could influence your bets.

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.

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