An autumn Saturday presents a great opportunity to bet on college football. Games are plentiful, and all fans (even the new ones) will find a number of exciting ways to wager on the action.
If you've only casually followed college football, it may be overwhelming at first glance. Across 10 NCAA Division I FBS conferences and independents, you'll find 130 teams — that's a lot to sift through.
For those interested in trying out college football betting for the first time, or learning more, here are some things to know.
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How to bet on college football
As mentioned above, there are 10 FBS conferences, but not all are viewed equally. There are five conferences atop the D-I food chain: the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Big Ten (B10), the Big 12 (B12), the Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12), and the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
That quintet of conferences is referred to as the "Power Five," and it's typically filled with the most talented teams.
How to bet on college football moneylines
Placing a moneyline wager is the simplest way to bet on college football. In short, a moneyline bet means picking the outright winner of a given game — regardless of the margin of victory, or whether the game goes to overtime. Every game features an underdog and a favourite. The underdog will have a plus (+) symbol accompanying its odds, while the favourite will have a minus (-) symbol.
The 2022 CFP title game, between Alabama and Georgia, exemplifies a matchup of two evenly-matched teams. The Crimson Tide were a slight underdog against the Bulldogs, as the odds indicate:
Alabama (+115) vs. Georgia (-135)
With those odds, here's what the payout structure looked like:
Alabama (+115): A $100 wager on Alabama wins $115.
Georgia (-135): A $135 wager on Georgia wins $100.
A successful $100 wager on Alabama would've paid out $115, while a successful $135 wager on Georgia paid out $100. Entering the game, both sides received sound value on the moneyline.
In some cases, however, the moneyline odds will be far less appealing. For example, when Alabama played New Mexico State — a lesser "Power Five" school — the Crimson Tide were a -10000 favourite. That means, in order to win $100, you would've had to place a $10,000 bet on the Crimson Tide. The Aggies were denoted as +1500 underdogs, and although a $100 wager would've won $1,500, the implied win probability (6.25 percent) was extremely low.
Considering the rather unappealing odds, this is an opportunity where you might be better off wagering on the point spread.
How to bet on college football point spreads - Example 1
Betting on the point spread is the most popular way to wager on college football.
A point spread is a designated number of points, assigned by the sportsbook, that either team must cover in order to win. Factors that affect the point spread include location (i.e., which team is at home?), injuries, hot/cold streaks, and more.
Sticking with our Alabama vs. New Mexico State example above, the point spread was a whopping 51.5 points in the Crimson Tide's favour.
Sportsbooks present point spreads like this:
New Mexico State +51.5 (-110) vs. Alabama -51.5 (-110)
The +51.5 beside New Mexico State indicates that oddsmakers are giving the Aggies 51.5 points. In other words, if the Aggies lose by 51 points or fewer — or they win the game outright — they cover the spread and win the bet.
On the other hand, if Alabama wins by 52 points or more, it covers and wins the wager. The odds denoted for either side are -110, which means a $110 bet nets $100 in winnings. You might think 51.5 points seems like a hefty spread (and it is), but Alabama won 59-3 and covered anyway.
How to bet on college football point spreads - Example 2
In the CFP title game between Alabama and Georgia, the point spread was much smaller. The Bulldogs were marked as 2.5 point favourites, with sportsbooks displaying the odds like this:
Alabama +2.5 (-110) vs. Georgia -2.5 (-110)
In this instance, the +2.5 next to Alabama meant sportsbooks were giving 2.5 points to the underdog Crimson Tide. Therefore, Alabama could lose within two points or win outright to cover and win the bet. Alternatively, the favoured Bulldogs (-2.5) needed to win by three or more points to cover and win the wager. Georgia won, 33-18, and covered easily.
In the lead-up to a game, sportsbooks may alter the point spread based on factors such as injuries and other personnel decisions (particularly as they relate to quarterbacks).
Additionally, most sportsbooks offer alternate lines to wager on. This allows you to bet on a point spread that's different than the one listed in the standard market.
How to bet on college football totals
Totals are a way to bet on college football without betting directly on the outcome of a game. Betting on a game total means predicting whether the cumulative score will be greater or less than a specified total set by the sportsbook. Totals are sometimes listed as over/under, or O/U, but it all means the same thing.
As with spreads, totals are typically listed with -110 odds on either side. For the 2022 CFP national championship, the total was set at 53.5 points. Betting the over indicated a belief that both the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs would combine for 54 points or more. Betting the under, meanwhile, meant banking on the teams to combine for 53 points or fewer. In Georgia's 33-18 win, the 51-point total meant that bets on the under were successful.
Sportsbooks also offer markets for team totals. A team total refers to the number of points an individual team will score in a game. As with a game total, you'll either bet the over or under on the listed number.
Prop Betting
College football commands a vast prop betting market, and that's great news for all bettors. From margin of victory to the distance of the game's shortest touchdown, you'll find a nice selection of team props. There are player props too, which is what we'll focus on.
If you were looking to wager on an Ohio State Buckeyes game, and you're bullish about quarterback C.J. Stroud, you may look to target some of his props. Prop bets for Stroud, or any other quarterback would include the number of touchdown passes, pass attempts, completions, or passing yards. The sportsbook will list a total for each category, and you can bet on whether he'll go over or under that total.
Player props are also available for positions such as running back and receiver. You can wager on the number of receiving yards, receptions, or touchdowns that Buckeyes receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will record, or how many carries, rushing yards, or touchdowns running back TreVeyon Henderson will tally.
Most sportsbooks also offer anytime touchdown props, which allow you to wager on whether a player will record a touchdown in a game.
Futures
Futures bets typically involve wagering on an event that settles at a much later date. Some of the sneakiest value lies in futures markets — if you're looking in the right places.
One of the most popular college football futures bets is the national championship winner. As soon as the CFP trophy is awarded, the odds for the following year are posted, and they remain open until the following year's title game.
Futures odds change frequently as injuries occur and teams rise or fall in the national rankings. In the FBS, only four teams qualify for the CFP, so odds really shorten as the postseason nears.
Another popular futures market in college football is the Heisman Trophy winner. The Heisman is awarded to college football's most outstanding player, and some surprising winners have emerged in recent years. In 2019, Louisiana State University's Joe Burrow won the Heisman after having preseason odds as high as +20000, according to the Action Network. A $100 wager on Burrow to win the award, at those odds, would've paid out $20,000. This market is also subject to quite a bit of fluctuation throughout the year.
Parlays
A parlay consists of multiple bets on a single ticket. In order to win a parlay, every bet (or, "leg") must win. If you have eight events on your parlay and only seven hit, you lose the parlay.
Parlays can include wagers from several markets and may look like this:
Ohio State -9.5 (-110)
Michigan State +4.5 (-110)
Clemson/Notre Dame U56.5 total points (-110)
Bijan Robinson O95.5 rushing yards (-115)
The combined odds on a parlay for these four events are +1200. If you placed a $100 wager on this parlay and all four legs won, you'd win $1,200 (but remember, one failed leg kills the parlay).
A ticket must have two or more events to be considered a parlay. These are attractive to some bettors for their large payouts, but it's important to note that the likelihood of winning your bet decreases with each event added.
Some sportsbooks allow you to combine multiple events from one game to create a same-game parlay. For example, you could bet on the Buckeyes to cover the spread, Stroud to go over his passing yard total, and Smith-Njigba to score a touchdown.
Live Betting
Live betting refers to placing a bet on a college football game after it's started. Popular live betting markets are moneylines, point spreads, and game totals.
After a college football game kicks off, lines for all of the above markets are subject to fluctuation based on how a game plays out. For example, Michigan may enter a game against Wisconsin as a 4.5-point favourite, but an early touchdown for the Badgers could shift the live-betting spread in their favour (e.g., Wisconsin -1.5).
It's important to act quickly when you spot a favourable live-betting line, as the odds change constantly. A big offensive play or a turnover could alter the lines significantly, so be mindful of that when looking at the lines.
There are more ways to bet on college football, such as teasers, which involve parlays on alternative spreads. You can read more about that in our guide on betting teasers.
