Written by: Alonzo Solano, Sports Analyst and Content Writer
Last updated:
9 minute read

College Football Betting

Betting on College Football

College football betting is almost as popular as placing bets on the NFL. In fact, in many parts of the country people follow the football teams more heavily than the professional teams.

Attendance-wise, college football can pride itself on the fact that it draws more fans to their stadiums than the pros. This is shown clearly with the number of bets placed on the games.

The betting handle isn’t quite as high as professional sports, but it’s easily the largest market for college sports.

Bowl season is an especially popular time to bet on NCAA football.

Best NCAA Football Betting Sites 2024

Rank
Payment Grade
Rating
Bonus
Bet Now
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  • 1
    A+
    4.9/5.0
    50% Up To $250
  • 2
    A+
    4.9/5.0
    100% Up To $2,500
  • 3
    A+
    4.8/5.0
    50% Up To $250
  • 3
    A+
    4.8/5.0
    100% Up To $500
  • 4
    A+
    4.2/5.0
    125% Up To $1,250
  • 5
    A
    4.7/5.0
    100% Up To $1,000
  • 5
    A
    4.7/5.0
    50% Up To $1,000

2019-20 College Football Betting Lines

The most popular times to bet on college football are the Bowl Season and the College Football National Championship.

Betting on the winner of the Heisman Trophy – awarded annually to the best player in Division I – is also a favorite among bettors.

If you are looking to bet on one these options, check out the latest betting lines and odds below:

Betting On The National Championship 2020-21

The NCAA football season ends with the National Championship game, which is generally played in January. This is where the winners of two bowl games meet-up and play for the title.

Each year, two different bowl games are chosen to be the College Football Playoff.

Two of the greatest teams in the nation compete for the trophy, making it an excellent time to bet on the match. It is the Super Bowl of college sports.

TeamMyBookie College Football LinesSportsbetting-ag top online sportsbook
CLEMSON+175+225
ALABAMA+220+350
OHIO STATE+215+450
LSU+100+600
GEORGIA+900+800
FLORIDA+2500+1400
AUBURN+3300+2000
OKLAHOMA+1000+2000
NOTRE DAME+3300+2500
TEXAS+2000+2500
MICHIGAN+1200+3300
OREGON+4000+3300
PENN STATE+4000+3300
TEXAS A&M+6600+4000
FLORIDA STATE+12500+5000
WISCONSIN+5000+5000
TENNESSEE+10000+6600
OKLAHOMA STATE+10000+8000
IOWA STATE+20000+10000
KENTUCKY+20000+10000
MIAMI FL+10000+10000
MINNESOTA+50000+10000
NEBRASKA+3300+10000
UTAH+12500+10000
WASHINGTON+3300+10000
IOWA+12500+15000
BYU+25000+50000
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Betting On Bowl Games

Betting on the bowl games is also extremely valuable. This is because only the top teams make into these bowls. Here are a few of the top College Football bowl games you should bet on:

  • Cotton Bowl
  • Fiesta Bowl
  • Orange Bowl
  • Peach Bowl
  • Rose Bowl
  • Sugar Bowl

Betting On The Heisman Trophy Winner

The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in NCAA Football. It is most commonly awarded to quarterbacks – in fact, 16 out of the 19 winners since the year 2000 were QBs (the remaining 3 were running backs).

Predicting who will win the trophy is not easy, especially during the preseason. In most cases, the picture gets clearer as the season moves forward.

PlayerOddsNCAAF Team
Joe Burrow-2000LSU
Jalen Hurts+900Oklahoma
Justin Fields+1000Ohio State
Bet On Who Will Win The Heisman Trophy At SportsBetting.ag

Latest Articles On College Football Betting

NCAA Football Bet Types Tutorial

Betting markets for NCAA football won’t be as vast as NFL markets. However, there is no real difference between the two sports when it comes to betting sites, markets, and bet types.

Point spread wagering, moneylines, and totals are all graded the same.

Other markets won’t be as plentiful as the pro game, but these are also increasing every year and so does the number of various NCAA football bet types.

Point Spreads: Bet On The Score Difference

Betting on College Football Point Spreads

NCAA football spreads are going to garner the lion’s share of college football bets. There’s no difference in point spread betting rules when it comes to college compared to the pros.

Unlike the NFL, where double-digit point spreads are uncommon, the typical board on an NCAA Saturday will have loads of double-digit favorites.

NCAAF Point Spread Example:

Let’s look at an example. In a matchup between LSU and Alabama, the odds might look like this:

  • LSU: -6.5 (-110)
  • Alabama: +6.5 (-110)

The 6.5 value is the number of points the end score difference is predicted to have. This number is called the “spread” and you’ll often hear that the winning team “covered the spread”.

For the LSU (-6.5) bet to cover the spread, they have to win by 7 or more points.

For those betting on Alabama (+6.5) to get paid, Alabama has to either:

  • Lose by 6 or fewer points.
  • Win the game outright.

The (-110) refers to the amount you need to bet in order to win $100. So, if you wager $110 on LSU, you’ll receive a total payout of $210 — your initial $110 + the $100 profit.

More On Point Spread Betting

Moneyline Bets: Picking A Winner

College Football Moneyline Bets

Football moneyline wagers are less common when looking at college football betting lines because of the larger spreads, but they are still available at many betting sites.

As with all moneylines, bettors will simply need to pick the team that wins outright. They don’t need to worry about the spread.

NCAAF Moneyline Example:

Using the same example as above, the odds for the game between LSU and Alabama might look like this:

  • LSU: -225
  • Alabama: +185

These odds are listed using the American odds system, which is based on $100 sums.

The positive figure indicates how much you would win if you placed a $100 bet on the underdog ($185 in this case). The negative number, meanwhile, indicates how much you would need to bet on the favorite to win $100 ($225).

More On Moneyline Betting

NCAAF Game Totals Bets: Wagering On The Combined Points Scored

NCAA Football Game Totals Bets

The combined number of points scored in the game by both teams are totals, also known as Over/Under wagers. When it comes to college football bets, the total includes points scored in both regulation and overtime.

Scoring is much higher in college due to two key rule differences: the clock stops every time the offense gets a first down, and players need to put only one foot in bounds for a catch to count.

NCAA Football betting sites take this into consideration when posting the odds. Whereas NFL totals are usually not above 55 points, college games can regularly have game totals above 70 points or higher.

College Football Over/Under Example:

Odds for an Over/Under wager could look like this:

  • Over 75.5 (-110)
  • Under 75.5 (+105)

In this example, if you placed a bet on the over, you will need the teams to score a combined total score of 76 or more to win $100 on a $110 bet.

If you placed a $100 bet on the under, the combined total score will not have to surpass 75 for you to receive a payout of $225.50 (the $110 you bet + the %115.50 you win).

More On Over/Under Betting

Parlay Bets: Multitple Bets In One

College Football Parlay Bets

College football parlays can be played with point spreads and totals, or a combination, but all bets or legs in the wager must-win for the bettors to profit.

If one of the selections pushes, the parlay will be reverted to a lesser number of teams.

NCAA football parlays picks are of the fixed odds variety. Bettors can bet a minimum of two teams or, depending on the betting site, up to twelve.

More On Parlays

Teaser Bets: Changing The Odds In Your Favour

NCAA Football Teaser Bets

Like parlays, all legs of a college football teaser must win for the bet to cash out.

If one of the legs is a push, the teaser will revert to a lower number.

Teasers can range from 6 points all the way up to 20 points depending on the options available at your NCAA Football sportsbook.

More on Teaser Bets

Futures Bets: Betting On Future Events

College Football Futures Bets

College football futures markets for NCAA football betting are centered on the College Football Championship Game.

This is the only choice when it comes to college futures, but some NCAA Football betting sites will offer future markets on the winner of the Heisman Trophy as well.

Unlike the NFL, where many sportsbooks offer divisional betting, there are not yet markets for conference champions.

More on Futures Betting

Proposition Bets: Enhancing The Betting Lines

NCAA Football Proposition Bets

NCAA proposition markets aren’t nearly as attractive as the National Football League, but bettors will be able to find a decent market before the season starts and each week of college football.

The most common are team and player props. Some examples of the standard type of props gamblers might see available for college games are:

  • The total number of receiving yards
  • The number of touchdowns
  • The rushing yards

More on Props Betting

Live Betting: While The Game Is In Play

Live Betting In NCAA College Football

NCAA college football live betting is becoming a mainstay for just about every sport, not only the ones with a large following.

Live college football betting is widely available at most sportsbooks. Options include live spread and total wagering, along with player and team propositions.

Bettors will be able to bet on the outcome of each play, the result of each drive, and more. Options vary the most between sites. If this is a market you want to focus heavily on, it’s worth checking out which sites offer the most options and best odds.

More On Live Betting

Bet On College Football At These Top Sites

Rank NCAAF Betting Sites Deposit Bonus Get Started
1 Deposit Bonus 50% Up To $250 Bet Now
2 Deposit Bonus 100% Up To $2,500 Bet Now
3 Deposit Bonus 50% Up To $250 Bet Now

College Football Wagering Strategy

If you consider yourself an NCAA football die-hard fan and want to turn your passion for the sport into profit, you must know that picking the right strategy is essential.

We recommend that you read through the following articles on college football betting strategy to:

  • Learn about the different strategies available to bettors
  • Find out where you can find efficiencies and gain an edge over the sportsbooks

Although it’s quite a bit of work, taking the time to learn about each team and conference is important.

You may be able to get the jump on odds moves with a deeper knowledge of the smaller conference teams, especially if you bet early.

College Football Betting Advice

Use these five strategies to place smarter bets on the weekly games, Bowl games, and even the National Championship:

Betting Tip #1Being Selective Is A Trait Of Profitable Bettors

Line shopping is paramount and so is selecting games where you know or think you have an edge.

It’s tempting to want to bet the entire board on a college football Saturday, but exercising restraint is vital.

Betting Tip #2 Always Line Shop

We’ll say it till we are blue in the face. Take the time to learn about line shopping if you’re not aware of the concept or simply have been with it.

Before placing any college football bet, be sure to make sure you can’t find a better price.

Line shopping becomes a lot easier if you can spread your bankroll around to multiple sportsbooks.

Betting Tip #3Study College Players and Coaches

Unlike the NFL, college teams aren’t analyzed repeatedly on various forms of media.

Often, casual fans only focus on the AP’s Top 25. The bookmakers have odds for far more games than that, and there is a good reason that limits are considerably lower in NCAA football compared to the NFL.

Diving in and learning about the smaller schools is the biggest way to get an edge on the oddsmakers.

Betting Tip #4Attack Totals Early

Lines move quicker in college football compared to the NFL, especially when it comes to totals, where the sportsbooks are much more vulnerable compared to point spreads.

Totals are one of the better markets to attack compared to spreads and moneylines when making NCAA football bets.

  • Look at attacking totals instead of point spreads and moneylines.
  • Bet them early in the week as sportsbooks are sensitive to sharp movement on these numbers.

Betting Tip #5Consider Home Underdogs Against Ranked Favorites

The betting public overvalues ranked teams when they’re facing unranked opponents.

This is a similar situation a college basketball team facing a ranked opponent in their own building, where homecourt advantage is huge.

  • Look for advantageous spots with underdogs rather than favorites.
  • Focus on home favorites against ranked teams.

NCAAF Season

NCAA football has several divisions, some of which are more widely available for betting compared to others.

Division I games are the most popular and competitive, making them more attractive for betting sites to offer lines. There are some exceptions for lesser-known schools.

The college football season lasts from August to December. This amounts to a huge pool of games each week.

There are over 115 teams in Division I. Division II is available at certain bookmakers, but they rarely offer Division III games.

Should You Use NCAA Football Trends For Betting?

We don’t want to call all tips misinformation, but most of the trends that are being published by sportsbooks and other betting portals isn’t data that should be used to make bets.

Against the spread (ATS) numbers going back previous seasons with no valid data set should not be used to handicap college football games.

Most bettors would be better off ignoring trends altogether and just trying to get the best price on their wagers.

College Football Picks

As far as taking betting advice for college football – don’t pay for picks. Anything else, well, it might have some value.

There are lots of discussions of NCAA Football picks on betting forums. We also offer free picks here at Safest Betting Sites and we’ll never ask for a penny of your money.

About the Author

Alonzo Solano

Alonzo Solano

Sports Analyst and Content Writer

Alonzo is a Sports Betting Analyst and casino games enthusiast who has covered Football extensively at SBS, but don’t be surprised if you read him on other sports. He's the host of the NFL Latino TV podcast.

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