- While understanding key numbers is beneficial for betting point spreads on any sport, key numbers are known for having the most significance in football. In NFL football, most games are decided by three or seven points. Therefore, when shopping the odds, the difference between -7.0 and -6.5 is far greater than the difference between -5.5 and -5.0.
- What is a Point Spread or Side Bet? A point spread is used in sports betting to even the odds between two unevenly matched teams. Each team is given a point total by the oddsmaker that can either be added or subtracted to the final score, thus factoring into if the bet was won or lost.
Learning how to read college football betting odds should be much easier for everyone with the help of our team here at ExplainBettingOdds.com College Football is one of the most popular sports in the United States, and offers one of the most exciting regular seasons and postseasons around. In fact, there might not be a more hotly debated sport, and discussions surrounding the rankings, and who is #1 has only sparked college football betting odds over the last several years, with oddsmakers forming a ton of betting lines for the sport. And there are many ways and different lines in which you can wager on college football. The goal of this page is to layout the different college football betting odds that you can expect to see for the weekly matchups, as well as some of the year-long odds that are typically available at online sportsbooks. No longer do you have to be in Las Vegas to place a legal wager. There are a number of online sportsbooks that feature college football betting odds, right at your fingertips through your computer.
Check out the latest Monday Night Football betting odds Football Game Odds. Typically, when looking at football odds, the date and time of the game will be on the left. Then, directly to the right, you will see two numbers. These numbers will be next to the name of each competing team. Those numbers are called the rotation numbers.
What Is The Point Of College Football Betting Odds?
Oddsmakers make college football betting odds for a number of different reasons. First and foremost, college football is especially popular in the US and Americans have shown in the past that football is the country’s favorite sports to bet on so there is a huge market there. College football betting odds also make it so that each game is competitive from a bettor’s standpoint. These odds are heavily researched before the start of a game which is why it is often difficult to choose which side of the line to put your money on. Betting odds for college football also make it easier to see which team is favored to win a certain matchup and which team is the underdog. With all these factors in play it’s no wonder online sportsbooks cater to college football fans each year.
College Football Point Spreads Explained
Betting on the point spread in college football is likely one of the most common wagers made by a bettor. Oddsmakers will look at a game, research the two teams involved, and then come up with a number to install the spread at. A favorite and underdog are established. The favorite, the team predicted to win the game, is set with the points in which they will have hypothetically give points to the underdog. On the opposite side, the team predicted to lose the game, the underdog, receives the points. This point spread is established to even the playing field. It is essentially saying that oddsmakers believe that the favorites are X number of points better than the underdog, and to make things even, this is the number of points the spread will be. This number is researched thoroughly by oddsmakers before officially coming out. It is by no means a random shot in the dark. You would be surprised to find how close the oddsmakers are on the whole.
But, point spreads are not made for the entire game only. In fact, oddsmakers install a number of spreads for college football games, breaking the matchups down even further. A bet made on these lines work just as they would when betting on the spread for the whole game.
College Football Quarter Lines Explained
Oddsmakers can set down what are known as quarter lines, or quarter spreads. These are pretty much how they sound. Teams are set in the role of the favorite of the underdog for a single quarter in the game, with a spread installed. There is a favorite and an underdog, for which the bet will be won by placing a wager on the correct team to cover the line. These quarter lines will obviously be much closer than the overall game line, but just as much research goes into a game. Do teams have fast starts? Slow starts? All of these factors play into a quarter betting line.
NCAA Football 1st Half Betting Odds
Oddsmakers will also set down a point spread for halftime, meaning the opening half of play going into the break. Typically, we will see this line cut in half from the overall game line established. The bet is placed on the favorite or the underdog covering the installed line for the first half. Once the first half is done, the bet is complete. The second half of play has no bearing on this wager.
College Football Halftime Betting Odds
Betting on the two halves are pretty much the same thing as the halftime line, but the second half is available. Bets can be placed on the first half, second half, or both. A point spread will be set typically during halftime for the second half, as a variety of factors can have an effect on the second half, including injuries, and the flow of the game.
College Football Moneline Bets Explained
Other types of wager formed for college football games are moneyline bets. These are straight wagers just like the point spread, though with a big difference. Whereas on the point spread you wager with points, the moneyline is simply betting on the winner of the game straight up. There is no point spread involved with the moneyline. If you think Florida State will be Florida, you bet on Florida State without any point. Sounds easier right? It certainly is. But oddsmakers are not just going to hand you over money. The payouts on a moneyline can be quite a bit different than on the point spread. Since there is nothing evening the playing field, a wager on the favorite pays out quite a bit less. On the flip side though, you have the potential to make a lot more money betting on the underdog getting no points on the moneyline, because there is nothing to even things out.
College Football Over / Unders Explained
The game total is the third main betting line formed for each game. This is the combined point total for both teams in the matchup. Oddsmakers will look at the two teams involved in the game, research recent trends, maybe a history of the games between these two teams, and then come up with a point total for the game. That number is installed, and the bets are made on the actual total of the game going above or below that installed game total. Since there are just two options, payouts on this wager are generally right around Even Money.
College Football Team Props Explained
College football team prop betting lines are other types of wagers that can be set for a game, season, or other facets of the sport. As for the majority of team proposition lines, they are created for each game. These prop betting odds can cover a wide range of topics. Typically, college football team props are wagers made on outcomes that do not directly relate to the outcome of the game. They are bets made within a game. For example, the team to score the first touchdown in a game could be a bet. Once the team scores the first touchdown, the bet is done; the rest of the game doesn't matter. This is just one example, but college football games could have many prop betting lines.
How To Bet College Football Player Props
Just like with team props, college football player props are also wagers made for games or the season. When made for a game, these player props are almost always performance-based for specific players in the game. For example, the total number of passing touchdowns for a quarterback in a game might be a wager that can be made. The actual result of the game in terms of the score doesn't really matter; it's how the quarterback performed and whether or not he went above or below his installed total on the betting line.
Explanation Of Live College Football Betting Odds
In-game wagering for all sports is becoming extremely popular, and live college football betting odds are reflective of that. Live college football betting odds are similar to ones that are presented before the game starts. But, rather than closing off any bets at kickoff, these betting lines update and change as the game goes on. There can also be odds that show up just for a specific drive or for a specific play. They are quick to appear and quick to shift, meaning you have to be a decisive bettor in order to take advantage of these wager types. Many of them come in the form of prop bets, but you may see others as well throughout the course of a game. Just make sure that you’re paying attention to the given matchup and that you have access to your sportsbook close at hand.
College Football Playoff / Championship Betting Odds
Throughout the course of the year, online sportsbooks will have CFP Championship betting odds for the national championship in college football. This is a wager placed on a team to win the national title. These odds are up almost year-round, from the completion of the College Football Championship Game the year before, to the final week in the regular season the following year. These odds can change quite a bit obviously during the season, as teams rise and fall.
College Football Wager Types
We've discussed the different betting lines that you will see for college football, but there are also several different wager types that can be made. These can be straight bets like we talked about or can be linked like with a parlay. But that is not all; there are also things that you can do to adjust a betting line, such as a teaser and a pleaser. But we will get into that on other pages you see here below.
Where To Find College Football Betting Odds
You may have watched ESPN one day and thought to yourself, “Where are they getting these college football betting odds that they keep talking about?” While they often use odds given inside of the famous Las Vegas Caesars Sportsbook, you can find the same if not better odds at a sportsbook inside your state or online. Several states have legal ways to bet on college football inside their casino sportsbooks or mobile betting apps. However, all the websites you see posted below also offer college football betting odds for just about every matchup on Saturdays during the Fall.
Bovada Sportsbook - Best Sportsbook With College Football Games
The thing that most players look for when sign up for sportsbooks is trying to see how many sports does the sportsbook offer. The more sports the sportsbook offer, the more games will be there for players to bet on. Bovada is one of the few sportsbooks that have all sports that players look for and that includes college football. This is one of the most exciting sports that Bovada has up for all the players to bet on.
With college football, there are so many games going on in one day and the season is over three months long. This means that money can be won with plenty of betting options. With many games, live betting feature that is on Bovada will be very exciting and there will be so many options. Even with most of the games being very close there will still be some upsets and expect for Bovada to have the bets that could clearly help players profit. Bovada is the site to go when it comes to betting on college football games.
BetOnline Sportsbook - College Football Games Top Option On BetOnline
BetOnline sportsbook has been known to have all the college games for players to bet on. There are so many different games here that the features that BetOnline are always busy. The traffic here is very busy and that has a lot to do with college football games that are always going on. All day Saturday, games are flowing and at some point, there is an upset that does come up as well.
The thing that gets a lot of player's attention on BetOnline is the banking methods that are offered which means it is easy to get money on your account before the FSU and Miami game gets kicked off. Players look forward to picking the method so when the game kicks off they can pick their wager before it kicks off. BetOnline also has live betting features so in case some bets are not set before kick-off, they could show up after they kick off in the live betting option. BetOnline has it all!
SportsBetting Sportsbook - SportsBetting Has College Football Games To Bet On
College football season is one of the best seasons that fans love to pay attention to. The reason for this is because at least every weekend, there is always an upset and the best word that bettors like to here is upsets. Upsets do mean a lot of money for the most part. SportsBetting is known to cash out players with a lot of money that take chances on these upsets that eventually happens.
These are just a few options that SportsBetting offers and all players have to be is 18 and older to sign up and have an account. The mobile betting feature and live betting feature is also there for the most players to pick from. SportsBetting has it all for a lot of players and the thing is there are also a lot of bonuses that new and current players will get. Check out the site before the big college football games are played!
MyBookie Sportsbook - College Football Games Highlighted On MyBookie
Alabama Roll Tide and Clemson Tigers are the two teams that have been playing pretty well and have been taking over college football playoffs for a while. There are times where there will be a lot of college football upset games going on and MyBookie will have all the games that players can bet on that could end up being a lot of money cashed out to players. Even those the Tigers and Roll Tide are the top tier teams in college football, other teams still can win bettors money and that also means that MyBookie has to have these other teams on their sportsbook.
College football is a big sport on MyBookie and this is just one of the sports that players take a risk on and make a lot of money on. A lot with these teams comet he prop bets that could convince players this is the best online sportsbook to sign up for. Along with all games and prop bets are a lot of bonuses for these college football games. Once a player is all in on MyBookie, there is no reason for them to look anywhere else!
Deposit Bonuses | Visit Sportsbook | |
| $1,000 Max - 50% Bonus | All 50 States | Go To BetOnline |
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Understanding the different types of betting options is crucial when you’re getting a start as a first-time sports bettor.
The Point Spread: Betting the spread
For those new to sports betting, the point spread is the simplest, most straightforward approach to placing wagers.
Sports books set a predetermined margin of points on a game and a team must win – or not lose – by that set number. That’s why you’ll often hear people say the team won, but they “didn’t cover the spread” so their bet still came up short.
It’s not a matter of a team winning or losing like in a moneyline bet.
For a favorite: The favorite must win by more than the point spread.For an underdog: The underdog must outright win OR lose by fewer than the point spread.Sports books aren’t in the business of predicting who will win or lose games. Their goal is setting a pre-game point spread with the intention to generate an equal amount of betting action/volume on both sides of the ledger – as much total money being bet on the favorite as on the underdog.
The vast majority of point spread wagers are made on football and basketball because of the proliferation of points that are scored in comparison to sports like baseball and hockey, where 1-0 or 2-1 games aren’t that out of the question or out of the norm. There’s one every night.
For example, the New England Patriots are playing the New York Jets and New England is a 9½-point favorite. Bettors typically have to spend $110 or so to win $100 with sports books, known as “the house edge/advantage.” With a point spread bet, simply having a team win the game isn’t the key. The critical factor to betting a point spread is how much a team wins or loses by. If a wager is placed on New England – “laying” the 9½ points – the Patriots need to win the game by 10 or more points for that bet to pay off. If New England wins 28-20, those betting on the Jets plus 9½ points (points added to their final total) win the bet.
The same general rules apply for basketball and are quite easy to follow because of the inherent simplicity of the bet. When it comes to betting sports like baseball and hockey, the standard bets are made on the “money line” – an established number for both teams to win the game outright.
What makes point spread bets attractive are the fluid nature of each game – it’s a reality show that, when done right, is inexplicable. Games change on one play and momentum is a thing. But, when it comes to point spread betting, you know where you stand at every moment.
Football Spread Betting Explained The Spread
For those just starting out, the simplest form of gambling is betting the spread because it’s the easiest to explain and understand, which explains why it is the most popular form of sports wagering.