College Football Odds And Daily Lines
- Ncaa College Football Odds And Daily Lines - Espn
- College Football Odds And Daily Lines - Espn
- Ncaa College Football Odds And Daily Lines
- College Football Odds And Daily Lines
- College Football Odds And Daily Lines - Espn
College Football Podcast: Conference Championship Weekend. College Football Odds. There are no odds available right now. Please check back later.
- We have chosen to mainly focus on US style lines for this “betting odds explained” page. 9 to 2 odds are fractional. It tells you that for every $2 you stake, you would earn a $9 profit.
- College Football Odds, NCAA Betting 2021 National Championship Game Odds & News. How to Bet on the College Football National Championship: The College Football Playoff began in 2014 and is a four-team postseason tournament for NCAA FBS schools.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL POINT SPREADS EXPLAINED:
While the NFL is the most wagered upon sport in North America, college football is the most exciting brand of football you can watch on TV. The passion these kids play with is second to none and the century old rivalries amongst some of college's elite programs makes that one game a season sometime mean so much more than a national title. Since Michigan is generally out of the CFP discussion by November, there game against Ohio State is the be all and end all of their season. Michigan wants to beat Ohio State so badly, that some of the fan base would be considered there season a success if that's the only marquee win on the schedule.
If you don't know some of the history of college football, I suggest looking into it. If you are like everyone else who reads this piece and want to understand how to bet on the basic college football options, you can keep reading. If you are a little more seasoned, you can skip down to the advanced wagering options by clicking here. If you want to know how to lay a few bets down on the futures market, I suggest you click here.
Betting on the Money Line in College Football
As a concept, this is the simplest wager you can make on any game in any sport. The money line betting option allows you to place a bet on the team you think is simply going to win the game. In college, this bet includes overtime. Unlike the NFL, college football games cannot end in a tie due to their overtime format.
Example:
Alabama Crimson Tide: -450 ML
Kentucky: Wildcats +300 ML
The money line betting odds correlate to the listed point spread. In this example, Alabama are the favorites and you must wager $450 dollars to turn a profit of $100. If you are a homer or love betting on the underdog, the Wildcats will return you $300 for every $100 you wager on them if they pull off the upset.
Betting on the Point Spread
Regardless of if I am talking about the NFL, CFL, NCAA, Arena League or upcoming XFL, the point spread is the most popular wagering option for bettors who love to test football betting skills. The point spread is an indication of which team is the favorite and underdog heading into their matchup.
A negative betting line such as -7.5 indicates that the favorite team is expected to not only win the game outright, but win by eight or more points. On the flip side, positive betting lines such as +7.5 indicate a team's underdog status. Not only is the underdog expected to lose, but they are expected to lose by at least eight points.
When looking over betting options for the college football, you will come across lines that look like the following:
Alabama Crimson Tide -7.5 (-110)
Kentucky Wildcats: +7.5 (-110)
Depending on which side you select, your team must 'cover the spread' in order for your wager to be graded a winner.
If you choose to take Kentucky +7.5, you will be a winner if either of these two scenarios play out. The first being Kentucky wins the game outright by any score. The second being Kentucky loses by seven or fewer points, thus 'covering' the +7.5-spread.
If you decided to wager on Alabama as -7.5-point favorites, they must win by eight or more points in order for wager to be graded as a winner.
One thing to keep in mind when betting on the point spread is that the point spread moves up or down depending on how much action a certain side is receiving. If you are able to lock in your bet at -7.5 and the line goes down to -5.5, your ticket would only be a winner if your team won by eight or more points. If they won six or seven, they would have beat the closing spread of -5.5, but your odds are locked in from the time your ticket is printed or you click place bet.
Betting Game Totals
Despite being classified as the same sport, NFL and college football totals are apples and oranges. In college, it's easy to spot the teams that play absolutely zero defense. The scores from their games are typically in the 70's/80's on a consistent basis. In the NFL, there were only a handful of games that games that reached those totals. College football is more receptive to the spread offense, which is why sportsbooks have no choice but to inflate totals to try and cover their own butts.
Ncaa College Football Odds And Daily Lines - Espn
Let's look at an example of a game total:
Texas Tech Red Raiders/Oklahoma Sooners – 'Over' 78.5 -110, 'Under' 78.5 -110
If you bet the 'over' 78.5, there must be a total of 79 points or more scored in the game in order for you to be a winner. If there are 78 or fewer points scored, then those who bet on the 'under' will cash their tickets.
If totals are whole numbers such as 78 or 80 and the total happens to land exactly on the number, your bet, regardless whether it's an 'over' or 'under' bet, will be graded as a push and your money will be returned to you.
Advanced College Football Wagering Options
Advanced wagering options in college football are nearly identical to those of the NFL. The only thing you will not find in a sportsbook in relation to college football is the 'First Touchdown Scorer or Anytime Touchdown Scorer' market. Below are some of the more popular wagering options.
College Football Odds And Daily Lines - Espn
Team totals
This works almost exactly like the game total, but revolves around one team instead of both. With the 'team total' wagering option, you are essentially betting on whether you think Team X will score more or less than the line given out by the sportsbooks.
Example:
Texas Tech Team Total: 'Over' 35.5 -110, 'Under' 35.5 -110.
In this case you have two options. You can bet them to score 36 or more points or 35 or fewer. The decision is ultimately up to you. This bet also includes overtime, unless otherwise stated in the betting rules provided by your sportsbook of choice.
First Half Spread
The 'first half spread' betting option is a trickier form of betting the full-game point spread. This option takes into account the score at half time in order to determine a winner. The first half spread is usually half of what the full game spread is.
Example:
Alabama -3.5 1H
Kentucky +3.5 1H
Depending on what side you are on, the score going into half time is what is used to determine a winner. If the score is 31-21 in favor of Alabama, bettors holding an Alabama -3.5 1H ticket are winners since they were able to cover the -3.5- first-half spread.
As I mentioned above, the first half point spread is typically half of what the full game line is.
Player Props
There are only a handful of sportsbooks that offer up player props in college football, but they are nowhere near as extensive as the NFL player props. Typically, there will be props offered on one or two superstars per team and the lines will typically be inflated depending on who is playing.
Examples:
Jalen Hurts: 'Over' 18.5 completions -110, 'Under' 18.5 completions -110
Nick Chubb: 'Over' 74.5 rushing yards -110, 'Under' 74.5 rushing yards -110
Calvin Ridley: 'Over' 4.5 receptions -110, 'Under' 4.5 receptions -110
For each of these three player prop options, each player must go 'over' or 'under' the posted line. If you think Hurts will complete at least 19 passes, you would take the 'over'. If you think Ridley will be held to four or fewer catches, you would bet the 'under'.
A futures bet is a wager placed in the time leading up to the start of the event on a team or player that you believe is going to win their respective competition. Heading into the 2018/19 College Football season, the CFP futures odds look like this:
2019 College Football Champions: Alabama +200, Clemson +700, Georgia +700, Ohio State +700, Michigan +1400, Penn State +1600, Oklahoma +2500, Wisconsin +2500, Florida State +2800, etc.
In order for you to successfully cash your ticket, you must correctly choose the team that will hoist the CFP trophy at the conclusion of next year's College Football Playoffs.
Team Win Totals
This is another popular type of futures bet amongst pro handicappers. The concept is straight forward. Every sportsbook will put out a 'win total' for every team long before the season begins. Handicappers must simply decide whether they believe that team will exceed the posted win total or fall short of it.
Example:
Alabama Crimson Tide Win Total: 'Over' 11.5 wins -110, 'Under' 11.5 wins -110
If Alabama wins at least 12 games, the 'over' would cash. If they win 11 or fewer, the 'under' would cash.
Here is a list of our other betting lines and odds pages.
NFL Odds NBA Odds College Basketball Odds MLB Odds NHL Odds Soccer Odds WNBA Odds CFL Odds Boxing Odds Golf Odds
Check back often as these Football Odds will be updatedevery 5 minutes
Powered by OddsShark
As dedicated college football fans, we are always looking for ways to understand the game better. Whether rooting for a particular team or outcome, your enjoyment of the wonderful sport of college football can be enhanced when your knowledge is improved. And when placing wagers with your hard-earned money, it is nice to have your hands on as much information as possible.
That is why we have provided our in-depth resource guide which not only provides an example of a college football betting line but also breaks down what you'll see at an online sportsbook for each individual matchup. First, let's dive head-first into how to read college football betting lines and odds before your next round of wagers during the college football betting season.
Featured Site For College Football Betting Lines And Odds
We recommend Bovada Sportsbook when you want to wager on college football betting lines. Their selection is highly comprehensive, and they offer some great advanced features that apply to the NCAAF betting lines and odds.
- Their sign up bonus for new players a 50% match up to $500
- All their advanced wagering options and features apply to their NCAAF lines
- They offer access to their college football betting lines through their mobile sportsbook application
- They cater exclusively to USA players
Top-Rated Sportsbooks Offering NCAAF Betting
Site | Bonus | Rating | USA | Visit/Review |
---|---|---|---|---|
$500 | 4.8/5 | |||
$1,000 | 4.6/5 | |||
$1,600 | 4.1/5 |
What Are College Football Betting 'Odds'?
Before going any further, it's important to understand what 'odds' are and how they work as it relates to betting on college football. You've probably seen 'National Championship odds' or something similar hundreds - if not thousands - of times, but have you ever stopped and asked: What exactly are odds?
Much like the definition of the word itself, odds indicate the probability or 'chance' that something does or does not happen. However, when betting on college football - or anything for that matter - odds also indicate how much money is required to place the wager and how much can be won from that bet if you're correct.
Example: Odds to win the CFP National Championship - Alabama +225
In the example above, we see that Alabama is listed with +225 odds to win the national championship. The '+225' is a plus-number which tells us that the oddsmakers believe there is a less than 50% chance the Crimson Tide will win it all. A minus-number would tell us that the oddsmakers believe there is a greater than 50% chance of the bet being won while +100 or 'Even' is 50/50 - a flip of the coin.
After putting +225 into a sports betting calculator, we see that the oddsmakers believe Alabama has a 30.77% implied probability or 'chance to win' the national champion. This doesn't take into account the sportsbooks' juice or 'vigorish - which typically is anywhere from 3% to 10%, but it's still a good indication of what the oddsmakers believe Alabama's chances are in the above example.
In addition to the probability of a bet being won, odds also tell us how much needs to wagered and how much can be won. Plus-numbers always require a minimum wager of '+100' or 'even,' and the amount that can be won is the displayed odds while minus-numbers require a minimum bet of the displayed odds and the amount won is 'even.'
If we use $100 for our 'even' baseline (you can bet as little as $1 in most cases, though), and since +225 is a plus-number, the odds tell us that a $100 bet will win $225 if the Crimson Tide win the national championship. Once the wager is graded as a win, the online sportsbook will payout $325 to you ($100 bet + $225 won). If the odds had been a minus-number, like -225, then the opposite is true since - when using $100 as a baseline again - a $225 wager would win $100.
So, the next time you see anything about college football betting odds, just remember the number displayed indicates two things: 1) The chance that a bet has to win, and 2) The amount that needs to be wagered is relative to the amount that can be won.
College Football Betting Line – Point Spread, Money Line, Over/Under
Below you will see a typical college football betting line. There may be subtle differences from one sportsbook to the next, but all of the information you see below is pretty much the standard display you are going to run across at high-quality college betting sites. Whether you are betting the point spread, over/under the total, money line, or any applicable parlays and teasers, the following information is an example of what your wager is placed on:
Sat 11/24 12:00 PM | Michigan | +7 | +205 | 49 | (over) |
Ohio State | -7 | -230 | 49 | (under) |
Point Spread
When looking at the betting line for a given matchup, the first set of numbers that you'll notice, in the column directly next to both teams, is what's called the 'point spread.'
The point spread was invented to give sportsbooks a way to draw an even amount of action on both teams since both sides will payout the same amount on most occasions. Here's a simple way to look at it before we dive into the details: Based on the above example, Michigan is winning 7-0 as soon as the game kicks off, and by the end of the game, hypothetically, both teams would be tied when the clock hits zero.
Basically, the spread is what oddsmakers believe will be the margin of victory for the matchup. To make the odds even for both teams, the favorite gets 'handicapped' by a set number of points, which is indicated by a minus-number. The underdog is always represented with a plus-number. If both teams are perceived to be equally talented, and the margin is less than 1 point, then the game will be a 'pick'em,' where you simply pick which team you think will win.
In the example above, Ohio State is playing at home and is predicted to win by a touchdown and an extra point over Michigan, which is indicated by the -7. The name of the game with the spread is to correctly predict which team will 'cover' - not necessarily which team will win.
For a winning bet on Ohio State, the Buckeyes must win by 8 or more point while a winning wager on Michigan has two conditions: The Wolverines can either lose by 6 points or less or win the game by any margin. If the margin of victory is exactly 7 points, then this is what's known as a 'push' which means the entire handle is refunded to all parties.
Money Line
The set of numbers sandwiched in-between the point spread and the over/under total is what's known as the 'money line,' which is arguably the oldest type of bet on sports that still exists today.
The concept of the money line is simple: Which team do you think will win? That's basically it except when it comes time to put up the money since that's where folks might get a little confused at first glance. Just like the spread, the minus-number indicates the favorite, and the plus-number indicates the underdog. However, unlike the spread, a different amount of money must be wagers on both teams, and the payout is vastly different as well.
Because the line is only for 'which team will win,' you aren't betting on a margin but instead the odds themselves, which indicates the amount needed to wager and how much you'll win if you're correct.
So, in the above example, Michigan is +205. The plus-number tells us that if you bet $100 - and the Wolverines win the game against the Buckeyes - you'll win $205 (plus get back your original $100 bet, obviously). On the other hand, a bet on Ohio State requires you to bet $230 - and if the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines - you'll win $100 (and the $230 bet).
The key to betting on the money line is knowing that favorites require more money to be 'at-risk' and offer less of a payout since the perceived better team is more likely to win the game, i.e., that's why they're called the favorite. The opposite is true for underdogs because less money is required to be 'at-risk' and the payout is more than what was initially wagered.
And you don't have to bet $100 - we just used a common example for conversion. The odds are relative to whatever unit size you're working with. The college football betting sites we recommend let you bet as little as $1, so using the same example: The Michigan money line requires a minimum $1.00 bet to win $2.05, and the Ohio State money line requires a minimum $2.30 bet to win $1.00 - at the end of the day, your bankroll size doesn't matter when wagering on the money line or any other betting line for that matter.
Over/Under - Total
Lastly, the final column on any traditional college football betting line is the total or 'over/under' as it's commonly called. The 'total' refers to the total number of points, from both teams, that will be scored in any given matchup.
The oddsmaker predicts how many points will be scored by both college football teams and then allows the public to bet on whether the combined points scored by both sides will go 'over' or 'under' the number set by the sportsbook. If the total points scored by both teams fall exactly on the number set by the oddsmaker, then - like the point spread - it's considered a push and all bets are refunded.
Using the Michigan-Ohio State betting line example above, we can see that the oddsmaker has set the total at 49 points. Since a wager must be placed on whether the total points scored will be over or under to set number, a bet on the over means you believe both teams will combine to score 50 or more points while a bet on the under means you think both teams will combine to score 48 or fewer points.
The total is a bit like the point spread since it's another way the sportsbook attempts to get an even amount of action on both sides of the bet, and as a result, the payout is typically even as well - regardless of what the combined total points scored winds up being when the game ends.
Other Types Of Bets On NCAA Football
With the biggest and the most popular elephant in the room - i.e., the NCAA Football betting line - covered, we can now turn our attention to the other types of wagers that you can make. Here's a brief explanation of the other types of bets you can place during the college football season.
Prop Bets
Also known as 'proposition' or 'side' bets, essentially, these types of wagers are based on something occurring that doesn't directly relate to the outcome of a game like the standard betting line does. Game, team, and player stats are the most common props you'll see - such as 'Trevor Lawrence pass for over 300 yards against Syracuse? Yes/No' - and sportsbooks will literally have dozens or even hundreds available for every matchup. Novelty bets such as 'Will Nick Saban throw his headset to the ground during the Iron Bowl against Auburn?' also fall into the 'prop bet' category.
Futures
Ncaa College Football Odds And Daily Lines
Remember our example in the college football betting odds explanation section above, i.e., 'Odds to win the CFP National Championship - Alabama +225'? That is what's known as 'futures,' which is basically any wager that's placed weeks or months in advance of the outcome becoming known. Timing is vital when betting on futures since the odds fluctuate as a particular outcome becomes more or less likely to happen.
College Football Odds And Daily Lines
Parlays
College Football Odds And Daily Lines - Espn
A college football parlay is when a bettor combines two or more bets into a single wager in order to gain more favorable odds, which, in turn, can result in a bigger payout should he or she be correct. The more combo bets placed, the better the payout because the parlay becomes less likely to win with every added wager. There is a catch: If any of the bets lose, then the entire parlay loses. If a bet in a parlay is graded as a push, then the wager is removed from the equation, and the odds and payout for the parlay are adjusted accordingly.
Teasers
A teaser bet on college football is basically a parlay, where two or more bets are combined into a single wager, but the sportsbooks allow the bettor to 'buy points' or adjust the numbers - such as the spread - to his or her favor. Buying points will cause the payout to decrease and like parlays, if any bet loses, then the entire teaser is lost while a push simply adjusts the odds and payout as if the bet was never made.
Live Betting
And finally, we arrive at one of the newest forms of betting on college football. Live betting, also known as 'in-play' or 'in-game' wagering, gives bettors a way to get in on the action happening during a game. Every type of wager we've covered - excluding futures - can be wagered on while the game is being played. The odds - and payout - for spreads, money lines, totals, prop bets, etc. will be adjusted in real-time based on how a matchup is unfolding. With the rise of wagering on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices, live betting is becoming more and more popular each season.