How to Bet on College Football – NCAAF Betting Guide and Tips

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How to Bet on College Football

Learning how to bet on college football will help you find the edge while betting on one of the toughest collegiate sports in the US.

The NCAAF is the breeding ground of future NFL stars and there is ample opportunity to bet on these stars of tomorrow.

Our college football betting guide will teach you the basics of how to bet on NCAA football, but we’ll also reveal insider tips provided by some of the sharpest football bettors in the US.

How College Football Betting Odds Work

how to bet on college football

When learning how to bet on college football, it’s important to know the market is still all about favorites and underdogs.

The favorite will be the bet selection with the shortest odds, while the underdog will be priced with the longest odds. For example, the favorite for the game above is Virginia Tech.

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How to Bet on NCAAF – Example

Here’s how to gamble on college football, let’s use week 1’s big matchup between Texas A&M (20) and Notre Dame (7).

BetOnline, one of the top offshore sportsbooks available in the US, has made Texas A&M -150 favorites with Notre Dame narrow underdogs at -115.

A $150 bet on Texas A&M would yield a $250 payout for a $100 profit, while a $100 bet on Illinois would pay out $230.

how to bet on college football

But we can get a little more complex than that. You could bet the spread and take Texas A&M at -3.

For the bet to be successful, A&M simply needs to win by 4 points or more, and at odds of -105, you’ll get a better payout than betting the moneyline.

If you feel your prediction prowess is really on point, you could try a same game parlay (SGP).

For example, you could bet the moneyline on A&M , add a totals bet of Over 46.5, and a game prop backing A&M  to be leading at the end of the first half.

All three bets would need to be successful for you to receive a payout.

How to Bet on College Football Online

It all begins with signing up to one of the best online sportsbooks. All of the operators we recommend are trusted and boast an abundance of college betting options.

Placing college bets is super simple and we can show you how to bet on college football online in five quick steps, using BetOnline as an example.

1. Sign up to BetOnline

Head to BetOnline and hit the ‘Join’ button to access the registration forms.

2. Create an Account

Simply provide the required details which will include your full name, residential address, and phone number.

How to Bet on College Football

3. Make a Deposit

Click on the ‘Deposit’ button and select your preferred payment method. Nominate a deposit amount and follow the prompts.

how to gamble on college football

BetOnline accepts almost every major crypto coin and traditional baking methods too.

4. Claim Your Welcome Bonus

Enter your promo code (if needed) and access your welcome bonus if there is one. Remember to read any T&Cs before you accept the terms.

5. Place a Bet on College Football

Scroll to ‘NCAA’, then find ‘NCAA Football Game’, where you will find markets on all the games and can put your college football betting tips to the test.

$250 in Free Bets and 100 Free Spins

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  • Live betting available on all major sports
  • Excellent sportsbook 101 tutorial section
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How to Bet on College Football – Bet Types

Now, all you need to know is how to gamble on college football, starting with these bet types.

While you won’t see quite as many betting options as your average NFL game, the best online sportsbooks will still offer copious amounts of possible bet selections for a single game.

These come in the form of multiple bet types that allow you to bet on different aspects of the game – or the entire season.

Moneyline

The moneyline bet is the simplest bet type, as it just needs you to pick which team will win the game – simple as that.

For example, backing the Navy Midshipman to beat the Memphis Tigers at +450.

Point Spread

A point spread is the margin in which a team wins or loses. If you bet on the favorite to win a spread bet, you’d need that team to win by the chosen margin or more.

Alternatively, if you back the loser to cover the spread, they would only need to lose within the given margin or win the bet. For example, Navy to win with a spread of +14.5 means they need to beat the Tigers by 15 points or more.

Totals

Totals betting sees you trying to predict the combined total of points scored by the two teams in a single game.

For example, a score line of 37 – 40 would be a total of 77. You can choose to back “Over” a given total or “Under” a total. Over 59.5 means you think the score will be a combined total of 60 or more.

Prop Bets

Prop bets are special bet types that are not tied to the outright outcome of a game. They are often some of the most interesting wagers you can find when learning how to bet on college football.

For example, many game specials are prop bets, such as “1+ Rush TDs in Each Quarter”. No matter who wins the game, the bet is successful if more than one rushing touchdown occurs in each quarter of the game.

Another type of prop bet is based around how players will perform in a game. It could involved betting on a quarterback to have a certain number of passing yards, or a receiver having a certain number of catches or receiving yards in a game.

How to Bet on College Football

Futures

A futures market covers the final outcome of a specific series, tournament, round, or league. It is placed well in advance of the actual event and, in many cases, bookmakers will close the market as the outcome approaches.

For example, betting on Georgia Bulldogs to be the outright winner of the Championship.

Parlays

A parlay is a bet that features multiple single bets. The bet is packaged together and benefits from odds that are multiplied by the other legs, which provides far longer odds than the combined payouts of the individual bets.

Unless otherwise stated, a parlay must be made up of bets from different events. For example, a moneyline bet in Game X, a moneyline bet in Game Y, and a totals bet in Game Z.

Same Game Parlays

College betting markets are usually allowed to be added to a same game parlay.

This is a parlay bet with two legs or more, but you can select different markets from a single game. For example, you could bet on the moneyline and a totals market and place it in a parlay bet for greater odds.

College Football Betting Tips & Strategies

Teaching you how to bet on college football wasn’t enough. We herded a few of our top football insiders and sharpest bettors to help us develop the perfect strategy guide.

These NCAA football betting tips will help you develop your strategies and aid in your ability to spot a valuable point spread from a million miles away:

  • Keep it tight – Just like NCAAB betting, there are way too many games in a college football season to bet on every game you see. Stick to looking at the numbers and spot bets of value in a couple of games rather than trying to bet at excessive volume.
  • Pick the small games – When the media is talking about the big ABC prime-time clash, have a look at a game between two lower-ranked teams. You’ll often find the bookmakers have also overlooked these games and have let their odds go rather long.
  • Do a deep dive of the data – If you truly want to be a sharp college football bettor then you’ll need to do some serious research. The data isn’t as readily available as you’d find when learning how to bet on NFL so you need to get creative. Consult the websites of smaller colleges and crawl through odd centers. The data is available, you’ve just got to be willing to put in the leg work.
  • Consider the wind – If the wind is blowing 10mph or more, it can be a good idea to grab the under totals market while it is still valuable. College quarterbacks have weaker arms than the NFL stars and statistically have struggled in the windier conditions.
  • Gamble responsibly – No matter what strategy you choose to leverage, make sure you gamble responsibly. Don’t chase losses and always stick to your limits.

US States with College Football Betting

College football betting is big business, so it is little wonder the regulated state markets want some of the action. In 2014, the most heavily bet on NCAAF game took in more than 112,000 bets.

A total of 38 states accept bets on college football but they are not without restrictions. Some states, like betting in South Dakota, only allow in-person bets, as mobile sports betting either hasn’t gone live yet or only offers in-person betting.

However, offshore sportsbooks have been legally accepting bettors based in the US for decades. Offshore operators offer some of the best odds around, making them an attractive option for players looking to bet on college football without any state restrictions.

$250 in Free Bets and 100 Free Spins

$250 in Free Bets and 100 Free Spins

  • BetOnline odds boosts available every day
  • Live betting available on all major sports
  • Excellent sportsbook 101 tutorial section
9.9
5 Stars
Use bonus code
Copied
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Matty Treuberg
Gambling Editor
Matty Treuberg
Gambling Editor

Matthias is a sports betting expert and decades-long sports betting and casino content creator. A former leading contributor to Pinnacle Betting Resources, Matthias has the lowdown on everything from the latest state legislation and the perfect blackjack strategy to nailing the ideal parlay and predicting how many touchdowns Tagovailoa will average this season.

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