Understanding College Football Odds
August 24, 2009
If you are new to betting on college football, than it might be a good idea to take some time and get a better understanding of the odds behind the game. There are a number of different ways you can bet on a college football game, and we are going to take some time to go through the basic styles to help you get ready for the upcoming season.
Money Line/Straight Up: This is probably the simplest form of betting, but it can be very difficult to win a lot of money using this style. Because college football has so many teams, there will be some very lopsided outcomes, and in order to keep gamblers from loading up on the favorite, oddsmakers put out a money line. For example one team might head into a game with -175 odds to win the game, meaning you would have to bet $175 to win $100. On the other hand there is some money to be made by betting on the underdog. If a team is given odds of +190 to win the game, you only have to bet $100 to win $190.
Point Spreads: This is the most popular form of college football betting, and the style we use and recommend more than any other. Here oddsmakers still have a favorite and an underdog, but instead of creating a money line where one team is heavily favored and you have to risk a lot to win a little, they give a certain amount of points by which the favorite must win by. That means if the oddsmakers think Texas is 7 point favorites to beat Oklahoma, the betting line will be Texas -7 and Oklahoma +7. Unlike straight up bets, the betting odds are much more even, as both teams will normally be listed from anywhere to -115 to Even.
With this style of betting one team could finish the season undefeated at 13-0, but only 7-6 against the spread, so betting on the favorite is not always the thing you look to do. The thing to remember is the oddsmakers are trying to get action on both sides so they ensure themselves to come out on top no matter who wins the game. Keep in mind that once you place your bet with a sportsbook you are locked in at those odds no matter how much the line changes heading up to the game. That is why it is always a good idea to shop around for the best NCAA football odds before placing your bet.
Totals: This is another popular form of betting college football, and it is pretty easy to get the hang of. Before each game the oddsmakers will factor in a number of different things to decide how many combined points they think the two teams will score. For example the oddsmakers might give two offensive teams a total of 70 points, while two defensive teams a total of 38. Your job is simple, just decide whether you think the score is going to go over or under that total and you win.
If you think you are ready to tackle the sportsbooks on your own, head over to BetUS and get an account up and running today. If you sign up now you can earn up to 145% in sign up bonuses. Betting college football without any expert advice can be very difficult and hard to win on a consistent basis, and that is why we suggest you check out our expert NCAA football picks from some of the top handicappers in the business.
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