College Football Betting Basics
College football betting can be a bit daunting if you don’t know how it works, but luckily, we have put together a primer on different types of wagers to get your NCAAF season started.
The college football season is less than a month away and soon bettors will have a plethora of games to wager on. The first week of the season, inexplicably named Week 0, has 11 games slated for August 27.
Five days later, however, the first “official” week of the season kicks off. There are 82 games from Thursday, September 1 to Monday, September 5.
It can be a bit intimidating if you are just starting to get your feet wet with betting. The first rule is don’t try and bet a bunch of games. This is especially true if you don’t know the teams. Don’t know where Austin Peay is? Then don’t think about putting a wager on them. They’re in Clarksville, Tennessee by the way, but still don’t bet them.
Two other common-sense rules to follow when betting on not just college football, but all sports: First, find a monetary limit you are comfortable gambling with and stick with it. Second, know what type of bets are out there. Education is key.
Below are some bets that can be made on college football. Study up and don’t forget to have fun.
Know How to Bet the Spread
A spread bet is the most common wager seen at sportsbooks. Each facility sets a line on a game and then has different juice amounts, which is the fee a sportsbook is charging for a team.
For example, a team might be favored by three points and getting a juice of -115. That means if you bet $115 and your team covers the spread (winning outright or losing by less than three points) you would win $100, plus your original $115.
It pays to shop around and see who is charging less juice. Some sportsbooks will have -115, while others can be -110 or even -105.
Another tip is to visit different online sites and see what the spread is for a game you’re interested in. There are two different lines for the August 27 matchup between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Northwestern Wildcats.
At BetMGM, the Cornhuskers are favored by 12 points, but at Caesars Sportsbook Nebraska is favored by 12.5. A half-point might not seem like a lot, but believe me, I have lost games that I would have won if I had that extra point.
New customers at Caesars can receive up to a $1,000 free bet when registering a new mobile or online account. If your first bet loses, no problem. Caesars will replace that bet with a free bet of the same amount.
Total Points Bets Shouldn’t be ignored
Another good way to gain knowledge on college football is the total or over/under. This wager is good if you are not sure about who might cover, but you feel confident about how many, or how little, points will be scored.
This is a good bet to make for teams with large spreads. In Week 1, the Missouri Tigers are favored to defeat the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs by 20.5 points. Missouri is in the powerful SEC but they are one of the worst teams in that conference.
Defeating Louisiana Tech by 21 points might be a big ask. However, the total of the game is set at 59.5 points. If you think the Bulldogs and Tigers are going to have a shootout then take the over. If you think both teams might be rusty in their first game of the season take the under.
Moneyline Bets Can Payoff Huge
One way to hedge a bet with a favorite is to take the moneyline. The moneyline eliminates the spread and just factors in who will win the game. Odds are assigned to teams in regards to what the sportsbooks think their chances are for winning.
Take the Missouri-Louisiana Tech game. Missouri is -1100 on the moneyline, which doesn’t make for a very smart moneyline bet. You would have to wager $1,100 to win $100.
On the flip side, Louisiana Tech is +650, meaning if you bet $100 you would win $650.
Moneyline bets are usually best for small favorites or underdogs. The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are hosting the Vanderbilt Commodores and are getting 6.5 points. The moneyline on them is +215 at BetRivers. If you have faith that Hawaii can upset Vanderbilt you are getting better than double your money.
Introducing One Game Parlay at BetMGM. Now you can build a parlay by selecting the winner, total, and multiple player props from a single game.
Parlays are Often Sucker Bets
Sportsbooks love people who bet parlay cards because they lose more often than they win. That’s why the odds are so attractive. Pick three games against the spread correctly and get +600 odds. Ten games picked correctly pays +72000.
The only problem is there is always one game in your parlay that’s going to go against you. One mistake and your card is ruined and your money lost.
If you are going to play parlays, try to do a same-game parlay. That’s when you take bets from the same game and put them together. This can be especially effective if you believe you have handicapped a game correctly. So you couple the spread, over/under, and moneyline on a card.
There are a variety of intricate specialty bets that can be made as well, but I recommend waiting until you have the basics down. Getting as much knowledge on those can be very profitable.
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