Guide to College Football Spreads & Betting Odds
Football is not just a college football game; it is a cultural phenomenon that binds fans, students, and alumni with so much passion. To others, it is a great and exciting avenue regarding betting. College football spreads and odds might be confusing for the uninformed, but it gets interesting once you grasp the main sense of it. This can add dimensions to a watched game and possibly give some fatness to your wallet. This guide will take you through everything you should know about college football spreads, from the basic to the most advanced strategy.
What’s a Spread in College Football?
At its very core, a point spread is a kind of bet that equals the gameplay of teams of uneven strengths. Therefore, bookmakers use a point spread for each game, going into detail by what margin the favorite team is expected to win. For example, if Alabama is favored over Auburn by 14.5 points, Alabama must win by 15 points or more for those who took the bet on Alabama to win the game. On the other hand, all those who bet on Auburn would win if Auburn won straight out or even lost by 14 points or less.
The purpose of college football spreads is to balance the action on both sides of the bet, ensuring that sportsbooks don’t take a significant loss. This type of betting is trendy in NCAA college football, where there can be large disparities between team talent levels.
Are College Football Spreads Different from NFL Spreads?
One of the most frequently asked questions by newcomers is whether college football spreads differ from the NFL ones. The answer is yes and here’s why: there are much larger disparities in skill amongst college football teams, creating much larger spreads than those common in NFL games. It is not out of the ordinary to see point spreads of 30 points or over in matches of NCAA college football, especially when powerhouse teams take on smaller schools. While most NFL games are always tighter, with teams mostly playing close games because of competitive balance, spreads over 14 points are unlikely.
The volatility of college football games, driven by a number of factors such as younger players, inconsistent levels of coaching, and unpredictable weather conditions, make college football spreads more difficult and rewarding to bet on.
How to Read and Interpret Betting Odds
To the sports bettor, one has to understand the betting odds. College football has three standard forms of odds: American, decimal, and fractional. American odds are widely used in the United States. Favorites are denoted with a minus sign, while underdogs are denoted with a plus sign. For example, -200 for favorites versus +150 for underdogs. The bigger the negative number, the bigger the favorite.
An example would be the odds reading -110 next to the spread number. Anything like that would mean it would take a $110 bet to win $100. Betting spreads are also a great way to gain value for games where otherwise a moneyline bet would pay too little.
The Largest Spreads in College Football History
College football history is full of some wild spreads. One of the biggest was back in 2012, with Florida State facing Savannah State as massive 70.5-point favorites. That is right-Florida State was favored to win by more than ten touchdowns. Another memorable one in 2019 had Clemson favored by 47 points over Charlotte and they covered it easily in a 52-10 win. These games truly show how mismatches in college football can result in some of the biggest spreads ever seen.
However, wagering on such large spreads is risky business. Sure, favorites commonly win big, but they pull their starters early and let the underdogs cover in the last few minutes of the game.
Things to Keep in Mind Before Betting on College Football Spreads
It’s important to remember that college football spread betting is more than just selecting a favorite team. Factors that may influence the results include the following:
- Home Field Advantage: This is one of the strongest home-field advantages in the world, bar none, for college teams. For some stadiums, like LSU’s Tiger Stadium or Michigan’s “Big House,” this is especially so.
- Injuries: The NFL reports the injuries, but since college football teams are not required to report their injuries, this becomes one of the prime areas to research.
- Weather Conditions: Weather conditions may be a factor, particularly for those teams that do not normally experience playing in snow or even rain.
- Motivation and Rivalries: Games between arch-nemesis or with playoff implications can often result in strange outcomes, which may impact college football spreads.
Each of those should be a part of your analysis when it comes to making NCAA predictions and choosing the best college football bet of the week.
Popular College Football Betting Strategies
There are several ways in which a person can bet the spread successfully in college football. Many start by “fading the public.” In other words, you bet against the consensus. More often than not, this perception tends to drive the lines on high-profile teams, thus giving one better value on the other side.
Another method is line movement. This is when, if the spread moves far away from where it opened or to it, this could be a signal that sharp money is forcing the odds one way or another. Keeping track of these movements will, in turn, inform you when making a decision.
Understanding Over/Under Betting in College Football
Besides spreads, the next most common type of bet involves the over/under. In this case, you are betting on the combined total of points for both teams. For example, if the over/under for any single game is set at 65.5 points, then you predict whether the total score will be over or under that amount. A lot of NCAA college football games involve very high-scoring contests with the increased prevalence of fast-paced offenses and generally weaker defenses.
Your best bet regarding college football betting is over/under wagers, especially in games pitting two high-powered offenses or teams with leaky defenses against each other.
Money Line vs Spread Betting
Most beginners wonder whether they should focus on either money line or spread betting. A moneyline bet is relatively simple; you’re just betting on which team will win outright. This is ideal for games where the outcome seems clear, but the spread is too large to comfortably bet on.
On the other hand, spread betting gives you better value, usually when you’re backing an underdog or betting on a game that’s going to be close. It’s also a way to be involved with games where it wouldn’t be worth it to bet on the heavy favorite because the return would be so low.