College football futures betting is all about predicting tomorrow’s headlines today.

Instead of wagering on a single Saturday game, you’re betting on season-long outcomes that can keep you invested from kickoff in September until the confetti falls in January.

This guide will walk you through how to bet on NCAA futures – from picking national champions and conference winners to nailing season win totals and Heisman Trophy longshots.

We’ll share real examples (the good and the bad), simple strategies to spot value, and tips on timing your bets.

By the end, you’ll know how to turn your college football hunches into futures bets, whether you’re a casual fan or an intermediate bettor looking for an edge.

What Are College Football Futures?

College football futures are bets on big-picture outcomes that won’t be decided until later in the season.

Instead of betting on this week’s game, you’re betting on things like who will win the National Championship, who will take each conference title, or even which player will win the Heisman Trophy.

In other words, these are long-term wagers on season-wide results.

Some popular NCAA futures markets include:

  • National Championship Winner: A bet on which team will win the College Football Playoff and emerge as national champion.

    This is the ultimate futures wager – you might see powerhouses like Georgia or Alabama with relatively low payout odds (because they’re favored) and underdogs with huge odds.

    For example, you could bet a top program at +300 (3-to-1) to win it all or take a longshot at +5000 (50-to-1) if you think a dark horse can shock the world.

    Picking the champion months in advance is challenging, but the payoff can be big.

  • Conference Champion: Here you predict the winner of a specific conference (SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12, etc.).

    If you follow a conference closely, you might have a feel for which team will come out on top.

    These odds vary by conference depth – the SEC favorite might be +150, while a wide-open conference like the AAC could have favorites at +500 or more.

    Conference futures let you capitalize on your knowledge of a particular league’s pecking order.

  • Heisman Trophy Winner: This futures bet is on which player will win the Heisman, college football’s most prestigious individual award.

    The Heisman race is often dominated by quarterbacks on top teams, but running backs or receivers can surprise in the right year.

    Odds for Heisman contenders can be quite long early on – you might grab a talented QB at +2000 in the preseason, and watch his odds climb (i.e. payout shrink) if he starts putting up big numbers.

    This market is fun because a breakout player can come out of nowhere and you can say “I called it!” if you bet him early.

There are other futures too (like betting on teams to make the College Football Playoff, or who will go undefeated), but the three above are the bread-and-butter that attract a lot of attention.

What all futures bets have in common is that you’re wagering on something that unfolds throughout the season, not just one afternoon.

That means you get to follow your bet for weeks or even months, riding the ups and downs of the season.

One thing to note: because so much can happen (injuries, upsets, weather, etc.), futures odds are usually expressed with positive payouts (plus-money) on most options, especially before the season starts.

Even a favorite to win the title might be +500, meaning you’d win $500 on a $100 bet if you’re right.

This reflects the uncertainty and long timeframe – but that’s also what makes it exciting.

You could potentially cash in big if you predict an outcome far in advance that others didn’t see coming.

How Season Win Totals Betting Works

Another hugely popular college football futures market is regular season win totals.

A win total bet is simpler than picking a specific champion – you’re betting on how many games a team will win in the regular season.

The sportsbook sets a number for each team, and you choose over or under that number of wins.

For example, imagine your favorite team has a win total of 9.5 wins.

If you bet the over, you need them to win 10 or more games for your bet to cash.

If you bet the under, you need 9 or fewer wins.

It doesn’t matter if they win the conference or not; all that matters is their total number of victories in the regular season (conference championship or bowl games typically don’t count for these bets).

It’s a straightforward over/under wager on a team’s performance over the season.

Win totals are usually listed with a decimal (.5) to avoid pushes (ties).

Occasionally you’ll see a flat number like 9 or 10; in that case, if the team wins exactly that many, the bet might push and you get your money back.

Sportsbooks will also attach odds to each side (over or under).

If a team is expected to do well, the over might be -140 (you have to bet $140 to win $100) and the under +120 (bet $100 to win $120), indicating more people are taking the over, for instance.

These bets are great for fans because you can bet on your team (or a team you closely follow) to exceed expectations without needing them to win a championship.

If you know a team inside-out – their roster, coaching, schedule – you might spot when a win total is set too high or too low. A lot of factors go into a team’s season, and that’s where you can find an edge.

Let’s say Team A has an over/under of 6.5 wins.

If they have a soft schedule and a veteran squad, you might feel confident they’ll go at least 7-5.

Another Team B might be hyped up with a line of 9.5 wins, but if you know they have a new coach and a brutal road schedule, you might take the under, figuring a 9-3 or worse season is more likely.

Your bet will keep you invested every week – each win or loss brings you one step closer to hitting that over or under.

Quick tip: Because win total bets unfold over the whole season, remember your money is tied up until the end of the regular season.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint – but that’s part of the fun.

Every game feels meaningful when you have a season bet at stake, and if you calculated right, you’ll be celebrating when your team clinches that seventh win (or that third loss, if you took the under) before the season’s over.

Strategies for Spotting Value in Futures Markets

It’s one thing to place a futures bet, but how do you spot a valuable bet?

Successful futures betting is about identifying teams that are underrated or overrated by the public and oddsmakers.

Here are some key strategies and factors to consider:

1. Returning Quarterbacks and Experienced Starters: One of the first things many bettors look at is how much talent a team has coming back.

A returning starting quarterback, in particular, can be a huge advantage.

College teams often make big leaps (or take big steps back) based on the QB position.

If a team brings back a seasoned quarterback and a bunch of veteran starters, they might outperform last year’s results – and the futures odds might not fully reflect that continuity.

As an example, the 2024 College Football Playoff semifinal teams didn’t all have superstar QBs, but each had an experienced signal-caller leading the way.

That experience can elevate a team’s consistency.

On the flip side, if a powerhouse program is breaking in a new QB, they might be more vulnerable than the name brand suggests.

When analyzing a futures bet, check how many starters are returning on offense and defense.

Is the offensive line intact?

Does the quarterback have his favorite targets back?

Teams with high “returning production” and a veteran core often hit the ground running.

Oddsmakers do account for this, but public bettors sometimes overlook a smaller school returning a fifth-year QB, for instance.

That could be a spot to find value.

Looking for teams with favorable schedules and returning starters can tilt the odds in your favor on a win total bet.

2. Schedule Strength (and Soft Spots): Not all 12-game schedules are created equal.

When it comes to futures, who a team plays (and where) can be just as important as who’s on the roster.

A team might be very talented, but if they have to play a gauntlet of top-10 opponents on the road, they could fall short of expectations.

Conversely, a decent team in a weak division or with a soft non-conference slate might rack up more wins than people expect.

Look at a team’s schedule and identify tough stretches and easy stretches.

If a contender avoids some of the other big dogs in their conference due to rotation, that’s a break in their favor.

For example, imagine a scenario like Clemson’s in 2025: the ACC was perceived as trending downward, and Clemson’s schedule missed a top conference rival (Miami) while getting other key games at home.

That kind of schedule set-up can pave the way for hitting the over on a win total.

In Clemson’s case, analysts noted they could even afford a couple of non-conference losses (say, to tough SEC opponents LSU and South Carolina) and still clear 9.5 wins.

A “soft” schedule relative to others can turn a good team into a great bet.

When hunting for value, compare the schedule to the win total or title odds.

Is everyone sleeping on a team because they were 7-5 last year, without realizing their three hardest games this year are at home?

Those are the details that can give you an edge.

Conference futures especially are heavily influenced by scheduling — who dodges who in crossover games, and so on.

3. New Coaches and Program Changes: Few things can shake up expectations like a coaching change.

A new head coach (or even a high-profile coordinator) can dramatically alter a team’s trajectory – for better or worse.

The challenge is figuring out whether a new coach’s impact is being undervalued or overhyped.

Sometimes a historically strong program hires a proven coach and is primed for a quick turnaround.

Think of USC hiring Lincoln Riley – he brought an immediate infusion of talent (via the transfer portal and his offensive scheme) and USC went from 4-8 to an 11-win team competing for the Pac-12 title in his first year.

Bettors who anticipated that kind of instant improvement pounced on USC futures early in the season and were rewarded with a near-playoff campaign.

On the other hand, a new coach can come in with lots of fanfare but needs a year or two to get the pieces in place.

In 2022, Texas A&M was hyped as having a top recruiting class and big expectations under Jimbo Fisher, but even a highly paid coach couldn’t meet the sky-high predictions; the Aggies stumbled to 5–7 after being ranked #6 in the preseason.

Similarly, when a coach with a radically different system takes over a program, there can be growing pains.

One recent example: when Trent Dilfer took over UAB in 2023 with a whole new approach, the team struggled in year one – the program “switched gears entirely and went with the unproven Dilfer and paid the price with a 4-8 finish.”

In both cases, bettors who bought into the hype were disappointed.

The key is to gauge the situation.

Is the new coach inheriting a talented roster that just underachieved (which could mean a quick rebound), or is he starting from scratch?

Does his style fit the personnel?

Also, consider the hype factor: a very hyped coach (like Coach Prime at Colorado) might inflate the odds – everyone was hammering Colorado over after the big hire, pushing the line higher than perhaps it should’ve been.

Meanwhile, a more under-the-radar hire could slip past public notice.

Savvy bettors sometimes grab a team with a new coach after an early stumble, if they still believe in the coach’s long-term vision – because one or two early losses can make the public sour on them, swinging the value the other way.

4. Hidden Gems Outside the Power Five: Not all the best futures bets are on the Alabamas and Ohio States of the world.

Some of the juiciest opportunities are with teams from the so-called “Group of Five” conferences (AAC, Conference USA, Mountain West, Sun Belt, MAC) or other smaller programs.

These teams often fly under the radar, but some years they have the pieces to make a big run.

And since casual bettors focus on the big names, the lines on smaller schools can be softer.

For example, the Tulane Green Wave probably weren’t on many people’s radar before the 2022 season – they had gone just 2–10 the year before.

But Tulane returned a lot of experienced players and had a much-improved squad.

Lo and behold, they pulled off the biggest one-season turnaround in FBS history, going 12–2 in 2022 after that 2–10 in 2021, capped by a bowl win over USC.

A bettor who believed in Tulane’s resurgence (say, taking them over their modest win total or even winning the AAC at long odds) would have cashed in handsomely.

Other examples of recent “hidden gem” teams include UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio), which has strung together double-digit win seasons and conference titles in C-USA/AAC, and Fresno State, a Mountain West program that often punches above its weight.

In 2021, Cincinnati (then an AAC team) even made the College Football Playoff — something unheard of for a Group of Five school — rewarding preseason believers with a playoff ticket at enormous odds.

The lesson is, don’t ignore the smaller schools in futures betting.

If you do your homework, you might spot a champion-caliber Group of Five team before the rest of the world catches on.

These teams can have senior-laden lineups, multi-year starters at QB, and a favorable schedule that allows them to run the table.

The odds on a non-Power 5 team’s win total over, or a conference title bet, are often appealing because the public just doesn’t bet them as heavily.

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as hitting on a “hidden gem” while everyone else is busy debating the SEC favorites.

When to Bet Futures: Preseason vs. In-Season Timing

Timing is another crucial aspect of betting futures.

The value of a futures ticket can rise or fall dramatically as the season unfolds, so when you place your bet matters.

Let’s break down the timing options:

  • Preseason Bets: Many bettors love to place their futures in the summer or early August before any games are played.

    The preseason is when you’ll typically get the juiciest odds on underdogs and longshots because nothing has happened yet to alter perceptions.

    If you have a bold prediction (like a dark horse team making a championship run), the earlier you bet it, the bigger the payout if you’re right.

    For instance, getting a surprise team at 100-to-1 odds in August could be a steal if they come out strong.

    One expert strategy is to place your longshot futures early, before the team gains public attention, to lock in favorable odds.

    The flip side is that you’re betting without seeing any games – you’re trusting your offseason analysis.

    Injuries in fall camp or early upsets can derail a pick before it ever gets going.

    Still, preseason is the time to swing for the fences.

    Even favorites generally have longer odds before the season starts than they will if they start, say, 5–0.

  • Early Season (Weeks 1-4): The first few weeks of the season often bring surprises – a top-5 team might stumble, or an unranked squad upsets a powerhouse.

    Early season results will cause the futures odds to shift quickly.

    If you didn’t bet preseason, you can glean a lot from the opening weeks.

    Maybe that underdog team looks legit and you want to grab them before their odds shorten even more.

    Or perhaps a championship favorite took an early loss, and now their title odds are more attractive than before.

    A classic move is to “buy low” on a proven team that suffers an early setback.

    For example, if Alabama loses in September, many casual bettors panic and bail, causing the championship odds to drift longer – that could be your chance to pounce at a better number, assuming you still believe in their talent to rebound.

    On the other hand, if a team starts 4-0 but you suspect they’ve been a bit lucky, you might fade their now much shorter futures odds.

    Early season is a dynamic time; keep an eye on the odds board every week.

    Futures odds fluctuate based on each week’s games – being ahead of the curve on what those outcomes really mean is how you find value.

  • Mid-Season Value Plays: By the middle of the season (say October), the contenders and pretenders start separating.

    At this point, a lot of futures bets will have already either gained value or lost value based on performance.

    But there are still opportunities.

    Perhaps a team with one loss has a very friendly remaining schedule, and you believe they could sneak into the playoff.

    Mid-season futures bets can be smart when you spot a team that’s flying under the radar.

    Maybe they had a couple of tough early matchups (hence a 3-2 record), but you see their November is full of winnable games.

    An expert tip for playoff futures is to look for teams on the bubble that have favorable schedules in the second half – they’re likely to improve their standing and their odds will shorten accordingly.

    If you get them before that run, you capture the value.

    Mid-season is also when injuries or depth become big factors – if a Heisman frontrunner goes down, suddenly the race opens up for someone else.

    Being alert to news and jumping on updated futures odds that haven’t fully adjusted is key in mid-season.

  • Late Season and Playoff Push: Late in the season, futures markets narrow.

    If you’re betting a win total at this point, you basically know how many wins a team has and how many games are left – not much mystery, so usually not much value unless a sportsbook posts updated totals mid-year.

    For championship or Heisman futures, late-season bets will have lower payouts on the favorites (because the finish line is in sight).

    However, you might find a hedging opportunity or a savvy longshot if the scenario is complicated.

    For example, in late November, you might bet a team at longer odds to win the conference if you think the frontrunner might stumble in the final week.

    Or if there’s a two-man Heisman race, you might take the second-favorite at plus odds if you predict the favorite will falter in a championship game.

    Generally, by late season the value in futures isn’t as great because most of the story has been told – but the flip side is you have much more information.

    If you do bet late, it’s often because you have a strong contrarian feeling about a final twist in the tale.

Remember: You don’t have to stick to just one timing.

Advanced bettors might put a little on a team in August, then add another bet on a different team in October if they spot a new opportunity.

Futures markets are open nearly year-round.

Some books even reopen updated championship odds each week during the season.

So timing is a tool – use it to your advantage.

Bet when your confidence in a position outweighs the uncertainty that remains.

And once you have a ticket, you can always consider hedging if your longshot actually comes through (hedging is placing a new bet on an opposing outcome to guarantee some profit, which can be useful if, say, your 100-1 longshot makes the title game – you might bet the other side to ensure you win something no matter what).

Betting Tales: Longshots and Hype

To illustrate the rollercoaster of futures betting, let’s look at a couple of real-life style examples – one where a longshot bet became the stuff of legend, and another where preseason hype led bettors astray.

The Thrill of a Longshot Hitting Big

Every futures bettor dreams of picking the big longshot that comes through.

In the 2022 season, fans of the TCU Horned Frogs lived that dream. TCU entered the year nowhere near the top of the odds board – in fact, they were around +20000 to win the national championship, truly a moonshot bet (that’s 200-to-1 odds).

They had a new coach, were unranked, and not many saw what was coming.

But TCU went on a magical run, going 12-0 in the regular season and ultimately earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Bettors who had a TCU championship ticket suddenly found themselves one game away from cashing in a lottery ticket bet.

TCU pulled off a dramatic upset in the semifinal (defeating Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl) to reach the national title game.

Suddenly that 200-to-1 ticket was very real – a $10 bet was about to pay $2,000 if the Frogs could win one more game.

They fell just short in the championship against Georgia, but it was still an incredible ride.

A bettor could also have hedged before that final and locked in a profit.

The key point: such longshots do occasionally happen in college football.

TCU’s story, along with examples like Cincinnati making the playoff in 2021 despite similarly long preseason odds, show that if you sniff out a potential Cinderella team and bet them early, the reward can be a once-in-a-decade type payout.

Longshot futures aren’t for the faint of heart – most of the time, those bets won’t cash. But all it takes is one magical season.

Maybe it’s a team with a bunch of senior starters that goes undefeated, or a player that comes from nowhere to win the Heisman (think of DeVonta Smith winning the Heisman as a wide receiver in 2020, a rarity).

Hitting one longshot can make up for a lot of misses.

And even if it doesn’t hit, riding a 100-1 shot into the late season can be a thrill (you can always celebrate a smaller win by hedging as mentioned).

The TCU example will be remembered by bettors for years because it underscores why we play the futures game – the chance, however slim, that you might predict a true underdog story.

When Preseason Hype Goes Bust

Now for the cautionary tale: the hyped-up preseason favorite that crashes and burns.

College football fans know all too well that a team can “win” the offseason – recruiting stars, bold proclamations, high rankings – and then completely flop when the real games begin.

Bettors have to be wary of teams that get a ton of hype but may not have the substance to back it up.

A prime example was the 2022 Texas A&M Aggies.

Coming off a top-ranked recruiting class and plenty of media hype, the Aggies were ranked #6 in the preseason AP Poll.

Many expected them to contend for the SEC and have double-digit wins.

Their win total was set high, and lots of optimistic fans took the over and even sprinkled bets on A&M to win the conference or make the playoffs.

Unfortunately for those bettors, A&M became one of the most disappointing teams in the nation that year, limping to a 5–7 record after months of preseason hype.

They lost games in stunning fashion (including a home upset by Appalachian State early on) and never found an offensive rhythm.

The talent was there on paper, but it didn’t translate to wins.

Anyone who bought into the offseason talk and bet the Aggies’ futures was left holding a worthless ticket by November.

Texas A&M is far from the only case.

That same 2022 season saw other hype trains derail – the Miami Hurricanes also were preseason Top 15 and finished 5-7, and Oklahoma was a popular pick for the playoff but ended up with a middling record.

Betting on the big-name programs can feel safe, but it often means you’re riding the consensus wave rather than finding value.

Remember, sportsbooks know these popular teams attract bets no matter what, so the futures odds may be “priced to perfection” or even a bit inflated.

When a team is crowned in July as the next champ, they have to live up to it, and that’s hard!

The lesson here is to always do your own evaluation beyond the media buzz.

Sometimes the hype is justified – other times it’s a trap.

If a team’s futures odds seem too optimistic, ask yourself tough questions: Do they have proven experience or just talented freshmen?

Did they win a bunch of close games last year that could have gone the other way?

Is there a new coordinator or key loss being glossed over?

Often, identifying an overrated team is as valuable as finding an underrated one.

You might decide to stay away from the hyped team’s win total over, or even take the under if you see glaring red flags.

It can feel contrarian to go against the preseason darlings, but that’s exactly where you sometimes find a profitable angle. Betting against the hype can be just as rewarding as betting on the underdog.

Final Thoughts

Betting on NCAA futures and season win totals is a fantastic way to engage with the college football season on a deeper level.

It encourages you to think long-term, to research teams beyond the headlines, and to anticipate how the whole season might play out.

Whether you’re backing a powerhouse to climb the mountain, or a scrappy underdog to shock the world, futures bets turn you into a fortune-teller of sorts – and when you guess right, it’s incredibly satisfying (and potentially lucrative).

For casual bettors, start small and have fun with it.

Maybe put a few dollars on your alma mater to win their conference or take the over on a rival that you think will falter.

It makes following the season even more enjoyable because you’ve got a stake in more than just one game.

Intermediate bettors can dig into the strategies we discussed: examine rosters for returning talent, break down schedules, understand the impact of coaching changes, and sniff around for those hidden gems.

The college football landscape is vast – from the perennial Alabama and Ohio State title contenders to the upstart programs looking to make a name – which means the futures market is full of opportunity if you know where to look.

Finally, always keep in mind that futures bets require patience.

Your money is locked in for weeks or months, and not every storyline will go your way.

There will be surprises – that’s the nature of the sport.

The key is to position yourself on the value side of those surprises and to manage your bankroll so you can enjoy the season without overstretching.

In the end, the goal is to have fun and maybe earn some bragging rights (and cash) by the season’s end.

So, whether you’re predicting the next national champion or just how many wins your favorite team will get, use this guide, do your homework, trust your instincts, and enjoy the wild ride that is college football futures betting.

Good luck and happy betting!