How to Bet on College Football for Beginners

College football crowds can exceed 100,000 fans, creating an electric atmosphere.

Betting on these games adds even more excitement, letting you test your predictions on Saturday showdowns.

If you’re new to college football betting, don’t worry – this friendly guide will explain the basics (point spreads, moneylines, and totals) and highlight what makes betting on college games unique.

We’ll also cover how college betting differs from the NFL (think wider point spreads and David vs. Goliath matchups) and share simple tips to spot value, even when one team looks like a powerhouse and the other an underdog.

College Football Betting 101: The Basics

Before diving into the quirks of NCAA football, it’s important to understand the core bet types. The three most common ways to bet on a college football game are:

• Point Spread: This is a handicap to level the playing field between a favorite and an underdog.

  The sportsbook sets a margin of victory (the “spread”) that the favored team is expected to win by.

  You can bet on the favorite minus the points or the underdog plus the points.

  For example, if Alabama is a -20 favorite, they must win by more than 20 points to cover the spread (win the bet).

  Conversely, if the underdog is +20, they “cover” by losing by 19 or fewer points (or by winning outright).

  The spread makes betting fair regardless of who wins the game since the favorite has to clear a points hurdle while the underdog gets a head start in points.

  If the favorite wins by exactly the spread number, that’s called a push, and bets are refunded.

• Moneyline: A moneyline bet is simply picking which team will win the game outright, with no point spread involved.

  The odds are expressed with a minus for favorites and a plus for underdogs.

  For instance, a -160 moneyline on Clemson means you must bet $160 to win $100 (since Clemson is favored).

  A +135 moneyline on Georgia means a $100 bet could win you $135 (Georgia is the underdog).

  In short, favorites pay out less because they’re expected to win, while underdogs pay more because an upset is less likely.

  The larger the gap in skill between teams, the more extreme these odds can get – in some huge mismatches, a powerhouse might be -1000 or more (bet $1000 to win $100) on the moneyline!

• Total (Over/Under): This is a bet on the combined total points scored by both teams in a game.

  Oddsmakers set an estimated total, and you wager on whether the actual points will be over or under that number.

  For example, if a college game has a total of 55, an over bet wins if 56 or more points are scored, while an under wins if the total is 54 or fewer.

  If the points land exactly on 55, it’s a push and you get your money back.

  College games can be high-scoring, so don’t be surprised to see some totals well into the 60s in NCAA matchups.

These fundamentals – spread, moneyline, and over/under – are similar to betting on the NFL.

However, college football has some unique aspects that can make betting a different ballgame.

Let’s explore those differences next.

College vs. NFL: Key Differences in Betting

College football isn’t just “NFL Jr.” – there are important differences that beginners should note.

From the range of team abilities to regional quirks, NCAA games present a distinct betting landscape.

Here are some key differences:

• Lopsided Matchups & Wider Point Spreads: In college football, the gap between the best and worst teams can be huge.

  There are over 100 teams in the top division (FBS), and talent is not evenly distributed – powerhouse programs (think Alabama, Ohio State, etc.) routinely face smaller schools that are frankly overmatched.

  As a result, point spreads are often much larger than in the NFL.

  It’s not uncommon to see college favorites of 20, 30, or even 40+ points.

  By comparison, NFL spreads rarely exceed two touchdowns, ~14 points.

  For example, a top-ranked team might be a 35-point favorite against a minor program – something you’d rarely see on a pro Sunday.

  These huge spreads reflect the greater team mismatches in college: a powerhouse of all-stars versus a smaller school with a limited budget can produce blowout scores.

  In extreme cases the talent gap is so wide that sportsbooks won’t even offer a moneyline on the game (because the favorite is virtually certain to win).

  As a beginner, be prepared for these eye-popping numbers – a -30 spread in college is not as bizarre as it sounds!

• Higher Scores and Totals: College football games tend to be higher-scoring than NFL games.

  The rules are mostly the same, but factors like faster tempo offenses, less-experienced defenses, and even differences in overtime rules (college overtime can lead to additional points) mean more points on the board.

  Average over/under totals in college are often in the 50s, and it’s common to see totals above 60 points.

  In contrast, NFL totals might hover in the 40s for an average game.

  So if you love betting overs and seeing lots of scoring, college might catch your eye.

  Just remember that a high-powered college offense facing a weak defense can run up the score quickly, while a mismatch might also mean the losing team barely scores at all – which makes predicting totals an interesting challenge.

• Regional Quirks and Styles of Play: College football is highly regional and diverse.

  Teams come from conferences across the country, each with its traditions and play styles.

  You’ll encounter quirky offensive schemes and varying strategies that you rarely see in the NFL.

  For example, one week a team might face an option running attack (very run-heavy, old-school style), and the next week play against an Air Raid offense (pass-heavy, fast-paced).

  The range of playbooks is huge – some college teams have wildly innovative game plans, while others stick to very old-fashioned approaches.

  This means outcomes can be unpredictable because teams must adapt to different styles every week.

  Additionally, home-field advantage can be more pronounced in college.

  Stadiums like Penn State’s Beaver Stadium or LSU’s Tiger Stadium pack in enormous, deafening student crowds that can rattle a 19-year-old quarterback playing on the road.

  Regional factors like weather and travel distance also come into play – a southern team traveling north in November might face chilly conditions it’s not used to, for instance.

  All these quirks make college games wonderfully unpredictable at times.

  As a bettor, it pays to be aware of a team’s style and context (conference, location, etc.), since a high-scoring West Coast night game might be a totally different animal than a grind-it-out Midwest afternoon game.

• More Teams & Less Consistency: In the NFL, there are 32 teams of relatively equal caliber, and any team can beat any other on a given Sunday.

  In college, with 130+ FBS teams, the range of quality is much broader.

  Top teams reload with new players every year, while smaller programs might have one star every few seasons.

  Also, college players are younger (18–22 years old) and tend to be less consistent week to week than seasoned pros.

  A squad that looked unbeatable last week might fumble its way through a bad game this week – emotions run high with young players.

  This volatility means that shocking upsets happen (more on that soon), and also that betting lines can move a lot if there’s news or momentum swings.

  As a beginner, understanding that college football has a wider variance in performance will help you not to be overly confident in any single big favorite or ranking (up next!).

Rankings, Polls, and Public Perception

College football is unique in that teams are ranked in polls (AP Top 25, Coaches Poll, etc.) throughout the season.

Those little numbers next to a team’s name (like #5 or #22) can heavily influence public perception – and thus betting patterns.

Many casual bettors will flock to the higher-ranked team purely because of that ranking.

If a Top 10 team is facing an unranked opponent, the public often assumes the ranked team will roll to an easy win, which can lead to heavier betting on the favorite.

However, rankings can be misleading when it comes to actual game outcomes.

Poll rankings are based on votes and opinions of sports writers and coaches, and they don’t always reflect the true strength of a team.

A team might be highly ranked due to past glories or a string of wins against weaker opponents.

Meanwhile, their underdog opponent could be unranked but still very capable.

Sportsbooks and sharp bettors know that the name and ranking of a team can inflate the betting line.

In other words, the point spread might be a few points higher just because the public loves the ranked favorite.

This creates an opportunity: if you suspect a ranking is overrating a team, you might find value in betting the underdog to cover the spread (or at least avoiding the over-hyped favorite).

The key lesson is don’t bet teams solely because of their ranking number.

Always consider the matchup details. Remember, a top-5 ranking didn’t stop a huge upset when mighty Michigan lost to unranked Appalachian State back in the day, and upsets still happen in modern times.

Rankings are a handy guide to who the contenders are, but they are not a guarantee in betting.

Use them as one piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture.

Tips for Betting College Football (Finding Value in Mismatches)

Now that you know the basics and understand how college betting differs, let’s talk strategy.

College football often presents David vs. Goliath scenarios – and while Goliath (the favorite) usually wins the game, that doesn’t always mean they’ll beat the point spread. Here are some beginner-friendly tips to help you spot value, especially in lopsided matchups:

• Be Careful Backing Big Favorites: It’s tempting to bet on the powerhouse team in a mismatch – after all, the Alabamas and Ohio States of the world do win most of their games.

  But covering a huge spread is another story.

  Oddsmakers know the public loves big-name favorites, so they set very high spreads in these games.

  For example, a top team might be favored by 35 or even 50 points against a small school.

  Betting the favorite in that situation means you need a complete blowout.

  Often, coaches of a leading team will take their foot off the gas once they’re comfortably ahead – they might rest their star players in the second half and play backups, meaning the underdog could sneak within the spread by the end.

  In fact, history shows that in massive-spread games, the favorite frequently fails to cover.

  One extreme case saw Florida State favored by 70.5 points (the largest spread ever) – the game ended early due to weather and FSU didn’t cover that enormous spread.

  The takeaway: don’t blindly lay the points with every big favorite. Sometimes the safer (and smarter) move is to avoid the game or consider the underdog.

• Underdogs Can Offer Value: The flip side of the above point is that the underdog, getting a huge cushion of points, can be an attractive bet.

  In a game where a lesser-known team is +35, they can lose by four touchdowns and still cover your bet – and that happens more often than you might think.

  Underdogs in college have pride and motivation; the players know they’re facing a powerhouse and often give it everything they’ve got (this might be the biggest game of their season).

  Meanwhile, the favorite has little incentive to win by 6 or 7 touchdowns – they just want to secure a win and avoid injuries.

  This dynamic means the underdog can exceed expectations.

  There have even been a few miraculous cases where gigantic underdogs not only covered but won outright.

  For example, in 2017 the Howard University Bison shocked UNLV as 45.5-point underdogs, the biggest upset in modern college football history.

  That kind of David-beats-Goliath upset is rare, but it underscores that no bet is ever a sure thing.

  If you take an underdog with the points, you don’t even need them to win – just to fight hard enough to not get blown out by the predicted margin.

  It’s often a fun bet to cheer for the underdog to “beat the spread,” especially when the whole crowd expects a blowout.

• Consider Why the Line is So High: When you see an eye-popping spread or a heavy favorite, ask yourself why it’s set at that number.

  Is the favorite truly that dominant, or is public hype inflating the line?

  Sportsbooks factor in public sentiment – if everyone is betting on the famous team, the point spread might creep even higher.

  As a beginner, a good strategy is to follow the money to a degree: if a line moves even further in favor of the favorite (say from -35 to -38), it means lots of people are betting on that side.

  Often, the value then shifts to the underdog +38, since you’re getting even more points.

  This is sometimes called “fading the public,” i.e., going against the crowd.

  You don’t have to get too technical with line movement at first, but just be aware that bigger spreads = more points for the underdog to play with.

  If the line looks massive, there’s probably a reason – and it might be that casual bettors are overestimating the big team.

• Look for Mismatches (and Misconceptions): Not all college games with a big spread are the same.

  Try to notice how a big favorite usually wins games.

  Do they run up the score relentlessly, or do they tend to ease off?

  Also, how does the underdog match up?

  For instance, if the favorite is a high-scoring team but the underdog has a strong defense, the underdog might keep the game closer than expected.

  On the other hand, if a powerhouse team has a weak spot (say, a shaky pass defense) and the underdog has a decent quarterback, the underdog could score enough to stay within the spread.

  Even at a basic level, checking a couple of stats or recent performances can clue you in.

  Don’t just go by team names – sometimes a “no-name” school can put up a respectable fight if the matchup conditions are right.

  As you gain experience, you’ll get better at spotting when an underdog has a realistic shot to cover.

• Enjoy the Game and Bet Responsibly: This last tip is more about mindset.

  College football Saturdays are meant to be fun.

  Betting should enhance enjoyment, not cause stress.

  Start with small bets while you learn the ropes – even a $5 wager can make a game thrilling when bragging rights are on the line with your friends.

  Pay attention to how your bets do, and learn from each result.

  Over time, you’ll get a feel for the ebbs and flows of college football.

  And always remember, upsets happen and favorites don’t always dominate as predicted.

  The unpredictability is part of what makes college football betting so exciting!

  So embrace the learning process, never bet more than you can afford to lose, and enjoy the spectacle of campus rivalries and underdog stories.

By following these tips and insights, you’ll be well on your way to making sense of college football betting.

Whether it’s a marquee SEC matchup or a late-night West Coast game, you’ll understand the odds and know what to look for.

Betting on college football can be a rewarding hobby that connects you even more to the sport – just keep it fun and keep learning as you go.

Good luck, and happy betting on those Saturday showdowns!