NCAAF ODDS

College Football Betting Odds, Lines & Spreads - NCAAF Betting

If you are interested in betting on college football games, very likely you have heard about the Orange Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Rose Bowl, and the Cotton Bowl. These and other bowls are highly-coveted prizes for the best college football teams in the country. 

Every year, 133 Division I teams, which are divided into ten conferences, drop blood, sweat, and tears on the field to have the honor of reaching the finals. Collegiate athletes know that a good performance can catapult them to a successful career in the NFL, which makes, for many, the NCAA Football Finals the opportunity of a lifetime. 

Because of this, the season is full of exciting moments, including last-second touchdowns and spectacular interceptions that keep the outcome of the game undecipherable until the very end. 

The NCAA Football Championship is organized in various conferences, such as the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Big Ten Conference, the Pac-12 Conference, and many others. While each team competes against other teams within their conference, they might also play non-conference games against different teams. 

After the legalization of sports betting in several states, betting on NCAA Football became a favourite activity for fans around the nation, as it allows them to add an extra layer of excitement to the games and potentially earn a payout if they can predict an outcome accurately. 

The main betting markets on NCAA Football are the moneyline, the point spread, the over/under (also known as totals), and parlays. Here, we guide you through them, and also teach you how to understand the odds so that you can make informed betting decisions. 

How to Read College Football Odds

Before placing a bet on college football, it is highly recommended that you have a solid understanding of how the odds work and what they mean. Especially if you are new to the betting world, comprehending a dashboard full of signs and numbers can feel daunting. 

However, here, we simplify things for you. 

First, you must know that sportsbooks will list their odds in one of three formats: American odds, Decimal odds, and Fractional odds. As the name implies, American odds are mostly used in the United States. Decimal odds are preferred in continental Europe and Australia, while fractional odds are the main choice in the United Kingdom and Ireland. 

Let’s see how they work in the context of college football. 

American NCAAF Odds

In American odds, the team that is considered the favorite to win the match will be listed with negative odds, while the team that is considered the underdog will display positive odds. For example, if Hawaii is playing Stanford, and Stanford is considered the favorite team to win, then the odds will look like this:

1. Stanford, -400
2. Hawaii, +450

Since the NCAA is in the United States, and our sportsbook partners are located in North America, it is very likely that the American odds format will be their default choice. 

To estimate your winnings using American odds, you can use the following formula:

1. Payout with negative American odds = (100/Odds)*Wager
2. Payout with positive American odds = (Odds/100)*Wager

Using the previous example, here is what we would make if we placed a $100 bet on Hawaii. 

Profits for a $100 bet on Hawaii = (450/100)*100 = $450

In addition to your $450 profit, you would recover the $100 you wagered. This means that the total payout for a $100 bet on Hawaii, if successful, would be $550. 

Decimal NCAAF Odds

Compared to American odds, decimal odds are significantly simpler to understand. However, there are a few differences that you need to take into account when calculating your payout. 

In decimal odds, favored outcomes will have odds between 1 and 2. Outcomes that have odds over two reflect that the sportsbook considers them as unlikely, according to their own probability estimations. 

To calculate your potential payouts using decimal odds, these are the formulas you need.

Total Payout using Decimal Odds = Wager * Decimal Odds

Total Profit = Total Payout - Wager

While with American odds you can estimate your profit directly, with Decimal odds, first you need to estimate your total payout, which includes the recovery of your initial wager.

Let’s assume that, for a match between the Miami University Redhawks and the University of Miami Hurricanes, the decimal odds look like this:

1. Miami University Redhawks, 3.80
2. University of Miami Hurricanes, 1.33

We are backing the Redhawks for an upset, so we would like to estimate how much we can make. We’re ready to wager $100. 

Total Payout = $100 * 3.80 = $380

Total Profit = $380 - $100 = $280

Our profit for a bet on the Miami University Redhawks would be $280. 

Fractional NCAAF Odds

Last, but not least, let’s cover fractional odds. Even though they can seem confusing in principle, fractional odds are simple. If the denominator is larger than the numerator (for example, 3-4), it means that the bet is considered a favorite. If the numerator is larger than the denominator (for example, 13-6), it means that the team is considered an underdog. 

Let’s use the following example. 

Alabama is playing Auburn, in one of the most anticipated duels not only in the American South but nationwide. 

The odds are:

1. Alabama, 2/5
2. Auburn, 13/5

This time, we anticipate no surprises, so we’re backing the Crimson Tide. Again, we are ready to bet $100. 

To estimate our profit, what we need to do is to multiply $100 times the fraction, in this case, $100 * (⅖), which would be $40. This means that, for a bet of $100 on Alabama, we would make a profit of $40. In addition to this, we would recover our $100 wager, so our total payout would be $140. 

NCAAF Bets Types

Since college football is such a high driver of betting activity, we can only expect that there are many betting markets available in order to satisfy bettors’ distinct tastes and preferences. 

Here, we explain some of the main markets, and what the odds mean in each of them. 

College Football Point Spread

In football, the most popular bet by far is the point spread. This happens for many reasons.

For example, bettors might like the idea of supporting an underdog, but believe the moneyline proposition is too risky. Or they might be fully backing a favorite, but believe the payout is not enough to make it worth the risk. 

As a refresher: the spread is the way through which a sportsbook levels the odds, and the way in which it accomplishes this is by giving a point handicap to the team that, according to their estimates on paper, seems the weakest. 

For example, Nebraska is playing Minnesota State, and the line is:

1. Minnesota State, -7.5
2. Nebraska, +7.5

What this means is that, in order for a bet on Minnesota State to be a winner, the Mavericks would need to win by at least 8 points. Conversely, a bet on Nebraska could be a winner even if the team loses the game, as long as it does so by seven points or less. 

In a scenario like this one, most commonly, betting on either side would give you odds of -110. 

College Football Moneyline Odds

The moneyline, in football, as in many other sports, is one of the most straightforward wagers. 

By betting on the moneyline, we are basically predicting which team will win the match outright, regardless of the score. 

If you are looking at a dashboard with American odds, then keep in mind that the favorite team’s odds will be displayed as negative, while the underdog’s odds will be shown as positive. The good news about this is that, if you can accurately predict the underdog of the day, you will earn a handsome payout. 

College Football Over/Under (Totals) Odds

If you are eager to feel the thrill of college football action, but are not sure which team to support, or if you love to bet, but prefer to avoid the agony of waiting for the winning team to be decided until the last play, then the totals bet, which is also known as an over/under bet, can be a good choice for you. 

A bet on the over/under predicts whether the total score of a game will fall over or under a specific number of points (called the over/under line), which is determined by the sportsbook before the match starts. 

Since the sportsbook calculates the over/under line based on their algorithms and estimated probability, and after analyzing each team’s scoring capabilities, the odds on the over and the under tend to be pretty equal. It is very common for odds on both sides to be listed as -110 in American format. 

Parlay Betting

A parlay is a bet that combines two or more individual bets. For a parlay bet to be a winner, all the individual bets included in the parlay must win. 

Let’s assume that we’ve chosen three teams for an upcoming NCAAF Matchday, and we’ve bet that all of them will cover the spread: TCU, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. If Notre Dame and Oklahoma win, but TCU does not, our parlay will be lost as a result. 

Best Sportsbooks for College Football

To place a bet on NCAA Football, first, you need to create an account with your sportsbook of choice. Here at Lines, we are partnered with most of the nation’s leading legal sportsbooks, such as FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, BetMGM, WynnBet, Caesars, PointsBet, and more, and we display the best odds available in our dynamic dashboard. 

We highly recommend that you shop around for the best odds, which will help you to maximize your potential payout. Also, stay tuned, as many sportsbooks offer NCAA Football-specific promotions and bonus opportunities. 

FAQ

Where can I find the latest college football betting lines online?

To find the latest college football betting lines, visit your sportsbook of choice. At Lines, we’re partnered with the top sportsbooks in the nation, and through our NCAAF Odds Hub, we give you the best odds for the day so you can maximize your winnings. 

Who is favored to win college football?

According to the future odds listed by some of the leading sportsbooks, the favorite teams are Georgia (+220), Ohio State (+600), Alabama (+600) and Michigan, with odds of +1000. 

What is the point spread in college football?

The point spread is the way in which the sportsbook levels the odds in a match. For example, if North Dakota is playing the Navy, and you bet on North Dakota -20.5, it means that North Dakota needs to win the match by 21 points or more. On the other hand, if the Navy loses the match by 20 points or less, a bet on Navy +20.5 would be the winner. 

What are the Vegas odds on the National Championship game?

The odds are based on the sportsbook’s estimated probability of an outcome. To understand the odds in more depth, go to this comprehensive guide. 

How do you bet on college football? 

There are several betting markets available on NCAAF games. The most popular ones are the moneyline, the point spread, and the totals, in which you predict whether the score will go over or under a specific number predicted by the sportsbook.

Affiliate Disclosure: Lines may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook or betting site.