It’s no surprise that college football is one of the most popular sports in America, and nothing compares to the history, rivalries, and loyalty the game carries. Combine this with the beauty of amateur sport, from the broad range of talent to the opportunity for glory, and it’s easy to see why NCAA football betting is one of the biggest and most exciting opportunities for sports fans. 

Types of College Football Game Bets

You’re ready to get in on the action and bet on college football. But first, you need to decide what type of bet you’ll make. Maybe you’re confident it’ll be a quarterback shootout, or you think a team will win by more than the spread. At DraftKings, you can learn how to bet within minutes - There are plenty of options for winning big.

Spreads

A point spread is an amount a team is favored to win by. If a team is projected to win by 10 points, you get to decide if they’ll hit that mark or not. Think they’ll shatter the opponent? Or will the other team keep it close? College football spreads are popular among betters. 

Moneylines

An NCAAF line is a bet that has odds. If you want to pick the winner, no matter the score, college football betting lines are for you—if the player or team you bet on wins, you’ll get paid out. Payouts for moneylines depend on how well your betting team is favored. 

Over / Unders

Also known as Totals, Over / Unders are a bet on a specific statistic of the game. The most common Over / Under is the total points. Will it be a high-scoring affair? Or a low-point defensive matchup?

Prop bets

Short for proposition bets, a prop bet isn’t usually tied to the final score or outcome. The most common prop bets are player props, where wagers are made on a single player’s performance, like how many throwing yards the quarterback will have.

There’s a wide range of other prop bets you can play on. Everything is up for grabs, from who scores the first touchdown to how many rushing yards a team will have. You can even bet on what color Gatorade will be poured on the winning coach. If picking the winning team seems too simple, prop bets may be right for you.

Live NCAAF Odds

If you want to actively bet during the game, check out live odds. Know who’s going to score next? Got a good feeling about this drive? Live NCAAF odds update with the action, so stay engaged. There’s always another bet to be made.

Parlays

Parlays are for folks who feel lucky or like routing for several outcomes. You can combine multiple bets to raise the stakes and extend the fun, and if all your picks win, you get a major payout. 

Futures betting

Futures are bets on the entire season rather than a single game. Futures betting pays well because of the difficulty of making selections so far in advance.

The most popular futures bet is what team will win the College Football National Championship, but there are many futures to choose from, such as the winner of the Heisman Trophy.

How Do You Read College Football Odds?

Understanding NCAA football odds is key in picking that winning bet. Don’t be overwhelmed by the numbers! Here’s a simple breakdown to make your next bet easy.

College football lines

In the U.S., NCAA football lines are odds based on a bet of $100.

First, you need to look for the ( + ) or ( – ) symbols. The ( + ) represents the underdog and means a winning bet of $100 will return that amount. For example, a $100 bet on a +150 underdog will pay out $250 ($150 in winnings plus original $100 wager). On the other hand, the ( – ) means you must bet that amount to win $100 since that team is favored. In other words, a –150 favorite means you must bet $150 to win $100.

So let’s say Nebraska and Rutgers have an upcoming game, and the moneyline looks like this:

Nebraska	+120
Rutgers	-140

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Nebraska is the underdog, so if you bet $100 on Nebraska and they win, it’ll pay $220 ($120 in winnings plus original $100 wager).

Rutgers is the favorite, so the payout will be lower. In this example, you’ll have to bet $140 to win $100.

It’s important to note that the home team is always listed second. So in this example, Nebraska is playing at Rutgers.

Even if you think one team will win, if the odds are bad, you may decide that isn’t the bet for you.

College football opening lines

The opening line is the initial odds put out for a game. Many see this as the truest and fairest representation of oddsmaker predictions before they alter things based on the betting. However, further in advance means more betting factors, like injury updates, can change before game time. 

College football closing lines

The closing line is the final odds before the game. These can be different from the opening lines based on factors like injuries, suspensions, or lopsided betting.

Spread bets

The spread will have the same ( + ) or ( – ) odds. However, you’ll also see the spread number.

Nebraska	+3	–115
Rutgers	–3	–105

This means that Rutgers has to give three points since they’re the favorites. If they win by more than three, this bet will pay out $205 ($100 in winnings plus original $105 wager) if you wager $105.

Total bets

The most common total bet is the final combined score. You can bet if the total will be over (O) or under (U) the amount projected.

So our previous example may look like this:

O	63	–110
U	63	–110

The total score, both teams combined, is projected to be 63 points. It’s up to you to decide if the actual outcome will be over or under 63. Either bet will pay $100 for a $110 wager.

What Are The Biggest College Football Betting Events?

At DraftKings, you can bet on any college football game, but some games are bigger events than others. The bigger the game, the greater the excitement!

Championship Games

The biggest event in the NCAAF season is the College Football Playoffs, where the best team of the year is crowned. The finals for the national title happen in January.

In addition, there are 11 Division 1-A Conferences and the same number of Championship Games to crown a top team at the end of the year.

Conference Championships:

• American
• ACC
• Big 12
• Big Ten
• C-USA
• FBS Independents
• Mid-American
• Mountain West
• Pac-12
• SEC
• Sun Belt

Rivalries

Rivalries go back as far as college sports and are some of the biggest games of the season. Even if you don’t have a horse in the race, you won’t want to miss out on the drama of these matchups.

Some of the major rivalries include:

• Army vs. Navy
• Michigan vs. Ohio State
• Texas vs. Oklahoma
• Alabama vs. Auburn
• Florida vs. Georgia
• Harvard vs. Yale
• Notre Dame vs. USC
  
  

The Bowls

Teams that don’t make the College Football Playoffs are eligible for a single postseason bowl game. These matchups are usually held in the same location every year and are big events after the regular season.

The biggest bowl games, reserved for the most elite teams, are known as the New Year’s Six. These include:

• The Rose Bowl
• The Fiesta Bowl
• The Sugar Bowl
• The Orange Bowl
• The Cotton Bowl
• The Peach Bowl