College football odds, spreads and betting lines

Whether you want to bet on this year’s Heisman Trophy winner or for your alma mater to cover a 28-point spread, there is plenty to digest in the world of college football betting. We have prepared a guide to help you comprehend the different bets available to you, the best sites for updated betting odds, and tips on how to make the most of your betting experience with college football. 

Please keep in mind certain states have specific laws prohibiting betting on in-state college football teams or on props. Be sure to check your state’s laws before attempting to place bets.

Types of college football bets

Like most sports, college football offers a variety of betting types. You can always bet on your favorite upset of the week, the next Ohio State game to hit the Over in points, and you can bet on your favorite school to cover the spread in any game. 

In the following sections, we explain the different betting types available to you.

College football moneyline

In college football, moneyline bets are when you bet on a team to win the game. It does not matter how many points the game is decided by. You just have to pick the team that wins the game. If Notre Dame is playing Navy and you bet on the Notre Dame moneyline, then Notre Dame simply has to win the game for you to win your bet.

Something unique to college football is that some games have such large spreads – think more than 35 points – that the moneyline market will not be available to bet as the odds would be astronomical and not valuable to bet. In these cases, the sportsbook will only offer spreads and totals.

Also, college football games cannot end in a tie, so you will never get a push on a moneyline bet thanks to overtime.

College football spreads

Spread bets in college football work just as they do in other sports. You must correctly choose which team will cover the number of points in the spread to win the bet.

If you bet on the spread for the team favored to win the game, then they must win by at least that many points to win the bet. If you bet on the spread for the underdog, then they cannot lose by more points than the spread to win the bet.

For example, let’s say Louisville is a 7.5-point favorite against Georgia Tech. If your spread bet is on Louisville, then they must win the game by at least 8 points for you to win your spread bet. If you bet on Georgia Tech to cover the spread, then they must either win the game or not lose by more than 8 points to win your bet. 

College football totals

Betting totals in college football is betting whether the combined points scored between the two teams will go Over or Under the number set by the sportsbook.

For example, if the game between Stanford and Hawaii has a total of 58.5 points, then an Over bet on the total would require the final score to be at least 59 points to win the bet. Betting the Under means the final score must stay under 58 points to win the bet.

Most games will have a total set between two numbers with a decimal point, such as 40.5 or 62.5. But if you happened to bet on a total of 40 points in a game and the game ended with exactly 40 points, then the bet outcome would be a push and you would get your amount wagered back.

College football props

Prop picks for college football usually come in two forms: Player props and game props. There are many states that prohibit betting on player props in college sports, so that is why you may not see them in your favorite sportsbook.

But if you do, you will usually be able to bet on players going Over or Under their line for yards, or which players will score a touchdown.

Game props are a variety of general things. In a game between Utah and Florida, you could bet if there will be overtime, which team scores first, if a team scores three times in a row, if both teams score 20-plus points, or the exact winning margin. There are also spread and total bets for specific quarters or halves, which can be listed under game props.

College football futures

Futures for college football are bets that you can place before or during the season on events that will not be decided until later in the season, such as who will win the national championship, who will win the Power 5 conferences, or which player will win the Heisman. 

Bettors enjoy the value associated with futures, because you will usually get options with great odds instead of choosing between sides with -110 odds like with bets on spreads and totals for single games. 

Some sites and sports betting apps will also have futures markets for things like which teams will make the playoffs or appear in the conference title games. If you wanted to bet on the SEC to be the conference that produces the national champion again, you can find that futures bet too.

College Football Championship odds

One of the most popular futures betting markets for college football is the national championship winner. You can find odds at a top-rated sportsbook like FanDuel and bet on which team you think will ultimately win the championship in January. We have included the current odds for the top 10 teams:

Heisman Trophy odds

The Heisman Trophy is college football’s top player award to highlight the player who had the most outstanding season. The winner is revealed at a ceremony every December prior to the postseason. 

We have included the top Heisman Trophy betting odds for players in the 2024 season via FanDuel. Last year’s Heisman winner was LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. Ohio State’s Archie Griffin is still the only player to ever win multiple Heisman Trophy awards, doing so in 1974-75:

College football parlays

A parlay is any bet that includes multiple bets on one bet slip. Technically, if you bet on the spread and total in a game, that would be a 2-leg parlay. To win a parlay, each leg must hit. Even if you got 14-of-15 legs correctly, that would be a losing bet unless the 15th leg was voided for some reason (push or player prop voided).

Some of the best sportsbooks will offer Same Game Parlay options where you can bet on things like Over/Under on the home team’s total points, the halftime spread, and an alternate spread line. You could even parlay together multiple Same Game Parlays to maximize your profit with long odds. 

College Football picks & predictions

Since football teams only play weekly, fans and bettors have ample time between games. Utilizing this time for research is crucial, as it allows you to thoroughly analyze matchups and seek expert predictions to better inform your picks and college football bets. By dedicating time to research and analysis, you can make more informed decisions and increase your chances of success when betting on college football games.

Watching the talking heads shout at each other in expensive suits on TV or listening to a local radio sportscaster, who lacks national appeal and knowledge, are not the best ways to get useful, expert predictions on college football. You should instead focus on websites or social media accounts that produce content that is helpful to bettors, including relevant statistics, trends, injury notes, and matchup breakdowns. 

Most of this information will be freely available on the internet, though you should be cautious in dealing with any tout services or people seeking VIP members for their Discord picks. The best experts will not only provide their pick but include researched, logical support of their prediction. 

Understanding college football odds and bets

How to read college football betting odds

Sportsbooks will include three main betting markets for each upcoming college football game:

• Spread: Pick the right side as it relates to the margin of victory
• Moneyline: Pick the team who will win the game
• Total: Pick the right side as it relates to the total number of points going Over or Under the line

The team that is the underdog will have a “+” sign in front of their odds for the moneyline and their spread number. Betting on the moneyline of an underdog will lead to a higher payout for a win, but it is less likely to succeed than betting on favorites. Only 20 schools failed to have a winning record in games they were favored in during the 2022 season.

Teams favored to win will have a “-” sign in front of their odds for the moneyline and their spread number. They will have to win by more points than the spread to cover the spread. Some games will not have a moneyline market if the spread is too large. 

If you like a game to be high scoring, you bet Over on the total. Expecting a low-scoring game means you should bet Under the total. 

How to calculate winnings from college football odds

To calculate winnings on any college football bet, you just need to know your wager amount and the fixed odds you placed the bet at. 

For example, Notre Dame is a 20.5-point favorite against Navy. If you placed a $100 bet on Notre Dame to cover the spread at -105 odds, you would win $95.24. You would receive a total of $195.24 as you get your $100 stake back plus the winnings.

The longer the odds, the higher the profit, but the probability of success will be much lower. Let’s say you bet $100 on Notre Dame to win by the margin of 19-to-24 points at +460 odds. Now you would win $460 (total payout: $560).

But the implied odds of a +460 bet hitting is only 17.9%. For -105 odds, it increases to 51.2%, or slightly better than a coin flip. This is why they call it gambling. 

What to know when betting on NCAA football

One of the first steps you should take when betting on college football is understanding which markets are going to be available to you based on the state you are betting from. Some states prohibit betting on in-state college football teams. Some prohibit player prop bets. Some prohibit online betting, forcing you to visit a retail sportsbook to place your bets.

Once you understand the legality of betting on college football in your state, you can figure out the easiest way to place your bets. Many of the best sportsbooks, including FanDuel, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook, have downloadable apps that you can do mobile betting with after creating your account. Many offer sportsbook promos for new users, including risk-free bets and bonus bets.

Betting with an app is easier and saves time from visiting a casino or venue to do in-person betting. 

Why compare NCAA football odds on Oddspedia?

Odds comparison helps you win more on NCAA football

By using Oddspedia, you can directly compare the odds for college football markets at several sportsbooks at once to find the best value. This is an invaluable resource for bettors as you will save time by not having to visit each sportsbook to find the best price.

For example, if you see that FanDuel is offering +230 odds and BetMGM is offering +215 odds, then you know to make that pick at FanDuel. A difference of +15 leads to an extra 15 cents per dollar bet. On a $100 bet, that would be an extra $15 won thanks to identifying the best price.

Getting the best odds is how bettors maximize their profits over the long run. 

Find the best college football odds for today

Whatever sport you are betting on, the moment the lines are posted or waiting for any closing-line value on a Saturday morning, you should always consult sources like Oddspedia that will compare odds across multiple sportsbooks in one handy table. By getting the best prices, you will increase your profit over time. 

Track NCAAF line movement

Tracking line movement is a crucial skill in making good bets in college football and other sports. If the line is moving, that means money is pushing it that way, and this is information you need to know as a bettor.

Fortunately, Oddspedia makes tracking line movement simple with a graphical representation of how the line has been moving over time. The x-axis shows the date, and the y-axis shows the odds. This way you can see which direction things have been moving and bet accordingly. 

Find the best NCAA football betting sites

Oddspedia features odds from only the most reputable online sportsbooks that have a good track record of paying customers in a timely manner for winning bets. With Oddspedia, you can expect to get a direct comparison of the odds found at FanDuel, BetRivers, BetMGM, betway, and Caesars Sportsbook. You will find your college football betting needs at these sportsbooks. 

College Football Odds and Betting FAQs