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2024 College Football Betting Guide: How & Where to Bet on NCAA Football This Season
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Last Updated:
Read Time: 18 minutes
Another year of college football betting is here, and the 2024 season may be the most interesting campaign in recent NCAA football history.
If you are used to betting on college football futures odds, one conference is conspicuously absent this season.
Last year was the final year for the Pac-12 as we knew it. This season, four of its members (Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington) are in the 18-team Big Ten, four (Arizona, Arizona State, former Big 12 member Colorado, and Utah) are in the 16-team Big 12, and two (Cal and Stanford) are in the 17-team ACC, which also added SMU.
The conference does live on, but only two members–Oregon State and Washington State—remain. As a result, its future place among the Power Five is tenuous.
Along with the pillaging of the Pac-12, the SEC added two more blue bloods to their now 16-team roster in Oklahoma and Texas, Army is no longer an independent, and Kennesaw State has made the leap from FCS to FBS.
The biggest non-realignment news this season is that the College Football Playoff will feature eight extra teams, ten years after it debuted as a four-team tussle for the title.
Also, some significant action in the transfer portal may impact the participants of the new 12-team playoff this season.
With so much to look forward to, get used to, and wager on, college football bettors have a lot to take in this season.
Our college football guide covers the basics of what you need to know about the current NCAA Division I FBS structure, how to bet on college football, and strategies, tips, and resources for college football betting.
Both new and experienced bettors can benefit from this guide. Let’s dive into what you can find here.
College Football Betting Guide Menu
- Best College Football Betting Sites
- Basics of College Football and College Football Betting
- Types of College Football Bets
- Is Betting on College Football Easier to Bet on Than the NFL?
- College Football Betting Strategies and Tips
- College Football Betting Resources
- Other College Football Betting Information
Best College Football Betting Sites: Where to Bet on NCAA Football in 2024
If you bet on sports at U.S. online sportsbooks, college football odds are easy to find. College football is one of the most popular sports in the U.S., and that applies to both betting on and following it.
Whether you focus mostly on betting on NCAA football games or enjoy betting on NCAA football futures odds, you won’t have to look very hard to find what you are looking for.
Some sports betting sites offer more variety with their college football betting options, but there are many great books to choose from out there.
That said, there are several online sportsbooks that we recommend above the rest of the field, in part because they offer the best combination of betting options, competitive odds, and perks.
If you don’t have an account at a book on this list but want to learn more about it, check out our review for that site. Here are some of the sportsbook reviews you can find at Betting News.
- BetOnline (review)
- Bovada (review)
- BetUS (review)
- BetDSI (review)
- Betwhale (review)
- Everygame (review)
- MyBookie (review)
- Sportsbetting.ag (review)
Our in-depth sportsbook reviews cover available betting options, deposit and payout options, mobile betting, and sportsbook bonuses and promos. All sports bettors are not the same, but these factors are some of the areas many bettors consider the most when deciding where to place bets.
Basics of College Football and College Football Betting
What Is College Football?
The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, also known as FBS (and formerly I-A), is the top level of major college football.
Many of the types of bets, as well as the strategies and tips mentioned, can apply to betting on other levels.
But most college football betting odds and betting information are for FBS games, and the information here is centered around FBS betting. So, any mentions of the words “college football” or “NCAA football” or abbreviations like NCAAF or CFB are referring to FBS odds, bets, teams, players, and games.
In the 2024 college football season, 134 teams will take the field. With Army moving to the American Athletic Conference, only Notre Dame, UConn, and UMass make up the independent ranks this season.
Power Five College Football Teams
- ACC (17 teams): Boston College, California (also known as Cal), Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (FL), North Carolina, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
- Big 12 (16 teams): Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF (Central Florida), Utah, West Virginia
- Big Ten (18 teams): Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Washington, Wisconsin
- Pac-12 (two teams): Oregon State, Washington State
- SEC (16 teams): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss (University of Mississippi), South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
Group of Five College Football Teams
- American Athletic Conference (14 teams): Army, Charlotte, East Carolina, FAU (Florida Atlantic), Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Rice, South Florida (USF), Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UTSA
- Conference USA (10 teams): FIU (Florida International), Jacksonville State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Kennesaw State, Middle Tennessee (MTSU), New Mexico State, Sam Houston State, UTEP, Western Kentucky
- Mid-American Conference (12 teams): Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois (NIU), Ohio University, Toledo, Western Michigan
- Mountain West (12 teams): Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming
- Sun Belt (14 teams): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe (ULM), Marshall, Old Dominion (ODU), South Alabama, Texas State, Troy, USM (Southern Miss)
College Football Independents
- Notre Dame
- UConn (University of Connecticut)
- UMass (University of Massachusetts)
The college football regular season will take place over the course of 17 weeks, from Saturday, August 24 to Saturday, December 14. The first week of the college football season is referred to Week Zero, given that only a handful of games take place that week and the season doesn’t begin in earnest until the following week.
At the end of the regular season, a dozen teams will earn a spot in the revamped College Football Playoff.
Many of the teams who don’t qualify for the CFP will get one more game, as there are 41 bowl games this season.
The six most prominent college football bowl games are referred to as the New Year’s Six. Those six games are the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl.
Under the new format of the College Football Playoff, the New Year’s Six make up this season’s CFP quarterfinal (Fiesta, Peach, Rose, and Sugar) and semifinal (Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl) games.
This season’s national champion will be crowned on Monday, January 20, 2025, when the College Football Playoff National Championship Game will be played at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Basics of CFB Betting
Do you know how to bet on NFL games? If you follow or bet on the NFL at all, college football and the NFL share a lot of similarities. There are some differences, but a lot of the basics of NFL games are basics of college football as well. That includes the two-minute warning, which has long been a part of the NFL but is one of the new NCAA football rules for 2024.
We don’t recommend betting on a sport if you don’t have some basic knowledge of it. But if you know American football rules and concepts, knowing college football teams, players, and conferences is a good place to start with boosting your betting knowledge.
That said, we all must start somewhere, and some people learn very quickly. If you are not familiar with American football but would like to learn about it to help you eventually bet on college football, the below video explains a lot of American football basics.
In addition to knowing basic rules and information about teams, players, and conferences, it is also important to know about the types of college football bets you can make at most sportsbooks.
Types of College Football Bets
There are many types of college football bets you can make at most sportsbooks that offer NCAA football odds.
If you bet on NFL odds, you will be familiar with the types of bets mentioned here, even if you’re newer to some of the specifics like Heisman Trophy odds or other kinds of college football futures odds.
Betting on College Football Games
There are many ways to bet on college football games each week at online sportsbooks like BetOnline. Whether you are wagering on one of this season’s blockbuster matchups like Texas-Michigan, Georgia-Alabama, or Oregon-Ohio State or a mid-week MACtion (Mid-American Conference) or Fun Belt (Sun Belt) matchup, these are the types of bets you may look to make.
Note: Any college football lines and odds listed below are courtesy of BetOnline.
Point Spread Bets
One of the three main ways to bet on college football games is to bet on point spreads.
If you are betting on one (or more) of this week’s college football spreads, you are wagering on one of two scenarios. Either you are betting on the spread favorite to win by at least a certain number of points, or you are betting on the spread underdog to win outright or lose by fewer than a certain number of points.
Here’s how that would work out with the first game on this season’s college football schedule, a matchup between ACC foes Florida State and Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland.
- Florida State -12.5 (-110)
- Georgia Tech +12.5 (-110)
If you bet on Florida State to cover the spread, that means that the Seminoles must win by 13 or more points for your spread bet to win. If you bet on Georgia Tech to cover the spread, that means that the Yellow Jackets must either win outright or lose by 12 or fewer points for your spread bet to win.
Moneyline Bets
While spread betting comes down to a particular outcome, college football moneyline betting is all about who wins and who loses.
With spread betting, the bigger the favorite, the higher the spread. With moneyline odds, the more sizable a favorite is, the shorter their moneyline odds will be.
- Florida State -500
- Georgia Tech +390
If you bet on a big moneyline favorite, the return on your investment will be minimal. In this example, a $100 bet on Florida State to win would yield $20 in winnings. However, you are more likely to win your bet, given the significant implied advantage that the Seminoles have over the Yellow Jackets.
If you bet on a moneyline underdog, you could very well win much more than you would by betting on the favorite. In this example, a $100 bet on Georgia Tech would yield $390 in winnings. However, you are more likely to lose your bet than come out a winner, given FSU’s significant implied advantage.
With all of this in mind, it is important to weigh up the risk anytime you make college football moneyline bets. Sometimes the risk is worth it, even if the bet loses. Sometimes the risk is not worth it, even if the bet wins.
Total (a.k.a. Over/Under) Bets
Moneyline and spread betting can be made or broken by the outcome of a game. But with total betting, also known as over/under betting, only the number of points comes into play, not who scored them.
When betting on college football over/under odds, you are betting on the two teams to either score more points than the listed total (over) or score fewer points than the listed total (under).
- Florida State/Georgia Tech over 56.5 (-110)
- Florida State/Georgia Tech over 56.5 (-110)
If you bet over 56.5, that means that the Seminoles and Yellow Jackets must combine for 57 or more points for your bet to win. If you bet under 56.5, that means that the Seminoles and Yellow Jackets must combine for 56 or fewer points for your bet to win.
College Football Prop Bets – Player, Team, and Game Props
Betting on college football props is not as popular as betting on NFL props, but you can find a variety of player, team, and game props for many college football matchups.
Many player props are over/under bets (like passing yards props, rushing yards props, and receiving yards props), but first and anytime touchdown scorer props, which are moneyline props, are some of the prop bets available for college football games each week.
Similarly, first score and first team to score props are among the most popular team and game props for college football games.
Live Betting
Live betting doesn’t refer to a specific type of bet, but it is one of the ways you can bet on college football games.
Did you bet the over on a game, but it went scoreless in the first quarter? Has a favorite fallen behind by a touchdown or two early but still has plenty of time to turn things around and win?
With college football live odds, you can take advantage of betting value that may have not been there before kickoff.
It is very useful for hedging your bets or finding some great value spots, but it can also just put an extra spin on following or watching a game.
Thanks to the advent, advancement, and prevalence of smartphones, you can bet on a game from anywhere and at any time. As a result, offering live odds is a must for any reputable sports betting site these days.
Parlays, Same-Game Parlays (SGPs) & Teasers
Save for Week Zero, Week 15—when the nine conference championship games will take place—and Week 16, when the regular season officially wraps up with the annual Army-Navy Game, the college football schedule will feature several dozen games most weeks this season.
With so many games taking place, many bettors like to place college football parlays, same-game parlays, and teasers. Each of those options allow you to bet on multiple betting lines, but what are the differences between them?
With regular parlays, you can combine odds from several games, and those odds can be point spread odds, moneyline odds, or total odds. For example, if you fancy a parlay with Florida schools, you can bet on Florida State to cover, UCF to win, and the Florida game to go over.
Same-game parlays, also known as SGPs, allow you to combine multiple betting options from a single event. For example, you can combine a spread bet, a total bet, and a player prop from the same game.
Parlays and teasers are similar in that they involve odds from multiple games. But teasers are limited to only spreads and totals, and your potential winnings from teasers are much different because the spreads and totals are significantly altered.
Futures Betting
The above types of college football bets largely involve betting on college football games. College football futures betting, however, doesn’t involve directly betting on game odds.
When betting on college football futures odds, you are betting on outcomes that are yet to be decided.
Some of the futures bets you can make for college football include bets on Heisman Trophy odds and other prominent college football awards, College Football Playoff winner odds, and college football win total odds.
Typically, college football futures are moneyline bets. However, NCAA football win totals are a notable exception, as they are over/under bets.
Is NCAA Football Easier to Bet on Than the NFL?
While there are a lot of similarities between college football betting and NFL betting, you will see notable differences in approach and strategy.
Does that mean that betting on college football is easier than betting on the NFL? Or is the NFL easier to bet on than college football?
For example, with college football betting, you must handicap larger point spreads and totals (and occasionally smaller totals) than in the NFL. Spreads of two touchdowns or more (-14 or more) are a frequent sight in college football but much less so in the NFL.
When it comes to totals, the highest NFL totals for regular season and playoff games may be around 55 or so points, while the lowest totals can be in the mid to upper 30s. For college football totals, totals can hit the high 70s or even the 80s when two high-scoring teams are involved and fall as low as the 20s if you are betting on a game involving the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Also, the worst NFL teams regularly beat the best NFL teams, but the worst college football teams rarely beat the best college football teams.
If you are betting on college football point spreads, you may feel more confident about betting on a big favorite on the road in an uneven matchup than you would about betting on a big NFL favorite on the road in an uneven matchup.
That said, no sport is easy to bet on, even if you know it extremely well. There is a reason that even just breaking even long term is a great achievement.
There is a lot to consider when betting on both NCAA football and the NFL, and it takes a lot of work to have success doing so.
College Football Betting Strategies and Tips
Whether you are new to college football betting or have been doing it for some time, there are many strategies and tips to consider and implement.
As with any sport, paying attention to injury and/or suspension news is important for college football bettors. Injuries and suspensions can significantly affect college football odds, and they can also be key in whether a team should be backed or faded.
Also, don’t focus on only the major matchups or bigger conferences. There is a lot of money to be made in betting on conferences like the MAC and Sun Belt, and the games can be rather exciting as well.
Lastly, be careful about falling in love with historical betting trends. Because of the turnover that takes place in college football and how programs can have significant ebbs and flows over the course of several seasons for varying factors, some college football betting trends are not as relevant or helpful as others.
College Football Betting Resources
College Football Picks
Throughout the 2024 season, Betting News provides college football computer picks from Week Zero to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
For each featured matchup, we aggregate and list picks from some of the top sports betting industry sources. Those picks are matched up with corresponding odds from the best sports betting sites to determine the recommended point spread, moneyline, and total pick for the matchup.
In addition to those picks, our college football content team offers up best bets, predictions, and expert betting analysis for many of the top NCAA football matchups each week.
The content we provide is free, and there are many other great resources and sports betting industry personalities—some of whom are the best follows on gambling Twitter—who provide reliable college football picks and insight for the low, low price of zero dollars and zero cents.
However, there are also a lot of great options if you are interested in paying for betting picks. If you are, we recommend checking out our rundown of the best places to buy premium sports picks.
Remember, do not tail anyone’s picks blindly, including ours. Betting picks from reputable sources can be a very handy part of your research and can contribute to your confidence in a bet, but they are meant to be followed blindly.
College Football Odds
In addition to NCAA football picks, we also provide college football point spread odds, college football moneyline odds, and college football over/under odds from several top online sportsbooks.
On our NCAA football odds page, you can find odds from betting sites like BetOnline, Bovada, and MyBookie. And when you check out each individual matchup listed, you will be able to compare up-to-date spread, ML, and over/under odds for that matchup from those books and others.
For bettors seeking out the best betting value, being able to compare odds with such ease can be very helpful. Instead of having to look at each site individually, they are all in one place.
College Football Stats, Standings & Rankings
Statistics are an important part of researching bets, whether you are betting on college football, college basketball, the WNBA, or soccer.
With over 130 teams, poring over college football stats can be quite an endeavor. It is a worthwhile endeavor, but it can be a time-consuming one depending on what you are looking for.
Knowing how players and teams match up statistically can play a key role in determining the direction you take with your betting picks. For example, if one team is one of the best in college football at running the ball and the team that they are facing is one of the worst in college football in defending the run, that can give the former team a big edge.
There are many good resources for keeping up with college football statistics, including individual team websites.
Also, it is important to keep up with the latest college football rankings each week, as well as up-to-date CFB standings. This can help with knowing which games are most important each week and why those games are important.
Other College Football Betting Information
Other NCAAF Content by Betting News
College football is one of the most popular sports to bet on, and we cover it extensively every season.
Do you find this college football betting guide useful? It will be updated from time to time to include any new relevant information, so bookmark it to keep up with those updates. Also, bookmark Betting News so you can keep up with the content we provide for the 2024 college football season.
Check out our weekly college football predictions and analysis and keep up with our other college football betting content, such as futures updates and analysis, guides like these, and more.
Learn More About Sports Betting
Our college betting guide is just one of many sports betting guides you can find at Betting News. If you would like to learn a type of bet, how to bet on a sport, league, or event, or understand a betting strategy, we cover a lot of sports betting basics with our guides.
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