Cincinnati prevailed 24-14. The opening line of 4 was accurate in calling for a larger margin of victory than the closing line, which is where the opener ultimately ends up. VI Consensus College Football Line. When looking at the numbers over the course of the week, you ll see constant line movement on our odds and matchup pages. Get the latest NCAAF odds, spreads and betting lines from this week's games, as well as full coverage of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Football from USA TODAY. The sportsbook sets a line on combined points by both teams, and bettors can take over or under that point total. Moneyline: This bet removes the point spread, with corresponding odds for the. Visit ESPN to view College Football odds, point spreads and moneylines from this week's games.
As dedicated college football fans, we are always looking for ways to understand the game better. Whether rooting for a particular team or outcome, your enjoyment of the wonderful sport of college football can be enhanced when your knowledge is improved. And when placing wagers with your hard-earned money, it is nice to have your hands on as much information as possible.
That is why we have provided our in-depth resource guide which not only provides an example of a college football betting line but also breaks down what you'll see at an online sportsbook for each individual matchup. First, let's dive head-first into how to read college football betting lines and odds before your next round of wagers during the college football betting season.
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What Are College Football Betting 'Odds'?
Before going any further, it's important to understand what 'odds' are and how they work as it relates to betting on college football. You've probably seen 'National Championship odds' or something similar hundreds - if not thousands - of times, but have you ever stopped and asked: What exactly are odds?
Much like the definition of the word itself, odds indicate the probability or 'chance' that something does or does not happen. However, when betting on college football - or anything for that matter - odds also indicate how much money is required to place the wager and how much can be won from that bet if you're correct.
Example: Odds to win the CFP National Championship - Alabama +225
In the example above, we see that Alabama is listed with +225 odds to win the national championship. The '+225' is a plus-number which tells us that the oddsmakers believe there is a less than 50% chance the Crimson Tide will win it all. A minus-number would tell us that the oddsmakers believe there is a greater than 50% chance of the bet being won while +100 or 'Even' is 50/50 - a flip of the coin.
After putting +225 into a sports betting calculator, we see that the oddsmakers believe Alabama has a 30.77% implied probability or 'chance to win' the national champion. This doesn't take into account the sportsbooks' juice or 'vigorish - which typically is anywhere from 3% to 10%, but it's still a good indication of what the oddsmakers believe Alabama's chances are in the above example.
In addition to the probability of a bet being won, odds also tell us how much needs to wagered and how much can be won. Plus-numbers always require a minimum wager of '+100' or 'even,' and the amount that can be won is the displayed odds while minus-numbers require a minimum bet of the displayed odds and the amount won is 'even.'
If we use $100 for our 'even' baseline (you can bet as little as $1 in most cases, though), and since +225 is a plus-number, the odds tell us that a $100 bet will win $225 if the Crimson Tide win the national championship. Once the wager is graded as a win, the online sportsbook will payout $325 to you ($100 bet + $225 won). If the odds had been a minus-number, like -225, then the opposite is true since - when using $100 as a baseline again - a $225 wager would win $100.
So, the next time you see anything about college football betting odds, just remember the number displayed indicates two things: 1) The chance that a bet has to win, and 2) The amount that needs to be wagered is relative to the amount that can be won.
College Football Betting Line – Point Spread, Money Line, Over/Under
Below you will see a typical college football betting line. There may be subtle differences from one sportsbook to the next, but all of the information you see below is pretty much the standard display you are going to run across at high-quality college betting sites. Whether you are betting the point spread, over/under the total, money line, or any applicable parlays and teasers, the following information is an example of what your wager is placed on:
| Sat 11/24 12:00 PM | Michigan | +7 | +205 | 49 | (over) |
| Ohio State | -7 | -230 | 49 | (under) |
Point Spread
When looking at the betting line for a given matchup, the first set of numbers that you'll notice, in the column directly next to both teams, is what's called the 'point spread.'
The point spread was invented to give sportsbooks a way to draw an even amount of action on both teams since both sides will payout the same amount on most occasions. Here's a simple way to look at it before we dive into the details: Based on the above example, Michigan is winning 7-0 as soon as the game kicks off, and by the end of the game, hypothetically, both teams would be tied when the clock hits zero.
Basically, the spread is what oddsmakers believe will be the margin of victory for the matchup. To make the odds even for both teams, the favorite gets 'handicapped' by a set number of points, which is indicated by a minus-number. The underdog is always represented with a plus-number. If both teams are perceived to be equally talented, and the margin is less than 1 point, then the game will be a 'pick'em,' where you simply pick which team you think will win.
In the example above, Ohio State is playing at home and is predicted to win by a touchdown and an extra point over Michigan, which is indicated by the -7. The name of the game with the spread is to correctly predict which team will 'cover' - not necessarily which team will win.
For a winning bet on Ohio State, the Buckeyes must win by 8 or more point while a winning wager on Michigan has two conditions: The Wolverines can either lose by 6 points or less or win the game by any margin. If the margin of victory is exactly 7 points, then this is what's known as a 'push' which means the entire handle is refunded to all parties.
Money Line
The set of numbers sandwiched in-between the point spread and the over/under total is what's known as the 'money line,' which is arguably the oldest type of bet on sports that still exists today.
The concept of the money line is simple: Which team do you think will win? That's basically it except when it comes time to put up the money since that's where folks might get a little confused at first glance. Just like the spread, the minus-number indicates the favorite, and the plus-number indicates the underdog. However, unlike the spread, a different amount of money must be wagers on both teams, and the payout is vastly different as well.
Because the line is only for 'which team will win,' you aren't betting on a margin but instead the odds themselves, which indicates the amount needed to wager and how much you'll win if you're correct.
So, in the above example, Michigan is +205. The plus-number tells us that if you bet $100 - and the Wolverines win the game against the Buckeyes - you'll win $205 (plus get back your original $100 bet, obviously). Can the vikings make playoffs. On the other hand, a bet on Ohio State requires you to bet $230 - and if the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines - you'll win $100 (and the $230 bet).
The key to betting on the money line is knowing that favorites require more money to be 'at-risk' and offer less of a payout since the perceived better team is more likely to win the game, i.e., that's why they're called the favorite. The opposite is true for underdogs because less money is required to be 'at-risk' and the payout is more than what was initially wagered.
And you don't have to bet $100 - we just used a common example for conversion. The odds are relative to whatever unit size you're working with. The college football betting sites we recommend let you bet as little as $1, so using the same example: The Michigan money line requires a minimum $1.00 bet to win $2.05, and the Ohio State money line requires a minimum $2.30 bet to win $1.00 - at the end of the day, your bankroll size doesn't matter when wagering on the money line or any other betting line for that matter.
Over/Under - Total
Lastly, the final column on any traditional college football betting line is the total or 'over/under' as it's commonly called. The 'total' refers to the total number of points, from both teams, that will be scored in any given matchup.
The oddsmaker predicts how many points will be scored by both college football teams and then allows the public to bet on whether the combined points scored by both sides will go 'over' or 'under' the number set by the sportsbook. If the total points scored by both teams fall exactly on the number set by the oddsmaker, then - like the point spread - it's considered a push and all bets are refunded.
Using the Michigan-Ohio State betting line example above, we can see that the oddsmaker has set the total at 49 points. Since a wager must be placed on whether the total points scored will be over or under to set number, a bet on the over means you believe both teams will combine to score 50 or more points while a bet on the under means you think both teams will combine to score 48 or fewer points.
The total is a bit like the point spread since it's another way the sportsbook attempts to get an even amount of action on both sides of the bet, and as a result, the payout is typically even as well - regardless of what the combined total points scored winds up being when the game ends.
Other Types Of Bets On NCAA Football
With the biggest and the most popular elephant in the room - i.e., the NCAA Football betting line - covered, we can now turn our attention to the other types of wagers that you can make. Here's a brief explanation of the other types of bets you can place during the college football season.
College Football Odds And Daily Lines
Prop Bets
Also known as 'proposition' or 'side' bets, essentially, these types of wagers are based on something occurring that doesn't directly relate to the outcome of a game like the standard betting line does. Game, team, and player stats are the most common props you'll see - such as 'Trevor Lawrence pass for over 300 yards against Syracuse? Yes/No' - and sportsbooks will literally have dozens or even hundreds available for every matchup. Novelty bets such as 'Will Nick Saban throw his headset to the ground during the Iron Bowl against Auburn?' also fall into the 'prop bet' category.
Futures
Ncaa College Football Odds And Daily Lines
Remember our example in the college football betting odds explanation section above, i.e., 'Odds to win the CFP National Championship - Alabama +225'? That is what's known as 'futures,' which is basically any wager that's placed weeks or months in advance of the outcome becoming known. Timing is vital when betting on futures since the odds fluctuate as a particular outcome becomes more or less likely to happen.
Parlays
A college football parlay is when a bettor combines two or more bets into a single wager in order to gain more favorable odds, which, in turn, can result in a bigger payout should he or she be correct. The more combo bets placed, the better the payout because the parlay becomes less likely to win with every added wager. There is a catch: If any of the bets lose, then the entire parlay loses. If a bet in a parlay is graded as a push, then the wager is removed from the equation, and the odds and payout for the parlay are adjusted accordingly.
Teasers
A teaser bet on college football is basically a parlay, where two or more bets are combined into a single wager, but the sportsbooks allow the bettor to 'buy points' or adjust the numbers - such as the spread - to his or her favor. Buying points will cause the payout to decrease and like parlays, if any bet loses, then the entire teaser is lost while a push simply adjusts the odds and payout as if the bet was never made.
Live Betting
And finally, we arrive at one of the newest forms of betting on college football. Live betting, also known as 'in-play' or 'in-game' wagering, gives bettors a way to get in on the action happening during a game. Every type of wager we've covered - excluding futures - can be wagered on while the game is being played. The odds - and payout - for spreads, money lines, totals, prop bets, etc. will be adjusted in real-time based on how a matchup is unfolding. With the rise of wagering on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices, live betting is becoming more and more popular each season.
- Where to Bet:
How to read College Football Las Vegas Odds
Similar to our Money Line and 1st Half Odds, every matchup is listed in order of Rotation and those numbers are preceded by the Date and Time of the College Football game. Can paypal be used for online gambling real money.
The rotation for college football games typically lists them by scheduled starting time, which can lead to some confusion since the number will remain the same even if the games wind up changing due to television networks often shifting around action to present more attractive matchups. Home teams are listed at the bottom and will therefore be your even-numbered squad.
The numbers next to the teams are called Spreads or Point-Spreads.
Favorites are the teams laying points, which is represented by a minus (-) sign. The team in the Underdog role is getting points, which is represented by the plus (+) symbol that you wouldn�t see on the board but would be represented next team onto you betting ticket or slip. You can add the spread to your team�s final score and have that edge throughout the game.
If there is no favorite or underdog, the line is called pick�em and is represented by (PK). Winner takes it. The amount of points a team is favored by is set by oddsmakers on Sunday afternoons and that figure fluctuates throughout the week based on the amount of money coming in on bets.
Opposite from the spread you�ll find the Total, which represents what oddsmakers believe will be the combined number of points scored between the teams. That number also increases or decreases based on bets coming in on the Over or Under.
How to Bet College Football Las Vegas Odds
The key to wagering successfully in college football spread betting is to decide early how many points you�re willing to lay with Favorites and to get in at the lowest possible spot.
If you�re going to back the Underdog, make sure you�re getting the most points possible entering the game. The skill in this often requires you to forecast how a game will be wagered since we often see opening lines bet up over the course of the week due to the majority of the money coming in on the favorite.
Of course, getting in too early can often backfire if a better number appears over the course of the week or if injuries that are typically not announced until coaches give status reports on Monday press conferences dramatically alter expectations. There�s also a big rush on betting action just before the kickoff of any game, which means you may be best off waiting until kickoff approaches to get the right number.
Take the 2019 college football Big 12 matchup between Texas-West Virginia as a prime example. The Longhorns opened as an 11.5-point favorite and won 42-31 after the Mountaineers scored the game�s final touchdown with :48 left. West Virginia backers who got in early prevailed on that score, while Texas bettors who guessed wrong and got in too early caught a �bad beat.� Those who waited and laid only 10.5 points still cashed. Get in at the best number!
College Football Opening Line
Opening Lines in college football are typically set on Sunday afternoons in the current week and you usually see immediate action cause line movement. The Spread is based on a rough projection of a score for every matchup, although oddsmakers have a good idea of what side the betting public will want to bet and usually saddles that team with an additional point or three. The same goes for the Total, which projects the combined number of points expected in a contest.
These numbers are based on simulations that take a number of statistical factors into account in addition to baking in injuries, a homefield advantage that is typically worth three points and any other potential edges. Teams coming off bye weeks are usually given an edge thanks to increased preparation time and fresher bodies. Teams coming in on short rest or that have to travel out of their element typically find themselves penalized in a point spread.
UCLA at Cincinnati (-4)
In the above example, UCLA was made a four-point underdog against Cincinnati in the 2019 season opener for both. The betting public jumped on the team from the higher-regarded conference, perhaps believing that the West-Coast team heading more than halfway across the country was being penalized too harshly and the line closed at 2.5 points. Cincinnati prevailed 24-14. The opening line of 4 was accurate in calling for a larger margin of victory than the closing line, which is where the �opener� ultimately ends up.
VI Consensus College Football Line
When looking at the numbers over the course of the week, you�ll see constant line movement on our odds and matchup pages. All of the betting properties we track create their own lines and we display and track all of their movements in the VegasInsider.com Consensus Line. At any given point in the week, from when the line opens until just before kickoff, you�ll see different numbers representing the current lines. Those may vary from one another since properties offer up their own lines, so VI�s Consensus Line represents the one that appears most commonly.
The Total is also available on the VI Consensus line and similarly consists of the current betting line which most frequently among our list of Las Vegas and Global sportsbooks. For an example, in the most recent National Championship between LSU and Clemson, there was significant line fluctuation throughout the two-week lead up. LSU was laying 5.5 to 6 points in multiple locations as the favorite. The battle of Tigers ended with LSU blowing out Clemson 42-25, covering the spread handily.
