How to Bet on College Football - The Complete Guide for 2024

While it may not be a professional sport, college football is one of the most popular entities in the country, and for good reason. Whether you root for your alma mater or enjoy great football and the drama that comes with the College Football Playoff, there’s never a shortage of storylines.

That also means the betting markets continue to expand, so we’re here to help break down how to bet on college football online. Not only that, but we also have the best sportsbooks in terms of where to bet on college football. Those operators each have incredible sign-up bonuses, so let’s get started detailing everything there is to know about the best college football betting sites.

📍 Where is College Football Betting Legal?

Before we dive fully into everything, we must answer the all-important question, “Can I bet on college football games online legally?” As long as you’re at least 21 years old, this article on how to bet on college football online applies to you:

Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maines, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, West Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

🏈 How to Bet on College Football

We have the best sports betting sites for you coming up, but first, we want to make sure you’ll know how to take advantage of them with this quick step-by-step guide regarding how to bet on college football games:

1. Use the links or banners in this article to get started at a college football betting site
2. Fill out your registration form with the necessary information, such as your name, age and email
3. Make your initial deposit based on the sign-up bonuses we have for you
4. Navigate to the college football betting page
5. Click on the odds of the selection you want to make to add it to your bet slip
6. Place a wager amount that satisfies the new-user promo you’re claiming

Now, let’s finally detail where to bet on college football and the thousands in bonuses you can claim with their new-user promos.

📲 Where to Bet on College Football Games Online

We have five incredible sportsbooks for you so that you can take full advantage of this article on how to bet on college football. So, let’s break down each one individually.

College Football at DraftKings

Once fans know how to bet on college football games, one of the first places to go is DraftKings Sportsbook. As a partner with the NFL, you can be confident that you’re also getting competitive odds on college football as well. With that comes a a $1,000 No Sweat First Bet bonus. All that is required is a $1-$1,000 bet on anything, and if you lose, you’ll receive an exact refund in bonus bets.

College Football at FanDuel

FanDuel Sportsbook is the #1 sportsbook in America, so of course they’re a top-tier college football betting site. As you’d expect, they also have a generous welcome offer. Their $150 first-bet bonus means you can essentially get 40/1 odds on any betting selection! Just place a $5+ pre-game bet on any team or player, and if you win, $150 in bonus bets are all yours. 

College Football at Caesars

Another top choice when it comes to college football betting is Caesars Sportsbook. Thanks to the Caesars promo code FNEG1000, new members will receive a first-bet offer in the form of insurance. If your opening bet loses, up to $1,000, you will receive an exact refund in a bonus bet back within 72 hours. Take a chance and bet big behind this insurance, if you win, you will earn a potentially substantial sum in cash funds. 

College Football at BetMGM

BetMGM Sportsbook is another operator you’ll certainly want to join now that you know how to bet on college football online. With the BetMGM promo code FANNATION, they'll dish out bonus bets totaling $150. Just place a first bet of $10+ on anything, not just college football. Then, you can be stress-free, knowing that you’ll receive your $150 in bonus bets no matter the outcome.

College Football at Bet365

Finally, wrapping up our list of where to bet on college football is Bet365 Sportsbook. They provide either a guaranteed bonus to get started or first-bet insurance, whichever you choose. 

Following a $10+ deposit, you can wager $1+ on any available market to receive $150 worth of bonus bets win or lose. Or you can bet up to $1,000 and be reimbursed with bonus bets of the same amount should your wager lose.

🏈 How College Football Betting Works

Now that you have the best spots to place your action, let’s continue with how to bet on college football games. If you’re familiar with betting on the NFL, you can treat it as virtually the same process. That means it all starts with the money line, point spread and total (over/under) to predict how individual matchups will turn out. Of course, there is no shortage of betting types, and we’ve detailed a few of them below.

🏈 Popular College Football Betting Types

So long as you qualify regarding the requirements when we outlined the answer, “Can I bet on college football games online legally?” you can take advantage of the following bet types and more.

College Football Parlays

Parlays are the most versatile bet type you can take advantage of once you know how to bet on college football online. That’s because they can involve several other bet types, as they work by piecing together individual bets into one larger selection with multiple legs. The caveat is that all of the selections within a parlay must be successful for the parlay to win.

College Football Same Game Parlay

Based on the name, you can tell that Same Game Parlays (SGPs) are similar to parlays in the sense that they are a collection of individual bets that all must be successful. The difference is that each of the selections is from an individual game. These often consist of player props paired with a team to win a game.

College Football Teasers

Teasers are another unique type of parlay. However, the payouts aren’t quite as valuable due to them providing a more favorable circumstance. They provide the ability to change the value of a spread of total when piecing together.

For example, a 6.5-point spread can be brought down to 0.5 points when paired with another spread of total. Like the previous two bet types, every selection within a teaser must be successful to win.

College Football Futures

Futures are much different than the aforementioned bet types. Rather than piecing together multiple selections to produce valuable odds, futures markets often provide that with just a single selection. These are predicting outcomes for the long term, such as a player to win the Heisman, a team to win the College Football Playoff or other usually season-long markets.

Other Popular College Football Bets

One of the other most popular college football bet types is one we mentioned when detailing SGPs. That would be player props. Those are individual markets predicting things such as a player going over or under his passing/rushing/receiving yards total. It’s important to note that with collegiate athletics, these markets are not offered in all states.

🏈 College Football Odds & Betting Lines Explained

Now that you know how to bet on college football games with several different bet types, let’s further explain how those odds and lines work. As mentioned, it all starts with the money line, point spread and total (over/under).

Money line prices can often not be the most valuable place to start, but that isn’t always the case. For example, a reasonable favorite of -150 means that a $15 wager profits $10 as long as that team wins the game. Conversely, an underdog of +150 means that a $10 bet profits $15 as long as that team comes out victorious.

Some bettors prefer point spreads, which predict how much a team will either win by or how close they can keep a game. A 9.5-point favorite must win by at least 10 points, while a 9.5-point underdog must lose by nine points or fewer or win the game outright.

A similar concept can be applied to game totals (over/under). A game with a total of 42.5 means that a bet on the over wins if 43 points or more are scored, while a bet on the under is successful as long as the game ends with 42 points or fewer.

📖 How to Read College Football Odds & Betting Lines

Following an explanation of the lines and odds, it’s also important to know how to read them to fully understand how to bet on college football. First, here is an example of what a spread for a game will look like:

• Team A +9.5 (-110) vs. Team B -9.5 (-110)

As an example of what a total will look like, that is below:

• Over 42.5 (-110) vs. Under 42.5 (-110)

For each of those cases, the -110 number in parentheses is the odds applied to each spread and total line.

📊 College Football Betting Trends

Once you’ve become a new member at the sportsbooks we outlined when we shared where to bet on college football, it will also help to be aware of some betting trends:

• How a team performs against the spread (ATS)
• How a team’s strengths and weaknesses matchup against an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses
• How a team performs when playing at home and on the road
• How a team performs when playing indoors or outside
• How a team’s strengths and weaknesses perform in inclement weather

🤓 College Football Betting Strategies

After exploring those betting trends, you’ll be ready to implement strategies to fully take advantage of how to bet on college football.

Basic

The two most basic concepts to be aware of once you’re eligible based on the question of “Can I bet on college football games online legally?” is firstly to be responsible and similarly, to bet with your head and not your heart.

Intermediate

Once you’re comfortable with those basic concepts, you’ll be ready to take the next step. That can involve analyzing how teams match up against one another, where a game is being played and if the weather is a factor.

Advanced

Finally, you can enjoy how to bet on college football by becoming more proficient. That can involve further data analysis, injury reports and understanding how line and odds movement can demonstrate sharp action.

❌ What to Avoid When Betting on the College Football

While those are strategies to implement, there are also things to avoid now that you know how to bet on college football odds:

• Betting with your heart rather than your head
• Not factoring in injuries
• Overreacting to the most recent performance
• Chasing your losses
• Having unreasonable expectations

📱 Betting on College Football Games With Mobile Apps

To fully utilize everything available to you when it comes to how to bet on college football, you’ll also want to join the sportsbooks we shared with you for their mobile app. They offer the best sports betting apps that allow you to place your wagers, check on current bets and much more without even needing to be at your home.

FAQs

❓ What is the Over/Under in College Football Betting?

The over/under is also referred to as the total, which is predicting whether a game will end with more or less than a set number of points.

❓ Can I Bet on Individual Player Performances in College Football Games?

Yes, player props are available to bet on, but they aren’t available in every state with legalized online sports betting.

❓ Can College Football Betting be Profitable?

Yes, college football betting can be profitable, but it is not guaranteed, and it requires diligent research and finding the best value possible.

❓ How to Bet on College Football & Win

Like the above answer, it requires time and effort to win. It is not guaranteed, and our trends and strategies are a great place to start.

Enjoyed this article? Further enhance your betting experience with our guides, handpicked for you:

• Best Sportsbook Promo Codes
• Best Sports Betting Sites
• Best Sports Betting Apps

If you or a loved one has questions or needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit 1800gambler.net for more information.

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