How To Bet College Football Spreads

When perusing markets for college football games, bettors who use any of our favorite sportsbooks are first presented with three betting markets: moneylines, spreads and totals. The moneyline allows for bettors to bet on which team will win the game outright, while the total allows for bettors to wager on the number of points that will or won’t be scored in a game.

Note: Some early season college football matchups won’t have moneyline odds when FBS powerhouses take on FCS opponents. If you don’t see moneyline odds it’s because the odds of the favorite winning are astronomically short.

Unlike in sports like baseball and hockey where the run/puck line is almost always f +/-1.5, college football odds are a little more dynamic. Since football games are generally scored in increments of threes and sevens, the home team will give or lay three points (-3) when all things are equal, though things are rarely equal in a college football game.

The spread is almost always the first column (as shown in the above photo), and the favorite will always have a minus in front of its number, while the underdog will have a plus in front of its number. The number after the minus is the number of points the favorite needs to win by in order to cover the spread, while the number after the plus is the amount the underdog must lose by in order to beat the spread.

For instance, let’s say LSU is playing Tulane in an early-season game where the Tigers are -17.5 point favorites and the Green Wave are +17.5 underdogs, with each carrying -110 odds. That means if LSU wins by 18 points or more it will cover the spread, while if Tulane loses by 17 or less (or wins outright) it would cover the spread.

Spread bets almost always carry -110 odds, though they may vary depending on the likelihood of the favorite to cover. Ultimately, spread bet odds won’t be longer than +100 or shorter than -120 unless you’re live betting.

Spread betting is a great way to get in on the action when it seems like the outcome isn’t in doubt. While there are upsets in college football, there are more blowouts and/or tight games where the underdog puts a scare into the favorite before ultimately losing.

Spread bets also serve as another way for fans to partake in wagering. For instance, in the above-listed hypothetical game between LSU and Tulane, LSU would likely have -500 moneyline odds, which are far too short for the average fan/bettor to win on since those odds only carry $0.20 profit-per-dollar bet. You’d need to wager $500 on LSU to win $100.

But at -110, the sportsbook equivalent of a coin flip, the spread betting odds become more lucrative since that will pay out $0.91 profit-per-dollar wagered. So if you bet $100 on LSU -17, you’d win $90 if they won by 18 or more.

That wager comes with enhanced risk, however, since the Tigers would need to win by at least 18, but the reward is greater. Plus, teams play to win and not to cover the spread.

Placing a college -football spread bet is as easy as wagering on any potential sportsbook market. Here’s how to find college football spread markets on a mobile sportsbook:

• Log into your sportsbook account or create a new account
• Deposit your money if you need to and add any potential promo code to take advantage of new-user sportsbook offers
• Click on “College Football” or “NCAA football”
• Find the game you’re looking to bet
• Wager on either the favorite (- number) or underdog (+ number) to cover the spread
• Enter your stake
• Root for your team to cover!

Obviously you’ll want to do your homework and determine what spread bets are worth taking advantage of. Remember, college football games can sometimes produce lopsided results due to age and experience of the players and talent gap between programs, and favorites can sometimes cover -28.5 or more, especially in those early-season nonconference games.

Find market inefficiencies while spread betting. For instance, rivalry games are almost always closer than records would indicate, which means betting an underdog to cover +14.5 in a game like Alabama-Auburn, USC-UCLA, Florida-Florida State or Michigan-Ohio State is almost always a good play.

If you know one team typically struggles with a specific opponent, like how USC has historically struggled versus Utah or Alabama has always seemed to have a hard time against Ole Miss, then wagering on a spread is a good play. Another good play is if you see a road team favored by more than two touchdowns in what is typically a hostile environment.

Remember, trends are only trends until they aren’t. Plus, things can shift year-to-year. But if you know your favorite school then you should also know when to wager it against the spread and when not to.

If you see “pick ‘em” as a spread, that means there is no spread. That means the sportsbook believes the teams are absolutely equal and the winner of the game will cover the spread. In this instance, a spread bet won’t be available, meaning the moneyline would be the only available betting market that would allow you to wager on the game’s outcome.

If you are a more seasoned bettor or don’t love the spread offered, sportsbooks also typically offer alternate spreads as a potential betting market.

For example, in the hypothetical LSU-Tulane game listed above, there may also be alternate spreads ranging from +/-14.5 to +/-21.5, with corresponding odds based on how likely the wager is to hit. The line for LSU to cover -14.5 may have odds of -225, and -21.5 may be +200 or longer.

Alternate spreads work well as parlay legs, especially if you’re doing a same-game parlay. Given the difficulty of hitting both SGPs and traditional parlays, you’ll want as many advantages as you can get, which is why it makes sense to take a -190 alt spread instead of the relative coin flip of the -110 at -17.5.

Finding alternate spreads can be a little more challenging, since alt spreads are typically deemed as prop wagers. But if you click on the game you’re hoping to bet and then click the “game lines” section, you’ll typically see the option to wager an alternate spread.

Live betting is a unique wrinkle for online bettors since online sportsbooks will be constantly updating odds and betting lines even while the action is going. This is unlike that of brick-and-mortar sports betting, which locks all betting markets while games are ongoing.

Let’s go back to the hypothetical game between Tulane and LSU. If the Green Wave take the opening kickoff down the field for a touchdown, then the spread might move to LSU -7.5, while the spread may move to -24.5 if LSU scores first.

Live betting is a great way to get a more favorable line, but there are risks, especially when spread betting. Though the lines will change, the odds will remain similar, typically in the -105 to -115 range.

College football spread betting is a fun way to add to the sports betting experience but it’s important to do your homework when wagering on college football. It’s Especially important when dialing up a same-game parlay or same-game parlay+, since you won’t want to place wagers that are contradictory like an Under and a favorite to cover the spread.

We also always recommend that players stay within their wagering means, since there is inherent risk associated with placing real dollars on games played by 18 to 22-year-olds. Be smart and responsible, and you’ll have a good time whether your wager wins or loses.

Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images