How do I read college football point spreads?

A point spread in college football betting is a wager on the margin of victory . There are two components: The actual spread, like Ohio State -6.5. The odds attached to that bet, like -110. Let’s say Ohio State is slightly better than Michigan in a given year, and playing at home in Columbus. The Buckeyes might be listed at -6.5, meaning they’re expected to win by about a touchdown. For anyone betting on Ohio State to win their bet, the Buckeyes need to win by 7 or more points. Anyone betting on Michigan either needs the Wolverines to lose by 1-6 points, or win the game. The -110 (or sometimes -120, or +100, or -105) attached to the spread is the odds for that bet. If you're not sure how to read them, check out our primer on American odds . If the odds are -110, it means you'll win $1 for every $1.1 wagered. So if you bet $11 on Ohio State -6.5 at -110, you'll need the Buckeyes to win by 7+ points, and your $11 bet will return $10 in profit.

What is an over/under in college football?

A total in college football, also known as an over/under , is a bet on the total points that both teams combine to score in a game. That Ohio State-Michigan total might be set at 54. If the two teams combine for 55 or more points, the game goes “over” and anyone who bet the over wins their bet. If they combine for 54 points or fewer, it goes “under” and anyone who bet the under wins their bet. College football totals can vary wildly -- an Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game with little defense and two explosive offenses might have a total in the 80’s. A Michigan State-Rutgers game with no offense and plenty of defense could have a total in the high 30’s.

How do moneylines work for college football?

In college football, moneylines are less popular than the point spread, but they’re still among the three most popular betting options. A moneyline bet is a wager that asks us to simply pick the winner of the game . But the odds are adjusted for each team’s relative ability. Let’s say Ohio State is -250 on the moneyline against Michigan. OSU is expected to win. Michigan might be a corresponding +200 (and the difference is the juice or vig, the tax a sportsbook collects on each bet). American moneyline odds are based entirely around winning $100 -- so a $250 bet on Ohio State would net $100 (plus the original bet back) if the Buckeyes win. A $100 bet on Michigan would yield $200 (plus your original bet back). Moneyilne odds scale up and down so you don’t always need to bet $100. Use our odds converter to see how much a $30 bet at -250 would yield (spoiler, it’s $12).

2024 College Football Betting Odds & Lines

Odds Settings

Scheduled	Open	Best Odds
North Texas UNT 319 UTSA UTSA 320	-2 -110 +2 -110	+1.5-108 -1.5-110	+1.5-110 -1.5-110	+1.5-110 -1.5-110	+1.5-110 -1.5-110	+1.5-108 -1.5-112	+1.5-112 -1.5-112	+1.5-110 -1.5-110	N/A N/A	+1.5-110 -1.5-110
1:00 AM
Wyoming WYO 317 Colorado St CSU 318	+9.5 -104 -9.5 -118	+9.5-108 -9.5-105	+9.5-115 -9.5-105	+9-110 -9-110	+9.5-108 -9.5-112	+9-108 -9-112	+9.5-113 -9.5-113	+9.5-110 -9.5-113	N/A N/A	+9-110 -9-110
1:00 AM
UCLA UCLA 321 Washington WASH 322	+8 -110 -8 -110	+3.5-110 -3.5-108	+3.5-110 -3.5-110	+3.5-110 -3.5-110	+3.5-110 -3.5-110	+3.5-112 -3.5-108	+3.5-112 -3.5-112	+3.5-110 -3.5-110	N/A N/A	+3.5-110 -3.5-110
2:00 AM
Houston HOU 323 Arizona ARI 324	+3.5 -115 -3.5 -105	+2-110 -1-113	+1.5-110 -1.5-110	+2-110 -2-110	+1.5-110 -1.5-110	+2-110 -2-110	+1-109 -1-114	+1-108 -1-113	N/A N/A	+2-110 -2-110
3:15 AM
Texas TEX 333 Arkansas ARK 334	-16 -110 +16 -110	-12.5-105 +12.5-110	-12.5-105 +12.5-115	-12-110 +12-110	-12.5-110 +12.5-110	-12.5-110 +12.5-110	-12-110 +12-113	-12-109 +12-112	N/A N/A	-12-110 +12-110
5:00 PM
Utah UTAH 391 Colorado COLO 392	-7.5 -115 +7.5 -105	+11.5-110 -11-105	+11-110 -11-110	+11-115 -11-105	+11.5-110 -11.5-110	+11-112 -11-108	+11-110 -11-112	+11-112 -11-109	N/A N/A	+11-110 -11-110
5:00 PM
Clemson CLEM 347 Pittsburgh PITT 348	-9.5 -110 +9.5 -110	-11.5-110 +12-110	-11.5-110 +11.5-110	-11.5-110 +11.5-110	-11.5-110 +11.5-110	-12-110 +12-110	-11.5-112 +11.5-112	-11.5-110 +11.5-110	N/A N/A	-11.5-110 +11.5-110
5:00 PM
Tulane TULN 345 Navy NAVY 346	-6 -110 +6 -110	-7-109 +7-105	-7-110 +7-110	-7-110 +7-110	-7.5-105 +7.5-115	-7-115 +7-105	-7-110 +7-113	-7-109 +7-112	N/A N/A	-7-110 +7-110
5:00 PM
Ohio State OSU 349 Northwestern NW 350	-31.5 -110 +31.5 -110	-28.5-106 +28.5-105	-28.5-115 +28.5-105	-28.5-110 +28.5-110	-28.5-106 +28.5-114	-28.5-108 +28.5-112	-28.5-113 +28.5-110	-28.5-112 +28.5-109	N/A N/A	-28.5-110 +28.5-110
5:00 PM
LA Tech LT 341 W. Kentucky WKU 342	+14.5 -110 -14.5 -110	+12.5-109 -12-105	+12.5-110 -12.5-110	+12-115 -12-105	+12.5-110 -12.5-110	+11.5-108 -11.5-112	+12.5-110 -12.5-113	+12.5-109 -12.5-112	N/A N/A	+12-110 -12-110
5:00 PM
Liberty LIB 339 UMass MASS 340	-14.5 -105 +14.5 -115	-14.5+100 +14-108	-14-110 +14-110	-14-110 +14-110	-14.5+100 +14.5-122	-14-112 +14-108	-14-113 +14-110	-14-112 +14-109	N/A N/A	-14-110 +14-110
5:00 PM
LA-Monroe ULM 357 Auburn AUB 358	+23.5 -110 -23.5 -110	+24-108 -24-112	+24.5-110 -24.5-110	+24.5-110 -24.5-110	+24.5-110 -24.5-110	+24-108 -24-112	+24.5-113 -24.5-113	+24.5-113 -24.5-110	N/A N/A	+24.5-110 -24.5-110
5:45 PM
Coastal Car CC 327 Marshall MRSH 328	+9.5 -110 -9.5 -110	+9.5-112 -8.5-110	+8.5-110 -8.5-110	+8.5-110 -8.5-110	+8.5-110 -8.5-110	+9-112 -9-108	+9.5-113 -9.5-110	+9.5-112 -9.5-109	N/A N/A	+8.5-110 -8.5-110
6:00 PM
Murray State MUR Kentucky UK	+37.5 -110 -37.5 -110	+38.5-105 -38.5-110	N/A N/A	N/A N/A	+38.5-105 -38.5-115	N/A N/A	+38.5-117 -38.5-112	+38.5-115 -38.5-110	N/A N/A	N/A N/A
6:30 PM
Mercer MER Alabama BAMA	+41.5 -110 -41.5 -110	+41.5-105 -42.5-110	N/A N/A	N/A N/A	+41.5-105 -41.5-115	+42.5-110 -42.5-110	+42.5-117 -42.5-112	+42.5-115 -42.5-110	N/A N/A	N/A N/A
7:00 PM
FL Atlantic FAU 329 Temple TEM 330	-1.5 -110 +1.5 -110	+2.5-102 -2-110	+2.5-110 -2.5-110	+2.5-115 -2.5-105	+2.5-102 -2.5-120	+2-110 -2-110	+2.5-110 -2.5-113	+2.5-109 -2.5-112	N/A N/A	+2.5-110 -2.5-110
7:00 PM
FIU FIU 365 Jax State JVST 366	+13.5 -110 -13.5 -110	+13-105 -12.5-112	+12.5-105 -12.5-115	+13-105 -13-115	+12.5-108 -12.5-112	+13-110 -13-110	+13-110 -13-113	+13-109 -13-112	N/A N/A	+13-110 -13-110
7:00 PM
Michigan St MSU 397 Illinois ILL 398	+2.5 -105 -2.5 -115	+2.5-105 -2.5-105	+2.5-105 -2.5-115	+2.5-115 -2.5-105	+2.5-105 -2.5-115	+2.5-110 -2.5-110	+2.5-106 -2.5-118	+2.5-105 -2.5-117	N/A N/A	+2.5-110 -2.5-110
7:30 PM
Syracuse SYR 371 California CAL 372	+6.5 -110 -6.5 -110	+10-110 -8.5-115	+10-110 -10-110	+10-110 -10-110	+8.5-105 -8.5-115	+10-112 -10-108	N/A N/A	+10-112 -10-113	N/A N/A	+10-110 -10-110
8:00 PM
Hawaii HAW 373 Utah State USU 374	-3 -110 +3 -110	-2.5-109 +2.5-105	-2.5-115 +2.5-105	-2.5-110 +2.5-110	-2.5-110 +2.5-110	-2.5-112 +2.5-108	-2.5-110 +2.5-113	-2.5-109 +2.5-112	N/A N/A	-2.5-110 +2.5-110
8:00 PM
Sam Houston SHSU 369 Kennesaw St KENN 370	-13.5 -110 +13.5 -110	-17.5-104 +17-108	-17-110 +17-110	-17-110 +17-110	-17.5-104 +17.5-118	-17-112 +17-108	-17-113 +17-118	-17-108 +17-118	N/A N/A	-17-110 +17-110
8:00 PM
Louisville LOU 367 Stanford STAN 368	-19.5 -110 +19.5 -110	-21-106 +20.5-106	-20.5-110 +20.5-110	-20.5-110 +20.5-110	-20.5-114 +20.5-106	-20.5-110 +20.5-110	-21-109 +21-120	-21-106 +21-120	N/A N/A	-20.5-110 +20.5-110
8:30 PM
Boston Col BC 375 SMU SMU 376	+15.5 -108 -15.5 -112	+19.5-110 -18.5-108	+18.5-110 -18.5-110	+18.5-110 -18.5-110	+19.5-110 -19.5-110	+18.5-110 -18.5-110	+18.5-114 -18.5-109	+18.5-113 -18.5-108	N/A N/A	+18.5-110 -18.5-110
8:30 PM
Virginia UVA 385 Notre Dame ND 386	+20 -110 -20 -110	+22.5-105 -21.5-110	+22.5-110 -22.5-110	+22-110 -22-110	+22.5-105 -22.5-115	+21.5-110 -21.5-110	+22-112 -22-112	+22-109 -22-112	N/A N/A	+22-110 -22-110
8:30 PM
S. Florida USF 337 Charlotte CHA 338	-2.5 -108 +2.5 -112	-2.5-110 +2.5-106	-3-105 +3-115	-2.5-110 +2.5-110	-2.5-112 +2.5-108	-2.5-112 +2.5-108	-2.5-117 +2.5-107	-2.5-115 +2.5-106	N/A N/A	-2.5-110 +2.5-110
8:30 PM
Oregon St ORST 389 Air Force AFA 390	-7 -110 +7 -110	-3-108 +3.5-115	-3.5-105 +3.5-115	-3-110 +3-110	-3.5-105 +3.5-115	-3-108 +3-112	-3.5-106 +3.5-118	-3.5-105 +3.5-117	N/A N/A	-3-110 +3-110
8:30 PM
Penn State PSU 355 Purdue PUR 356	-28.5 -115 +28.5 -105	-28.5-108 +28.5-105	-28.5-115 +28.5-105	-29-110 +29-110	-28.5-114 +28.5-106	-29-110 +29-110	-28.5-109 +28.5-114	-28.5-108 +28.5-113	N/A N/A	-29-110 +29-110
8:30 PM
LSU LSU 393 Florida FLA 394	-5.5 -110 +5.5 -110	-3.5-110 +4-109	-4-110 +4-110	-3.5-110 +3.5-110	-3.5-115 +3.5-105	-4-108 +4-112	-4-113 +4-110	-4-112 +4-109	N/A N/A	-3.5-110 +3.5-110
8:30 PM
Troy TROY 325 GA Southern GASO 326	+7.5 -115 -7.5 -105	+7.5-104 -7.5-110	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7.5-104 -7.5-118	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+8-113 -8-110	+8-112 -8-109	N/A N/A	+7.5-110 -7.5-110
9:00 PM
Nebraska NEB 401 USC USC 402	+8.5 -108 -8.5 -112	+7.5-109 -7.5-105	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7.5-115 -7.5-105	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7-105 -7-115	+7.5-110 -7.5-113	+7.5-109 -7.5-112	N/A N/A	+7.5-110 -7.5-110
9:00 PM
Baylor BAY 343 West Virginia WVU 344	-1.5 -108 +1.5 -112	-1-110 +1.5-109	-1.5-110 +1.5-110	-1-110 +1-110	-1.5-110 +1.5-110	-1-110 +1-110	-1.5-113 +1.5-110	-1.5-112 +1.5-109	N/A N/A	-1-110 +1-110
9:00 PM
JMU JMU 331 Old Dominion ODU 332	-4.5 -110 +4.5 -110	-2.5-110 +2.5-102	-2.5-110 +2.5-110	-2.5-110 +2.5-110	-2.5-120 +2.5-102	-2.5-115 +2.5-105	-2.5-114 +2.5-109	-2.5-113 +2.5-108	N/A N/A	-2.5-110 +2.5-110
9:00 PM
Missouri MIZ 381 S. Carolina SC 382	+15.5 -110 -15.5 -110	+14+100 -14.5-104	+14-110 -14-110	+14+100 -14-120	+13.5-105 -13.5-115	+14-108 -14-112	+14.5-118 -14.5-108	+14.5-118 -14.5-104	N/A N/A	+14-110 -14-110
9:15 PM
Arkansas St ARST 351 Georgia State GAST 352	PK -110 PK -110	+3-108 -3-105	+3-110 -3-110	+3-115 -3-105	+3.5-120 -3.5-102	+3-108 -3-112	+3-110 -3-113	+3-109 -3-112	N/A N/A	+3-110 -3-110
10:00 PM
Rutgers RUT 353 Maryland UMD 354	+3 -110 -3 -110	+6-109 -5.5-108	N/A N/A	N/A N/A	+5.5-105 -5.5-115	+5.5-112 -5.5-108	+6-110 -6-113	+6-109 -6-112	N/A N/A	N/A N/A
11:00 PM
Arizona St ASU 395 K State KSU 396	+7 -110 -7 -110	+7.5-110 -7.5-105	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7.5-115 -7.5-105	+7.5-112 -7.5-108	+7.5-113 -7.5-110	+7.5-112 -7.5-109	N/A N/A	+7.5-110 -7.5-110
12:00 AM
Southern Miss USM 377 Texas St TXST 378	+26.5 -110 -26.5 -110	+27.5-110 -27.5-105	+27.5-115 -27.5-105	+27.5-110 -27.5-110	+27.5-114 -27.5-106	+28-112 -28-108	+27-110 -27-113	+27-109 -27-112	N/A N/A	+27.5-110 -27.5-110
12:00 AM
S. Alabama USA 359 Louisiana UL 360	+8.5 -110 -8.5 -110	+7.5-110 -7.5-108	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7.5-112 -7.5-108	+7-108 -7-115	+7-107 -7-114	N/A N/A	+7.5-110 -7.5-110
12:00 AM
Boise State BOISE 399 San Jose St SJSU 400	-14 -110 +14 -110	-14.5-105 +14-107	-14-110 +14-110	-14-110 +14-110	-14.5-105 +14.5-115	-14-112 +14-108	-14-115 +14-108	-14-114 +14-107	N/A N/A	-14-110 +14-110
12:00 AM
Tennessee TENN 379 Georgia UGA 380	+16.5 -110 -16.5 -110	+9.5-105 -9.5-110	+9.5-105 -9.5-115	+9.5-110 -9.5-110	+9.5-105 -9.5-115	+9.5-110 -9.5-110	+10-114 -10-109	+10-113 -10-108	N/A N/A	+9.5-110 -9.5-110
12:30 AM
Oregon ORE 403 Wisconsin WIS 404	-12 -110 +12 -110	-13.5-110 +13.5-105	-13.5-115 +13.5-105	-13.5-115 +13.5-105	-13.5-110 +13.5-110	-13.5-112 +13.5-108	-13.5-114 +13.5-109	-13.5-113 +13.5-108	N/A N/A	-13.5-110 +13.5-110
12:30 AM
N. Mexico St NMSU 405 Texas A&M TA&M 406	+42 -110 -42 -110	+38.5-106 -39-108	+39.5-110 -39.5-110	+39.5-110 -39.5-110	+38.5-106 -38.5-114	+39.5-110 -39.5-110	+39-114 -39-109	+39-113 -39-108	N/A N/A	+39-110 -39-110
12:45 AM
UAB UAB 387 Memphis MEM 388	+15.5 -110 -15.5 -110	+15.5-105 -16-108	+15.5-110 -15.5-110	+16-110 -16-110	+15.5-105 -15.5-115	+16-112 -16-108	+16-113 -16-110	+16-112 -16-109	N/A N/A	+16-110 -16-110
1:00 AM
Wake Forest WF 335 UNC UNC 336	+9.5 +100 -9.5 -122	+10.5-105 -11-110	+11-110 -11-110	+11-110 -11-110	+10.5-105 -10.5-115	+11-110 -11-110	+11.5-113 -11.5-110	+11.5-112 -11.5-109	N/A N/A	+11-110 -11-110
1:00 AM
Cincinnati CIN 383 Iowa State ISU 384	+8.5 -110 -8.5 -110	+7.5-110 -7.5-108	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	+7.5-112 -7.5-108	+7.5-112 -7.5-112	+7.5-110 -7.5-110	N/A N/A	+7.5-110 -7.5-110
1:00 AM
Washington St WSU 361 New Mexico UNM 362	-10.5 -110 +10.5 -110	-10.5-110 +10.5-105	-10.5-115 +10.5-105	-10.5-110 +10.5-110	-10.5-110 +10.5-110	-11-110 +11-110	-10.5-114 +10.5-109	-10.5-113 +10.5-108	N/A N/A	-10.5-110 +10.5-110
2:30 AM
Kansas KU 363 BYU BYU 364	+7 -110 -7 -110	+2.5+100 -2.5-110	+2.5+100 -2.5-120	+2.5-105 -2.5-115	+2.5-110 -2.5-110	+2.5-105 -2.5-115	+2.5-108 -2.5-115	+2.5-107 -2.5-114	N/A N/A	+2.5-110 -2.5-110
3:15 AM
San Diego St SDSU 407 UNLV UNLV 408	+18.5 -110 -18.5 -110	+20.5-105 -21-108	+20.5-105 -20.5-115	+21-110 -21-110	+20.5-105 -20.5-115	+21-112 -21-108	+20.5-109 -20.5-114	+20.5-108 -20.5-113	N/A N/A	+21-110 -21-110
3:30 AM
C. Michigan CMU 301 10 Toledo TOL 302 37	+10.5 -105 -10.5 -115	+14.5-105 -14.5-105	+14.5-110 -14.5-110	+14.5-115 -14.5-105	+14.5-105 -14.5-115	+14.5-108 -14.5-112	+14.5-112 -14.5-112	+14.5-109 -14.5-112	N/A N/A	+14.5-110 -14.5-110
Final
Ball State BALL 305 48 Buffalo BUFF 306 51	+5.5 -110 -5.5 -110	+3.5-110 -3.5-108	+3.5-110 -3.5-110	+3.5-110 -3.5-110	+3.5-110 -3.5-110	+3.5-112 -3.5-108	N/A N/A	+3.5-110 -3.5-110	N/A N/A	+3.5-110 -3.5-110
Final - OT
W. Michigan WMU 303 13 Bowling Green BGSU 304 31	+7.5 -110 -7.5 -110	+9.5-105 -9.5-110	+9.5-110 -9.5-110	+9.5-110 -9.5-110	+9.5-105 -9.5-115	+9.5-110 -9.5-110	+9.5-110 -9.5-115	+9.5-108 -9.5-113	N/A N/A	+9.5-105 -9.5-115
Final
Kent State KENT 307 7 Miami (OH) M-OH 308 34	+30.5 -110 -30.5 -110	+30.5-106 -30.5-110	+30.5-110 -30.5-110	+31-110 -31-110	+30.5-110 -30.5-110	+30.5-110 -30.5-110	+30.5-112 -30.5-112	+30.5-106 -30.5-114	N/A N/A	+30.5-110 -30.5-110
Final
E. Michigan EMU 309 10 Ohio OHIO 310 35	+11.5 -110 -11.5 -110	+10.5-110 -10.5-110	+10.5-110 -10.5-110	+10.5-110 -10.5-110	+10.5-110 -10.5-110	+10.5-110 -10.5-110	+11-113 -11-110	+11-112 -11-109	N/A N/A	+10.5-110 -10.5-110
Final
Akron AKR 311 16 N. Illinois NIU 312 29	+18.5 -110 -18.5 -110	+14-110 -14.5+100	+14.5-125 -14.5-105	+14-110 -14-110	+14.5-122 -14.5+100	+14-110 -14-110	+13.5-110 -13.5-118	+13.5-107 -13.5-118	N/A N/A	+14-110 -14-110
Final
E. Carolina ECU 315 38 Tulsa TLSA 316 31	-11 -110 +11 -110	-15.5-110 +16.5-110	-15.5-110 +15.5-110	-16.5-110 +16.5-110	-16.5-110 +16.5-110	-16-112 +16-108	-17-113 +17-117	-17-109 +17-115	N/A N/A	-16.5-110 +16.5-110
Final

Where Can I Bet on College Football?

Legal online sports betting is currently available across 29 states, including Washington, D.C.! You can see the status of sports betting in your state with Action Network's legalization tracker. There are several states that are in the process of creating or voting on legislation that would legalize mobile sports betting. Be sure to follow the news if you're in a pending state.

North Carolina sports betting is the next state expected to launch mobile sports betting! Sportsbooks can launch as early as January 8, 2024, so be sure to pick your favorite books in anticipation of launch day!

College Football Odds

If you’re new to sports betting, or specifically college football betting, our standard odds tables may be a bit overwhelming. This college football betting guide will give you the foundational information that you need to understand basic betting terminology, interpret game odds, and utilize moneylines to help you make educated NCAAF picks each week. We will use the odds table for the National Championship between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs as an example throughout this guide.

Types of College Football Bets

Understanding the various types of college football bets, and how they payout, is a must before placing a wager with any confidence. The most common betting types that you will encounter with college football are:

Moneyline
Against the Spread
Over/Under Totals

College Football Moneylines

College football moneyline bets simply require a bettor to select the winner of a particular contest. Almost every single game will have a favorite team and an underdog team. The favorite is the team that is expected to win the contest, and conversely, the underdog is the team that is expected to lose. You can tell which team is the favorite in an odds table as they will be designated with a minus sign (-) while the underdog will be given a plus sign (+). Here's how the moneyline bet looks for our selected college football matchup:

College Football Moneylines Example

You can tell that Georgia is the favored team in this game because they have a -152 designation moneyline. Alabama is the underdog with the +130 moneyline. The specific numbers next to the plus or minus signs indicate the associated payout amount for betting on each team.

In the Georgia vs. Alabama matchup, a $100 bet on Alabama at +130 odds would result in a $130 profit if they won the game. This would give you a total payout of $230 with your original $100 wager included. By contrast, Georgia's moneyline of -152 means that a bettor would win $100 for every $152 invested. Bettors must risk more money to profit when placing a wager on a favorite as compared to an underdog.

College Football Point Spreads

The point spread may also be referred to as a margin of victory bet, bets against the spread, or simply, the spread. In this type of wager, the bettor has correctly pick which team will win or lose by a specific amount of points. To cover a spread, the selected team must beat the point spread that was assigned by oddsmakers for a particular contest. Similar to a moneyline bet, a minus sign (-) is assigned to the favorite team. The number next to this minus sign is how many points the favored team has to win by in order to cover the bet. A bet on the underdog will, if the team wins the game outright or loses by less than allotted point spread. Here's the spread for Georgia vs. Alabama:

College Football Point Spreads Example

Aside from the spread number, bettors also need to be aware of the juice, or the vig, which is the “tax” that betters pay to a sportsbook to place their wager. Typically, you'll see this number directly below the spread in a smaller font. In this game, each team has their own juice number, meaning that the tax you pay to the sportsbook will be different depending on the team you wager on. The juice is -112 for Alabama and -109 for Georgia.

The vig for the spread works the same as a moneyline when calculating a bet's potential payout. Betting on Alabama would net someone $100 for every $112 invested if they covered the spread whereas a bettor would earn $100 for every $109 invested on Georgia if they covered the spread.

What happens, you may wonder, if Georgia wins the game by exactly 3 points? This scenario is what is known as a “push”. A push means that no team covered the spread and you will get the money back that you placed on the wager. In some instances, oddsmakers will set an even spread, which means that they see each team as likely to win the contest as the other. This is commonly referred to as a “pick ‘em” matchup.

College Football Over/Unders

Over/Unders, or totals, are another typical college football bet. Betting over/under means deciding if both teams will combine to score more or less than a specific point total assigned by oddsmakers for the contest. The winner or loser of the game is irrelevant in this wager. The bettor is only concerned with the combined point total regardless of the outcome.

College Football Over/Unders Example

Oddsmakers have set a total of 52.5 points for this Georgia vs. Alabama game. To win on an "Over" bet, the two teams must combine to score 53 points or more. To win on an "Under" bet, the two teams must combine to score 51 points or less.

Over/Under bets also have juice, which is also indicated underneath the the over/under totals in the table. For Georgia vs. Alabama, bettors will have to invest $112 for every $100 worth of profit when betting the over and bet $109 for every $100 worth of profit when betting the under.

How to Use the Action Network's College Football Odds Page

You will likely notice that moneylines, point spreads, and over/under totals vary from one sportsbook to the next for the same college football game. Seasoned bettors know that it pays to "shop for lines" before making a wager. All this means is that it is best practice to look at each sportsbook's line for a game that you are interested in betting on to ensure that you are putting your money in the place that offers the highest potential payout. To make this work easier for you, The Action Network has compiled odds from each sportsbook for all of the college football games in a given day.

Here are a few notes on how to get the most out of the College Football Odds page.

You’ll never have to guess which sportsbook has the best odds for a given game. The Action Network pulls in up-to-the-minute odds from every U.S. sportsbook and denotes the most favorable odds in "Best Odds" column for every bet type. This not only saves you time, but helps ensure that you're always putting yourself in the best position to earn more per wager.
Filter games by specific bet types (moneyline, spread, over/unders) or show all three at once. Whether you want to see a holistic view of the day's action or drill into a specific betting market, our odds page is customizable to meet your preference.
Action Network subscribers can further customize the page by only displaying the sportsbooks that you have an account with. This helps simplify the page and streamline your betting process.
Sportsbooks offer odds on specific timeframes within a game in addition to just the final outcome. For the College Football, this often includes specific odds for each quarter or half. Our College Football Odds page allows you to filter between the various game timeframes to bet a contest in a variety of different ways as it plays out in real-time.
Sports betting is not currently legal in every state. As such, The Action Network College Football Odds page will allow you to see the sportsbook odds and prices available to you depending on where you are in the United States.

Other Ways to Bet on College Football

There are other options available for those looking for more ways to get into College Football betting including:

Parlay
Futures
Player Props
Daily Fantasy

College Football Parlays

A parlay is combining two or more wagers into a single betting ticket with the goal of increasing the potential payout. A bettor must win every wager on the ticket in order to win the parlay. While this makes the chances of winning more difficult, parlay bets increase your potential earnings. The more bets added to a parlay, the higher the payout potential.

Bettors can create a parlay by grouping any type of bets together, like a moneyline and an over/under total. Let's create a Georgia moneyline and over 52.5 parlay using our sample matchup.

Here’s how the two bets payout separately with a $100 budget:

Georgia moneyline (-152) at $50

The potential winnings are $32.89 for a total payout of $82.89 including the original $50 risked.

Over 52.5 (-112) at $50

The potential winnings are $44.64 for a total payout of $94.64 including the original $50 risked.

A bettor has the potential to win $77.53 in payouts for a total of $177.53 including the original $100 risked across the two separate bets.

Here’s how the same bets would payout as a parlay:

Georgia moneyline (-152) AND Over 52.5 (-112) at $100

The potential winnings are $213.82 for a total payout of $313.82 including the original $100 risked.

The payout potential is significantly higher for the parlay bet as compared to the two separate bets despite the total money being risked being across identical bets. Because both bets have to cover in order to win, oddsmakers will give you better payout odds as you add more wagers to your parlay.

Need help calculating your parlay payouts? Don’t forget to take advantage of The Action Network’s Betting Odds Calculator.

College Football Futures

Futures bets are exactly what they sound like: betting on an event where the outcome will be settled in the future (not within the same day or week). Futures bets exclusively deal with moneylines. Examples of futures betting for in College Football include placing a wager on a team to win their conference championship, make the College Football Playoff, or win the National Championship.

Futures bets payout very well because they are incredibly difficult to get right. Typically, a futures bet is placed at the beginning of the college football season and requires a bettor to accurately predict an outcome that is months into the future. The best odds are available earlier in the college football season, but bettors are able to make futures bets throughout the course of the season as well. The odds are updated regularly to reflect a given team's performance throughout the course of the year, so the odds may not be as favorable later on.

Be sure to check out The Action Network’s College Football Futures page to check out the odds for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

College Football Prop Bets

Want to bet on particular college football players rather than just the teams? This is where prop bets come into play. Oddsmakers will also set over/under totals for player stats in a given contest. A prop bet enables bettors to wager on whether or not a player will score a touchdown, get a certain amount of yards, etc.

Need help evaluating prop bet wagers? The Action Labs Prop Tool will help you organize, sort, and grade hundreds of prop bet odds throughout the College Football season. Be sure to check in daily to keep up with the college football action throughout the season.

College Football Daily Fantasy

Sports betting is not currently legal in every state. Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) have filled the void in those places where it is not legal as a sports betting alternative.

The traditional fantasy options require users to draft a team and set a lineup each day to compete against other players. This model of daily fantasy was made popular by the likes of DraftKings and FanDuel. Newer DFS games like PrizePicks are gaining traction amongst fans, though, where bettors place wagers on player props rather than having to compete against other users.

Get a competitive edge using Action’s FantasyLabs to breakdown player stats and matchups to set a winning lineup each week.

College Football Betting Help

After reading this College Football betting guide, you should be able to read and understand an odds table. Being able to read an odds table, however, does not necessarily guarantee betting success. Here are a few tools from The Action Network that can help improve your betting win rate in college football.

College Football Public Betting Percentages

The Action Network collects a vast amount of betting data on college football games, including the number of bets and how much money is placed on them. We condense this information into an easy-to-read interactive chart that helps you to assess what bets are most popular amongst the public and where the majority of the money is being wagered. Whether you choose to go along with how the majority has placed its bets, or you choose to break from the pack, is up to you.

College Football Public Betting Percentages Example

The Action Network NCAAF Public Betting page enables you to filter between bet types as well so you can see the public sentiment across moneyline, spread, and totals.

PRO Projections

Our in-house College Football experts evaluate daily matchups based on a multitude of factors including recent team performance, player value, injuries, and more. Condensing all these factors, The Action Network grades each matchup and provides an edge percentage to let you know which bets are most likely to succeed. Subscribe to Action PRO to get unlimited access to our College Football projections.

College Football PRO Projections Example

PRO Report

If you want to make betting decisions for yourself, but don’t have the time to collect all the data, check out our College Football PRO Report. This analysis highlights five key bettings signals: big money, sharp action, expert projections, expert picks, and historical betting systems.

College Football PRO Report Example

College Football Expert Picks

If you’re in a time crunch or just want to leave it to the experts, our College Football Picks page is the place to go. Here, you can see how experts are picking a particular contest across various bet types and odds. Check this page regularly during the season to see how you stack up against the experts.

College Football Expert Picks Example

NCAAF Odds & Betting Lines