As the calendar turns to August, that means that there will be college football games played this month for the first time since January. Week 1 of the college football season begins later this month, with a slate of games on Saturday, August 26th.
With the season closing in, it is time to dust the cobwebs off and dive into the college football betting guide for the year 2023. Below we give you a brief overlay of betting options available at most sportsbooks, along with some examples of wagers as we gear up for another year of action.
So whether you are new to sports wagers or just looking for additional knowledge on betting options available and what they are, you have come to the right place.
Check out the full 2023/24 college football season odds over on Bookmaker
Futures Bets
If you like to play the long game, future bets are the right wagers for you. Future bets are a bet on the outcome spanning multiple events such as football season. Futures can refer to both team and player markets.
Typically placed before the season begins, future bets can encompass team win totals, conference winners, playoff predictions, etc.
Additionally, a growing trend in college football wagering has been on individual outcomes. Predicting the Heisman Trophy winner is the most well-known option, with constant odds fluctuations throughout the season.
Spread and Point Total Options
Betting against the spread or the point total has been the most common wagering option for bettors. Bookmakers particularly set these lines to get an even amount of action on both sides of the line. Books don’t care who wins as long as there is an equal amount of money placed on each side of the number.
Let’s take a look at an opening week line for an example of these two types of bets.
| Navy Midshipmen | +20 (-110) | O 50.5 (-115) |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | -20 (-110) | U 50.5 (-105) |
The second column details the spread bet, while the third column on the right shows the points total. In this contest, oddsmakers have Notre Dame favored by 20 points. If you were to wager $100 on the Fighting Irish and win, you’d take home $190.91 in winnings.
The same goes for the point total wager; if a bettor placed $100 on Under 50.5 points and that total hit, the bettor would receive $195.24.
Spread and point total wagers can also be placed on quarters and halves of each individual contest.
Where oddsmakers really make their money is when bettors parlay two or more spreads or point totals together to increase their payout. The bigger the payout, the less likelihood that the wager will win.
Prop Betting in College Football
While prop bets aren’t as prevalent in college football as they are in the NFL, most sportsbooks still offer prop bet options for many of the bigger contests each week. A prop bet is a single-game wager placed typically on an individual to either fall short or surpass a total.
These wagers are largely placed prior to the start of the event, with some prop bet options available in-game.
In-Game Betting on the Rise
In-game betting has grown as the legalization of sports gambling continues to spread. Prior to the internet, in-game betting wasn’t an option.
Now, bettors can log onto their sportsbook website or app and follow the in-game action with spread and point totals updating live. These wagers are not available to be parlayed.
