CFB

Every Saturday in the fall, millions of eyes are glued to college football. Since sports betting was legalized, fans are not only locked into the games but also focused on placing their bets for the action. Unlike the NFL, where there is just a select number of games each Sunday, college football offers fans countless opportunities to place bets across a wide variety of markets.

Comparing online sportsbooks and their CFB betting markets

College football is one of the most popular sports in the U.S., and because of that, it is essential to line shop to find a good price on any game or market a bettor is looking to wager on. Lines move very quickly in the college football world, especially for the big-time games, so being able to identify shops that put out strong opening prices is very important for CFB bettors.

When it comes to a market as popular as point spreads, our experts have found that Circa Sportsbook is a must-have. However, since Circa is not available in many states, there are, of course, plenty of other options. For big markets like point spreads, totals, or moneylines, shops like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM are solid, but price shopping across them is always recommended.

In the states where player props are legal for college sports, Bet365 typically offers many appealing markets that can’t be found elsewhere. FanDuel and DraftKings are also good for player props, especially if a bettor is looking for alt markets like a player to record 200+ rushing yards or a player to throw for 3+ passing touchdowns.

CFB and daily fantasy sports

DFS contests for college football are certainly available, but customers' access to these contests is limited. Much like college player props, only select states allow college football daily fantasy sports contests to be offered. If a customer is wondering whether their state allows CFB contests, they can simply open up a DFS mobile app like Underdog and PrizePicks. Unfortunately, if college football is not a listed market, then they do not have access to these contests.

For college football fans who live in a state where these contests are offered, the most common contest they can enter is Pick’em. The exact name of this contest may vary based on the product being used, but ultimately, the premise is usually the same: fans will choose the over/under on a given player's stats, like passing yards, and the more selections they make for an entry, the higher their payout might be.

Aside from Pick’em, the most common DFS contest for college football involves drafting a lineup for a given slate of games. At the most basic level, a fan will be given a salary cap of varying ranges depending on the contest or app, and with that salary cap, they need to draft a team of players for a slate of games. DraftKings DFS is the most common app to use for this type of contest, but this market can be found on other platforms, depending on the state.

What kind of bets can you place on College Football?

Betting markets for college football vary depending on which state a bettor is located in. Now, the markets that can be found in every state with legalized gambling include point spreads, point totals, moneyline bets, team totals, and game props. Most of those markets are also available for each respective quarter and half, along with the full game.

Since those markets are available in all sports betting apps in states with legal sports betting, they are the most common markets for college football. However, there are a select few states, like New Jersey, that offer player props, like the ones a bettor would see for an NFL game. These player prop markets include passing, rushing, and receiving yard totals, along with touchdown scorers and more.

Now, while player prop bets remain legal in some states, there is a current push to ban these markets across the country, as people have argued they bring unwanted hostility to the players. While legislation is worked out for the matter, fans will always have the bets originally mentioned.

Game props that can be found across all legal sportsbooks include markets like race to X points, number of touchdowns scored by a certain team, and more, depending on the app. College football games also generally see a lot of live betting; markets like point spread and totals are general live betting markets, but CFB fans can also wager on things like the outcome of a team's next drive or if a team will make it past a certain yard line on their next possession.

Team futures

College football is one of the most bet on sports in the U.S., and that does not just include wagers on point spreads and totals. Some of the markets that see the most handle regarding college football are futures, as fans can place bets on who will win the National Championship, who will make the College Football Playoff, conference championship winners, and season-long win totals. All of these markets can be found both prior to the season and during, which allows for hedging opportunities if needed.

Since there are 134 FBS football teams, so bettors certainly have a lot of options when it comes to adding bets to their futures portfolios. This amount of schools also requires bettors to line shop for the best price, especially for win totals, as the value of a bet can change depending on which price a bettor may wager on.

A good example of why line shopping is important can be visualized through the 2024 Rutgers preseason win totals. A $25 bet on Rutgers to have over 6.5 wins on Caesars Sportsbook would pay out $52.50 since it is priced at (+110); at the same time, a $10 wager on FanDuel for the same market would pay out $57 since the market is (+128).

CFP National Championship

After ten years of the College Football Playoff featuring just four teams, the event will expand to 12 teams for the 2024-25 season. This change brings some interesting dynamics to the betting world, as teams will have much better odds to make the CFP moving forward. However, winning the National Championship just became a longer road since it is no longer just two wins for a title.

READ MORE: Odds to Win CFP National Championship

Conference Championship Game Winners

Conference realignment has been a major talking point in college athletics, and the 2024 season will be the first one without the Pac-12. Some big moves include Texas to the SEC and USC to the Big Ten. With that movement, winning the conference title game just became even more difficult, which also allows for some intriguing future opportunities for bettors both prior to the season and during.

READ MORE: Odds to Win Conference Championship Games

Other Team Specials

One of the most interesting markets for college football combines pre-game betting markets with futures. Once the season is released for a given season, sportsbooks will release odds for “Games of the Year,” and these are very early odds for games between big-name schools that may not be taking place until November.

Now, these can be very risky markets to partake in since a lot can happen between when a bet is made in July and when a game is actually played in October. However, at the same time, bettors can also end up getting a ton of closing line value, depending on how things are shaking out by the time the game is played.

Player Futures & Awards

The player-specific futures market for college football is nowhere near as expansive as it is for the NFL. W hile there are plenty of awards that are handed out at the end of the college football season, only one of them can be wagered on prior to and during the season. That award is the Heisman Trophy, which is by far the biggest award in the sport.

As previously mentioned, player props for college football are only allowed in select states, and even some of those states are starting the process of outlawing those markets. As a result of this, betting on season leaders in passing yards, rushing yards, and more are not betting markets that are available on regulated betting apps, even in the states in which college player props are legal.

Heisman Trophy Winner

The Heisman Trophy is one of the most recognizable trophies in the sports world. Some of the biggest names in the history of the sport have heard their name called at the Heisman Awards ceremony, and while there tends to be a clear-cut favorite each season in the eyes of the media and sportsbooks, a preseason favorite has not won the award since 2018.

READ MORE: Heisman Trophy Odds