Seven things to consider before betting on College Football

NCAA Football season is one of the most exciting times of the year and betting on it can make your Saturday’s even better. 

Before you place a wager or sign up with an online sportsbook, consider our tips for a better CFB betting season.

Big Picture Thinking 

Thanks to the structure of the College Football Playoff, a team’s season can be ruined with one or two bad losses. 

Unlike the NFC East where .500 makes you a playoff certainty, CFB is unforgiving. If a team has taken a damaging L or two, they are vulnerable to an upset or struggling against the spread. 

These are 18-22 year-old men lest we forget. If their season’s hopes have been virtually written off, you may wonder whether they’re emotionally or mentally at their best. 

More: Six Things To Consider Before Betting on NFL

Look Ahead Factor

This is often of great value! With so many cupcake schedules in CFB — we’re looking at you Alabama — bigger games have heightened importance. So when a team like Georgia has the Crimson Tide in sight, they can look ahead and by virtue, play with a foot off the gas the week prior. 

Betting the spread is your best for these types of games.

More: How To Read Line Movement in Sports Betting

Individual matchups 

Sometimes you need to look at a game for what it is. Forget the form, forget the odds. Who is colliding with who? 

Trevor Lawrence vs. a weak secondary? You know who wins. 

Coaching matters in CFB, never discount that. It isn’t like the NBA where star players can overcome an inadequate staff — see Tom Herman and the Texas Longhorns. 

Perhaps you may be bettered by assessing a position group battle — Clemson’s powerhouse offense and Ohio State’s sketchy secondary.

These considerations need to come into play. The first look should always be quarterback and Head Coach vs. the other team’s, before searching for mismatches across the three phases.

More: Best Sports Betting Quotes Ever

Let Down Factor 

Opposite to the look ahead, the let down factor relates to teams playing poorly after a big rivalry game, take Auburn vs. Alabama as an example. 

Often these teams are drained physically and emotionally, more so than normal, and can struggle to get up for the week after against a team thankful for their FBS status. 

Once again, the spread is your friend after a big Power 5 rivalry game.

More: How to Make Live Bets on College Football

Conference Surprises

 While it may be tempting to earn some money while watching your team crush their biggest rival, it is fraught with danger.

Naturally it involves emotional betting which, as we mentioned, isn’t always the best idea! Secondly, divisional games are often harder to predict and can throw up crazy results no matter the record. 

Remember, a conference rival knows the other team better than most. If they’re a severe underdog you better watch out because they really have nothing to lose. 

Before you place that next in-conference bet just remember Mississippi State’s 44-34 upset win over reigning national champion LSU. The Tigers were listed a 16.5 point favourite before KJ Costello took over.

Now you’re empowered to make an informed call before laying out your hard-earned cash. But if you are looking for a further edge make sure to check out Dimers’ CFB Bet Hub for our match-up analysis and best bets.

More: The Best Sports Betting Documentaries

Injury Assessment 

Scour the injury report during the week and particularly as the weekend approaches. More often than not, the players will decide the outcome in a tight game. With so much going on in CFB it can be hard to keep up with who’s in or out. 

Checking the injury report will help you make a more informed choice before laying down capital.

More: The Best CFB Betting Strategies

Picking a Conference 

College Football betting is really hard. In some ways it’s much more difficult than NFL betting given the quality difference and sheer amount of schools. 

There are 130 FBS (Division I-A) schools alone. That’s not factoring in the FCS (Division I-AA) which has 127 schools. We’re looking at 257 Division I teams, all of which you can bet on through an online sportsbook. 

This is exciting news as you’ll always have a chance to wager the moneyline, spread or total of a College Football game all day and night Saturday. 

However, picking a conference you know intimately and wagering on it largely will be of great benefit to you. If you’re dialled in on what’s going on in the SEC, perhaps you’re better off sticking with it, rather than sending your money and hopes across the United States in the hopes of a win. 

That’s not to say you should be exclusive with where you put your College Football betting capital but we are simply putting out the Jack of all trades, master of none theory for your contemplation.

There are 10 conferences in FBS football — American, ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Conference USA, FBS Independents, Mid-American (MAC), Mountain West, Pac-12, Sun Belt and SEC. 

In case you need a refresher here are the teams within the Power Five — the five most elite conferences in College Football.

SEC

• Alabama Crimson Tide
• Florida Gators
• Georgia Bulldogs
• Auburn Tigers
• Texas A&M Aggies 
• Kentucky Wildcats 
• Missouri Tigers
• South Carolina Gamecocks 
• Tennessee Volunteers
• Vanderbilt Commodores 
• Arkansas Razorbacks 
• Louisiana State Tigers 
• Mississippi Rebels 
• Mississippi State Bulldogs 

Pac-12

• USC Trojans
• Oregon Ducks 
• Washington Huskies 
• Stanford Cardinal
• Arizona Wildcats 
• Arizona State Sun Devils 
• Cal Golden Bears
• UCLA Bruins 
• Colorado Buffaloes 
• Oregon State Beavers 
• Utah Utes
• Washington State Cougars

ACC

• Clemson Tigers
• Boston College Eagles 
• Florida State Seminoles
• Louisville Cardinals
• North Carolina State Wolfpack 
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• Syracuse Orange 
• Wake Forest Demon Deacons 
• Duke Blue Devils 
• Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
• Miami Hurricanes 
• Pitt Panthers
• UNC Tar Heels
• Virginia Cavaliers 
• Virginia Tech Hokies 

Big 12

• Baylor Bears
• Iowa State Cyclones 
• Kansas Jayhawks 
• Kansas State Wildcats 
• Oklahoma Sooners
• Oklahoma State Cowboys 
• TCU Horned Frogs 
• Texas Longhorns 
• Texas Tech Red Raiders 
• West Virginia Mountaineers 

Big 10

• Indiana Hoosiers 
• Maryland Terrapins 
• Michigan Wolverines 
• Michigan State Spartans 
• Ohio State Buckeyes 
• Penn State Nittany Lions 
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights 
• Illinois Fighting Illini 
• Iowa Hawkeyes 
• Minnesota Golden Gophers 
• Nebraska Cornhuskers 
• Northwestern Wildcats 
• Purdue Boilermakers 
• Wisconsin Badgers

Now you have all the tools to enjoy College Football betting. Be sure to keep Dimers CFB hub on hand to help you make bigger plays than Dabo Swinney on a recruiting trip.