At this point, it’s estimated that one out of five Americans have bet money on sports within the past year. When you get down to it, it’s not hard to see why. Football betting certainly isn’t a sure thing when it comes to making money.
But it does add an extra adrenaline rush when watching the big game. That being said, there are ways to make better sports predictions when it comes to things like college football (hint: it’s not betting on alumni).
So how do you go about making more money on these types of bets? Simple: read this college football predictions guide. In it, we’ll break down some tips for maximizing any money you put on the table.
Know All the Betting Terms
If you don’t know the basics of college football betting, you’re going to make some pretty costly mistakes. Before you move on to betting props, which can be a little confusing, it’s vital to have the fundamentals down.
First, the thing you need to know is the spread. When two teams face off, there will be a favorite and an underdog. For example, let’s say Virginia Tech (-12) is facing off against the University of Virginia (+12).
Since VT is the favorite, the underdog UVA would begin the game with a 12-point lead. That means that if you bet on VT, they would need to win by 13 points for you to get money from your bet.
Another way you can bet is with the total. With this bet, the sportsbook will estimate an end-point total. You need to guess whether both teams will score over or under the total.
Lastly, there are money line bets. This is the simplest type of bet. All you’re doing is guessing which team will win. The amount of money you make depends on the odds.
The favorites might have -400 associated with them. That means you need to bet $400 to win $100. Conversely, if you bet on underdogs with -300, that means if you bet $100 you will win $300.
Do Your Research
You can do all the research in the world, and the football world will still manage to throw you a curveball when it comes to football winners. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it.
Just make sure you do it smartly. Be careful around trends. Pay more attention to the teams and the people they’re facing. For example, you might follow a certain college that’s won every last home game they’ve played.
Now, trends will tell you that this team is an exceptional home player. However, maybe they’ve just had a bunch of home games against easy teams. You need to pay attention to these things when making college football predictions.
Don’t Pay Much Attention to Underdogs vs. Favorites
It can be tempting to read into the underdog and favorite predictions. A lot of algorithms indeed go into creating these numbers and percentages. However, at the end of the day, it’s humans making these bets and playing the games.
That’s why we recommend not reading too much on underdogs and favorites. Our advice? It sounds simple because it is: a bet for the team that you think is most likely to win that specific game.
Choose Smart Prop Bets
Prop bets are bets you make that aren’t tied to the final score. There are hundreds of different prop bets out there. Some revolve around players. For example, you might bet that a certain player gets over or under 250 passing yards.
Or, they can be related to the game. You might bet that the longest touchdown is over or under a certain amount of yards. If you do these types of football bets, it’s best to use outside resources to ensure that you’re making informed predictions.
This is especially true if you’re new to prop bets. We recommend using resources like this one to find the best NFL player props today.
Avoid Parlays
Parlay bets can be tempting. Sportsbooks often promote their large payouts in enticing commercials. Sadly, there’s a reason these payouts are so huge. They’re incredibly difficult to win.
It’s statistically unlikely that you’ll win any parley you bet on. Typically, the odds are around 6%, if that.
Now if you want to take a chance, that’s your right. But we recommend avoiding these bets if you want to make a habit of consistently winning college football predictions.
What Stats Should You Look For?
We mentioned that you should be doing research in the right areas to get your sports picks. So what stats fall under this category? First, look for teams that are running more plays.
These teams tend to play more high-scoring games. Similarly, the fewer plays a team makes the fewer points they tend to score. Red-zone efficiency is also a big indicator you should use for your predictions.
It’s common for college teams to get the ball down to the twenty-yard line. But then, when the defense tightens up they don’t have the stamina to get a touchdown.
Analyzing stats associated with both red-zone offense and defense can tell you a lot about how a team performs under pressure.
However, remember that at the end of the day, there are no easy predictions for football picks. Sportsbooks know this and they’ll adjust the betting accordingly.
Appreciate Learning About College Football Predictions? Keep Exploring
We hope this guide helped you learn how to make more informed college football predictions. Doing your research and following your gut can improve your odds.
However, remember that nothing is a sure thing when it comes to sports. If it was, then sportsbooks would still find a way to turn the odds in their favor. As long as you approach sports betting with this mindset, it doesn’t become a huge deal if you lose a few hundred dollars here or there.
Want more content like this? Keep reading through our website to find plenty of similar topics.
