2008 Handicapping Football Odds

Football odds in college football have pointspreads, over/under totals, money lines, parlays, teasers, halves, and futures. As similar as college football odds are to NFL football betting odds, there are some differences including the way you handicap the two. Let’s take a closer look at college football odds and why you should handicap them differently than NFL odds.

College football odds may feature pointspreads that are over twenty, thirty, or even forty points each week. The sheer volume of college football is another handicapping factor, as well as a factor that goes into the football odds. There are oftentimes as many as 60 games on the college football odds board each week compared to only 16 in NFL football betting odds. Also keep in mind that many college football teams are not in major markets and those that are have their media coverage dwarfed by the local professional teams. This means that there is not as much of the information overload, on balance, with college football odds as there with NFL football betting odds. That being said, your traditional power or “name brand” college football teams such as Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, USC, Notre Dame and many others draw a lot of media coverage, which in essence often serves to drive down the value of such teams on the college football odds boards.

Along those same lines, teams that are lesser known and from lesser known non-Bowl Championship Series conferences can often be excellent bargains against the football odds, particularly when matched up against the better known teams, which often happens in September and in the college football bowl season.

College football gambling is often a “purists” delight as there are better opportunities for value than with NFL football odds. Looking at under the radar teams and looking for information not readily found in major media outlets is a good way to begin your handicapping of college football odds.