NCAA Football Betting

NCAA football betting differs from the NFL in one significant way: parity. While there certainly is variance to be found in the quality of play of teams in the NFL, it is dwarfed by the disparity that is found on the college level. Blessedly free from the equalizing effects of big money and a draft, college teams sink or swim on their own merits, and routinely face off against teams with vastly different skill levels.

This is why the point spread is so crucial when betting NCAA football, much more so than when betting on the pros. If you correctly pick the winner of an NFL game, that team will cover the spread about 80 percent of the time. Examining the line with a fine tooth comb is not necessarily a good use of your time and energy when wagering on the pros.

Point by Point, Yard by Yard

In college ball, the spread is king--and picking the winner is not enough. Time and research should be spent analyzing the point spread and determining whether you think your team will be able to cover it. Though the school will be ecstatic to win by a field goal, you may be less so if the spread demands that they win by six for you to collect.

Expert picks are important in NCAA football, and care should be taken to find a handicapper whose track record you believe in. If the spread makes you uncertain about which team to pick, then it has done its job well. The point of making odds is not to point the way toward a sure thing, but to make the choice as close to 50/50 as possible. That's why they call it gambling.