It pays to do your homework when betting college football. If you were to guess the teams that covered the points spread most often during the 2018 season, who would it be? Alabama? Clemson? If you guessed those schools, you’d be wrong. Washington State led the nation with an 11-2 record against the spread (ATS). Schools like Florida International (10-3) and Troy (9-3-1) are among the many near the top of the heap ATS.
That proves just how hard sports betting can be, especially betting college football. As you can see, it is often teams that you would never expect that perform the best against the spread. It’s one of the big reasons you should be open to betting on any of the 130 FBS teams on any given week.
In order to have some success as a college football bettor, you have to have a strategy. Here are five tips to help you win more often when betting on college football.
- Do Your Homework on Teams Before the Season Starts
The 2019 college football season has kicked off already with Week 0 action. Florida beat Miami 24-20 and Hawaii pulled a mild upset over Arizona. The problem for bettors is that you can’t simply decide on random bets. You should have been doing some research on teams in the offseason.
Don’t wait until a few days before a game to begin. To be successful in sports betting, you have to have as much information as possible about all of the teams you are going to bet on. Hopefully, you spent your summer wisely preparing for the upcoming season. If not, spend some time reading as much as possible about the teams you plan to bet on.
- Check on College Football Lines Early in the Week
Each week, you should be monitoring college football betting lines as early in the week as possible. Start on Sunday morning after Saturday’s game are complete. Make this a habit. Too many bettors struggle with this since they are finishing up NFL betting on Sunday and Monday nights.
If you pay close attention to college football lines throughout the week, you should be able to spot some trends. This will help you determine which lines offer the most value.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Bet Against the Public
Consider “fading the public” from time to time. There are times during a season where everyone seems to be placing bets on a particular team to cover the spread. You might see numbers as high as 80 percent of bettors betting on the same team.
In a case like this, it might pay off to go against the public with your bet. If a team is listed at +7.5 and bettors are backing it, you might want to back the favorite at -7.5. Again, do your homework on the team you are betting on before placing the bet.
- Look for Value in Games Featuring Small Conference Teams
It might pay to bet on games from some of the smaller conferences. The majority of people who bet on college football, pay more attention to the Power 5 conferences – ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC – than the Group of 5 conferences.
Because this is true, oddsmakers spend more of their time focusing on betting lines for Power 5 games. Bettors can use this to their advantage by betting on games in the AAC, MAC, Sun Belt, Conference USA, or the Mountain West. If you are monitoring betting lines, you may find a few that are just begging to be exposed.
- Turn to Professional Sports Handicappers for Help
It takes a fair amount to time to be a successful sports bettor. Betting on college football alone could seem like a full-time job. To do the proper research on teams and matchups takes time that you may not have.
If you don’t have the time, it might make sense for you to bring in an expert. You can buy sports picks from professional sports handicappers. You gain an advantage without having to do the leg work on your own.
To be successful at college football betting, you have to remember that it’s a 15-week season. Injuries happen. Weather happens. There are a ton of factors that come into play. You have to remember that the season is a marathon, not a sprint.
Teams that cover early in the season might not be the same teams that cover later in the season. You will have to continue doing your homework and adjust your bets through the season.
Keep this sports betting guide in your back pocket to guide you, and reach out to the pros for help when you need it.
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