In college football betting, moneylines are among the most popular form of gambling. Thanks to how easy it is to understand this market, plenty of NCAA football bettors prefer to get involved with it over other types of wagering. And with moneylines being available from the season opener to the College Football Playoff national championship game, there is no shortage of action to be found here. In this guide to college football moneyline betting, find out everything you need to know about this simple yet demanding market.

College Football Moneyline Betting Explained

The goal of college football moneyline betting is easy. Bettors receive payouts as long as they can correctly pick the winner of college football games. As opposed to college football point spreads, the winner of the game doesn’t need to clear some sort of handicap. And unlike totals, the total points scored in the game doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is whether or not a bettor predicts who will win the game correctly.

In college football moneylines, there are favorites and underdogs. The underdog is shown with a plus sign next to their odds. That number is the amount a bettor would win if they risked $100 on that underdog. The favorite in each game is shown with a minus sign next to their odds. Their number is the amount a bettor would need to risk to win $100. In most cases, the favorite is the better team, so having to risk more to win with them is like a fee for betting on the better squad.

College Football Moneyline Bet Example

In this example of a college football money line bet, let’s say that Alabama is playing against Tennessee in a CFB game between two SEC teams. For the purposes of this example, Alabama is a -2000 favorite to win the game, while Tennessee is a +1000 underdog. The goal for gamblers would be to determine which of these two teams is going to come out on top in the game.

To bet on Alabama, a bettor would have to risk $2000 to win $100, or a proportional amount depending on how much they wanted to risk. On the other side, Tennessee backers would be able to win $1000 from a $100 bet. The side whose team wins the game would win their moneyline bets, with overtime being included in that equation.

College Football Moneyline Movement

Bettors may notice that NCAAF odds change leading up to a college football game. This is true of moneyline odds in college football and across sports gambling. There are many reasons for those shifts, and fans who are winners in the world of sports gambling are able to decipher the reasons behind those movements better than more casual fans. Bettors should always keep the college football odds page of their preferred sportsbook handy, so they can observe these line movements and use them to their advantage where possible.

College Football Moneyline Betting Advice

In terms of advice pertaining to college football moneylines, the most important piece is to not put down big money on heavy favorites. Upsets happen in both college football and the NFL, as better teams and home teams are more than capable of losing straight up. There is better value to be found in other markets, as opposed to laying thousands of dollars down to win $100 or something similar on the moneyline.

The other important advice for this market is to study the matchup between both teams. If one side has a significant advantage on offense or defense, there is the potential for an underdog to pull an upset and yield a strong payout. Bettors should analyze the teams set to take the field in each game to identify spots where there is moneyline value, which can make them more profitable long-term.

How To Place An College Football Moneyline Bet

Those looking to place a wager on college football moneylines should go to a legal sportsbook or casino in their state. Sports gambling laws vary by state, but those with legal sports gambling should have this market available. In most cases, legal sportsbooks also offer exotic bets like proposition, or prop bets, parlay bets and teasers.