The 5 Best College Football Betting Tips

By Akiva Wienerkur   November 22, 2020 

The 5 Best College Football Betting Tips

Now that every major conference is playing games, there is nearly a full slate of college football games every Saturday, which means you can sort through the college football odds for hundreds of different betting options every weekend. To help you sort through these odds, here are the five best pieces of betting advice for both this weekend and the rest of the season.

1. If both teams are coming off of a long break, bet the under

This has been a college football season unlike any other when it comes to scheduling, as some contenders, like Notre Dame, have played 8 games, while Wisconsin has only played twice. As more and more games are being cancelled weekly (just look at this past week’s SEC slate) it makes sense that offenses are coming back and looking rusty. Many Big 10 teams came out of the extended break with their offense out of gear, look at Nebraska only averaging 20 points per game or Michigan State averaging just 15. It makes sense that the longer teams go without playing, the tougher their first game back will be.

For the best example of this, look at the upcoming USC-Utah game. Incredibly, due to the Pac-12’s late start, coupled with multiple COVID outbreaks, the Utah Utes have not played a game yet this season. Look for their offense to come out sputtering against a talented USC (2-0) front. The people who set the college football odds made the under for this game at 57.5 points, and considering that the final score might end up closer to 21-17, so this could be the best bet of the week.

2. Don’t buy in to the upstart Big 10 teams

One of the coolest stories of this college football season has been the undefeated duo of perennial Big 10 also-rans, Indiana and Northwestern. And while it is cool to see Indiana three games ahead of Michigan in the standings, or to see Northwestern’s name on top of Nebraska’s, don’t bet either team’s championship futures just yet (however, if you are interested, the people who set college football odds have made Northwestern +15000, while Indiana is a cool +10000).

Peyton Ramsey #12 of the Northwestern Wildcats is hit by Caesar Williams #21 of the Wisconsin Badgers as he runs at Ryan Field on November 21, 2020 in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern defeated Wisconsin 17-7. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Indiana’s win over Penn State looked great at the time, but Penn State is 0-4 now. After that they Beat Rutgers (okay), Michigan who might not be favored against Penn State when they play, and an admittedly impressive 24-0 at Michigan State, who, to be fair is also 1-3. Their toughest tests are their pair of road games at Ohio State and Wisconsin and they will be massive underdogs in both. This week the Hoosiers are 21.5 point underdogs against Ohio State, for reference that is a similar spread to the Chiefs-Jets game several weeks back.

Instead of hammering bad teams like Indiana has been doing, Northwestern has been beating mediocre teams in close games. After a drubbing of Maryland to open the season, the Wildcats have squeaked by Iowa, Nebraska, and Purdue. Unlike the Hoosiers, Northwestern does not need to play Ohio State in the regular season, so their toughest test will be their upcoming game against Wisconsin. The Wildcats are only a 7.5 point underdog against the Badgers, but the Badgers have demolished Illinois and Michigan in their only two games that haven’t been postponed for COVID-related reasons, and Wisconsin at -7.5 is a great value on a line that would have been four touchdowns if they played a few weeks earlier.

3. Do your research about which teams have COVID outbreaks

Every week this season, college football lines mysteriously move for several games, with no apparent news breaking. In 2020, that generally means the bookmakers have just been made aware of a COVID outbreak. This could either impact the college football odds, because one major player has tested positive, or one pre more position groups on a team have an outbreak. College teams understandably can’t release Corona-related information about individual players, so you will need to scour fan sites and social media for accurate information.

4. Bet on San Jose State, the real Cinderella story this year

A great deal of attention has been paid to the Unlikely Undefeateds. While it is true that Coastal Carolina, BYU, Liberty, and Marshall are all great stories, there’s another undefeated team we all need to focus our attention, and money on. Not only are the Spartans of San Jose State. undefeated, but they have also yet to lose against the spread. San Jose State has also beaten all four of its opponents so far by double digits. Now the Spartans are heading into their toughest stretch of the season, with a pair of road games at 3-1 teams, Fresno State and Boise State. This week, SJSU is a 2.5 point favorite in Fresno, and you have to like that number for a team allowing only 15 points per game thus far in 2020.

5. If you want to place a CFP futures bet, look to Texas A&M

In almost every normal college football season, a one-loss SEC team is essentially guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff. Granted, this season is anything but normal, but with the Big 10 and Pac 12 playing far fewer games than the rest of the country, the odds that the committee would take two SEC teams are as strong as they’ve ever been. And if there’s going to be a second SEC team, the only squad that would not need to go through number one Alabama are the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies have lost once this season, but have already bounced back to number five in the polls. If A&M can get through LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, and their makeup game with Ole Miss, they will finish the season at 9-1. That would likely be good enough to make the playoff. So, what do the people who make the college football odds think of that possibility? They have set it at a whopping +6600, making this the best longshot Futures bet of the year.

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