In the world of sports betting, college football is one of the staples. It’s been estimated that the sport of football accounts for some 60% of all annual sports betting activity. College football is a big part of that. Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles for many sports bettors to overcome in betting college football is game difference. Many college football bettors also bet on the NFL. This causes problems for the average handicapper, because he or she doesn’t realize the difference between the two.
It’s not simply that college football has a few different rules. The entire scene is different. For instance, in college football, players are playing for the love of the game and many are auditioning for the NFL. It’s not all business like in the pros. That brings us to another major factor—player skill. In the NFL, every single player is among an elite class of football players in the country. In college football, that’s just not the case. There might be that one elite player on the team, but teams can be full of your run of the mill recreation player.
In college football, it’s not uncommon for a really good team to blow out a really poor team by multiple touchdowns. It’s also not uncommon for a team to rise up on emotion and beat a better team. Momentum and emotions play a bigger part in the college game. If you want to be a winning college football bettor, you must know these internal differences. Coaching tends to be more of a factor in the college game. Remember, these are college kids—most under 22. They are still developing and need solid coaching to play better.
One aspect of coaching that any sports bettor must know is philosophy. Does a coach love to run up the score—after all points matter past the game itself? It’s somewhat taboo in the NFL. You would be hard pressed to find an instance where a pro team intentionally runs up the score late in the game if the team has the game in hand. However, it’s easy to spot those instances at the college level. In fact, it’s an extension of ego for some coaches. They want to show how great they are. Obviously this can be the difference in a big favorite covering the spread or an underdog coming in for a back door cover.
Another aspect to know is game plan. This throws off many who bet college and pros. In the pros, you can count on teams to strive for a balance. A team might be very good on the ground, but they will still mix it up, because they have to. The college game is so different—it’s like night and day. Some college programs are built for one type of offense, and they will ram it down the other team's throat no matter what. Sure, the team will run and pass, but there is little emphasis on balance and more emphasis on playing towards the team’s build.
Air Force comes to mind. For years, Air Force was known as a running/option type offense. All throughout the game they would run all over the field. Passes were at a premium. Even if a defense stopped them for a few series, they would still keep running. That was their team’s build and strength. If they were playing a team that was weak against the run, look out. If you realized this, you would also know that running eats up clock. Therefore, games would be shorter in a sense and if they were up late in the game, running out the clock would be easier. This is also why in college football you must handicap matchups and you might just be able to find several mismatches.
In the end, you will stand a chance of being more successful in college football betting if you understand the difference in the game. Betting on college football is exciting and can be profitable. Every week of the season is filled with games from all around the nation. Want a tip? Try to specialize in schools not in the limelight. The lines for those games might be easier to miss from a linesmaker standpoint. You can bet they will try and get the big Notre Dame vs. Miami line right where when Middle Tennessee State battles a Troy State or equivalent you might be able to find a line that legitimately is off. In the NFL is this much less likely to happen.
To sum it up, if you do your homework in college football you have a good chance of being successful.
Dr. Jack runs a sports handicapping forum with a no tolerance for bashing or soliciting of any kind. Come talk sports and handicapping at www.cappersmall.com/forums
