Betting NFL and College Football

There are several factors that separate NFL betting and college football betting. To begin with, college football betting action is more likely to come from more seasoned bettors, known as sharp bettors and wiseguys that, many times, have inside information or some insight to give them an edge over the book. Legit books know not to give big action on more obscure games, such as Vanderbilt versus East Carolina, as they will deal more with a NFL marquee match up such as an Eagles vs. Giants game. Because of this bookmakers will generally move college football lines quicker, many times a full point at one time. Generally, it takes a lot more money bet to move a line in the NFL and when the line does move it typically is only a half a point.

Mainly because a lack of a good kicking game the key numbers of 3,4,6,7,13, and 14 are not nearly as big in college football as they are huge in the NFL. It is a fact that NCAA football games do not fall on key numbers as often they do in the NFL.

It is very rare that you will see a team in the NFL favored by 3 TD?s, but lines of -30 and above are pretty common in the NCAA, especially in the beginning of the season. Bookmakers also see totals in the college game harder to predict, as coaches will attempt to impress the poll voters by running up the score. However, other college coaches, such as Joe Paterno from Penn State, think that a way to reward a backup or third-stringer for a hard week of practice is to give them some playing time in a blowout. It is these kinds of uncertainties that make bookmakers change the Over/Under numbers quicker then they do in the NFL.

Also, personnel changes in college football every year with the main factor being graduation. What this does is makes evaluation early in the season harder and it leads to bookmakers to move lines and totals faster, especially early in the season. Obviously, personnel changes in the NFL as well, but it tends to be players that are established switching teams. In the college game the faces of the team are constantly changing. Conversely, colleges do not have to announce injured players or even ones that are disciplined and will miss time. This can create opportunities in college football betting. Because of this books tend to get cautious when there is a ton of public money on one team.

In terms of parlay card numbers it is more likely that you will find a gap between prices on cards and those that are on the board in the NFL more so then in the college game. The big thing is that books tend to be more accurate to predict how the public will be in a NFL game. Consequently, it is not uncommon for a popular team such as the Patriots and a hot team at the time to be listed as a 7.5 point favorite on the parlay card, but only at 6.5 or 7 on the board. Books know that teams the public lines to bet on and currently hot teams will be more aggressively bet on parlay cards rather then straight up.

If you understand the differences between betting on college football and betting on NFL football it will help your chances of winning.

Here are some of the main differences:

College Football Betting

Sharps and Wiseguys give the action
NCAA betting lines are often moved by a full point at one time
The key numbers are not as important
Injury information is not as easily accessible
Changes in personnel can make analyzing a game more difficult, especially early in the season

NFL Betting

The public money tends to give the action
NFL betting lines only tend to move by ½ point at a time
The key numbers are extremely important
It is easier to evaluate personnel changes
With the NFL injury report you can know, for the most, part who will play and who will not
Numbers on Parlay betting cards can be different from the numbers on the board (this can be intentional)

Check out the NFL Super Bowl odds for all the NFL teams.