Betting College Football Totals
Betting college
football totals can impact your bankroll.
Key Points
– Betting college
football totals is for all bettors.
– A few simple
strategies can help college football totals bettors win more.
Betting
College Football Totals
Betting totals in college football is one
of the more popular bets. NCAAF odds are among the most wagered on,
with such a massive weekly schedule. Along with moneyline and point spread
bets, it makes up over three-quarters of all CFB bets. A bet on a game total is
one where the bettor wagers on whether the final score combined will go Over or
Under a certain set number.
The bet has nothing to do with the outcome
of the game. It is solely based on the total number of combined points scored
by both teams. Bettors
can follow a few key tips in order to win more college football totals bets.
Here are a few.
Understand
the College Football Totals Bet
With any bet, you have to understand it in
order to win more often. The totals bet is a simple one and even inexperienced
bettors can get it down pretty quickly.
When setting a game total, oddsmakers
take into account several factors. As an example, let’s say they set a total at
57.5. You believe the two defenses will dominate the game and scoring will be
tough for both teams. Ultimately, you bet the total will go Under.
The final score of the game ends up 28-27.
That’s a total of 55 points meaning you are a winner. If the final score had
been 31-27 - a total of 58 points - you would have lost the bet.
Sportsbooks often set game totals in
multiples of a half-point. That way, a bet cannot end in a “push” or a tie. If
the total had been 55 and the score was 28-27, the result is a push and all
bets are refunded.
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Common CFB Totals
Betting college football as a whole is
different than betting on NFL games. There is much more variety in the quality
of teams. Remember, there are 131 FBS teams and only 32 NFL teams. The best
teams in the college game are far better than the worst. That’s not the case in
the NFL.
There is much more scoring in college
football. Regardless, there are a number of final scores that hit way more
often than any other. The most common final total in a college football game is
45. The second most common is 41. The following - 52, 44, 51, and 48 - are
among the top six most common CFB totals. Knowing this information can help in
making totals wagers.
CLICK HERE to find out why betting
college football is different from the NFL.
Measure Pace, Tempo, and PPP
There are college football offenses that
score a ton of points. Those teams may play at a faster tempo than others.
Faster tempo means that a team has more opportunities to score more points. PPP
is simply points per play. Teams that score a lot usually have a higher PPP number.
Keep in mind that the best scoring teams
in college football average over 40 points per game. Looking at pace, tempo and
points per play can give a bettor some insight when betting a game total.
Do you bet NFL 2nd half odds? They are a great way
for true fans watching the game to profit more on their bets.
Defensive Play
There are a number of teams each season
that will hold their opponents to an average of fewer than 20 points per game.
In 2020 for example, Army was second in the country allowing 14.8 points per
game. Part of what helped the Black Knights was the offense’s time of
possession. Still, Army was very highly ranked in defensive efficiency.
Looking at defensive efficiency numbers
can also help in making a strong betting decision on a game total.
Injury
Reports When Betting College Football Totals
Injuries can play a huge role in the
outcome of a college game. The problem is that teams are not required to
release any injury information like they are at the NFL level. It may take some
work, but finding out injury information can change a bettor’s outlook on a
certain bet.
Injuries to multiple offensive linemen for
example, would really impact an offense. The same holds true if a defense had
multiple defensive backs hurt. That would change a bettor’s outlook on a game
total.
The Elements
It pays to take a look at a weather report
before betting a total. Nothing kills scoring in college football like wind.
Games played in conditions where the wind speed is greater than 8 mph typically
go Under a posted total. Keep that in mind when betting totals.
Shop for the Best Number
It’s one of the easiest betting strategies
around - shop for the best betting line. If you
like the Over between two high-scoring teams, it would be worth your while to
find the bet at 69 as compared to 72.
If you shopped the line and the final
ended up 37-34, you’re bet at 69 is a winner. If you didn’t take the time to
shop and bet at 72, you’re a loser. Repeatedly, getting the best number can
turn you into a long-run totals betting machine.