What is a point spread in college football betting?

If you're just getting into betting and reading content about it, you'll see the phrase "point spread" mentioned over and over. It's the most popular type of bet in U.S. sports betting, and it's essentially a wager on the margin of victory or defeat in a game. It's especially important within the college football gambling world given the sheer amount of blowouts, especially early in the season. It was invented decades ago to deal with that exact problem: If you're betting on the margin, games can be exciting in the fourth quarter even if a team is up by 30 points. The lines are pretty easy to understand: A sportsbook will list a spread for a game, and the underdog will have a plus sign while the favorite will own a minus sign. If Ohio State was -14 vs. Minnesota, the Buckeyes would "cover" the game if they won by 15 or more points. The Gophers would cover if they won the game or just lost by 13 or fewer points. If Ohio State won by exactly two touchdowns, it would be deemed a push, which triggers a refund.

What is a total or over/under bet in a college football game?

If you don't believe in either team in a game, but you're confident there will be a shootout given poor defenses or some other factor, totals or over/unders are right up your alley. These are bets on how many points will be scored in a game by both teams. Sportsbooks will list a number, and you can bet "over" or "under" that number to win. Sportsbooks list totals for individual teams, too, and you can also bet different timeframes, like the total for just the first half of a matchup.

How do moneylines work in college football betting?

Moneyline bets are also quite popular, and they're extremely simple, too. With these, you're just wagering on which team will win. It doesn't matter how many points are scored or the margin of victory -- just a win at the end of the game. The odds can be tricky at first, but think of American odds in terms of $100 payouts. If Wisconsin is -190 vs. Penn State, you would have to wager $190 to profit $100 if the Badgers were to win. On the Penn State side, the odds might be +150, which means a $100 bet would profit $150. If mental math isn't your thing, check out our betting calculator, where we'll highlight your potential payout for any bet.

Where Can I Bet on College Football?

f you’re in a U.S. state with legal, online sports betting, there are many choices for any given Saturday college football slate. DraftKings is a household name at this point. They started off as a daily fantasy sports (DFS) company a decade ago, and since sports betting launched in 2018 they've quickly established themselves as one of the top sportsbooks in the country. FanDuel is the other DFS-turned-sportsbook giant. They're a trusted name in the space, and they really excel with futures markets. BetMGM is a big name because of its hospitality wing and hotels in Vegas, and they also excel as a sportsbook, offering odds in most legal U.S. states. Check out our sportsbook reviews for more information on what’s available in your state and exclusive sign-up bonuses and promo codes.

NCAAF Public Betting & Money Percentages

Odds Settings

Your free PRO game of the day.

11:30 PM

38%61%

34%65%

+4%

+7-105

-7.5-104

11:30 PM

16%83%

+9.5-110

-8.5-110

12:00 AM

71%28%

+8-110

-7.5-107

2:00 AM

36%63%

+12.5-108

-12-110

4:00 PM

81%19%

+17.5-109

-17.5-110

4:00 PM

39%58%

+2.5-110

-2-110

4:00 PM

47%53%

+6.5-108

-6-110

4:00 PM

51%49%

+19-109

-19.5-105

4:00 PM

51%49%

+10.5-110

-10.5-105

4:00 PM

14%86%

+39.5-105

-40-108

4:00 PM

56%44%

+3.5-110

-3.5-105

4:00 PM

78%22%

-2.5-110

+3-112

4:00 PM

27%73%

+28.5-105

-28.5-105

4:00 PM

62%35%

-5.5-109

+6+100

4:45 PM

35%65%

+19.5-105

-20-108

5:00 PM

33%67%

+6.5-105

-6.5-110

6:00 PM

48%52%

+23.5-106

-24-110

6:00 PM

89%11%

-6-110

+6.5-110

6:00 PM

36%64%

+21-108

-21.5-105

6:00 PM

44%56%

-3.5-110

+3.5-108

Eastern Wash

Nevada

NEV

7:00 PM

+9.5-110

-9.5-109

7:00 PM

25%75%

+5.5-102

-5.5-112

7:30 PM

53%47%

+25.5-110

-25.5-108

7:30 PM

67%33%

+2.5-105

-2-112

Houston Christian

UTSA

7:30 PM

+35.5-108

-35.5-110

7:30 PM

28%72%

+3.5-110

-3.5-108

7:30 PM

52%48%

+11-110

-10.5-108

7:30 PM

71%29%

+13.5-108

-14-105

7:30 PM

14%86%

+27.5-102

-28-107

7:30 PM

81%19%

+48.5+100

-48.5-108

7:30 PM

46%52%

+23.5-108

-24.5+102

7:30 PM

79%21%

-9-112

+9.5-105

7:30 PM

54%46%

+2.5-105

-2.5-110

7:30 PM

74%26%

-6+100

+5.5-108

7:30 PM

+20.5-110

-19.5-105

8:00 PM

24%76%

+2.5+100

-2.5-114

8:00 PM

89%11%

-15-108

+14.5-110

8:15 PM

53%47%

+20.5-110

-20.5-105

9:00 PM

62%38%

+9.5-110

-9-108

9:00 PM

91%9%

-3-105

+2.5+102

Monmouth

MNM

FIU

10:00 PM

+13.5-105

-14-110

10:00 PM

56%44%

+6.5-115

-6-108

11:00 PM

-2.5-110

+2.5-105

11:00 PM

60%40%

+16.5-110

-16-110

11:00 PM

73%27%

+23-110

-23.5-105

11:00 PM

83%17%

-17-108

+16.5+100

11:00 PM

76%24%

+2.5-105

-2.5-110

11:00 PM

40%60%

+2.5-105

-2.5-110

11:00 PM

9%91%

+10.5-108

-10.5-102

11:00 PM

29%71%

+7.5-115

-7.5+100

11:00 PM

20%80%

+3-113

-2.5-110

11:30 PM

88%12%

-2.5-109

+2.5-105

11:30 PM

34%66%

+27.5-102

-27.5-108

11:30 PM

81%19%

-7.5-104

+7+100

11:30 PM

62%38%

+22.5-110

-22-109

11:45 PM

16%84%

+35.5-105

-36.5-105

12:00 AM

46%54%

+2-110

-1.5-110

12:00 AM

17%83%

+44.5-105

-44.5-107

12:00 AM

46%54%

+6.5-105

-6.5-110

12:30 AM

67%33%

-14-110

+13.5-102

12:30 AM

23%77%

+5.5-115

-4-112

1:45 AM

+41.5-105

-41.5-110

2:30 AM

70%30%

-6-113

+6.5-110

4:00 AM

33%67%

+7.5-109

-7.5-102

Scheduled	Open	Best Odds	% of Bets	% of Money	Diff	Bets
Your free PRO game of the day.		GET 66% OFF
11:30 PM S. Alabama USA 303 App State APP 304	+5.5 -5.5	+7-105 -7.5-104	38% 61%	34% 65%	+4%	23,420
11:30 PM Stanford STAN 305 Syracuse SYR 306	+10.5 -10.5	+9.5-110 -8.5-110	16% 83%
12:00 AM Illinois ILL 307 Nebraska NEB 308	+8 -8	+8-110 -7.5-107	71% 28%
2:00 AM San Jose St SJSU 309 Washington St WSU 310	+13.5 -13.5	+12.5-108 -12-110	36% 63%
4:00 PM Villanova VILL Maryland UMD	+21.5 -21.5	+17.5-109 -17.5-110	81% 19%
4:00 PM Kansas KU 327 West Virginia WVU 328	+2.5 -2.5	+2.5-110 -2-110	39% 58%
4:00 PM Rice RICE 347 Army ARMY 348	+2 -2	+6.5-108 -6-110	47% 53%
4:00 PM NC State NCST 333 Clemson CLEM 334	+7.5 -7.5	+19-109 -19.5-105	51% 49%
4:00 PM JMU JMU 329 UNC UNC 330	+10 -10	+10.5-110 -10.5-105	51% 49%
4:00 PM Marshall MRSH 317 Ohio State OSU 318	+40.5 -40.5	+39.5-105 -40-108	14% 86%
4:00 PM Houston HOU 311 Cincinnati CIN 312	+7.5 -7.5	+3.5-110 -3.5-105	56% 44%
4:00 PM Tulane TULN 377 Louisiana UL 378	-3 +3	-2.5-110 +3-112	78% 22%
4:00 PM Charlotte CHA 325 Indiana IU 326	+23 -23	+28.5-105 -28.5-105	27% 73%
4:00 PM Florida FLA 391 Mississippi St MSST 392	-4.5 +4.5	-5.5-109 +6+100	62% 35%
4:45 PM Ohio OHIO 343 Kentucky UK 344	+19 -19	+19.5-105 -20-108	35% 65%
5:00 PM Ball State BALL 341 C. Michigan CMU 342	+5 -5	+6.5-105 -6.5-110	33% 67%
6:00 PM St. Francis (PA) STF E. Michigan EMU	+24 -24	+23.5-106 -24-110	48% 52%
6:00 PM Utah State USU 345 Temple TEM 346	-6.5 +6.5	-6-110 +6.5-110	89% 11%
6:00 PM Arkansas St ARST 359 Iowa State ISU 360	+17.5 -17.5	+21-108 -21.5-105	36% 64%
6:00 PM Virginia UVA 313 Coastal Car CC 314	-1 +1	-3.5-110 +3.5-108	44% 56%
7:00 PM Eastern Wash EW Nevada NEV	+7.5 -7.5	+9.5-110 -9.5-109
7:00 PM Southern Miss USM 361 Jax State JVST 362	+8 -8	+5.5-102 -5.5-112	25% 75%
7:30 PM Youngstown St YSU Pittsburgh PITT	+24 -24	+25.5-110 -25.5-108	53% 47%
7:30 PM Arkansas ARK 365 Auburn AUB 366	+3.5 -3.5	+2.5-105 -2-112	67% 33%
7:30 PM Houston Christian HB UTSA UTSA	+35.5 -35.5	+35.5-108 -35.5-110
7:30 PM Rutgers RUT 349 VA Tech VT 350	+5.5 -5.5	+3.5-110 -3.5-108	28% 72%
7:30 PM GA Tech GT 331 Louisville LOU 332	+9.5 -9.5	+11-110 -10.5-108	52% 48%
7:30 PM Buffalo BUFF 321 N. Illinois NIU 322	+13.5 -13.5	+13.5-108 -14-105	71% 29%
7:30 PM Miami (OH) M-OH 393 Notre Dame ND 394	+24.5 -24.5	+27.5-102 -28-107	14% 86%
7:30 PM Kent State KENT 315 Penn State PSU 316	+51.5 -51.5	+48.5+100 -48.5-108	81% 19%
7:30 PM UCLA UCLA 389 LSU LSU 390	+20.5 -20.5	+23.5-108 -24.5+102	46% 52%
7:30 PM Memphis MEM 397 Navy NAVY 398	-11 +11	-9-112 +9.5-105	79% 21%
7:30 PM Arizona St ASU 383 Texas Tech TTU 384	+3.5 -3.5	+2.5-105 -2.5-110	54% 46%
7:30 PM USC USC 387 Michigan MICH 388	+8.5 -8.5	-6+100 +5.5-108	74% 26%
7:30 PM Central Conn CCSU UMass MASS	+21 -21	+20.5-110 -19.5-105
8:00 PM Utah UTAH 379 OK State OKST 380	-2 +2	+2.5+100 -2.5-114	24% 76%
8:00 PM Duke DUKE 405 Middle Tenn MTSU 406	-13.5 +13.5	-15-108 +14.5-110	89% 11%
8:15 PM Vanderbilt VAN 385 Missouri MIZ 386	+20.5 -20.5	+20.5-110 -20.5-105	53% 47%
9:00 PM UTEP UTEP 355 Colorado St CSU 356	+11.5 -11.5	+9.5-110 -9-108	62% 38%
9:00 PM TCU TCU 369 SMU SMU 370	-1.5 +1.5	-3-105 +2.5+102	91% 9%
10:00 PM Monmouth MNM FIU FIU	+14 -14	+13.5-105 -14-110
10:00 PM E. Carolina ECU 399 Liberty LIB 400	+7.5 -7.5	+6.5-115 -6-108	56% 44%
11:00 PM Toledo TOL 409 W. Kentucky WKU 410	+1.5 -1.5	-2.5-110 +2.5-105
11:00 PM N. Mexico St NMSU 407 Sam Houston SHSU 408	+9 -9	+16.5-110 -16-110	60% 40%
11:00 PM Florida A&M FAMU Troy TROY	+27.5 -27.5	+23-110 -23.5-105	73% 27%
11:00 PM Miami (FL) MIA 335 S. Florida USF 336	-18 +18	-17-108 +16.5+100	83% 17%
11:00 PM California CAL 339 Florida St FSU 340	+6.5 -6.5	+2.5-105 -2.5-110	76% 24%
11:00 PM FL Atlantic FAU 401 UConn UCONN 402	-2.5 +2.5	+2.5-105 -2.5-110	40% 60%
11:00 PM Northwestern NW 375 Washington WASH 376	+8.5 -8.5	+10.5-108 -10.5-102	9% 91%
11:00 PM Wyoming WYO 381 North Texas UNT 382	+6 -6	+7.5-115 -7.5+100	29% 71%
11:00 PM Tulsa TLSA 403 LA Tech LT 404	+1 -1	+3-113 -2.5-110	20% 80%
11:30 PM Iowa IOWA 337 Minnesota MINN 338	-3.5 +3.5	-2.5-109 +2.5-105	88% 12%
11:30 PM Akron AKR 323 S. Carolina SC 324	+27.5 -27.5	+27.5-102 -27.5-108	34% 66%
11:30 PM Tennessee TENN 371 Oklahoma OU 372	+3.5 -3.5	-7.5-104 +7+100	81% 19%
11:30 PM Bowling Green BGSU 395 Texas A&M TA&M 396	+24.5 -24.5	+22.5-110 -22-109	62% 38%
11:45 PM GA Southern GASO 367 Ole Miss MISS 368	+31 -31	+35.5-105 -36.5-105	16% 84%
12:00 AM Baylor BAY 357 Colorado COLO 358	+2.5 -2.5	+2-110 -1.5-110	46% 54%
12:00 AM LA-Monroe ULM 373 Texas TEX 374	+48 -48	+44.5-105 -44.5-107	17% 83%
12:00 AM Michigan St MSU 319 Boston Col BC 320	+5.5 -5.5	+6.5-105 -6.5-110	46% 54%
12:30 AM Fresno State FRES 351 New Mexico UNM 352	-17 +17	-14-110 +13.5-102	67% 33%
12:30 AM Purdue PUR 363 Oregon St ORST 364	+5.5 -5.5	+5.5-115 -4-112	23% 77%
1:45 AM Portland State PRST Boise State BOISE	+31.5 -31.5	+41.5-105 -41.5-110
2:30 AM K State KSU 353 BYU BYU 354	-7.5 +7.5	-6-113 +6.5-110	70% 30%
4:00 AM N. Iowa UNI Hawaii HAW	+8.5 -8.5	+7.5-109 -7.5-102	33% 67%

Because of its popularity and sheer volume of games, there are fewer sports in the world that have as much money bet on them every year than college football. That will only continue to grow, too, as sports betting works itself into the mainstream and more states legalize betting and come online.

With more public money entering the market, there's more opportunities to spot edges on bets using The Action Network's data and tools.

How to Use Public Betting and Money Percentages in College Football Betting

We house betting data from numerous U.S. online sportsbooks, including "percentage of bets" and "percentage of money" on every college football game and major bet type.

Percentage (%) of bets: The percentage of wagers on a particular side of a game. For example, if Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt had 20,000 total bets that we've tracked and 12,000 of those are on the Vols, we'd say that Tennessee has received 60% of the bets.
Percentage (%) of money: This is the same thing except for the money. If we know the total handle, we can then calculate the percentage of money on one side or another of a bet.

Combining those two factors can help college football bettors eye bets that might be worth making. The reason is because not all bets are the same amount of money. Some bettors might place just $10 on a game, while professional bettors -- sometimes called "sharps" -- might wager $10,000.

Thus, the difference between the percentage of money and the percentage of bets can often highlight the games in which pro bettors are getting down action. And, well, they're professional and bet high amounts for a reason: It could be profitable to take those sides.

It's also important to look at the total number of bets we're tracking, which you can see on the far right of the table above. The reason is because you don't want to put too much stock in a money vs. bet difference that has a small sample of bets. Utilizing all four factors -- bet percentage, money percentage, bet vs. money percentage (the delta), and total bets -- is recommended when using betting data to gain an advantage.