To the casual bettor, there is no difference between NFL and college football odds. Casual bettors likely bet on both Saturdays and Sundays during football season. More experienced bettors understand that there are some major differences when betting on the two sports. There are some distinctions that need to be pointed out for bettors who want to win more often.
Key Points
– Yes, there is a difference when betting on college football odds compared to the NFL.
– The sheer number of teams in college football compared to the NFL is one factor that makes betting the two sports different from each other.
Talent Disparities
There is a huge difference between the best teams in college football and the worst. The Alabamas and Ohio States are far more talented than the New Mexico States and UConns.
In the NFL, there is not as much difference between the best team and the worst team. One reason is because there are only 32 NFL teams compared to more than 130 in FBS college football. The talent levels are so close in the NFL that we have all heard the phrase “any given Sunday.” What that refers to is the idea that any NFL team can beat any other on any given Sunday.
As a result, there are rarely NFL games with double-digit point spreads. In college football, you have games where Alabama plays a school like Mercer, for instance, and the point spread might be -45. That doesn’t raise an eyebrow because of the talent difference between the two schools.
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College Football Odds & Mistakes
In college football, mistakes are more likely to occur. Remember, these are amateur athletes who are not yet professionals. They are going to make mistakes.
At the pro level, players are more disciplined and more highly skilled. Many bettors prefer the college game because of the propensity for mistakes. Those miscues allow the more talented players to stand out from the rest. Bettors can gain an advantage on college teams that make a lot of mistakes.
NFL teams still make mistakes and when one team makes a significant amount compared to an opponent, bettors take notice. It just doesn’t happen as often in the NFL as it does in college.
Experience Matters
In the NFL, experience matters more since in college you can only play for four or five years. Nowadays, the best college players can declare for the NFL draft after three seasons.
In the NFL, a player frequently only starts to mature after four years. The dynamics in the NFL are very different from those in college due to the presence of veterans and NFL teams’ abilities to retain players for an extended period of time. When betting on football, bettors must take that into account.
Bettors Prefer NFL Odds
NFL odds are far more extensively bet, which increases the likelihood that they will be close. The betting volume on even the least popular NFL game of the week is larger than all but the most important college games.
This implies that oddsmakers will devote more effort into setting NFL lines than they may for some college games. Any errors in the lines will be addressed by the market quickly, which produces football line movements.
In college football, sports bettors may find success by looking for lines that offer a lot of value. This is how bettors can take advantage of college football odds.
More Public Interest in NFL
As a result of the increased public interest, there is greater NFL betting activity. There are some teams that the public adores, and there are others that they don’t like.
For instance, the Chiefs and Cowboys virtually always generate greater interest than their opponents. They are both popular teams with popular star players.
Public pressure can sometimes compel sportsbooks to change the odds in an effort to balance the action and reduce their exposure to a minimum. That might present opportunities for wise gamblers. Such possibilities might be more prevalent in the NFL.
The Niche in College Football Odds
In college, you can frequently find betting value by focusing on games that few people are paying attention to. It's difficult to find an obscure game in the NFL when there are only 16 games – at the most – on a week’s schedule.
Because there isn't much betting movement on obscure college football games, oddsmakers don't pay as much attention. Bettors can often find a very soft line.
There isn’t really such a thing as an obscure NFL game. Bettors can take advantage of college football odds on several obscure games each week of the season
NFL Odds vs. College Football Odds
More Information Available on NFL
Information about the NFL is more publicly available, and as a result, the public is becoming more knowledgeable about the league. They have access to the same injury updates and lineup information as the most knowledgeable sharp bettor.
The public has gained a greater understanding of football, line movements, and more. Finding knowledge in the NFL that isn't generally recognized or used is not impossible, but it's rather difficult.
Information can be quite difficult to find in college football, especially in the Group of 5 conferences. That leads to more people placing wagers based on insufficient data.
Therefore, your advantage in college will increase as your knowledge increases. For the NFL, that is not the case.
More College Football Odds
It’s been mentioned already, but there are a lot more college football teams than there are NFL teams. With 32 NFL teams, bettors can gain a solid understanding of almost every team in the league.
That is impossible when it comes to college football. Betting on college football odds requires a great deal of specialization and attention to specific teams. Bettors may focus on an individual conference, for example.
