Sports Betting Guide: How To Bet On College Football Bowl Games
College bowl games for the 2018-19 season kick off this weekend with a few less-than-classic matchups. Take the AutoNation Cure Bowl at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. Or, perhaps the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl at the Cramton Bowl Stadium in Montgomery, A
la.
You may not know much about the 7–6 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns taking on the 6-6 Tulane Green Wave in that first game. The ins and outs of the 7–5 Eastern Michigan Eagles battling the 9–3 Georgia Southern Eagles in the second one may escape you as well.
For that matter, hands up if you’ve even heard of the Cure Bowl or Camellia Bowl before.
However, these and the two other bowl games on Saturday, Dec. 15 that will kick off college football’s bowl season this weekend are all nationally televised so you’ll be able to watch these games from just about anywhere.
Plus, if you live in Nevada or any one of the seven other states that have launched legal US sports betting since June, you can certainly place a wager here and there on the games.
In New Jersey, you can even get in on the action from wherever you are inside its state lines. Just use one of eight online and mobile NJ sportsbooks available to place a bet.
Basic bowl game betting
All legal US sportsbooks should have lines on the games. It doesn’t matter how much you know about the teams or these particular bowl games, because everyone knows its more fun having a little skin in the game. Having some money on the line should help make even these second-tier college football bowl betting games infinitely more watchable.
But how do you bet on college football bowl games?
Rest assured the days of the intimidating pro-handicapper-only scene at Las Vegas sportsbooks are over.
These days, sportsbooks across the country understand not everyone is a seasoned sharp. They make it easy to bet on anything and everything from weekly NFL games to college football bowl games and the NCAA National Championship.
The basic bets available on college football bowl games at most sportsbooks include:
- Moneylines
- Point spreads
- Over/unders
- Parlays
Bowl game moneylines
Betting moneylines is the most straightforward way to bet on bowl games. You merely pick who will win the game and accept the odds associated with each based on the team’s probability of winning. The bigger favorites offer lower odds and the bigger underdogs will pay big.
Mobile NJ sports betting apps, like DraftKings Sportsbook, makes this as easy as can be by asking a simple question rather than leaving you hanging to pick from an often complicated looking odds board.
All the DraftKings Sportsbook app wants to know is who you think will win the game. It handles the rest.
Of course, like all NJ online and mobile sportsbooks, you’ll need to sign up for an account with DraftKings Sportsbook first before you can bet. Fortunately, all NJ online and mobile sportsbooks have made this a fast-and-easy process requiring a minimal amount of your personal information.
Next up, you’ll need to make a deposit. However, this is an even faster-and-easier process than signing up.
Most NJ online and mobile sports betting apps accept direct transfers from a US bank account or a variety of third-party payment processors that take credit cards. It takes less than a couple of minutes to complete most transactions.
After that, you are just a few clicks away from betting on moneylines and anything else your wagering heart desires.
Bowl game point spreads
Point spread bets are also popular in college football wagering.
Sportsbooks offer lines based on historical performance, injuries and other factors. Then, it’s up to you to decide if you like the favorite giving away the points or the underdog getting them. Point spread bets are won when you make the correct prediction with the line factored in.
The only nationally ranked team playing this weekend, the No. 21 Fresno State Bulldogs will take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on Dec. 15. Most sportsbooks will have Fresno as the -4 spread favorite.
Put simply, Fresno State will need to win by more than 4 points for the point spread bets on the team to pay off. If they lose or win by just a 3-point field goal, the Sun Devils’ point spread bets at +4 will pay off instead.
Expect NJ online and mobile sportsbooks, like FanDuel Sportsbook and SugarHouse Casino & Sportsbook, to be offering competitive point spread lines on most college bowl games throughout the season. The key is to shop around for the best line, so check with DraftKings Sportsbook and others, too. You may like Arizona at +4, but if you can find them at +5 elsewhere, you’re going to want to bet it instead.
Bowl game over/unders
Over/unders are also called totals, and you may see the bets listed as O/U.
Sportsbooks put together a number they think both teams in the game will combine to score. You pick whether it’ll be over or under that number. If there’s an easier way to bet college bowl games than the moneyline, the over/under is it.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers at the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Dec. 15.
Most sportsbooks should have the over/under at around 50 points, being that both teams can score and tfhe game is indoors.
If you think it’ll be a high-scoring affair, bet the over and get paid when the teams combined to score more than 50. Or, go the other way if you figure scoring will be down. It’s as simple as that.
You’re sure to find competitive over/under lines in New Jersey at 888 Sport‘s or playMGM‘s online and mobile sports betting apps. But again, shop around. You’ll want to check them all to get the best line.
Bowl game parlays
Finally, there are parlays. Parlays involve combining more than one bet on a single card.
Four major college bowl games are coming up this weekend. Each of the matchups and a variety of available bets are listed above. Combine a few you think will come in and make them part of a parlay.
It’s hard to pick one winner, never mind multiple winners. However, you’ll have to win all the bets you choose to win a parlay.
Of course, there’s a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. Parlays pay big, even when you combine a series of favorites, which is what makes parlay bets so attractive. You can win big without betting big.
Parlays are available wherever you can bet on college bowl games, which include NJ online an
d mobile sports betting apps like FOX Bet Sportsbook, William Hill and Caesars Casino and sportsbook.
There are more advanced bets available for college bowl games at most sportsbooks, like in-play betting or prop bets. However, those listed above are the basics and a great way to get started.
Keep it locked on playin-usa.com for more information on how to bet on college football bowl games as bowl game season continues, all the way up to the NCAA National Championship game on Jan. 7.
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