Differences Between Betting on the NFL and NCAAF

Most football bettors wager on both the NFL and NCAAF. However, not enough football fans are aware of the differences between betting on the NFL and NCAAF.

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Of course, you can approach both leagues in the same way and still enjoy plenty of success, but you can take your football betting to the next level by deploying separate strategies.

NFL Lines Are Tighter Than NCAAF Lines

Since the betting volume on NFL games is nearly always higher than NCAAF games, oddsmakers tend to put more time and effort into setting NFL lines, simply because they can’t afford to get them wrong.

On the flip side, bettors can often enjoy success in college football by spotting lines with obvious value. NCAAF games do not gain the same attention as NFL games, meaning bookies don’t always get NCAAF lines spot on.

NFL Odds

The Number of College Teams Makes it Harder to Follow

The NFL consists of 32 teams, with 16 teams in each conference. By contrast, there are more than 100 NCAAF teams spread across 10 conferences. This makes it much harder to keep track of every college team.

This may sound pretty obvious, but it’s far easier to learn about 32 teams than it is to learn about 100+ teams. As a result, it can often be more difficult to be successful when it comes to betting on college football.

NCAAF Odds

Wider Gaps in Talent Between College Teams

NFL teams are stacked with high-class players in every department. Yes, there are stronger teams and weaker teams, but even the league’s lower-ranked sides can beat the top teams and upset the odds.

In college football, however, the talent gaps between teams are much wider. The top teams frequently thrash the weaker teams by 30 or 40 points, making NCAAF games easier to predict.

NFL Picks

More Information Available for the NFL

In this day and age, there is a seemingly endless amount of information available to NFL bettors. With hundreds of websites producing statistics, injury reports and lineup news, it is not difficult to find all the info you need.

By contrast, college football stats are harder to collect, meaning bettors often place wagers with incomplete information. If you spend more time looking for NCAAF information, you can gain a significant edge over the bookies.

NCAAF Picks

More Mistakes Happen in NCAAF Games

With all due respect to college football players, NCAAF games dish up more mistakes than NFL games, but that can be a good thing for bettors. It also makes college football betting more exciting.

When it comes to college football, you can assume that both teams will make errors during a game. In the NFL, bettors tend to handicap based upon which team is more likely to make a mistake.

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Josh Bates
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