Betting On College Football Bowl Games
Bowl season is one of the best times of the year for football fans.
Even if you’re not an avid college football watcher, everyone gets caught up in the game when this part of the year rolls around.
Bowl games are also a favorite of savvy sports bettors because we know so much about the teams, players, and coaches by the time Bowl season is upon us.
Best NCAA Football Betting Sites 2024
How To Bet On College Football Bowl Games
Betting Step #1Choose An Online Sportsbook
There are thousands of online sportsbooks available online, so finding one is simple. However, sportsbooks that cater to Americans are the ones that will have the most betting markets and options when it comes to wagering on bowl games.
It’s also important to choose a trusted sportsbook when depositing online. We review the top NCAA betting sites to bet on college bowl games.
Betting Step #2Find NCAAF Betting Markets
College football betting is one of the most popular markets at online sportsbooks.
During Bowl Season, these odds will usually be prominently displayed on the main page of the sportsbook. If not, they can be found in the sports betting menu, under “College Football” or “NCAA Football”.
Once you find these markets, choosing your bet type and placing your bet is the next step.
Betting Step #3Select A Bowl Game And A Betting Market
There are 30 some Bowl Games and 50 or more betting markets for each game. Oddsmakers will offer sides, totals, and moneylines, along with player and team props.
In addition, there are live betting or in-play markets. In most cases, there will be more betting options and higher wagering limits for the Bowl games, the College Football Playoff, and the National Title game.
Betting Step #4Line Shop For The Best Price
We always recommend bettors use multiple sportsbooks for the purpose of line shopping and always getting the best price.
You will also have the chance to view more markets utilizing this strategy. With a large number of betting options available, this is a must when betting on Bowl games.
Betting Step #5Place Your Wager
Placing your bet is the easiest part, but it’s one area you still need to be careful about. Most betting sites have one-click confirmations for placing bets these days. So, if you make a mistake, there is no way to undo your wager.
Be sure you’re betting on the correct team and the amount you wish to wager is correct before hitting confirm.
Top College Football Bowls To Bet On
The number of Bowl games seem to increase every year, which is great for football fans and sports bettors.
A few bowl games receive a lot more attention than others. They’re played in the largest stadiums and have the top-ranked teams at the end of the season involved.
Cotton Bowl Betting
The Cotton Bowl is actually a bowl game and the name of a stadium in Dallas, Texas.
The game used to host a runner-up from the Big 12 against an SEC team until the College Football Playoff was introduced in 2014. It hosted a national semifinal game in the 2015 and 2018 seasons.
Schools making the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 2019 season received a $4 million dollar payout.
In 2019, the 84th edition of the Cotton Bowl featured the Memphis Tigers and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State took care of Memphis, by a score of 53-39.
Fiesta Bowl Betting
The Fiesta Bowl held several National Title games over the years and joined the College Football Playoff in 2014. They host a semifinal game every three years. The Bowl has raised more than $12 million in charitable donations.
Schools making the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2019 season received a $6 million dollar payout.
The 2019 edition of the Fiesta Bowl was one of the two College Football Playoff semifinal games and featured the Clemson Tigers and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Clemson won the game and advanced to the 2020 College National Championship Game.
Peach Bowl Betting
The Peach Bowl has been played in Atlanta, Georgia since 1968.
Since the 2014 season, the Peach Bowl has held many College Football Playoff matchups. They have and will host semifinal games in 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025.
Schools making the Peach Bowl at the end of the 2019 season received a $6 million dollar payout.
Last year’s Peach Bowl, another College Football Playoff semifinal game, hosted top teams from the SEC and Big Ten. The LSU Tigers took on the Oklahoma Sooners. Florida dominated, winning 63-28.
Orange Bowl Betting
The Orange Bowl is the second oldest bowl game in the country. It dates back to even before the start of World War II, with the first Orange Bowl being held on January 1, 1935.
Since the end of the BCS, the Orange Bowl has been one of the six bowls in the college football playoff. It hosted a semifinal bowl game in the 2015 and 2018 seasons.
Schools making the Orange Bowl at the end of the 2019 season received a $4 million dollar payout.
The 2019 Orange Bowl featured the Virginia Cavaliers and the Florida Gators. Florida won the game 36-28.
Rose Bowl Betting
The Rose Bowl is likely the most famous of all the bowl games.
The Rose Bowl traditionally held conference champions from the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences.
During the BCS era, it held two National Title games, including in the 2001 and 2005 seasons. Since 2015, it has been a part of the College Football Playoff and hosts one of the semifinal games every three years.
Schools making the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2019 season received a $4 million dollar payout. The 2019 Rose Bowl featured the Ohio Buckeyes and the Washington Huskies. The Buckeyes won the game by a score of 28-23.
Sugar Bowl Betting
The Sugar Bowl is the second-oldest bowl game tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl, but behind the Rose Bowl. It has been played annually since 1935.
The Sugar Bowl is most associated with the South Eastern Conference (SEC), although in 60 games it has featured an SEC team only four times.
The relationship with the SEC has been altered in recent years, however. Since the CFB, it will host a playoff semifinal and the best teams from the SEC and Big 12 conferences in the non-CFB years.
Schools making the Sugar Bowl at the end of the 2019 season received a $4 million dollar payout. The Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas Longhorns faced off against each other in the 2019 Sugar Bowl. The Longhorns won by a score of 28-21.
Bet On NCAAF Bowl Games At These Top Sites
| Rank | Safely Place Your Bets At These Sites | Deposit Bonus | Get Started |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |  | 50% Up To $1,000 | Bet & Win |
| #2 |  | 50% Up To $1,000 | Bet & Win |
| #3 |  | 50% Up To $250 | Bet & Win |
| #4 |  | 100% Up To $500 | Bet & Win |
| #5 |  | 50% Up To $1,000 | Bet & Win |
Best Bets To Place On College Football Bowl Games
The Point Spread
The point spread is the most popular bet in the world and that doesn’t change when it comes to betting on college football bowl games.
It’s the easiest way to bet on college football bowl games, as it’s a betting market most bettors are familiar with, and the one with the highest wagering limits.
The vast majority of bets placed on college football bowl games are done through point spread betting.
Let’s look at the example in the odds chart above:
- Clemson +7.5 (-110)
- Alabama -7.5 (-110)
In our example, Alabama is favored over Clemson by -7.5 points in a matchup that has been quite common over the last few years for the National Title. Bettors can wager on each team to cover the spread.
Clemson, the underdog, would need to win the game outright or lose by less than 7.5 points for gamblers backing the Tigers to win their wager.
The Tide is favored by -7.5, so they would need to win the game and have a margin of victory greater than 7.5 points.
Since the point spread features a half-point, there can’t be a push.
The Moneyline
The moneyline betting market is your best bet for a college football bowl upset.
Moneyline wagers do not involve a margin of victory or point spread when determining a winning wager. Instead, it’s only the team that wins the game outright.
Moneylines will have lower betting limits than point spreads at almost all sportsbooks.
Let’s use the same teams in our moneyline example:
- Clemson +275
- Alabama -325
Once again, we are only wagering on the team that we will think will win outright. Alabama is the odds-on favorite at -325, with Clemson as the underdog at +275.
Quite simply, if we wager on Clemson, they must win the game. If we wager on Alabama, they must win the game. Otherwise, our bets will be graded as losers.
Live Betting
Live betting or in-play betting has become the most popular form of wagering on sports in recent years.
Every online betting site has live betting available and some even offer bonuses for trying out their live betting products.
We offer a full guide to live betting on college football.
Betting On The College Football Playoffs National Championship
Bowl season is great, but the title game in mid-January is the game that everyone is truly anticipating.
After the CFB semifinals, the field is down to just two teams to decide a National Champion. We take an in-depth look into college football’s biggest game of the year, so you can bet on the College Football National Championship.
Why You Should Bet On The NCAAF Bowl Games
Betting on college football bowl games is a no-brainer as a sports bettor. Not only do the odds have some public influence, which may allow you to find more value, but you have a wealth of information (a full season’s worth) for handicapping the games.
The best college football handicappers typically clean up around this time of year. There are also 30 some bowl games, which gives bettors far more betting opportunities than, say, the NFL Super Bowl.
