Back
How To Bet On College Football (NCAAF) 2024 | LeoVegas

College Football (NCAAF) Betting Guide

The National Collegiate Athletic Association Football league (NCAAF), or college football as it is commonly known, is part of the overall NCAA championships that cover a wide range of popular sports in North America. In this College Football betting guide, we will describe what the NCAAF is, how it works, explain how to bet on College Football, how to read the betting odds and markets, and offer some College Football betting tips.

Table of Content:

BET NOW ON NCAAF

2024 NCAAF Preview

The 2024/2025 NCAAF regular season starts on August 24th and will run for 14 weeks. Most college programs will play 12 games and, in the first game of the season, the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors will take on the Delaware State Hornets.

NCAAF playoffs will start on December 20th and the national championship game will be played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20th.

Carson Beck’s Georgia Bulldogs are once again the favourites to win the national championship after tasting victory in two of their last three seasons. While the Oregon Ducks and Texas Longhorns are in the mix, it could be the Ohio State Buckeyes that pose the biggest challenge to the Bulldogs.

The NCAAF has made a few changes this year. Instead of four teams, the playoffs will now feature 12. A two-minute warning and helmet communication devices have also been introduced in a bid to make college football comparable to the NFL.

Key Details

  • The 2024/2025 college football season will be the 155th.
  • The regular season will run from August 24th to December 14th, 2024.
  • The playoffs will commence on December 20th, 2024 and culminate with the national championship game on January 20th, 2025.
  • Twelve teams will compete in the playoffs instead of the typical four.
  • There will be 134 FBS teams competing in the 2024 season.
  • The Georgia Bulldogs are the favourites to successfully defend their national championship.
  • Carson Beck, quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs, is the top-ranked college football player this season.
  • The NCAAF has introduced two new rule changes, including a two-minute warning and helmet communication devices.

Conference Realignment

Twelve teams in the playoffs isn’t the only college football shakeup this season. Fifteen new teams are being added to conferences, which will spur new rivalries.

The ACC has increased from 14 teams to 17 after Stanford, Cal, and SMU joined the conference. The Big Ten has shot up to 18 teams thanks to the addition of Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington. All of the original 14 Sun Belt conference teams will line up for the 2024/205 season, including Louisiana and Arkansas State.

Oklahoma and Texas have ditched the Big 12. But, don’t worry, they have been replaced by Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado. Incredibly, the Pac-12 has been gutted and is now the Pac-2. The only remaining teams are Washington State and Oregon State. Stanford, Arizona, USC, UCLA, and others have all jumped ship.

Oklahoma and Texas have joined the SEC to strengthen its ranks. The AAU decided to swap SMU for Army, so it still has 14 teams. Whereas the Conference USA has shrunk to 10 teams after losing Kennesaw State for the 2024/2025 football season.

The Mid-American is one of the few conferences where nothing has changed - all of the 12 teams from last season are back. The Mountain West conference also has 12 teams, just like last year, with no new additions.

Rule Changes

The NCAA has implemented two key rule changes for the 2024/2025 college football season with the goal of aligning the NCAAF and the NFL. During this season, one player on each team will be allowed to wear a helmet with a special communication device. This device allows the coach and player to conversate.

The helmet with the communication device will have a green sticker, just like in the NFL, so the referees know exactly which player is getting the coaches call. When the ball is snapped or when the play clock reaches 15 seconds, the communication will be cut off, and the player will no longer be able to connect with the coach until the next play.

In the 2024/2025 season, a two-minute warning will also be added for the first time. With this rule change, teams will get an automatic timeout during the second and fourth quarters when there are two minutes remaining. The two-minute warning was first introduced in the NFL in 1942, so it’s only taken the NCAAF 82 years to catch up.

College Football Playoff

College football first introduced the playoff system back in 2014. Since then, the top four ranked teams would battle it out in a single elimination bracket to crown the national champion.

Well, that has all changed. From 2024, the playoff bracket has been expanded to 12 teams. The playoff will feature five conference champions and then the seven next top-ranked teams based on the selection committee’s opinion. The selection committee is made up of former sportswriters, athletic directors and former coaches and players.

This years playoff bracket will feature a first-round, quarterfinal, semifinal, and then the national championship game. The top four ranked conference champions will be seeded one to four and will receive a first-round bye.

The first-round games will take place on December 20th and 21st, with the quarterfinals are on December 31st and January 1st. This year’s first semi final, the Capital One Orange Bowl, will be played on January 9th, while the second semifinal will be the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and will go down on January 10th. Finally, the national championship game will take place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20th.

Top Teams and Players

The Georgia Bulldogs are the defending national champions and are ranked number one coming into the 2024/2025 season. The Bulldogs were almost flawless last season, losing just one game to Alabama in the SEC Championship. Star quarterback Carson Beck is returning, making Georgia the team to beat.

Expect the Ohio State Buckeyes to make a deep playoff run during the 2024/2025 college football season. The Buckeyes have done a fantastic job of adding talent during the off-season, including picking up powerful ball runner Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss and former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard. They have also brought in Chip Kelly to take over their offensive coordinator role.

Don’t be surprised if the Oregon Ducks secure a top-four seed going into the playoffs this year. The Ducks have a dominant defence and have plugged some holes on offence by adding quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore, alongside wide receiver Evan Stewart.

The Texas Longhorns are coming into 2024/2025 in red-hot form. Last year, they had an impressive 12-2 record and are led by one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, Quinn Ewers. Ewers had a QB rating of 158.6 and 22 touchdowns during last year’s college football campaign. Analysts have earmarked Ewers as a potential Heisman Trophy contender this year and he will be a cornerstone of a deep Longhorns playoff run.

How To Bet On NCAAF

Betting on the NCAAF is straightforward. First you must navigate your way to the sports betting page and select ‘Browse sports’. From there, you might have to select ‘More’ and then choose ‘American Football’. You can then scroll down to the NCAAF option to see what markets are available for you to choose from. College Football betting markets cover ‘Live’ (if there are games in play), ‘Outright’ and ‘Events’.

NCAAF Betting Lines

If you want to get involved with some NCAAF betting and want to learn how to bet on College Football, knowing what all the betting lines are will certainly help. One of the most popular NCAA Football betting lines is the outright College Football National Championship winner. This means you can bet on who you think will be crowned as the overall FBS winner.

You can also gamble on individual games and wager on who you think will win those games. These include ‘money line’ bets, where you are simply betting on the winner of a game.

You can also bet on the total points that might be scored in a game, or why not explore parlays, which is a bet that combines multiple wagers into one bet by rolling over the winnings from each individual bet into the next leg of a gamble. Or why not look into a ‘Teaser’ bet, which is a type of parlay.

NCAAF Betting Tips

One important thing to bear in mind, which is a common misconception, is to assume NCAA football betting is similar to NFL betting. The NCAA football season is one of the most packed schedules of any sport in the US, so you will have many betting markets to wager on almost every day. This is why early research is so important, so you can be ready to react to whatever game you want to wager on.

However, although the actual NCAA football season is short, covering less than six months of the calendar, NCAA Football betting can be done all year round. You can start to read previews of the pre-season futures, player performance specials, right up to expert picks on who might win the College Football National Championship.

One other NCAAF Betting tip is to consider the ‘total points’ market because NCAA Football games are generally more-wide open compared to NFL games, so higher scores are regularly seen. Betting on the over and under total points is a lot of fun. The most important thing overall is to enjoy your NCAA Football betting.

What Is NCAA Football league?

College football has been played in North America for more than a century and is now one of the most watched sports in the United States. The first college football game was played in 1869 but the sport has developed and evolved significantly over the years. The 1906 season was the first to be played under the IAAUS, which would later change its name to the NCAA.

Today, the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is the highest level of college football in the US and consists of 11 conferences and 130 teams (schools). Unlike other NCAA divisions and subdivisions, the NCAA does not officially award an FBS national championship. Instead, organizations such as the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) rank the teams and crown a national champion, by taking a vote of sports writers and coaches.

As there were no playoffs to determine a champion, various cities hold their own post-season tournaments, which are called ‘bowl games’. Nowadays, agreements have been reached between the premier FBS conferences and bowl games to organize playoffs so that the FBS national championship is decided on the field.

NCAA Football Games

The basic rules of NCAA Football Games are similar to those played in the professional football league (NFL), but there are a few differences. For example, NCAAF games cannot end in a tie as they can in NFL games (unless it is a playoff game). NCAAF games will go into overtime if the scores are level at the end of the four quarters. Also, the clock stops after the first down in NCAAF games, but it continues to run in the NFL.

All plays are subject to review in the NCAAF, but in the NFL, only scoring plays, turnovers, and plays during the final two minutes are reviewable.

In the NCAAF, players only need to have one foot down for a pass to be considered as completed, whilst in the NFL, both feet need to be down. Plus, a defensive holding penalty is 10 yards in NCAAF, but only 5 yards in the NFL.

NCAA Football Teams

The NCAAF is big business with some games attracting crowds of over 100,000 spectators. From the Big Ten in the north, down to the Southeastern Conference, the college football teams are always well supported. Some of the most popular teams include the Michigan Wolverines who averaged over 112,000 fans in one season for their home games at ‘The Big House’. The LSU Tigers have some of the rowdiest fans in the NCAAF, and average crowds of around 92,000 for home games at the Tiger Stadium, whilst the Nebraska Cornhuskers can boast a record of selling out 300 home games in a row.

The Ohio State Buckeyes, who play in Columbus, regularly get crowds of nearly 90,000, and the Alabama Crimson Tide can pull in fan numbers that exceed 100k. Other popular teams include the Texas A&M Aggies, the Florida Gators, Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma Sooners, and the Wisconsin Badgers.

NCAA College Football Season

Beginning in late August or early September, the NCAA Football league season, or FBS, will see most teams play 12 regular season games, with the majority of those fixtures coming against sides from the same conference.

All ten FBS conferences then hold a conference championship game to determine who is crowned winner of that conference. Only four teams will then be selected by the College Football Play-off Committee to appear in the College Football National Championships.

When Do NCAAF Playoffs And Finals Start?

The NCAA football league, or Division I FBS football regular season usually begins in late August and ends in mid-December, with the post season tournament beginning a few days later before culminating at the beginning of January with the relatively new College Football National Championships.

The College Football National Championships are used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Football league, or FBS, but has only been used since 2014-2015. It features the top four teams in the country, which have been determined by a selection committee. These four teams play in two semi-finals, sometimes called the ‘Plus-One system’ in a bid to reach the title game.

The winner of the title is awarded the College Football National Championship Trophy and was first won by Ohio State in January 2015. In fact, a ‘top-ranked’ school did not win the title until LSU won the sixth running of the play-offs.

NCAAF Betting FAQs

What are the top 10 college football teams?

Last season’s top 10 college football teams were:

  • Michigan Wolverines
  • Washington Huskies
  • Texas Longhorns
  • Georgia Bulldogs
  • Alabama Crimson Tide
  • Oregon Ducks
  • Florida State Seminoles
  • Missouri Tigers
  • Ole Miss Rebels
  • Ohio State Buckeyes

Who is the most winningest team in college football?

The Michigan Wolverines are the program with the most number of wins (1,000+) and the highest winning percentage (73.4%).

How Many Teams Play In The NCAAF?

There are 130 teams in the NCAA Football Subdivision (FBS), which is divided into 11 conferences, each covering a different area of the United States. These conferences are American Athletic, Atlantic Coast (ACC), Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA (C-USA), Independent, Mid-American (MAC), Mountain West (MW), Pac-12, Southeastern (SEC), and Sun Belt (SBC).

What is the biggest college football school?

The biggest college football school is Michigan. They have the most wins in college football history (1,000+) and also the biggest stadium of any team (107,601 capacity).

What is the most favourite college football team?

Ohio State is the most favourite college football team. In 2023, they were the most watched team, with an average of 5.55 million fans tuning in to watch their games.

Who has the most losses in college football history?

The Indiana Hoosiers have the most losses in college football history with 713. However, they have also won 500+ games.

What is the best college football program of all time?

The best college football program of all time is Alabama. The Crimson Tide have won 15 national titles and have produced 450+ NFL players.

What is the biggest stadium in college football?

The Wolverine’s Michigan Stadium is the largest college football stadium with an incredible seating capacity of 107,601.

What is the smallest college football stadium?

Elliott T. Bowers Stadium, home to the Sam Houston Bearkats, is the smallest college football stadium with a seating capacity of just 14,000.

Who has the loudest stadium in college football?

The loudest stadium in college football history is Neyland Stadium. It reached a record 137 decibels in a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Georgia Bulldogs in 2023.

Who has the most national championships in college football?

Yale has the most national championships in college football, with 18. However, the last time the Bulldogs tasted victory was way back in 1927!

What is the biggest win in college football?

The biggest win in college football occurred in 1916 when Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland 222-0.

Learn more about sports betting in our guides