After a patchwork 2020 college football campaign, it would only make sense that college bowl season would get the COVID-19 makeover.
The usual 40-game count for the bowl schedule is down to 32 (for now) and plenty of teams are opting to pass on the postseason after a trying and tumultuous regular-season slate that saw more and more matchups canceled due to coronavirus outbreaks.
Despite that dip in participation, the best college football betting tips for bowl season remain the same. And while each bowl matchup is different, there are some overall betting strategies and situational spots to consider when it comes to capping the college football bowl game odds.
Let’s go bowling…
College Football Bowl Betting Tips
Below are certain tips, tactics and treatments for betting on college football bowl games. Not all of them will apply to every team or game, but you should absolutely rundown this checklist to make sure you aren’t missing a key edge or angle that could impact your best college football bowl bets.
Cap the Coaches
Oddsmakers weigh coaches in college sports more than any other major betting market, mostly due to coaching tendencies and systems being the same from year to year. Some coaches have better success in bowl games than others, so dig into how those respective leaders treat the postseason finale, as well as their ATS record in bowl games.
Another key factor when capping bowl games is to mind the coaching carousel. Successful head coaches, coordinators and assistants could be taking jobs elsewhere, leaving some teams without them for the bowl matchup. Other coaches could be playing to keep their job, especially in 2020 with all teams – regardless of wins – eligible to accept an invite.
Mind the Motivation
As mentioned, many programs are taking a hard pass on the postseason in 2020. And you can’t blame them. But there are still a number of teams looking forward to playing in a bowl game, as a reward to the players and staff for a difficult schedule. You’ll want to sniff out each team’s motivation heading into the bowl matchup.
Some teams are playing in their first postseason game in years and could have a letdown after finally making the cut. Other programs may have had high hopes for a spot in the CFP hunt or a New Year’s Day appearance but instead are settling for a lesser slot, lacking the motivation for that impending matchup. Read up on comments from coaches and players heading into these games and see if you can get a feel for the locker room.
Bowl Breaks
With COVID cancellations and the bowl game schedule spread out over the month of December, there are a number of teams sitting on the shelf for weeks before picking back up for the postseason. This hiatus can bring an abrupt halt to any momentum gained at the end of the year, so be wary of teams playing their best football at the end of the schedule that now have to wait weeks to get back in action.
However, bowl breaks can be a blessing when it comes to teams dealing with injury and COVID issues at the end of the regular season. That time off can get key players back on the field and, in 2020, help get guys out of quarantine for those programs plagued by the pandemic.
The flip side of this is giving players time away from school and practice, with final exams in the bag and downtime during the holidays. That leads to plenty of idle time and every bowl season we see a handful of suspensions stemming from off-field issues. Catching COVID adds a new wrinkle to this strategy, as players may not practice proper social distancing during this period between games.
Odometer Impact
Travel is tricky right now but that’s not going to stop some teams from traveling for their bowl dates. COVID restrictions and protocols will add another hoop to jump through when it comes to bowl travel, with some venues still in question and states opening and closing their doors to sporting events.
On top of travel times and limits, be mindful of where and when teams are playing their bowl games. Some teams may cross the country and end up playing in weird starts in different time zones, such as West Coast schools playing out East or Eastern teams playing in late kickoffs.
Live Betting Bowl Games
In-game betting on college football bowl games is a blast—if you know what to look for. The postseason spotlight can be blinding to some teams, which produces strange results. You can sometimes find the favorite falling behind early or a lack of scoring between two high-powered teams in the opening quarters of a postseason tilt.
These anomalies do tend to correct themselves over the course of 60 minutes, so keep an eye out for opportunities in the live odds to bet against these strange results and find value in balance with the in-play markets and second-half odds.
Where Can I Bet on College Football Bowl Games?
You can bet on college football bowl game odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NCAA football point spreads, Over/Under totals, derivative bets and even prop plays as well. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on college football bowl game odds in your area.
