College Bowl Game Odds In North Carolina

College football’s postseason, better known as Bowl Season, is not just for the best teams in the country. With 40+ games and 130 teams, the bar is not high. Since opponents are often non-traditional, oddsmakers have their work cut out for them when setting bowl game lines. But once the opening lines get set, college bowl game odds move according to several factors.

In the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina, the opponents were the North Carolina Tar Heels and South Carolina Gamecocks. Both finished the regular season with 6-6 records and fifth place in their respective divisions.

Find below updated NCAAF bowl game odds once they are set.

Current College Bowl Game Odds

A handful of teams have practically owned spots in the CFP since the playoffs were created in 2014. Some of those teams have great championship odds and could be in the playoffs in 2022:

Alabama Crimson Tide (+150, BetRivers Sportsbook)

Alabama returned to the playoffs in 2021 after missing the year before only to lose in the championship game to Georgia. However, with a talented, experienced roster coming back that will be augmented by one of the best-recruiting classes in the country, it will not be shocking if Alabama returns to the playoffs again.

Ohio State Buckeyes (+250, BetRivers Sportsbook)

Despite losing to Oregon early in the 2021 season, the Buckeyes were in a position to earn a playoff spot before losing to Michigan. However, with the talent and experience Ohio State has returning, the Buckeyes will likely be in the conversation in 2022.

Georgia Bulldogs (+275, DraftKings Sportsbook)

Despite winning the national championship last season, the Bulldogs are not the favorite to win the title again next season. Georgia will be one of the teams to beat in 2022 and will undoubtedly be in contention to repeat as champions.

Clemson Tigers (+1000, FanDuel Sportsbook)

Dabo Swinney has turned the Tigers into perennial contenders in recent years. However, Clemson disappointed fans in 2021 with a slow start out of the gate and two losses in their first four games. Although, the team turned around by the end of the season and finished ranked 14th in the nation. If they can pick up where they left off, they will be in the conversation again in 2022.

North Carolina (+10000, PointsBet)

There have been high hopes for the Tar Heels ever since Mack Brown returned to campus. Although, with Sam Howell and other playmakers graduating or entering the draft, the team could be in rebuild mode next season. They will need quite a few players to emerge and step up to become a contender.

North Carolina State (+25000, Caesars Sportsbook)

In recent years, Dave Doeren has done an excellent job with the Wolfpack but can’t seem to get the team to make the leap from good to great. He does have a good core group of talented players coming back next season, so if he can find a few more, NC State may have a shot at becoming a contender.

NC Sportsbook Apps With The Best College Bowl Odds

Some states have restrictions related to betting on college sports but carrying NCAA football odds is a must for a sportsbook operating in the United States. Bettors in North Carolina can rest assured that BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, Bet365 Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook all have competitive college bowl games lines and many of them will also offer player props for those games.

The following college programs have sponsorship deals with a sportsbook:

• University of Colorado — PointsBet
• LSU — Caesars
• Michigan State — Caesars
• Maryland — PointsBet
• University of Denver — SuperBook

NCAA College Football Schedule

Bowl season is not an exclusive event by any stretch of the imagination. Years ago, when it was relatively new, it was designed to give the best teams in the nation an additional game on a national stage. But over the years, the number of bowl games has grown from ten in 1971 to 43 scheduled games in 2021 (44 if you include the national championship game).

With so many games, the threshold for qualification has been lowered to having a non-losing record (6-6 or better). Exceptions are often made for a few 5-7 teams.

The college bowl season lineup gets announced during the College Football Playoff Selection Show. For the 2021 season, it was held on December 5, following the completion of every conference championship game.

Most Popular College Bowl Games For Betting In North Carolina

Fans in North Carolina will probably gravitate towards the bowl games local teams like the Tar Heels and Wolfpack are playing in if they qualify. Nationwide, the more popular games for bettors are probably:

• CFP semifinal games
• New Year’s Six bowl games (Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl)
• National championship

The New Year’s Six slate will feature the best teams in college football, making them often the most-watched games.

Every sportsbook in the US will carry bowl game lines. Bowl lines will include the point spread, moneyline, and over/under (total) for the game. Bettors will also be able to put money down on prop bets in states where they are allowed.

College Football Playoffs

The College Football Playoffs were created to ensure the true national champion got crowned at the end of the season. Previous attempts to crown a ‘true’ national champion were controversial. The inaugural season of the CFPs was in 2014.

Four teams chosen to participate in the playoffs get picked by a 13-person committee. So far, the playoffs have been dominated by one team— the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama has played in the playoffs in seven of its eight seasons, making it to the title game six times (winning three).

Consequently, Alabama usually opens as the favorite to win the national championship. They did in 2020 (+300), got as low as +150 in Week 6 but climbed back up to +300 by Week Ten and +350 in Week 11. Their odds got up to +600 before the SEC title game but dropped down to +120 heading into the playoffs.

As the last games of the season between the best teams, sportsbooks tend to see a lot of action on these games. Bettors can count on sportsbooks offering competitive lines on bowl games like these.

How To Bet On College Bowl Games In NC

Bettors have a few options at their disposal when it comes to betting on college bowl games:

• Point Spread: The spread is simply the margin of victory as predicted by oddsmakers. Bowl game spreads can be tricky for sportsbooks to set since games are often between non-traditional opponents. Once the public starts betting, oddsmakers will shift bowl game point spreads to ensure the book is protected.
• Moneyline: If you would rather pick a team to win straight up, you want to take the moneyline. While underdogs have no cushion, the payout is more significant if one wins.
• Total: Otherwise known as the over/under, the total gives bettors a chance to bet on whether the combined score from the game will be lower or higher than a given number.
• Parlay: If you want the chance to win more money, rather than place several individual bets, create a parlay. Parlays string together several individual bets allowing bettors to earn an exponentially larger payout.
• Prop Bets: Also known as proposition bets, these are wagers bettors can make regarding the play of individual players or teams but not regarding the game’s outcome. However, some states do not allow prop bets.

What Affects College Football Predictions And Odds

Oddsmakers will have their own specific method by which they set NCAA football betting odds for bowl games and the national championship. As for what may impact those odds and cause them to change, several things have that potential. NCAAF betting odds can vary because of:

• Injuries to key players
• Coaching changes
• Player transfers, suspensions, off-field issues, opting out
• Inclement weather
• Performance
• How the public is betting

NCAA Football Game Odds

Oddsmakers may set odds for games between marquee teams well in advance, but the betting lines get set early in the week (Sunday-Tuesday) for most games. Odds get impacted by several factors, including how a team played the previous week and how the public bets. For bowl games, players opting out and transferring, along with coaching changes, can impact odds.

There following was the betting line for the national championship game:

Anyone taking Alabama and the points would have been able to add 2.5 points to the Crimson Tide’s total. Had it been more than what Georgia had scored, they would have won their bet. Bettors that took Georgia and the moneyline would have needed to bet $143 to win $100; had Alabama won, a $100 bet would have resulting in $120.

Since the final score was 33-18, bettors that took the under would have won their wagers.

Throughout the season and leading up to the College Football Playoffs, fans could have made a futures bet on who would win the national championship. Futures odds are set at the end of the previous season and change throughout the year depending on how a team plays, the competition, injuries/transfers/opt-outs, coaching changes, etc.

North Carolina Restrictions On College Betting Online

Many states with legal online sports betting have no restrictions for college sports, but several do have limitations. Some states will not allow betting on in-state teams no matter where they are playing or in-state events. Others will allow betting on in-state teams but prohibit player props.

So, as far as college bowl season is concerned, that means there may not be college bowl prop bets, college bowl props, or college bowl live betting in certain states.

States that have banned online betting on in-state teams:

• New Jersey (plus events in-state)
• Illinois (also prohibits prop betting and live betting on local teams; fans can bet on in-state teams in-person at retail sportsbooks)
• New Hampshire, (plus games held in-state)
• New York (plus no betting on games held in-state)
• Oregon
• Rhode Island (plus events held in-state)
• Washington DC
• Virginia (plus no prop betting or in-play betting)
• Connecticut

States that do not restrict online betting on in-state teams but have banned player props for college sports:

• Pennsylvania
• Colorado
• Tennessee (and no in-play prop betting)
• Arizona (no team or player props)
• Iowa (no player props on players from in-state teams)

It remains to be seen how North Carolina will handle college bowl prop bets, college bowl props, college bowl live betting, or betting on college sports in general once online betting is made legal and launches.

NCAA Football & College Bowl Game Odds FAQs