Tips for Betting on College Sports

College sports bring joy to millions of Americans every year. There have been a few exceptions, like last year, when COVID-19 halted nearly all sports around the world. College sports returned this year, but tournaments like March Madness had to be held at a single location for safety reasons.

The pandemic aside, there’s a reason Americans love college football and basketball so much. The sports depict the spirit of America: hard work, toughness, glory and perseverance. If you’re a sports fan, you probably also love college games because you can bet on them.

But how do you create a winning habit out of college sports betting?

#1: Specialize in One or Two Sports

Football and basketball are the two biggest sports in US colleges. Many universities also feature soccer, baseball, tennis and eSports teams. In other words, you can bet on multiple college games in the US.

However, choose one or two sports to specialize. Most people pick basketball or football. But as mentioned, you have a large library of games to pick. Choose your favorite sport and fall in love with it.

To expound more, invest in the sport. Attend or watch games. Read news and analyses about specific outings. Learn about important players and coaches, their styles, rankings and playing styles.

Being informative about a sport increases your odds of predicting outcomes correctly. You already know the strong and weak teams. You know game histories, form and injury reports—data you can leverage to win regularly.

#2: Create a Betting Strategy

A betting strategy is like a guide to help you determine what bets to make and for what reasons. Nowadays, you can bet on just about anything in a sports game:

• Match winners
• Total points
• Spreads
• Props
• Futures

Let’s say you choose to predict match winners. You could build a strategy centered on the road teams. Here, you find games where visitors have the better chances of winning. The explanation is that visitors tend to be underdogs. And this means, they carry more lucrative odds.

You could also create a strategy centered on totals. The goal is to predict the number of points scored. You really don’t have to worry about which side wins—just how many points both sides score.

#3: Consult the Experts

Analyzing a sports game to predict an outcome isn’t always easy. There are plenty of variables to keep in mind. There’s a team’s power ranking. Then there’s form, match to match records against its opponents, coaches, key players, injuries and outside factors.

Against that backdrop, some people prefer to bet with the help of experts. Tipsters do the hard work of analyzing games. You place bets based on their predictions. Of course, human tipsters aren’t correct all the time.

However, some NFL computer picks can be pretty accurate. Computers use special algorithms to analyze large amounts of sports data. They then create predictions free of bias and emotions. To be clear, you won’t always win whether you follow picks from a human expert or computer. But you can increase your odds significantly.

#4: Learn How to Find Value Odds

Odds are the reasons your $100 bet could return $150 at Bookie A and $180 at Bookie B. Of course, the objective is to bet where you get the best returns. And that’s not all. It’s in your best interests to learn how to find value odds.

What is a value odd? It’s a bet where one team is the underdog even though data shows it should be the favorite. Let’s say Auburn are facing the Houston Tigers. Auburn is a historically successful college team.

It’s also in great form. And due to that, it’s the favorite at odds -130. By comparison, Houston has odds of +180. All the same, Auburn is missing a few players to injury and just lost the last two home games.

Houston might not be the best college team. But assume it’s been on a roll, winning the last four games to better ranked sides. In this case, a case can be made that Houston could emerge victorious although odds suggest otherwise.

The most successful punters know how to pick high-value predictions. They chose predictions where the probability of being correct are high and the potential returns are great. This way, it’s easier to develop a profitable record over time.

#5: Create a Budget and a Staking Plan

You’ve hard countless stories of people who can’t handle their finances due to extreme betting. Having a budget helps you avoid the problem. According to many financial experts, your betting budget should be based on money you can afford to lose.

So, take your net income and pay your bills. Save money for emergencies and investments. Then create a gambling budget. Crucially, ensure it’s an amount that can last until your next paycheck.

Also, design a staking plan to help you know how much to spend on every match. Many advisors recommend a 1% to 2% staking plan. But this depends on your goals and the number of matches you plan to wager every month.

All the same, ensure you stick to your budget and staking plan. In doing so, you’re less likely to overspend in gambling. And you’re less likely to get addicted by betting.

#6: Choose a Good Betting Site

Choosing a sportsbook is the first thing you need to do after deciding to bet on college sports. How do you which betting site to pick? First, look for a bookie that accepts people from your state. In many cases, you need a sportsbook licensed locally.

In some states, sports betting is illegal or limited to in-person betting. If you decide to wager online, you’ll need to pick an offshore bookmaker. All the same, ensure it’s licensed, secure and reputable.

Importantly, it needs to cover college sports comprehensively. Another feature is to provide competitive odds, quick payouts and generous bonuses. Look for mobile support, in-play betting and sports streaming. All the features can improve your overall betting experience.