NCAA College Bowl Betting Guide

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The first thing that most bettors are worried about is getting in on the lines before they move.  The thing is that these bowl odds don't change as much as most people think.  Out of all of the bowl games, there might be two or three of them that move more than two points, so you don't really have to worry about acting quickly, you can take your time and break down each game without the line slipping away unfavorably.  The championship game will be posted for more than a month, so if you are betting with online sportsbooks that is a long time to keep your bankroll tied up, without any benefit to begin with.

Injuries won't play as big of a part in the post-season as they do during regular season college football betting.  The players will all have significant periods of time off between their last game and their bowl game, so you can count on most players being back to full-strength.  This is one of the reasons that the lines won't be swinging a bunch as more information becomes available.  Suspensions though, could play a role in the post-season betting.  Players either get arrested, fail some fall classes, or do something else stupid and are forced to sit out.  These events will have more of an impact on the line and the game than injuries do, so try to keep posted by watching local newspapers.  By the way, read our handicapping football injuries article for how we go about that.

One thing that clients seem to always ask us about are coaching changes.  We don't really factor this into our bowl predictions, and the odds makers don't seem to pay much attention to who is wearing the headset for the bowl game either.  This is an off-field distraction, but one that we feel like is impossible to get a real feel for the individual players.

You will also want to take a look at where the game is going to be played, because there will be advantages a lot of times for one team over another.  If the team is playing in their home stadium, home city, or very close to their campus then you have to figure more fans will be filling the stands.  Also, if you see a team that has a great fan-base and travels well, like the Iowa Hawkeyes then you have to think it's going to be more of an advantage than a team like the Florida Gators, who are spoiled into staying home if the game is outside of Florida. 

If you are looking for the single, biggest factor in making college bowl picks it comes down to motivation.  If a team is fading down the stretch and is having to settle for a lesser bowl than they had planned on, you can bet the team isn't going to be all that thrilled about it.  There are additional teams that perform a lot better than expectations and will have an exciting fan base, coaching staff, and roster full of players.  It's not just the end of the season but also previous bowl appearances that could matter.  If a team was beaten in last year's bowl game when they were huge favorites, or if the school has lost a number of bowl contests in a row, there will be some extra motivation.  It also goes that if a coach announces some added importance as to the players who are returning, a la, next year's starting spots, that the players will play with some extra determination.

If you plan on doing your own college bowl handicapping this year, then we hope that this article will help you find more winners.  However, if you feel like this is a lot of work and you want some expert help then pick up a package of premium selections from handicapper Jimmy Boyd.

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