Billions of dollars are wagered on American Football annually, including an estimated $3.5 billion bet on the 2024 NFL season. That’s seriously impressive and shows just how popular the competition is with fans and gamblers.
It’s no surprise to learn major bookmakers have reacted to those eye-watering numbers, battling to persuade football fans to gamble on their app and ignore the competition.
But which format is better to bet on? Which format gives you the best chance of making a regular profit, the NFL or College Football?
That’s a question that has caused much debate, and today, Whop takes a deep dive to provide you with all the answers.
If you're short on time, or just want to get straight into betting with a sportsbook like Hard Rock Bet, here are our findings:
| Aspect | NFL | College Football |
|---|---|---|
| Competitiveness | High – any team can win on their day | Varies – more mismatches but higher scores |
| Homefield Advantage | Moderate impact | Significant – some teams dominate at home |
| Scoring | Balanced, strategic games | High-scoring, entertaining matches |
| Broadcast Options | Limited live-stream availability | More games on live streams |
| Betting Value | Lower due to tight odds | Higher potential with research and mismatches |
| Key Betting Markets | Diverse, including moneyline and spreads | Totals, handicaps, and emerging player bets |
Frank's Verdict: NFL offers more balanced betting options and competitive games, while College Football provides opportunities with mismatches and higher-scoring matches. Choose based on your strategy!
Who's Frank?
Frank boasts a career spent at the top level of sports and sportsbook gambling. A former professional athlete, he has also worked on the trading floor of a global bookmaker at their London head office, just a short walk from the 2012 Olympic Village. Our expert uses his unique experience and background in sports to elevate your gambling game.
Keep reading as he explains the differences, similarities, and benefits of betting on the NFL and College Football.
Why bettors love American Football
American Football is a globally popular sport played, watched, and enjoyed by millions of people worldwide. It helps build bridges and breaks down social barriers, bringing together people from all walks of life, occupations, and social backgrounds.
Visit a major NFL stadium on game day, and you’ll see the wealthy rub shoulders with the working classes, sharing a mutual love for American Football while cheering their team to victory.
But why is football so popular?
American Football is, if nothing else, highly entertaining to watch. It’s fast-paced and strategic, offering excitement and suspense in equal measure. Games are often unpredictable and can change direction in the blink of an eye.
It’s not uncommon to see a big-name fall, losing to an underdog, especially in the NFL and College Football.
Here are some reasons sports fans love American Football:
- The busy schedule means there’s always a game to look forward to, with the NFL providing several eye-catching fixtures each week, usually running from Thursday evening through to Monday.
- Football fans and gamblers enjoy diverse betting options, with the leading sportsbooks offering dozens of pre-match and live markets. You can call the match-winner in the moneyline or play one of the many specials.
- The latest technology means there’s a mountain of football data available at your fingertips. You can analyze results, check the form, keep updated on injury news, follow the head-to-head scores, and more using your smartphone.
- More games than ever before are broadcast live on television and the best live streaming apps. You can follow the play at home or on the move.
- Watching, playing, and betting on American Football helps bring friends together, sparks discussions, and encourages new friendships.
The pros and cons of betting on NFL and College Football
The leading sportsbooks offer a long list of markets on games from the National Football League and College Football. Bettors have two options on how to approach their football betting.
You can gamble on the outright winner of a competition, such as the next Super Bowl champion—that’s known as futures betting. It gives players a long-term interest, usually lasting several months.
If you prefer a quicker turnaround for your bets, you can gamble on upcoming games. Have your say on the winner, totals, spreads, handicaps, and place a Round Robin bet or a parlay. It’s all available at the click of a button.
But which is best to bet on, the NFL or College Football?
Let’s look at the pros and cons of each American Football division.
National Football League
The NFL is the biggest, best-followed, and most famous American Football league worldwide. It’s huge across the United States, attracting thousands of spectators each week and millions more who watch games live on TV.
Here are some of the pros and cons related to betting on the NFL.
Pros
- There’s a fantastic schedule, with games played on most nights of the week during the Regular Season.
- Games are competitive, and you can never be sure which team will win.
- You can choose from dozens of betting markets on NFL games.
- As the NFL is such a major attraction, several high-ranking bookies offer generous bonuses to new and existing customers.
Cons
- As the NFL is so popular, bookmakers keep value to a minimum. Traders know the best teams and players and often keep the odds low on the favorites.
- Not many NFL games are broadcast on the live-streaming apps offered by bookmakers. That’s because major TV stations hold the broadcasting rights.
Best for:
Experienced bettors who enjoy deep research and strategic betting on competitive games with diverse markets. Ideal for those who prefer consistency and a structured schedule.
College Football
If the NFL is the main attraction, College Football is the chief support. Watch College Football, and you’ll enjoy a competitive game and may see some NFL stars of the future before they make it to the big time.
Here are some of the pros and cons related to betting on College Football.
Pros
- Homefield advantage plays an important role in College Football, more so than in the NFL.
- You’ll get many high-scoring games throughout a College Football season, making it a fantastic spectator sport.
- Unlike in the NFL, you’ll encounter more than a few mismatches in College Football. Those games are perfect for betting on the handicap or the totals.
- More games are broadcast on live streams than on major TV channels, and the top broadcasters don’t have such a tight hold on College Football compared to the NFL.
Cons
- It can be more difficult to get the best and most recent stats on College Football games than on NFL fixtures.
- College Football has fewer games broadcast on major TV stations, which puts some people off betting live.
Best for:
Value-seekers and underdog hunters who love high-scoring games, mismatches, and spotting emerging talent. Perfect for bettors who excel at analyzing homefield advantages.
Betting on NFL Games
To give yourself the best chance of making a profit when betting on NFL games, you must fully understand how fixtures work. As is the case when betting on any sport, the more research you do, the more winners you’ll find.
When researching NFL games, it’s important to understand the structure of fixtures and all relevant stats. Find out how a team performed last time out, past meetings with an opponent, their form at the venue, and the referee’s recent performances.
The weather, the impact of the crowd, the time of kick-off, whether the game is live on TV, and anything else that will help you get one over on your bookie. Knowledge is a weapon, and you can be sure traders working at your sportsbook have done their homework and studied the numbers.
How NFL games work
NFL games consist of four quarters lasting 15 minutes each, with a 15-minute halftime interval between the second and third quarters. There are no draws in the NFL, and if two teams are tied at the end of play, the match enters overtime. They then battle it out to decide a winner for another 10-15 minutes.
Games begin with the kickoff, and a team starts with the ball after receiving it from the kick. NFL games consist of two teams of 11 players each, with teams changing between offense and defense depending on whether they have the football.
The game stops when the player with the ball is tackled, strays out of bounds, or scores.
Teams have four attempts to advance the ball ten yards or more, known as downs. If successful, they earn another set of downs, but if unsuccessful, the ball is turned over to the opponent, who then begins their downs. NFL teams receive six points for a touchdown and a chance to add another two points for a conversion.
A field goal results in three points awarded, and a safety wins two points. Each time is permitted three time-outs per half, and there are also time-outs for TV broadcasters on the big games, such as the Super Bowl.
Now you know the basic structure of an NFL game, you can begin to look for interesting betting markets.
Betting on College Football
Understanding the differences between College Football and the NFL is important if you seek a reliable and continuous profit when betting online.
Both competitions share many similarities and play the same sport, but to think College Football and the NFL are identical would be a mistake and could cost you when betting.
Let’s look at the format of College Football games and see where they differ from matches played in the National Football League.
How College Football games work
College Football games consist of four quarters of 15 minutes each, just like in the NFL, but the halftime break is longer, lasting 20 minutes. If a match is tied after the four quarters, it enters overtime, and that’s when things begin to get interesting.
You’ll notice that College Football games last longer than matches from the NFL. In College Football, the clock stops after every first down and remains paused until the ball is set.
When a fixture enters overtime, each team gets one possession on their opponent’s 25-yard line. Overtime continues until one team outscores their opponent in a round.
If no winner is decided by the third overtime, teams will attempt two-point conversions.
You may also notice the differences in field dimensions between College Football and the NFL. In NFL games, the field measures 100 yards with 10-yard end zones and hash marks closer to the center of the field.
In College Football games, fields are the same size, but the hash marks are wider apart, influencing play-calling and kick placement.
Other points to note are College Football games permit unlimited substitutions during the game, while the NFL only permits changes between plays. College teams play up to a dozen games in their Regular Season, while NFL teams play 17 games at the same stage.
College games have a dedicated replay official who reviews critical plays, while the NFL must challenge plays.
How to gamble on American Football
Ready to put the lessons from this article to good use? If you wish to bet on an NFL or College Football game, you can follow the steps below. The process works at all major bookmakers and on their websites or smartphone apps.
- Visit your betting site or app and access your account.
- Click American Football from the sports navigation bar.
- Select the NFL or College Football to see all options.
- Click on an upcoming fixture and select the odds attached to your pick.
- Visit your bet slip, enter the stake, check returns, and confirm.
- Your wager is now live, and a cash-out value will appear.
Most popular American Football betting markets
Regardless of whether you choose to bet on College Football or the NFL, the betting strategies remain the same.
In this section, I’ll detail my five favorite American Football betting markets that are available at all major sportsbooks, including FanDuel.
Moneyline
The simplest and most basic of all American Football betting markets. You have a choice of picking the home team or away team to win the game. As there are no draws, you have a one-in-two chance of landing a profit.
Handicap
An ideal market if you’re betting on a game with a strong favorite. The traders will give their fancied team a points deficit at the start. In the example above, you’ll see Indianapolis has a -2.5 points handicap while their opponents, the New England Patriots, start with a +2.5 points lead. You can back a team to win and cover the handicap or the underdogs to stay within the advantage.
Totals
How many points will a game produce? Will it be a high-scoring or tense affair? You can bet on the total number of points scored by both teams combined. The traders will pick a mark, such as 60 points, and you must predict if the game will end with more or less than that number, known as over/under betting.
Correct score
A market for those chasing a win at big odds. You can predict which team will win a game and the exact correct score, such as Baltimore Ravens 30-23 Los Angeles Chargers. If you correctly predict the final score, you land a return. If you fail to call it exactly, the bookie keeps your stake.
Overtime
How competitive do you expect a game to be? You can bet on whether the match will enter overtime or not, and it’s a simple yes or no scenario. If you think it’ll be close but can’t predict the winner, you can sit on the fence and back a draw and the game to enter overtime. With this bet, it doesn’t matter which team claims the victory.
Watch and bet on live American Football
You can watch NFL and College Football games live on television and the best live-streaming apps.
When you’re watching a game live, you can also bet live. Also known as in-play betting, the trading team working at your chosen sportsbook will switch the pre-match markets and odds to live following kick-off. They then monitor the play and update the odds accordingly.
You can watch closely and react to any changes or patterns. If one player is performing well, you can back them to score the next touchdown. If both teams are nervous in their approach, you can gamble on under in the total goals market.
Best American Football betting bonuses
Regardless of whether you’re betting on the NFL or College Football, you’ll find the biggest apps offering a wealth of bonuses and promotions. Such deals exist to encourage bettors to choose one bookmaker over their rivals in such a competitive market.
But which promos should you look out for before your next wager?
The most generous betting bonuses for football fans are reserved for new customers. The biggest bookies offer new players a free bet when they create an account, deposit funds, and wager on a qualifying sportsbook market.
When your first bet results, the free bet tokens will quickly appear in your balance.
You can only join a bookmaker as a new customer once, but here’s a trick I’d like to share with my readers. There are many sportsbooks available to join today, and you can register with as many as you like, collecting bonuses and free bets as you go.
Professional bettors have multiple gambling accounts, which gives them access to deals and increases their chances of getting the best odds every time they bet.
Take your time to find the bookies that interest you most, and register as a new player to grab the free bet in plenty of time for the next live fixture.
Other NFL and College Football specials popular with bookies today include enhanced odds, bet insurance, parlay insurance, money back, and free bets.
Boost your football betting wins with Whop
We have reached the end of my article highlighting the most important differences between the NFL and College Football for bettors. I hope you enjoyed reading it and found it insightful.
You’re now ready to bet on the next big match broadcast live on TV, combining your passion for football with your newfound betting knowledge.
Want to get an extra leg up?
You’ll find expert betting picks, advice, and gambling tutorials at Whop Sports Picks now. These tried and trusted resources come from respected names in the gambling industry who share their knowledge on the teams, markets, odds, and more. Get reliable singles, well-researched parlay,s and exciting bets at big odds.
Browse Whop Sports Picks now, find a tipster that catches your eye, and follow for betting advice on the NFL and College Football.
