College football authorities, especially executives of the NCAA governing body dont like to talk about it, but betting plays a big role in the sports popularity. College football has legions of fans, most notably current college students and alumni graduates of the schools that play football every week.The game is also popular with gamblers. And while most people who bet do so for added excitement and invest only what they can afford to lose, many people are big-time gamblers. They live or die with the odds.The odds are, of course, involve the point spread which is established each week for every college game by Las Vegas odds makers. Lots of factors go into creating the odds, home field advantage , coaching , winning and losing streaks , conference and out-of-conference schedule , weather , injuries , the list goes on and on.Yet, betting odds determine how wagers are made.

For example: if the odds have made a so-so team the favorite, people who wager are likely to go the other way and bet the underdog. If the underdog is a really bad team, money wagered will go to the favorite even if the odds seem to make the bet a bad risk.Since odds are based on point spreads, a favorite can win the game, but you can lose the bet because the spread wasnt covered. Often, a college team from a top conference or one that is ranked in the Top Ten nationally will be favored to win a game by two, three, four, sometimes even more than four touchdowns.

Normally, the disparity between the two teams in games like this is great enough so that the overwhelming favorite can win the game and you can beat the odds. But it doesnt always happen that way. The big favorite may win the game, but by two few points. And, in that case, you can, and will, lose your bet. Of course, college teams, unlike professional teams, tend to pour it on and often do win games by 4, 5, 6 touchdowns , even more. Theres no mercy asked , none given. But the risk is always there that the favorite will just do enough to win the game.

If you bet, you have to look at a teams past history to see if they run up the score or go easy on inferior opponents.Fans who bet also need to consider how the odds makers came up with the point spread , or the odds for the game. Remember: conferences play a huge role, often overshadowing won-loss records in some games. A Big 10 team with a mediocre record may actually have the odds in its favor to cover a line against a winning team from a secondary conference.Finally, the odds are just numbers , speculation from a professional handicapper who may or may not be right. When betting, consider the professionals opinion, but always resort to what you know and believe , because its your money at risk.