The Best NCAAF Betting Sites

Today, NCAA sports bettors can enjoy unmatched betting variety thanks to the NCAA tournaments serving as a feeder for professional sports leagues. As a result, there are several NCAAF betting sites you can choose from if you are a fan of NCAA football or other collegiate sports.

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What is the NCAA?

Before we get into the details of the best NCAA football betting sites, it is important for us to get, an understanding of the NCAA, its history and its place in the sports landscape of today. Understanding the origins of the NCAA is sure to help sports bettors feel more confident about what they are getting into before they place their first NCAA bet on college sports.

Thanks to a large number of tournaments held each year and the wide variety of sports that come under the purview of the NCAA, many sports betting sites have emerged that cater specifically to NCAA sports bettors.

The 2015-17 High School Athletics Participation Survey revealed that over eight million U.S students are involved in sports at the high school level. Given that many of these students will continue to pursue their chosen sport in college, the NCAA or the National Collegiate Athletic Association is a nonprofit association that regulates college athletes in over 11,00 American, Canadian and Puerto Rican schools.

Having its headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, the NCAA annually helps over 50.00 students who participate in sports and athletics at the collegiate level. Today, NCAA sports are a fan favorite among sports betters in the USA, with many betting sites offering bets on NCAA-sanctioned sports.

NCAA Sponsored Sports

Currently, the NCAA hosts 90 championships every year in the following sports:

• Basketball

• Baseball

• Beach Volleyball

• Softball

• Football

• Cross country

• Field hockey

• Bowling

• Golf

• Fencing

• Lacrosse

• Soccer

• Gymnastics

• Rowing

• Volleyball

• Ice hockey

• Water polo

• Rifle

• Tennis

• Skiing

• Track and field

• Swimming and diving

• Wrestling

History of the NCAA

The first recorded instance of intercollegiate sports in the United States dates back to the year 1852, when teams from Yale and Harvard universities challenged each other at rowing.

In the late 1800s, rowing was the most popular sport in the country. The eligibility and purpose of collegiate athletes were one of the most widely debated topics in the sports business and several organizations emerged to protect collegiate athletes such as the Rowing Association of American Colleges and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association.

The Formation of the NCAA

In the early 20th century, college football was rife with injuries and even deaths. The dangerous nature of the sport lead many colleges and universities to take the decision to discontinue it and cancel all college football games in order to protect their students.

Chancellor Hencry MacCracken of New York university organized a meeting of 13 colleges and universities to develop and implement changes in the rules of football. The NCAA’s origin lies in two White House conferences convened by then President Theodore Roosevelt in the early 20th century that saw 62 higher education institutions become founding members of the Intercollegiate Athletics Association of the United States or IAAUS.

The IAAUS was formally established on March 31st 1906 and took its present name, the NCAA, in 1910. Thus, the NCAA came into existence and laid the foundation for the future of collegiate level sports in the USA. The establishment of the NCAA would change the sports betting landscape of the country forever, catapulting it into popularity that it had never seen before.

The NCAA and College Football

For several years, the NCAA remained a rules-making body and for all intents and purposes, a discussion in group. In 1921, the NCAA conducted its first national championship: The National Collegiate Track and Field Championships. Slowly, more rules committees were created and 18 years later, NCAA held its first ever basketball championship in 1939. As the years rolled on, the NCAA added more and more championships to its annual calendar. Within no time, Football soon became one of the top draws, with colleges and the NCAA engaging in legal battles over broadcasting rights.

Important Milestones in College Football History

The First Ever College Football Match

The birth of American college football took place in 1869 at College Avenue in New Brunswick, New Jersey when Rutgers University and the College of New Jersey(now known as Princeton) squared off.

In the first-ever college football match, each team had 25 players and the rules were based on those followed by the London Football Association – meaning that players could not pick up or throw the ball. Therefore, the first ever college football game resembled rugby or soccer more closely than it does the version of American Football that we see today. The game ended in a 6-4 victory for Rutgers University.

The Original Rules of College Football

Seven years after the first game was played, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and Yale University sent representatives to draft the first rules of what is known today as American football.

These representatives met at Massasoit House in Springfield, Massachusetts on November 23rd, 1986. During this meeting, Walter Camp emerged as the famous father of American football, having created guidelines that are well known today. Camp was responsible for details such as the line of scrimmage, the center-to-quarterback snap, and a system of downs. He also proposed that each team should only have 11 players on the field.

When is the NCAAF Season Played?

The NCAAF football season usually starts on the first Saturday after Labor Day and ends in the first half of December. In 2022, the NCAAF season is set to kick off on Saturday, August 27th and will wrap up on December 10th.

The biggest NCAAF event takes place at the end of the NCAAF season when the prestigious Heisman Trophy is awarded to the championship-winning team.

Top College Football Betting Apps for 2022

• BetMGM Sportsbook
• Unibet
• WynnBET
• PointsBet
• Betrivers
• Caesars Sportsbook
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• Betway
• bet365
• PlaySugarHouse Sportsbook

The listed sportsbook apps feature the best options for betting on NCAAF games. Of course, the apps are available on iOS and Android devices. Making a variety of wagers across a number of games from your smartphone or tablet is a breeze.

How to Find the Best Sports Betting Sites for NCAA Football

As you read through this guide, you’ll eventually learn exactly what to look for, should you choose to sign up with any of the top college football betting sites. Follow the same approach one would use when choosing an NFL sportsbook. Let’s take a look at the criteria you should consider below:

• Reliability

The best college football betting sites ensure that you are protected from dangerous outcomes. If you encounter a new NCAA college football gambling site, make sure you pay attention to the affiliations that are displayed on their site to make sure they are legitimate.
What is the safest way to bet on college football? Make sure to play with only the best bookies in the business, who are licensed and regulated by gambling authorities and protect players through declarations of proof of fairness and by associating with player support organizations.

• Betting variety

The top college sports bookies are known to offer a wide variety of bet and bet types to keep players engaged with a wide array of offerings. Online sports betting and college football betting, in particular, have really taken off in the last decade or so.

Just a few years ago, players had to spend some effort to find their favorite kinds of bets, but not anymore. Thanks to the large number of NCAA tournaments taking place, you’ll be sure to find bets on your favorite sport at any time during the sports calendar year.

• Odds

It’s important to remember that the odds vary at different college football gambling sites. Remember to go over a range of bookies to find the best odds for your bet. The most effective way to find the best odds is to quickly scan over the different sports betting operators mentioned in this guide right before you place your bet.

The odds on offer at a particular bookie can make or break your experience while betting on college football. Every bookie is known to have its own methods of calculating odds while also claiming to have the best odds of them all. It’s important to note that different bookies have the best odds at different times.

• Live betting

The best online sportsbooks for college football will give players the option of placing bets while a game is still in progress. These bookies stand out from the crowd because life betting is a much more exciting way to place bets as games unfold.

Pro-tip for live betting: Make sure that alongside a live stream of the game you are following, you also have a scorecard or stat sheet to refer to. This will help you make more informed choices before you place a live bet.

• Bonuses

The best NCAAF betting sites will give players a lucrative sign-up bonus, even though it’s not mandatory to take up their offer. Gambling sites are always trying to outdo each other by acquiring more users and welcome bonuses are one of the simplest ways to gain more sign-ups.

When you avail of a welcome bonus, make sure to pay attention to the terms and conditions of the offer. Most will come with a set of stipulations that you will have to meet before you can be eligible for the bonus.

• Platform

The enjoyability of an online sports betting experience is directly connected to the quality of the platform. If you’re looking to bet on college football, a well-designed platform can give you an unmatched experience of placing risk-free bets.

We’ve made sure to include only the best-designed college football sportsbooks in this guide based on the criteria of interface design, usability and real-world user reviews.

• Payments

When you start betting on NCAA football games, it’s important that the gambling site you choose offers a wide variety of payment options. Additionally, playing a risk free bet is only made possible because of safe and well-established payment gateways.

Debit cards, credit cards, online banking, prepaid cards, eWallets are some of the most popular payment methods that you should look out for when seeking betting opportunities on NCAA football.

• Cash-out

Having the option to cash-out is crucial for players, especially those that are new to online betting. To put it simply, the cash-out feature can be activated by a player in case they decide to exit their bet early.

The cash-out option can prove itself to be extremely if you ever bet on an unlikely outcome and it starts to come true. The cash-out option will allow you to exit the bet with your winnings intact, with the caveat that you will not be able to win your bet’s maximum potential, on account of exiting early.

• Customer service

The best bookies in the business today have well-trained customer service teams that are available to resolve any hitches that players might face while placing bets during the next college football season.

There are usually several options through which you can reach customer service teams at top college football bookies. Usually, the options extend to email, phone and live chat. In our experience, the best way to reach a quick resolution, should you face any issues, is to use the live chat option.

College Football Betting Site Red Flags

We strongly suggest that you pick one of the top football betting sites that we have evaluated from the list below. The sites mentioned in this guide have been reviewed by our team of experts to meet standards of safety, legitimacy and transparency.

In case you would like to do your own due diligence and want to know what betting sites to avoid, we are also compiling some telltale signs of a shady betting site.

When indulging in NCAA football betting, watch out for:

• Bonuses that claim to hand out money with no catch

• Lack of online reviews in forums

• Lack of licensing or regulatory information

• Unresponsive or nonexistent customer service

• Slow payouts

Free Money Bonuses

If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is – and this is especially applicable to betting operators.

Lack of Reviews

One of the best ways to know about the legitimacy of a betting operator is to hear it from other players. In the absence of these reviews, it’s best to tread cautiously

Lack of Licensing

The best bookies today are completely legal and regulated by licensing authorities. The absence of licensing information is questionable.

Unresponsive Customer Service

If something goes wrong, the last thing you need is to be left without answers. As we mentioned earlier, the presence of a good customer service team is crucial to the online betting experience.

Slow Payouts

The most pleasurable part of betting action is being able take home a sizeable winning. If payouts are slow, it can be extremely frustrating for players. The best NCAA betting sites complete their payouts in under a week.

The Best College Football Betting Sites

Now that you know about the storied history of the NCAAF and what you should look for when you’re searching for a betting platform, let’s take a look at the top bookies who offer bets on NCAAF games. These sites provide a wide variety of betting types to ensure they provide players access to all kinds of betting action.

Most of the sites below have a wide variety of NCAAF betting options along with prop bets, parlay bets, live betting, mobile betting and other exciting features.

1. BetMGM

BetMGM proudly calls them the king of sportsbooks. Hailing from sin city, the spiritual home of all gambling activities in the USA, BetMGM is rapidly emerging as one of the top sportsbooks both in the USA and globally.

BetMGM offers an extremely lucrative 1000 USD worth of free bets to players who are new to their platform. Additionally, they encourage mobile betting through their apps to ensure that players can have an enriching betting experience, no matter where they are.

2. Draftkings Sportsbook

Draftkings Sportsbook is one of the top betting operators in the USA. The Draftkings website is familiar to many American players and offer a bets on a wide variety of sports, in addition to NCAAF football games.

Since college football has been a mainstay for American gamblers for decades now, it is super easy to navigate to the NCAAF section on Draftkings Sportsbook, since NCAAF is listed conspicuously on the home page.

3. Betway

Proudly claiming that their sports betting product is second to none, Betway is another one of the top bookies available in the market today. Apart from NCAAF, Betway also offers the option of betting on a range of 28 sports in all! Betway have also paid close attention to their sign up process to make it an extremely smooth and easy process to complete.

Betway offers a unique joining bonus of a $250 risk-free bet to new gamblers.

4. Caesars Sportsbook

Caesars is one of the top betting sites if we evaluate them purely based on their offerings for football.

Caesars also has it all when it comes to college football betting. They offer generous bonuses, a wide variety of bets, odds boosts, novelty bets and other promos for the NCAA football season

5. BetRivers Sportsbook

BetRivers Sportsbook offers an extremely lucrative bonus to new players. They offer a deposit matching bonus, wherein they match the first deposit made by new players, up to a certain limit.

BetRivers also features some of the best NCAA football promo offers available today.

6. Fanduel Sportsbook

Fanduel is famous for being one of the top betting platforms around the world. Their popularity didn’t come about because of a stroke of luck: Fanduel is one of the first online sportsbooks in the business.

Fanduel also offers some of the best welcome bonuses and seasonal promotions that we have seen in recent times. Their site is fast, responsive and well designed. To top it all off, Fanduel also offers additional betting options like live betting and mobile betting. We highly recommend Fanduel if you’re looking to place bets on American football.

Promotional Offers and Payment Options on NCAAF Betting Sites

When you sign up on a new betting platform for online football betting, remember to keep an eye out for seasonal promotions and offers. The best NCAA betting sites sites will allow you to participate with a variety of payment options like cards, wallets, bank transfer, and more.

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