The names are different but the situations stay the same.
Each college football bowl season, select teams pack their bags and head off for their postseason matchup, giving sports bettors a fresh set of intriguing non-conference competitions. While there is an aura of the unknown when it comes to bowl teams – these programs don’t know much about each other – football bettors can find familiarity – and value – looking for teams in these certain situations.
We break down some of the important factors to figure into your bowl betting this December with our Bowl Betting Bible.
Check out Book I of Covers' Bowl Betting Bible: Capping Thy Coaches, Book II: Money From Motivation, Book III: The Waiting Game, and Book IV: Tackle Travels
BOOK V: LIVE IN THE MOMENT WITH IN-GAME ODDS
Live betting is still very much an untapped market for many sports bettors, despite being around almost as long as online sportsbooks. The ability to get action down on a game as it unfolds, betting on constantly-evolving lines and odds, is one of the most lucrative ways to wager on college football bowl season – if you know what to look for.
Bowl games aren’t like most college football contests. There are so many outside factors – many of which we dissected in the first four Bowl Betting Bibles – that these showcases can produce some strange results. And strange results are the gift that keeps on giving for fans of live in-game wagering.
The best in-game value comes from bowls in which a sizable favorite falls behind on the scoreboard early. And you’ll see this a lot in postseason action. The team that is expected to win comes out flat, be it due to a long layoff between games or lack of motivation after missing out on a marquee bowl matchup, instantly slimming their in-game line compared to the closing pregame line.
A 9.5-point spread may take a tumble to a key number, like -6 or -3.5, depending on the game situation, allowing live bettors to scoop that shrunken spread in hopes that the favorite will eventually snap out it (for a bit of a price, as live lines are usually juiced more than the standard -110 vig. That’s the price of convenience).
Live betting moneylines are a great way to grab plus-money value on teams that were big pregame chalk and avoid sweating out a pointspread, should they start out slow and fall behind on the scoreboard. A favorite that closed at -250 on the moneyline may go down 10-0 in the opening quarter, dropping their in-game moneyline to +110 or better. Having some faith in that favorite to at least come back and win the game can stuff some extra coin in your stocking this holiday season.
You can also take advantage of anomalies in scoring production, as it pertains to the in-running Over/Under. A bowl game may have closed with a total of 68 points but after one and a half quarters, the score is just 3-0. These irregular results often correct themselves and bettors can bank on that by betting Over the adjusted live total or taking the Over with the posted halftime total.
Another reason to lean on live betting this bowl season is the opportunity for middling – winning bets on both sides at different spreads. As mentioned with the cases below, you can get some squirrely results early into bowl games which means major swings in the in-running odds.
A favorite may go down, allowing you to lay a short amount of points on the fave in-game. Then, as they battle their way back, you can get a live line with a bulk of points on the underdog. Should the difference in the final score land somewhere between the two spreads, you’ll cash both bets on the same game. Totals also offer lucrative middling opportunities during in-game wagering.
You can also middle or even hedge a pregame bet depending on the original line you grabbed. If you took a pregame flyer on a big moneyline dog to win outright and it looks as though they could seriously cash in as the fourth quarter comes to a close, you may want to use live odds on the other side to guarantee a profit should your original high-yield wager not pay out. But make sure you're doing your math on risk and reward before pulling the trigger on any hedge bets.
And finally, one of the best uses for live in-gaming betting odds this bowl season has to do with the busy pace of the holidays. Sports bettors aren’t just mindless money-hungry misers hiding away from the holidays like Ebenezer Scrooge. We’re family men and women: sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends.
We have plenty of commitments outside of watching and wagering games, which means you can’t always get a bet down before kickoff. In-running odds are perfect for those busy days when you can’t sit down in front of the TV until midway through the second quarter, for whatever reason. From there, you can scan the action, get a feel for the pace and momentum of the game, measure the live lines against the closing pregame odds, and tap away on the in-game offerings.
Check out Book I of Covers' Bowl Betting Bible: Capping Thy Coaches, Book II: Money From Motivation, Book III: The Waiting Game, and Book IV: Tackle Travels
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