How to Handicap a College Football Game

Handicapping a weekend's worth of college football games cannot be done effectively overnight. To be a good handicapper and have a better advantage to win your bets, start handicapping the Monday after games and continue through the week. Handicapping might be a tedious chore, but follow these steps and it could make you a lot of money.

Instructions

    • 1

      Read the full accounts of each college football game, or the ones with teams you are interested in, the Monday after the games have been completed. Don't just read the newspaper articles. Full online accounts will give you the team's overall performance regardless of the score or outcome.

    • 2

      Look at the statistics from the games played. Pay attention to turnovers, rushing yards and passing yards. Check out any trends, such as if a team has been passing or running the ball more lately. Scope out the opponents' records, too. See if your team has any alternative weapons like a good kicking game.

    • 3

      Listen to players and coaches. Most teams have press conferences on Monday or Tuesday. Some coaches' quotes will also tell you about injuries and whether any key players will be missed for the following week. However, some coaches are not as forthcoming.

    • 4

      Read the midweek articles from the local papers. Get a feel for how the practices are going and whether the team is high off their past win or low off their past loss. Attitude plays a big part in college sports.

    • 5

      Watch for any changes in the gambling line by Thursday. If it moves in favor of one team or another, you might want to check for injuries, illnesses or suspensions.

    • 6

      Check various handicapping message boards and compare your information. Some of the people on those boards are professional handicappers and have inside sources.

    • 7

      Make your bets as soon as you feel confident, and as early as possible.