Pennsylvania has minimal restrictions on college football betting, making it a thriving market for bettors to freely place wagers on their favorite teams.
In Pennsylvania, sportsbooks offer numerous betting options for college football, such as moneylines, point spreads, over/unders, futures, and parlay betting for teams and conferences. Online sportsbooks and betting apps in the state have everything you need for betting on college football, including regular season games, bowl games, and the National Championship.
Keep reading to learn how you can wager on college football in Pennsylvania, whether it be through online platforms or in-person. Check out the current NCAA football odds provided by PA online sportsbooks, stay up-to-date on the newest college football betting patterns, and get a better understanding of the local PA football teams.
College Football Odds at PA Online Sportsbooks
Please take a look at the odds feed below for the most current NCAAF game lines and futures odds from approved PA online sportsbooks. Click on any odds to be taken to the sportsbook where you can access bonus bets and set up a new account. You can also use the toggle menu to see moneylines, point spreads, and totals odds for games, as well as futures odds for Conference Champions and Heisman Trophy winners. For a complete list of live odds, please visit the full live odds board.
Bet on College Bowl games
Check out the most recent odds and wager on the upcoming Bowl games showcasing teams from Pennsylvania.
- You can bet on College Bowl Games online in Pennsylvania.
- Bet on the Army-Navy game online in Pennsylvania.
Is college football betting legal in Pennsylvania?
You can legally bet on college football at all licensed PA sports betting sites, including retail sportsbooks and PA sports betting apps.
Pennsylvania lawmakers legalized sports betting in October 2017, but it was not fully implemented until May 2018 following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a nationwide ban on sports betting.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) set the guidelines for sports betting regulations in Pennsylvania.
You can bet on moneyline, point spreads, and over/unders for many college football games. You can also bet on multi-game parlays and predict the National Championship winner before the season begins.
In New Jersey, college football betting is limited by restrictions that prohibit wagering on local teams or games within the state. In contrast, Pennsylvania has no such limitations, allowing for betting on both local college games and nationwide matchups, including those in neighboring New Jersey.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PCGB) oversees betting regulations in the state, meaning that unconventional college football propositions, like those for the national championship game, are likely not allowed. However, bets tied to college football games in the United States and their outcomes are generally permitted in PA.
Pennsylvania opened its first retail sportsbook in November 2018, followed by the debut of the state’s first sports betting apps in the summer of 2019. This has made it fully legal to wager on college football in Pennsylvania.
Find a sports betting app
Using a mobile sportsbook for betting on college football is extremely convenient. The first step is to choose the Pennsylvania sports betting app that aligns with your college football betting preferences.
You can either support a local casino by choosing a PA online sportsbook connected to it, or simply choose your favorite since all PA sports betting apps are available statewide.
You are welcome to choose from multiple sportsbooks and take advantage of the different new player bonuses on offer. Feel free to experiment with different options before settling on your preferred one, where you can place the majority of your college football wagers.
You must create an account for each app, which usually involves clicking a link and entering personal information. Don’t forget to input the special bonus or promo code for each app.
After signing up, you can explore various college football betting options. To place a bet, it is usually necessary to deposit funds in advance. PA sports betting apps make this deposit process easier and more convenient for you.
Numerous casinos offer various payment options such as major credit cards, third-party payment processors, and more. Additionally, you can deposit cash into your account at the casino cage or at a 7-Eleven store using PayNearMe.
Finally, you can go back to browsing the college football betting markets and checking out the available choices.
Finding the perfect bet is a breeze with mobile sportsbooks in PA. These platforms let you search for betting options and preview potential payouts before making your choice, making it easy to compare bets based on outcomes and payouts.
Find a bet that catches your attention, confirm it, and in a matter of minutes, you’ll have made your first college bet. It’s that simple.
How to bet on college football games
Pennsylvania sportsbooks provide a range of betting opportunities for college football matches, such as:
- Betting on college football games is made easy with moneylines at Pennsylvania sportsbooks. Simply pick the winning team and if they win, you win too, with payouts based on the odds at the time of your bet. Favorites are denoted by a negative (-) number, showing the amount you need to bet to win $100. Underdogs are represented by a positive (+) number, indicating your potential winnings for every $100 bet if they pull off the upset.
- In both college football and the NFL, point spreads require you to pick the winning team while considering the spread. However, college football often features larger point spreads due to the numerous mismatches between teams.
- In college football, over/under bets allow you to bet on whether the total number of points scored in a game will be higher or lower than a predetermined score set by oddsmakers.
- College football futures give you the opportunity to pick a team to win either the national championship or their conference. PA sportsbooks provide these options before the season starts and adjust the odds as the season unfolds.
- By betting on college football parlays, you have the opportunity to place wagers on numerous games, which could lead to higher payouts. However, the caveat is that every game included in the parlay must be won for the bet to be successful.
What is the difference between betting on college football versus the NFL?
Although both college football and the NFL involve betting on football games and offer similar basic bet options, there are significant differences between the two.
The main difference is the quantity of teams. The NFL has 32 teams, whereas the NCAA reports over 780 colleges and universities with football programs across the country.
The top-tier programs compete in either the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with 130 teams or the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) with 126 teams.
Although both college football and the NFL receive substantial media coverage and hype, the attention given to the nearly 260 teams in college football’s top tiers pales in comparison to the level of coverage that NFL teams receive.
This suggests that gathering information is more difficult in the realm of college football, for both bettors and bookmakers.
As a result, oddsmakers often make more errors and offer more advantageous betting lines for numerous games. While oddsmakers are usually accurate when setting NFL lines, the lack of information for college football poses a greater challenge for them.
In college football, there are betting opportunities that cannot be found in the NFL.
Moreover, the difference in skill levels between national championship contenders and local teams frequently results in significant disparities in college football matchups, leading to wider point spreads compared to NFL games.
College football betting lines, odds
College football betting lines are not the same as the odds provided by retail and online sportsbooks. These lines actually show the different betting options that are offered for college football matches.
Typical college football betting choices consist of moneylines, point spreads, over/unders, and futures or outrights.
How to shop for lines in Pennsylvania
Most retail and online sportsbooks in Pennsylvania choose to create their own betting lines, but some prefer to outsource this task to a third-party service.
As a consumer, you have the power to compare prices and secure the top bargain on a bet through line shopping.
Line shopping involves comparing betting odds before making a wager in order to find the best possible price, ultimately resulting in potential savings.
Imagine you favor Florida over Miami in a sports competition. You first see the moneyline odds at -335 at one sportsbook, but then discover it at -305 at a different location when checking prices.
Placing a bet with the second book has the potential to save $30 for every $100 wagered. By taking a few moments to compare betting lines at different PA sportsbooks, you could see substantial savings.
Line movement
The betting odds at sportsbooks often change before a game due to factors like weather updates and player injury reports.
Sportsbooks often change their lines in response to a large number of bets being placed on one side. A significant wager can also influence a sportsbook to adjust their line.
When you see a change in the college football betting line, it usually means that most bettors are backing one team. This insight can assist you in making smarter betting choices and possibly finding hidden value in your wagers.
Regular season and postseason
When it comes to college football betting, there are noticeable differences between the regular season and postseason. Oddsmakers tend to focus on a smaller number of teams during the postseason, leading to more accurate betting lines.
Mistakes are more prevalent in the regular season of FBS and FCS due to the high number of teams and limited games, making accurate predictions challenging. In contrast, errors are less frequent in the postseason.
College football betting tips
If you’re interested in wagering on college football games in Pennsylvania this season, consider these three helpful tips:
1. Trying to trick the public.
One strategy to profit from line movements is to go against the public consensus by betting on underdogs. In college football, where the public tends to heavily favor home favorites, sportsbooks may adjust the line in favor of the underdog to even out the bets. This presents a favorable opportunity to bet on the underdog and potentially capitalize on the shifting odds.
Focus on the smaller conferences.
While betting on regular-season college football games can be rewarding, the value may lie outside of the major conferences. Bookmakers often focus on well-known teams, potentially overlooking smaller conferences and teams.
Pennsylvania college football teams
Pennsylvania is home to several college football teams, but only a select few play in the FBS or FCS divisions. Notable teams in these divisions include:
- The Nittany Lions football team from Penn State University participates in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
- Pittsburgh Panthers (FBS)
- Bucknell Bison (FCS)
- Duquesne Dukes (FCS)
- Lafayette Leopards (FCS)
- Lehigh Mountain Hawks (FCS)
- Penn Quakers (FCS)
- Robert Morris Colonials (FCS)
- The team from FCS, Saint Francis Red Flash.
- Temple Owls (FCS)
Furthermore, the state also hosts numerous Division II and Division III teams.
Biggest upsets in Penn State history
Penn State consistently competes for the college football national championship, but they have also embraced the underdog role on several occasions.
Discover the top three most notable upsets in Penn State history.
2005: No. 16 Penn State vs. No. 6 Ohio State
The Nittany Lions finished the 2005 season ranked third in the country after defeating Ohio State 17-10. Despite high expectations to win the Big Ten Conference, Penn State’s defense successfully contained Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman-winning quarterback, in this game.
2013: Penn State vs. No. 18 Michigan
In 2013, an underdog Penn State team achieved a stunning win against longtime rivals, the No. 18-ranked Michigan, in a thrilling three-overtime game, emerging victorious with a score of 43-40. Despite this impressive victory, the Nittany Lions encountered difficulties for the rest of the season.
2016: Penn State vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Penn State’s 2016 victory over Ohio State is widely considered the most notable upset in the school’s history, particularly in recent years.
Even though Ohio State was ranked second nationally and Penn State was unranked, the Nittany Lions still managed to win the conference championship and earn a spot in the Rose Bowl. In a thrilling game, Penn State pulled off a victory with a 60-yard touchdown off a blocked field goal attempt in the final five minutes.
College football FAQ
College football games are played in two halves, each lasting 30 minutes and divided into four 15-minute quarters. Despite the official game time totaling 60 minutes, the average length of a college football game often exceeds three-and-a-half hours due to frequent clock stoppages.
If the game is tied at the end of regulation time, it will go into overtime.
At the start of each overtime period, a coin toss will decide which team gets the first possession. Both teams will have the chance to possess the ball on offense and defense during overtime.
The offensive team starts at their own 25-yard line aiming to score and prevent the opponent from doing so. If the teams are still tied after two possessions each, they will play additional series until a winner is determined.
Teams must attempt two-point conversions on touchdowns after three overtime periods. After five overtime periods, teams will alternate running two-point conversion plays instead of starting at the 25-yard line.
The NCAA reports that there are more than 780 colleges and universities with football programs.
There are 130 teams in Division I FBS and 126 teams in Division I FCS.
The AP releases its final top 25 rankings in January and a preseason poll in mid-August, while the USA Today Coaches Poll releases a season-ending top 25 after bowl season and a preseason poll at the beginning of August.
Once the football season begins, both polls release their rankings weekly.
The playoff rankings are unveiled on Tuesday nights beginning in late October and are updated weekly in November. The ultimate rankings that decide the College Football Playoff teams are usually revealed on the first Sunday of December.
Princeton has been crowned national champions 29 times, just one more than Yale’s 28 titles.
Yale and Princeton have the most national titles among all schools, but it is highly improbable for either of them to win another championship. Princeton’s last victory was in 1950, while Yale’s was in 1927. As both teams do not compete at the FBS level, it is unlikely that they will increase their total number of championships anytime soon.
Alabama holds the record for the most national championships among schools still in the running for titles. The Crimson Tide has achieved 23 national titles, their most recent victory coming in the 2020 season.
Notre Dame holds the second spot with 22 titles, while Ohio State and Oklahoma are tied for third place with 17 titles each.
During the college football season, there are around 40 FBS bowl games played, including the two semifinal matchups and the National Championship game.
The top-tiered NCAA Division I FBS consists of 130 schools in 10 conferences, while the second-tiered NCAA Division I FCS comprises 126 schools in 13 conferences.