2020-2021 College Football Bowl Betting Guide

Bowl season is truly one of the most wonderful times of the year for pro handicappers and new bettors alike that are eager for the season's opportunities for betting on College Football.

Betting on NCAA football’s postseason play is one of the oldest holiday traditions in college football and dates back to the first-ever bowl game—the 1902 Tournament East-West football game, which today is more commonly known as the “Rose Bowl.” After over a century of bets placed, and the recent inclusion of the College Football Playoff in 2014, turning a profit during bowl season remains a tough nut to crack.

Making sure you account for numerous additional variables and understand the legalities (to stay off the naughty list) are our top priorities with this guide. In addition, we provide odds for every 2020-21 matchup and show you the top NCAAF betting sites, so your bowl game wagers can jingle all the way to the bank!

2020-2021 COVID-19 Update For Bowl Season

The ACC, SEC, BIG 12, Big Ten, AAC, Conference USA, and Sun Belt Conferences have decided to play college football this fall, but the remaining major conferences have canceled or postponed their 2020-2021 seasons due to Coronavirus concerns. As of this writing, there is intent to crown a National Champion this NCAAF season with a four-game CFP, and a few bowl games have announced their intentions to commence, but many have yet to decide their fate. We will update this page as these decisions are made.

Is it legal to bet on College Football Bowl Games?

Yes, there is no federal law that prohibits college football fans from betting on bowl games. Currently, there are two ways to legally bet at a sportsbook for the 2020-21 bowl season:

1. Offshore ‒ There is no law banning gamblers from using sports betting sites located outside the United States. Because the action is not mentioned in laws or regulations, there are no rules being broken when wagering with an offshore sportsbook operating online.
2. Domestic ‒ Following the US Supreme Court’s decision to repeal PASPA on May 14, 2018, states are now allowed to pass laws legalizing sports betting. To see if you live in one of the many states currently offering sportsbooks, head on over to our State By State Legal Sports Betting Guide.

Best NCAAF Bowl Betting Sites

	Site Name	Current Bonus	U.S.	Visit Site
		50% Max $250		Visit Site Review
2		100% Max $1,000		Visit Site Review
3		50% Max $1,000		Visit Site Review
4		100% Max $300		Visit Site Review

Top 5 Bowl Betting Tips

Before placing a bet on any of the 39 college football bowl games—or the CFP national championship—this year, take a moment to read through the tips below. For more postseason college football betting advice (i.e., point spread, totals, etc.), check out our guide to Legal College Football Playoff Betting Guide.

Ultimately, the following factors do not come into play for the regular season but can make or break your bet during the bowl season. Here are our top 5 things to watch out when wagering on any college football bowls:

1. Players skipping bowls

Topping the list are NFL draft-eligible players who skip bowls to avoid risking injury, which is becoming more common since outside of the playoffs and title game, bowls are essentially an exhibition matchup and don’t count for anything. They are also among the best players on the team, so staying updated on who’s not playing in the Mountain Dew Viagra Geico Holiday Bowl (not a real bowl, by the way) is just as important as who is in the lineup.

2. Late-season suspensions

One factor that often gets overlooked for bets on bowl games is suspended players. This is why, unless there’s clear value, you shouldn’t bet on any bowl matchup until the day of the game. From end-of-semester grades falling short after exam finals to having a little too much fun past curfew, player suspensions happen to dozens of teams every year. Waiting until both teams warm-up prior to kickoff is the best time to bet during bowl season.

3. Vacation mindset

For the majority of bowls, teams don’t have anything to play for, and even though they’ll never say it publicly, players and coaches treat the trip like a needed vacation after a long, rough season. A team’s motivation for winning a game is hard to measure, but consider this: Since Nick Saban arrived at Alabama, he’s 9-3 in CFP/BCS games but 2-2 in bowls that aren’t a playoff or title games. When nothing is at stake, even the game’s greatest coach has a hard time getting players to compete.

4. Team travel distance

During the regular season, the majority of a team’s schedule will be in-conference games. Because teams play in a specific region, for the most part, travel fatigue is usually a non-factor since most matchups will be, at most, a few hours drive away. However, jet lag comes into play when teams must travel across the country in some scenarios.

5. Conference talent difference

Lastly, the difference in talent level between the Power Five conferences and the Group of Five conferences is rather wide on paper. Can a Mountain West team beat an SEC team? Sure, upsets happen all the time. But throughout history, P5 teams win about three out of every four bowl matchups against G5 teams.

2020-21 Bowl Game Odds: Betting Lines For All Matchups

With the laws and the key bowl season information already covered, we can move on to the best part, the odds for the bowl games!

Whether you’re looking for betting information on the CFP Semifinals, a New Year's Six Bowl, or matchups like the Potato Bowl, we’ve got you covered (but not smothered and chunked, we apologize). We also have a dedicated guide to legally betting on the National Championship to aid in wagering on the final college football game of the year.

Below you’ll find the opening betting lines for every 2020-21 college football bowl and game information, including kickoff time, where to watch/stream the matchups, and where the game will be played. Now, let’s go bowling!

*The 2020-21 College Football bowl season logistics have yet to be finalized, and at this time, there are not enough teams participating to fill all of the bowl games. Below is the latest information on each bowl game, and will feature routine updates as they are announced.