Football Handicapping

NFL and NCAA College Football Handicapping

Football betting requires a basic knowledge of football handicapping.  You need to understand what goes into determining the point spread and how to arrive at an educated guess at the game outcome.

NFL and NCAA college football handicapping is part science and part art.  The best football handicappers not only know how to analyze the statistics, they also have an instinct gained from years of experience.  You too can acquire these skills and instinct.  We recommend that all bettors do their own football handicapping and use football picks and recommendations from others as simply a starting point.

Football handicapping is about information.  You are attempting to predict the future.  You do that by looking at what has happened in the past, which is where statistics are useful, and by looking at the current situation, which is where the latest news is critical.  One of the main purposes of this site is to pull together the resources you need for successful NFL handicapping and NCAA college football handicapping.

Now, remember that even the best football handicappers are rarely right more than 58% of the time.  This is not about finding a secret formula and making a quick killing.  It is about consistent smart handicapping and good money management.  Your goal is to win more than 50% of your bets.  Our goal is to give you the resources to do that.

Top 10 Football Handicapping Tips

Tip #1 - Realistic Expectations

You must have realistic expectations.  First, realistic time expectations.  You must be willing to put some time into your football handicapping efforts.  But, don't worry, this is actually a lot of fun.  Second, realistic results expectations.  You are looking for a win percentage between 50% and 58%.

Tip #2 - Learn From Your Mistakes

Review your results every week to see if there is something you missed or some part of your analysis that you weighted too little or too much.  Also, be honest with yourself when you let emotions or hunches get in the way of good analysis.  Don't beat yourself up about it, just learn from the mistake.

Tip #3 - Look at the Stats

Statistics are one of your basic sources of information and a good predictor of the future.  At a minimum, you should be looking at the football matchup reports and how the teams have been doing against the spread (see NFL matchups and college football matchups).  Look for trends.  Broaden your analysis and look at overall NFL stats and NCAA college football statistics.

Tip #4 - Check the Football Injury Reports

Football is a rough game and player injuries can have a significant impact on the game outcome.  Injuries can keep a player out of a game, or from playing at his peak.  Review the latest football injury reports for updated information.  Here you can check NFL injury reports and NCAA college football injury reports.

Tip #5 - Read the Latest Football News Reports

Stats are important, but they do not reflect the latest current events.  Set aside some time to read the most recent football news reports.  Here you can check NFL football news and NCAA college football news. 

Before you bet on a football team, run a quick check to see if anything significant is going on with that team.  We have individual team pages for each NFL football team and popular college football teams that will assist you in getting detailed football news reports.  For NFL football team pages go to NFL football betting and for NCAA college football team pages go to college football betting.

Tip #6 - Watch the Football Games and Highlights

Watching the games can give you a feel for the teams that you just cannot get from reading stats and news reports.  Pay attention to who is playing and whether they seem to be playing at their peak.

To see what games are being played when, take a look at the NFL football schedule and the NCAA college football schedules.

Tip #7 - Stay Objective

There is no room for emotion or favorites in football handicapping.  Trust your analysis, not emotions or public opinion.

Tip #8 - Stay Consistent

You will have winning streaks and losing streaks.  Do not let them influence your analysis or your football betting.  Every week you should be reviewing your prior week's analysis.  Work on areas where you see room for improvement.  If, in hindsight, you would still make the same decision for your losing bets, then relax.  In the same token, do not start doubling up your bets after a winning streak.  Your winning percentages will go up and down every week.  Your analysis and betting should remain consistent.

Tip #9 - Look for Line Movements Based on Public Psychology

The football betting lines and odds are constantly moving based on the bets being made.  Sportsbooks generally make money on the juice, not by putting their own money at risk.  Their goal is to have a roughly equal number of bettors on both sides of any betting proposition and they are moving the lines up or down to try and maintain that balance.  If the public is betting on a particular football team because there is an emotional attachment to that team, the sportsbook may be offering better paying odds on the opposing team than it deserves.  Maintain objectivity and look for opportunities.  Check NFL football odds and NCAA college football odds.

Tip #10 - Have Fun

Football handicapping and betting is great entertainment.  Predicting game outcomes is a fun challenge.  This is one of the few forms of gambling where you can increase your odds of winning by using your intellect and enhancing your handicapping skills.  And, football is a fun sport to watch, particularly when you have action on the game.

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