Betting On College Playoff Games - How the New NCAAF Playoff System Works

After championship controversy in back-to-back seasons, NCAA football has moved away from the Bowl Championship Series (or BCS) system used from 1998 through the 2013 season. When the BCS' mix of computer rankings and polls failed to produce champions that the entire league recognized as legitimate, the College Football Playoff system was conceived. 2014 is the first year the system, known as CFP, will be used, and it will be interested to see how it affects the action at college football betting sites.

Novice bettors need to understand the idea behind the new system as well as the impact it will have on placing college football wagers. Once a bettor understands the mechanics of the new playoff system, they can learn how to use the CFP to their advantage and alter their betting tactics during NCAA football playoff season. All of our recommended sportsbooks will be adapting their betting lines to accommodate this new playoff system so that fans can be involved with their sports wagers throughout the post season games, keeping current college football betting odds posted throughout the entire season. .

The College Football Playoff is the new method used by the league to determine a national champion for Division I play beginning in the 2014 season. Gamblers familiar with college football's historical playoff system will recognize most of the new CFP – it is essentially a three-game playoff in which four teams selected by a 13-member panel of experts play in two semifinal contests, with the winners competing for a final championship game. The very first college football playoffs have taken place, resulting in the First CFP Champions as Ohio State defeated the Oregon Ducks.

The bowl games already in place in the league – invitation-only "playoff" games pitting the league's top teams against one another – won't change all that much. The big difference under the CFP system is that six existing bowl games will become hosts for future seminal matches.

Each year, semifinals could be held at the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, or Peach Bowl games, depending on the rotation. The final championship game will be awarded via a bid system, with the first title game set to take place in January, 2015 in the Dallas Cowboy's expensive new facility in Arlington, Texas. This new system is bound to draw in even more action this year at USA football betting sites.

Under the old system, the Bowl Championship Series, algorithm-based ranking systems and complex polls determined two teams to play in a single championship game. The trouble came when more than two teams could make a legitimate argument for its rightful place in the season's title game.

The CFP creates three additional games to help settle this type of argument. Once the NCAA's committee of 13 analysts chooses and then seeds the teams, a playoff bracket will determine an overall champion. The purpose of the change is to settle all arguments and create national title-holders without controversy.

The most obvious difference between the BCS and the new playoff system is the addition of an actual "championship game" to the college football season. Now, playoff-bound NCAA football teams have a shot at playing their full regular season lineups, a bowl game (by invitation and based on performance), and then possibly a championship game, depending on team selection, seeding, and performance in semifinal bowl contests.

It is a bit more complicated on the surface, but since the new system adds a game and enhances the value of some existing bowl games, the change should be welcomed by college football bettors. New games, new opportunities for wagers, and increased interest in the sport should have an overall positive effect on the value of any sports betting budget that includes money for college football wagers.

1. Research the major-conference underdogs. Adding an entire game to the already-lengthy college football season (which runs from August through January) is exciting for college sports bettors simply because it gives them another game to wager on. Smart bettors will watch for a heavy public favorite and jump on opportunities for low-risk / high-reward underdog bets during both semifinals and the final game.

2. Don't over-wager. Be careful not to put too much emphasis on using the CFP as part of your overall college football wagering strategy. After all, the final three games that make up the playoff are going to draw in a lot of action, media attention, and less-than-useful tips from casual bettors and fans. A gambler that knows when to skip a CFP bet will always have more success than those who feel they must lay some type of wager on all three contests just because they exist.

3. Pay attention to small-conference powerhouses. Since conference membership plays an even larger role now in determining the NCAA football champion, the playoff system gives bettors the opportunity to find value in smaller market / small-conference teams that could take a Cinderella waltz to the semifinals. Media attention, including the attention of handicappers and strategy writers, will naturally focus more on the "big 5" conferences as CFP time approaches, so bettors who assess over-performing underdogs and identify weak point spreads or moneylines will be at a distinct advantage.

NCAA football bettors who aren't happy with the new system have a while to wait for big changes – the CFP is established until at least the 2025 season, as per the NCAA's television contracts. Knowledge of how the system works, and how a gambler can use it to his advantage, will make any bettor's NCAA strategy more successful for the next decade of the College Football Playoff. If you want to look further into some of the best options for where to bet on the playoffs, you can visit our section covering sportsbook reviews.