College football is absolutely pumping and while I love the NFL and CFL, watching the amateur levels of the NCAAF and U Sports competitions is just as intense and entertaining, as these players could be the next global football superstars.
To add to my entertainment, I also make use of college football betting sites - sites that have dedicated sections for betting on these amateur games, and that’s what this guide is about. Below, I explain everything there is to know about these sites, and I also review three recommended brands you can get started with.
When looking at legal sportsbooks in Ontario, I think there’s a range of features that determine how viable that site is. Firstly because not all sportsbooks are created equal, but secondly because some operators specialize in different sports, or might not have the best college football offering as it is one of the lesser-covered aspects of football, with the NFL usually taking precedence. Below, I’ve outlined the five most important features I look for when picking college football betting sites.
Forget about which NCAA games are covered or what bets you can make – first you need to check for a gambling license. A licensing is your safeguard and gives you peace of mind that you are using a reputable betting site. To obtain a license, an operator has their systems, features, and processes audited by a third-party licensing issuer.
It essentially reduces the chance of you getting scammed as unlicensed betting sites can potentially offer horrendous odds, or even withhold your winnings if you try to make a withdrawal. To operate in Ontario, sports betting sites must hold a license issued by The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) which is the only acceptable authority in the province. Information about a site’s gambling license is usually found in the website footer – you should see the AGCO details, a license number, and hopefully a link to their official website where you can view the license.
When I know that the site is licensed, I then take a look at the desktop website to see if I can use it easily. Sites like these have a huge amount of information to display. If the layout or design is poor, that info can be overwhelming. Therefore, I look at how easily you can find the different sport categories, the layout of the individual NCAA matches, and how quick page speeds are.
I’ll then download the mobile app if it’s available and see how it performs. The main area I look at on the app is the NCAA in-play betting setup including how quickly the matches load, what stats are available, and how quickly the odds refresh on my mobile. Usually the top football betting sites in Ontario nail both their desktop and mobile user experiences.
Once I’ve checked the usability, the next thing I check is the actual college football setup. Which competitions does the site support? Can you place bets on both NCAAF and Canadian U Sports college football? Ideally, I want all the matches covered for both competitions so that I can place wagers on whatever I want. In addition, there should be a dedicated college football section and the matches shouldn’t just be stuck together with the NFL and CFL markets.
I also look at what bets you can make on the college football games. I mostly use moneyline bets and these are always available, but I like to make parlays and pick the results from a spread of games on a given day so this feature is important. It’s also worth looking at more advanced types of betting such as same game parlays and team and player props bets for the individual games.
The best betting sites for college football will usually have a super customer support team and I always look for this so I have peace of mind if I encounter any issues. The first method I look for is a live chat as I rate this as the easiest support option to use. Ideally, the live chat should be available 24/7 and you should be able to speak to a rep – not just an AI chatbot. There should also be a dedicated help center and FAQs for common issues.
Ontario’s best NFL betting sites and college betting sites aren’t perfect and I want you to have a realistic view of what they offer. With that in mind, I’ve listed their pros and cons below:
Even if you only want to bet casually and just have a little fun, you can still bet smart and that’s what I want everyone to do – be responsible and think about your bets. To help you do that, I’ve used my knowledge to provide four simple starting tips:
I never purely base my bets on the odds the college football betting sites state. I use this for the basis of my decisions, but I also do analysis and look at what the stats are telling me. This includes injuries, current player performance, H2H team matchups, and the impact of rivalries and home/away advantages.
This should go without saying but I still see plenty of people on college football betting sites dumping their entire bankroll on one match. Don’t do this. Even a “sure thing” bet can still go wrong, and then you’re left with nothing. Instead, I only ever bet with a small percentage of my bankroll, meaning I always have a buffer.
I take a balanced approach to my NCAAF betting. I’ll typically make four or five “low-risk” bets that have lower odds and a higher probability of winning. For these bets I’ll use a slightly higher bet amount. I’ll then offset that with one “high-risk” bet, such as a multi-selection parlay that has high odds and a lower winning probability. I’ll use a smaller bet value for this. I feel this is a sensible approach to take instead of only going for high-risk bets, for example.
The algorithms and databases used to set college football odds are pretty advanced today, but there is still the potential to get value from the odds. This is where you have to look at individual matches in more detail and use your personal judgement to see if you think the odds displayed are actually better or worse than what the game information is telling you.
We’ve got a complete list of online college football betting sites but I wanted to give you a starting point if you are unsure which site to go with. Below, you can see three recommendations for Canadian customers that I’ve personally used together with a summary of their college football betting offering. They all feature various football markets plus a heap of other sports.
| College Betting Site | NCAAF Bet Types |
|---|---|
| bet365 | Moneyline, spread, line, parlay, SGP, futures (outright conference winner, etc.) |
| BetMGM | Moneyline, spread, line, parlay, outrights (season wins, Championship winner, etc.) |
| 888sport | Moneyline, spread, line, parlay, SGP, player props, team props |
bet365 is one of the best NHL betting sites available in Ontario and it also has a dedicated NCAAF section which I think has superb detail. I love that it splits the matches between the different individual tournaments such as the ACC, Big 12 Conference, and SEC as it makes it easier to find the games you want to bet on. The games all also have SGP options, plus standard picks like the moneyline, spread, and total over/under.
Aside from football, bet365 is just a well-rounded site and I think it has one of the best mobile apps available. It gives an especially smooth gambling experience and I think is easier to use than the desktop website. This operator also has awesome coverage for NHL ice hockey plus the other major North American leagues including the MLB, NBA, and NFL.
For betting college football online BetMGM is a top pick due to its superb usability and amazing set of features for football betting in general. For the NCAAF, I love that this operator has a range of futures picks that you can make including specials like the number of regular season games a team will win, or who the National Championship winner will be.
BetMGM has one of the better in-play setups too and I find the range of statistics they provide especially useful to make on-the-fly bets as the college action unfolds. Aside from the NCAAF, I also use this site extensively for its NBA and NHL coverage as I’ve found that they have some of the best props bet variety for both players and teams which can make things more interesting.
I rate 888sport as one of the best college football betting sites for streaming some of college games, and it has a superb range of stats and data that you can draw from to help make your NCAAF picks. For college football you have a dedicated section and I also like that they have a section for the NFL draft each year.
Like BetMGM, 888sport has a range of futures bets and you can bet on who you think the Heisman Trophy Winner will be, and the NCAA Division 1 FBS outright winner will be. All the college matches are covered too and you can get way more detailed than the standard moneyline, spread, and line bets with loads of props and SGP options. 888sport also has some of the best coverage for the CFL and NHL compared to other sportsbooks, plus 30+ global sports with popular options like tennis, golf, soccer, and basketball.
Whenever the new NCAAF season starts around August, I get excited and look forward to new prospects who might have a career in the NFL. In many ways, college football is just as entertaining as the pro leagues and the support and atmosphere in the games is the stuff of legend.
Signing up to one of the best college football betting sites like Bet365, BetMGM, or 888sport adds extra immersion and excitement – especially when you get to make use of the in-play betting features and place a few cheeky wagers as the action is unfolding. If this is something you are interested in – why not check out one of these sites to get ready for the next college football season?
This varies depending on the college football betting site. As a bare minimum I expect moneyline, spread, and parlay bets. Most operators will also offer a range of team and player props such as touchdowns, yards gained, sacks, and points scored.
I recommend Bet365, BetMGM, and 888sport as suitable college football betting sites. They have coverage for all the NCAA games including the end-of-season tournaments and the bowls.
These sites usually have a wealth of different sports covered with college football (NCAA) being one of the supported categories. You can deposit CAD at these sites and then use your balance to place bets on college football games.
Yes. If you deposit CAD, place a bet on an NCAA game, and win then you will get a real money payout based on the initial odds for the bet.
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