Types of American Football Betting Competitions
The NFL is the first league that comes to mind when speaking about American football betting competitions. But it is not the only one. If you are an American football fan, you can bet on college football games as well. And you will have a great time doing that. Sure, the NFL has the quarterbacks, tight ends, and running backs that we all know and love. However, most of those star players come from college football.
So, while betting on the NFL is the preferred wagering choice for most punters, following and betting on collegiate football is a very close second. Let's learn more about these top American football competitions for betting and which one works for you. See firsthand why American football fans are counting the days until the season and bettors can't get enough of these competitions.
NFL Betting
Enthusiastic bettors enjoy betting on the NFL, as it gives them all the wagering options they need. If you are one of them, join a good NFL bookie and will see that for yourself. For instance, even before the season kicks off, you will be able to follow and bet on NFL preseason games. The moment the regular season, those betting options will double, triple, and quadruple. And when the NFL playoffs commence, you will get unique wagering options that will culminate before and when the Super Bowl. Find a top-quality NFL betting site, and you can bet on all of these markets and then some.
Regular Season
If there's one date that is important to remember, it is the weekend following the first Monday of September. That is when the NFL regular season begins. The NFL regular season ends in early January, after which the playoffs start.
In the NFL regular season, 32 teams play a total of 272 games. Each team takes part in 17 games. Teams also get a week off, known as a bye-week. During this week, the team that is off doesn't play a game while other teams do. That's why there are 18 weeks in the NFL regular season.
The first game of a round is played on Thursday. Most other NFL games are played on Sunday, also known as Sunday Night Football. There is also a Monday Night Football game, and matches can sometimes be played on Saturdays. During Thanksgiving, the NFL has a different schedule.
NFL Playoffs
To understand how the NFL playoffs work, you need to know how the seeding for the playoffs works. First, there are two conferences in the NFL: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Sixteen teams compete in each. Each conference has four divisions, and there are four teams in each division. The best fourteen franchises from these two conferences earn NFL playoff spots.
Let's explain how the seeding works. Division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their regular-season record. Teams that are not division champions but have the best record in their conferences are seeded 5 through 7, also known as wild cards.
The top-seeded division champions qualify for the conference semi-finals, also called the divisional round. Teams seeded 2nd through 7th face each other in the first round of the playoffs (2nd vs. 7th, 3rd vs. 6th, 4th vs. 5th). The winners of these matches join the division champions in the divisional round. The two teams that win the divisional round play in the conference final. The teams crowned AFC and NFC conference champions play in the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl
One of the biggest games in the world, the Super Bowl is the culmination of the NFL playoffs. It has been that way since 1966 when the first Super Bowl was played at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
The Super Bowl takes place on the second Sunday in February. The host alternates between the AFC and NFC. The AFC winner hosts the big game in even-numbered Super Bowls, while the NFC winner is the host in odd-numbered games. The home-field advantage has not been a factor, though, as designated away teams have won more Super Bowls.
The Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl. The teams that have won it on most occasions include the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, and Dallas Cowboys.
College Football Betting
College football betting is almost as popular as betting on the NFL. College football is officially not the second division of the NFL, but many people see it as such. That's because the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a level above high-school football and a step below the NFL. The fact that the best college football players participate in the NFL Draft and are then selected to play in the NFL is another reason why college football is seen by many as second in rank to the NFL. Interestingly, in some parts of the US, particularly in the Midwest and Southern states, people prefer to watch college football over the NFL.
College Football Conferences
There are three divisions in the NCAA, each made up of several college football conferences. The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is considered the highest college football level. FBS conferences include the Big 12, Pac-12, American Athletic Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Mountain West, Conference USA, Sun Belt, etc.
College Football Playoffs
There are no official NCCA playoff tournaments. There is also no official national championship trophy. However, there are post-season NCAA tournaments. Thesed as exhibition events but became the unofficial NCAAF playoffs.
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the de facto NCAAF post-season tournament and has been that way since 2014. In the CFP, four teams are picked and seeded by a committee. They play two semi-finals, with the winners taking part in the National Championship Game. From 2024, twelve teams will be picked for the College Football Playoff.
The Most Popular NFL Betting Types
If you are looking to place a bet on American football, you are right where you need to be. We tell you everything you need to know about the most popular NFL betting types. At Betpack, we also give you examples of how these betting markets work and how to use them on NFL and NCAAF games. Keep reading to learn more about fan-favourite American football bets and how you can make the most of them.
Outright Markets
American football betting sites let you wager on a wide range of outright markets. With these, you can bet on future outcomes and predict which team will win the AFC, NFC or College Football Playoffs. Of course, most outright bets are placed on the winner of the Super Bowl. Betting on player awards such as the NFL season MVP and Heisman Trophy winner are options too.
Conference Winner
As we already said, one of the most popular straight-up bets is on the AFC and NFC winners. With this bet type, you predict which team will win the conference. For example, you can say that the Philadelphia Eagles will win the NFC or that the New England Patriots will triumph in the AFC.
Division Winner
As the name implies, when you bet on the division winner, you choose which team will top its division. However, if you are looking for more options or higher odds, this might not be the market for you, as there are only four teams in each division. The betting odds reflect that too.
Super Bowl Winner
Top NFL betting sites offer a fantastic range of outright betting markets. The most popular of these is the Super Bowl winner. For the best NFL betting odds, we recommend picking the winner of the Super Bowl before the regular season. However, most top online NFL betting sites will let you bet on this market even after the season commences.
MVP Award Winner
Another popular outright betting market is who will win the NFL MVP award. The MVP is given to the best NFL quarterback of the season. You can bet on the market before the season, as there are MVP odds as early as March. You can also bet on the MVP winner after the NFL season begins.
Match Markets
Most NFL bets are placed on outcomes from individual matches. These are called match markets. With them, you can wager on various aspects of games, from the winner of the match to the point spread, totals, and many other NFL betting lines. You can also decide how you are going to combine the selections in your bet, and go for parlays, teasers, or bet on the performances of players.
Moneyline
If you want to bet on the winner of an NFL game, you wager on the moneyline market. With moneyline bets, you pick one of the following markets: Home Win, Draw, or Away Win. So, if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Tennessee Titans, you can bet on one of these three NFL moneyline betting outcomes: Tampa Bay Win, Draw, or Tennessee Win.
Point Spread
With point spreads, bookies handicap one of the teams and give an advantage to the other. For example, if you back the Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) against the Las Vegas Raiders (+3.5), the Seahawks must win with a margin of at least four points. Point spread markets are great if you want to bet on a favourite and benefit from great odds or back an underdog but get a safety net of several points.
Totals
Punters who don't want to wager on the final outcome and winner of NFL games will love totals markets. In totals markets, you bet whether the total number of points will be Over or Under a total points threshold NFL betting sites have set for you. For example, if the total number of points you need to bet on is 49.5, an NFL match that ends 28-21 is Under.
Parlays
When you place NFL parlay bets, you include two or more selections in your bet slip. That way, you profit from higher odds if you win. However, you also must be successful with each pick you include in your bet slip, as opposed to the only option when betting on single outcomes.
Single Bets
If you want to bet on just one betting proposition or outcome and not combine it with other selections, you can go for single bets. As the name implies, when you place single NFL bets, you include only one pick in your bet slip.
Teasers
With teasers, the NFL sportsbook allows you to modify the point spread. That way, you don't have to bet on the only point spread the bookie gives you but set a spread that works for you. Most NFL betting sites will give you a teaser of two games and six points. The best NFL betting sites boast even more teaser options.
Players
You can also bet on the statistical categories of individual players. For example, you can wager on how many touchdowns a player will score, as well as the number of total rushing yards, receptions, receiving yards, etc. The great thing about these player prop markets is that you can combine them in parlays and get a decent bet slip from only one NFL game.
Props
When you join an online NFL betting site, you can bet on the outcome of a game. However, you don't have to. You can also wager on other aspects, such as whether a game will go into overtime or what the margin of victory will be. These are called NFL prop bets.
Draft Markets
You can also bet on the NFL Draft. There are seven rounds in the draft, and all 32 teams get a chance to select players in the draft. So, there is no shortage of betting options. For example, you can choose one player and predict that he will be picked in the first round. You can also go with a braver NFL bet and predict which team will pick which player.
First to Be Drafted
There are various NFL Draft markets. However, by far the most popular one is First to Be Drafted. As the name implies, in this NFL market, you wager on the player that will be selected as the first overall pick in the draft. That might seem like an easy task but bear in mind that there are 256 players selected in the NFL Draft.
American Football Betting Sites Odds
If you want to find American football betting sites with the best odds in New Zealand, you need to find NFL betting sites that work with small house edges. A small house edge means that the bookie gives New Zealand bettors good odds. It does this by sacrificing some of its profits in favour of bettors and the odds they get. At Betpack, we are strongly in favour of this and do everything we can to find sports betting odds that will give you great value.
The NFL betting sites recommended here, at Betpack, have the best NFL odds and come with minimal house edges and profit margins for bookmakers. Even though these NFL odds vary from one betting market to another, they still give you the best value for the money you stake. That means that when you are wagering on pre-match or live American football games, you will always be getting bettor-friendly odds and decent winnings.