Here is a look at 2022 college football betting trends.

Key Points

– Among the 2022 college football betting trends are some interesting ATS numbers.

– Underdogs are among the 2022 college football betting trends.

2022 College Football Betting Trends

As the 2022 college football season nears the end of the regular season, it’s time to take a look at some of the top 2022 college football betting trends. 

With conference championship games coming soon, there have been some huge surprises. The SEC may have a new champion and Alabama might not have its seat for the College Football Playoff saved. The Crimson Tide lost a second game in a regular season for the first time since 2010. 

What is no surprise is that the Tide, Georgia, Clemson, and Ohio State are among the top-ranked teams in the country. Have any of them been good bets in 2022? How about betting halves and quarters? Did you read our article on how to bet NFL quarters?

Good Teams Win, Great Teams Cover

Looking ahead to college football’s postseason? The top four teams in the country are Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, and TCU. All four are unbeaten, though that will change when the Buckeyes and Wolverines meet in their season-ending rivalry game. 

All four teams are 10-0 SU. All four teams are above 50 percent in cover percentage. One of them leads the nation in ATS percentage, covering 88.9 percent of their games. That would be TCU which is 8-1-1 ATS this season. A lot comes down to college football recruiting, take an inside look.

Under new head coach Sonny Cumbie, the Horned Frogs are 10th in the nation in scoring (38.4 ppg). They are also 14th in the country in average scoring margin (+12.3).

The top four teams in ATS percentage are all ranked in the CFP Top 25 poll. No. 23 Oregon State, No. 21 Tulsa, and No. 5 Tennessee all have an 8-2 ATS record this season. Michigan, which is currently ranked third in the country, is 6-3-1 ATS. Georgia is 6-4 ATS and Ohio State, which leads the nation in scoring, is 5-4-1 ATS.

One of the big surprises is Connecticut. The Huskies haven’t done well recently, but they are currently 6-5 SU and they are 9-2 ATS this season. Many of our premium picks have come from trends like this.

At the other end of the spectrum, Colorado is 1-9 SU this season. The Buffaloes and Miami both own 2-8 ATS records this season. Those are the worst in the country. Tulsa is 2-7-1 ATS and just 3-7 SU after winning a bowl game last year.

Sometimes you have to ask yourself, how much sportsbetting research is enough?

2022 College Football Betting Trends - Totals

The betting public loves to wager on the Over. If you're smart, you lined up Houston, Memphis, and Rice and bet the Over every week. Combined, those three teams are 25-5 to the Over so far in 2022. Top NCAAF bookmakers are keen on this info.

Houston leads the nation with a 9-1 O/U record. Both Memphis and Rice own 8-2 O/U marks. At first glance, you may think that all three teams light it up on the scoreboard. You would be right…kind of.

Houston, under head coach Dana Holgorsen, has been known to put up some serious points. This season is no exception as the Cougars rank No. 13 in the country averaging 37.4 points per game. Memphis is ranked 26th at 33.1 points per game. Rice is a more mediocre scoring team averaging 25.3 points per game.

What each of these three teams has in common is a defense that is atrocious. All three teams give up a ton of points and that is why they lead the nation in Over percentage.

Rice is the worst of the three ranking 122nd in points allowed per game - 37.1. Just ahead of the Owls is Houston at No. 121 allowing 36.2 points per game. Add that to their offense and Houston games average 73.6 points per game. Memphis is a bit better allowing 29.4 points per game, which is 85th in the country.

ICYMI: DEVELOPING YOUR NBA BETTING SKILLS

Betting the Under

On the other end is Kentucky. The Wildcats were ranked for most of the season, but have suffered a few upsets recently to drop to 6-4 overall. It’s been no fault of the defense. Kentucky, which was ranked in the Top 25 for most of the season, ranks 16th in pass defense, 19th in total defense, and 32nd in scoring defense. As a result, Kentucky owns a 1-9 O/U record. That leads the nation.

Iowa State is the ninth-ranked scoring defense in the country. The Cyclones have a 2-8 O/U record, the same mark as Marshall, the 11th-ranked scoring defense in the country. The best scoring defense in the country? That would be Michigan, which is allowing 11.2 points per game. The Wolverines own a 2-7-1 O/U record, one of the top 2022 college football betting trends.

Back the Dogs - 2022 College Football Betting Trends

There is still time to bet on your Power 5 conference champions. Since 2008, the average preseason odds on the eventual Power 5 conference champions is +702. Last year, the only preseason favorite to win its conference was Alabama. 

Utah won the Pac-12 at +600. The rest of the pack was even better. Michigan won the Big Ten at +2500, Baylor took the Big 12 at +5000, and Pitt won the ACC given +6000 odds at the beginning of the season. 

Michigan, which still must play Ohio State on the road, is given +270 odds to win the Big Ten at AtlanticBookie.com. The interesting thing is in the Big Ten West. The winner won’t be decided until the final week of the season. Purdue is given +2000 odds to win and Iowa is listed at +5000.

Bettors might consider backing the underdog in the CFP futures market before the end of the season. Since 2008, the average preseason odds of the national title winner have been +1415. 

Five national champions since 2008 were given odds of +1200 or greater at the beginning of the season. Finding those odds now is tough, but consider that fourth-ranked TCU is given +3000 odds to win it all this season. USC, which could win the Pac-12 and earn a berth in the CFP, is listed at +5000.Georgia is the overall favorite at -125.