Maryland CFP betting

Finding safe, reliable sportsbooks with competitive odds on the wagers you want to make can be difficult. Luckily, we’ve made the process easier for you with this list of the five best sportsbooks in Maryland.

Barstool NCAAF Championship betting

Barstool Sportsbook boasts competitive odds on many bet types, including numerous prop bets and custom bet construction. In addition, barstool works hard to engage its user base by offering coverage of sporting events and blogs from sportsbook personalities.

BetMGM MD NCAAF Championship

Like Barstool, BetMGM Maryland also offers custom prop bets in addition to its wide range of standard bets. Again, the renowned MGM brand is behind BetMGM, assuring customers of the sportsbook’s quality and trustworthiness.

DraftKings NCAAF Championship lines

In addition to sports betting, DraftKings also offers daily fantasy sports. Their user-friendly UI makes it easy to make wagers on their extensive betting options. Like other sportsbooks on this list, DraftKings also offers competitive odds.

One unique DraftKings feature is free-to-enter pool contests. You can either join a free pool contest set up by DraftKings or host one privately for your friends. Pool contests involve predicting the outcomes for multiple events, so you could easily set one up for the CFP bowls.

FanDuel NCAAF Playoffs betting

Like DraftKings, FanDuel is a fantasy sports site on top of being a sportsbook. FanDuel offers competitive odds and a wide range of bets. Additionally, FanDuel’s prop bets become available sooner than many other sportsbooks’ wagers.

PointsBet NCAAF Championship odds

Like others on this list, PointsBet offers a variety of wagers and great odds. However, what makes PointsBet unique is its PointsBetting feature. With PointsBetting, bettors earn more winnings when their chosen team wins by a larger margin.

The College Football Playoff began in 2014, replacing the Bowl Championship. Several teams frequently make CFP appearances:

• Alabama (6 times)
• Clemson (6 times)
• Oklahoma (4 times)
• Ohio State (4 times)

Excluding Oklahoma, these teams have dominated the championship most years. The only exception is when LSU took the national champion title in 2020. This year was the first and only time LSU appeared in the CFP.

Note that in most years, the underdog won the title or covered the point spread. When Ohio State won in 2015, they had been ranked fourth among the CFP participants. For these reasons, it may be worth it to bet against the current favorites.

Previous CFP National Championship winners

• 2020-21: Alabama
• 2019-20: LSU
• 2018-19: Clemson
• 2017-18: Alabama
• 2016-17: Clemson
• 2015-16: Alabama
• 2014-15: Ohio State

Like other sporting events, the NCAAF Playoff attracts a variety of different kinds of wagers. In this section, we’ll explore the various types of bets you can make on the College Football Playoff and other event betting in Maryland.

College Football Playoff Futures in Maryland

Almost immediately after the NCAAF Championship ends, bettors can already start making wagers for the upcoming year’s event. These long-term bets, called futures or outrights, involve predicting playoff participants, bowl winners, or the next champion.

Note that the odds for futures will change throughout the season as more information becomes available. So in many cases, it’s a good idea to get your bets in early to catch the best odds.

College Football Playoff Point Spreads – Maryland

In a point spread bet, you wager on a game’s margin of victory. Usually, bettors make their wagers on the championship game’s point spread, but bowl games are valid betting options, too.

A typical point spread you might see could look like this:

• Maryland +3.5
• Ohio State -3.5

The plus sign indicates Maryland is the underdog, while the minus sign signifies Ohio State is the favorite.

But what do the numbers mean? In this case, a bet on Ohio State would succeed if the Buckeyes win by at least 4 points. Meanwhile, if the Terrapins manage a win or lose by only three points or less, a bet on Maryland wins.

What about that .5 on the end of those numbers? It prevents ties. Say the above point spread was instead as follows:

• Maryland +4
• Ohio State -4

With this point spread, both bets would win if Ohio State wins by exactly 4 points. While this might please bettors, it’s not very good for sportsbooks.

Luckily for sportsbooks, football only awards whole points, not fractional ones. Therefore, they can set point spreads to half-points to ensure there is always a winning and losing bet.

College Football Prop Bets in Maryland

By definition, prop bets involve events that don’t directly affect a game’s final results. While some prop bets involve the occurrence or frequency of these events, others rely on their non-occurrence.

What do NCAA Football betting prop wagers look like? Here are a few examples:

• Total points scored by a team or player
• The first player or team to score
• Total points scored by halftime
• How many yards a player accumulates
• Number of completed receptions
• Number of penalties received

The possibilities for College Football Playoff prop bets are near endless. Some sportsbooks even allow you to create custom bets.

Live College Football Championship betting Maryland

With the rise of sports betting apps came live betting, a fun and fast-paced way to enjoy a football game. Bettors place live bets during the game instead of beforehand, with sportsbooks updating odds to account for the game’s events.

Live betting opens up new possibilities for prop bets, like who will be the next team or player to score. Additionally, you can still bet on the usual concerns, like halftime leaders, winners, and final scores.

There are three main methods of representing College Football Playoff odds:

• American odds format
• Fractional odds format
• Decimal odds format

American format College Football Playoff odds

In Maryland, you’re most likely to see the American odds format. For example, American odds might look like this: Maryland +50,000. In this case, a $100 bet on Maryland would gain you $50,000 if they won the national champion title.

When the end of the season starts to close in, you might see odds with negative values. These odds indicate a favorite team.

For example, if Maryland had an outstanding season, its odds may look like this: Maryland -110. In this scenario, you’d have to bet $110 to gain $100 in profit.

Fractional format College Football Playoff odds

You can easily convert American odds to fractional odds by dividing them by 100. For example, if you converted our American odds for Maryland to fractional format, they would look like this: Maryland 500/1.

Of course, fractional odds are not always this simple. You may also see them expressed as something like 3/2. In this case, your profit will be 1.5 times your stake if you win.

Decimal – College Football Playoff odds

With decimal odds, you can find your profit by multiplying your stake by the odds. If you converted our example, Maryland’s odds would look like this in decimal format: Maryland 501.

Finding the best odds for the CFP in Maryland

College Football Playoff odds fluctuate throughout the season. In many cases, you’ll find the best odds before the season begins. These better odds are due to the difficulty of correctly predicting a winner with such limited information.

If you’re new to sports betting, keep an eye out for boosted odds bonuses. Many sportsbooks offer these as welcome bonuses for new users around the time of the championship.

By now, you know what kinds of bets you can make and may have a sportsbook in mind. You’re almost ready to get started with College Football Playoff betting in Maryland. With these ten tips, you’ll be a College Football Playoff betting pro in no time!

Don’t lose your head

Sports betting is often a fun and exciting experience, but betting based on emotion is rarely good for your wallet. Instead, try to base your wagers on statistics and facts.

Back the underdog

Carefully selected underdog bets can net you quite the profit if they succeed. Keep in mind that in most years for the NCAAF Playoff, the underdog has won or covered the spread.

Try different wagers

With so many different kinds of bets to choose from, you have plenty of ways to manage your risk and reward. Additionally, while futures will tie up your money for quite some time, live betting is over within hours or minutes. So try mixing it up to maximize your winnings.

Make a budget

Because there are so many College Football Playoff betting options, you’ll want a budget to help manage your funds. Budgeting can help prevent you from overspending and allows you to plan for making various wagers.

Keep up with CFP rankings

During the second half of the season, the CFP committee releases top 25 rankings on Tuesdays. If you haven’t already placed your bets, these rankings provide valuable insight into who may compete in the CFP.

Know the stats

These are major deciding factors in who ends up playing in the CFP. They can also provide insight into who might take the national champion title. Keep an eye on metrics like:

• Number of plays per game
• Number of points per play
• Pass yards per attempt
• Number of turnovers

Stay observant

There are dozens of factors that will affect your bets’ outcomes, including weather and player suspensions. If you’re live betting, you’ll want to stay on top of ongoing in-game developments, like injuries and penalties.

Pay attention to the home field

Some teams perform better on their home fields than others. So think about who is playing and where and consider what effects that may have on your bets.

For the College Football Playoff, the bowl games hosting the semifinals rotate each year. So consider which bowls and stadiums teams may end up playing in and how that affects your wagers.

Take advantage of bonuses

Many sportsbooks offer College Football Playoff betting bonuses on top of their usual welcome bonuses and loyalty programs. Maximize your earnings by claiming bonuses like boosted odds or risk-free bets.

Use multiple sportsbooks

You’ll bet more efficiently if you use multiple sportsbooks. Having more than one sportsbook allows you to compare odds, so you make the best bets every time.

Additionally, if you sign up for more than one sportsbook, you can take advantage of more than one welcome bonus.