Fans of college football in Illinois are more excited about the bowl games than the regular season, eagerly anticipating matchups like the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl. Illinois sports bettors are expected to flock to the state’s legal sportsbooks to place their bets on all the games in between.

Our comprehensive guide to college bowl game betting in Illinois covers topics such as how teams are selected for bowl games, the total number of annual bowl games, and how betting lines and odds are determined. Learn more about these topics and more in our in-depth guide.

Live NCAA football bowl game lines

Below, you can find the latest live lines for NCAA football games at Illinois online sportsbooks. Click on the odds for your chosen game to go directly to the sportsbook, where you can claim a bonus and sign up for a new account. Use the drop-down menu to switch between point spreads, moneylines, and total odds.

2021-22 college football bowl schedule

Below is a comprehensive list of the major bowl games for the 2021-22 season, complete with their location, broadcast platform, and Eastern Time start times.

College Football Playoff

Date	Bowl	Location	Time	Network	Teams
Dec. 31	Cotton Bowl	Arlington, TX	3:30 PM	ESPN	Cincinnati vs. Alabama
Dec. 31	Orange Bowl	Miami, FL	7:30 PM	ESPN	Georgia vs. Michigan
Jan. 10, 2022	CFP National Championship	Indianapolis, IN	8:00 PM	ESPN	CFP Winners

Selection Committee bowl games

Date	Bowl	Location	Time	Network	Teams
Dec. 30	Peach Bowl	Atlanta, GA	7:00 PM	ESPN	Pittsburgh vs. Michigan State
Jan. 1	Allstate Sugar Bowl	New Orleans, LA	8:45 PM	ESPN	Baylor vs. Ole Miss
Jan. 1	Rose Bowl	Pasadena, CA	5:00 PM	ESPN	Utah vs. Ohio State
Jan. 1	Fiesta Bowl	Glendale, AZ	1:00 PM	ESPN	Oklahoma State vs. Notre Dame

Other bowl games

Check out the full list of Bowl games in the odds feed provided above.

Bet on college football bowl games in Illinois

Bowl games are the pinnacle of excitement, the culmination of every Saturday during the season, and a favorite day for sports bettors and college football fans alike.

In Illinois, betting on college football bowl games is allowed at legal sportsbooks, but there is a restriction on betting on Illinois college teams. Bets on teams like the University of Illinois Fighting Illini or the Northwestern Wildcats can only be placed in person at a retail sportsbook, not online. This rule applies to all college athletic programs in the state.

In order to bet on the NCAAF bowl game of your choice in Illinois, you must have an account with an online sportsbook.

To begin, select the link on this page to access the online sportsbook. Once there, claim your bonus bets and then download the sportsbook app of your choice, such as DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, or other legal betting apps in Illinois. It is crucial to have the app on your phone for easy access to betting options.

To download the app for either Apple or Android, please follow the instructions on your device’s online sportsbook. The app will need your permission to access your phone’s geolocation software in order to work correctly, so be sure to complete this necessary step.

Afterwards, you will be required to create an IL betting account. The process is similar across all sportsbooks. Simply find and click on the “sign up” or “register” button on the main page.

Afterwards, please provide your name, date of birth, address, phone number, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Prior to completing your registration, it is necessary to review and accept the terms and conditions.

Make sure to take advantage of any bonus bets or deposit bonuses that are included with your new registration at the sportsbook. These perks are typically offered and it is crucial that you look for them to maximize your benefits. You can find many of these offers on our website, with some being exclusive to our readers.

Don’t forget that all bonus offers and bets have wagering requirements. Be sure to carefully review the terms and conditions before making any wagers.

Afterwards, you must make your first deposit. Some of the options available for depositing at a reputable sportsbook include bank transfer, debit card, cash deposit at a retail location, or utilizing an e-wallet.

Afterwards, the focus shifts to making your bets. The process is simple: find the event you want to bet on and click on it. Choose the type of bet you prefer and the amount you want to wager, then confirm your selections. Your chosen bet will then be displayed on your betting slip within the app. Once you have confirmed your bets, you have successfully placed a wager.

College bowl odds and bet types

College football offers similar betting opportunities as other sports, especially the NFL.

There are a variety of betting options for college football, with the most popular ones being widely recognized in the sports and NFL betting world. Common choices at Illinois sportsbooks include Moneylines, point spreads, totals, parlays, prop bets, futures, and live betting.

Moneyline

Moneyline bets are the most straightforward type of betting. All you have to do is pick the team you think will win the game. Teams favored to win have negative odds, while underdogs have positive odds. Let’s look at an example:

Michigan  +110

Ohio State   -220

Ohio State is favored to win the game, requiring a $220 wager to potentially earn a $100 profit. On the other hand, a $100 bet on Michigan could result in a $110 payout.

Point spread

When utilizing point spreads, it is important to take into account the anticipated margin of victory. The favored team must win by a greater number of points than the spread indicates, while the underdog can lose by a smaller margin and still lead to successful bets on their side. To better understand this concept, let’s look at an example:

Nebraska +7.5 (-110)

Michigan State -7.5 (-110)

In this scenario, Nebraska is the underdog and Michigan State is the favorite, with a 7.5 point spread. To win a bet on Nebraska, they must either lose by less than seven points or win outright. Michigan State must win by eight or more points to be successful.

Totals

Over/Under bets, also referred to as total bets, are established by oddsmakers who predict a total score for a game. Your objective is to predict whether the actual total score will exceed or fall short of this projected total. Your bet is not based on picking the winning team, but rather on whether the combined score of both teams will surpass or fail to reach the estimated total.

If Iowa State were to face off against Wisconsin in a college bowl game, a sportsbook could potentially show the odds as follows:

Over  55.5 (-110)

Under  55.5 (-110)

Bets on the under would be successful if the combined total of points scored by both teams is 55 points or fewer. If the teams score 56 points or more, bets on the over would have been the correct choice.

Parlays

Parlays require placing multiple bets on a single slip, with all picks needing to be accurate in order to receive a payout.

For example, if you chose to place moneyline bets on Michigan beating Ohio State, Nebraska defeating Michigan State, and Wisconsin winning against Iowa State, and all of these predictions turn out to be correct, you could potentially win a large sum of money. However, with parlay bets, the payouts are higher but so are the risks. If any one of your selections is wrong, you will lose the entire bet.

Props

Side bets, also called prop bets, involve betting on particular outcomes during a game. These can range from predicting the first player to score a touchdown, to which team will be ahead after three quarters, or even the color of Gatorade that will be doused on the winning coach. The number and types of prop bets available are determined by the sportsbook and the popularity of the game. For example, the Super Bowl typically features a wide array of prop bets.

Futures

Futures bets are wagers placed on future events, such as predicting the winner of the Heisman Trophy or choosing the college football national champion. The odds for these bets can change throughout the season.

Live bets

Live betting, commonly known as in-game betting, is a popular feature found on online sportsbooks and betting apps. These bets are placed while a game is in progress and typically involve predicting on-field performances during the game. Bettors can place wagers at any point during the game, with odds constantly adjusting based on how the game is playing out.

College football championship odds

The College Football National Championship game is scheduled to occur in the early days of the New Year. Here are some key details.

• Date: January 10, 2021
• The event will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• ESPN’s broadcast is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST.
• Teams: TBD
• Top picks in the futures market: Alabama, Georgia, Michigan

Betting on the New Year’s Six

New Year’s is the most thrilling time for football fans, with six top games known as the New Year’s Six – the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Peach Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Orange Bowl.

The New Year’s Six games include two semifinal matches for the College Football Playoff. The hosting bowls rotate every three years, with the matchups being Rose/Sugar, Orange/Cotton, and Fiesta/Peach.

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee is responsible for selecting the matchups for six bowl games, including seeding and pairing the top four teams for the two semifinal games, and organizing the remaining New Year’s Six games. Since the College Football Playoff began in 2014, 84 teams have participated in a New Year’s Six game, with only 10 of them ranked lower than No. 12.

The 12 teams selected for the six games must consist of the champions from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC, as well as the highest-ranked champion from the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt.

Betting on the college football semifinals

Every season, the College Football Playoff selection committee is tasked with ranking, seeding, and determining the matchups for the semifinal games. The focus is primarily on the top 12 teams in the country, with the top four earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. The CFP Selection Committee is not required to follow any other polls when making its rankings or seedings.

5 things to know when betting college bowl games

1. Coaches might not have the same team come time for bowl games

College football coaches are sometimes lured away by other teams before bowl games, leaving some colleges to play their final game of the year with an interim head coach. It’s important to stay informed with the latest news before making any bets, as this type of major change can disrupt a team’s chemistry.

2. Players are going to sit out

Many top college football players might choose to sit out their school’s bowl game, especially if their team is not in contention for the national championship. This decision is often made in order to avoid potential injuries and prepare for the upcoming NFL draft, where they anticipate being high picks. However, there is no need for alarm as most star college players have capable backups and the rest of the team will still compete in the game.

3. The point spread may not be a factor

Bowl games are unique events because teams may not always be fully motivated, especially if they did not meet their expectations leading up to the postseason.

In 2018, 34 out of the 39 fully played bowl games (with one being incomplete due to weather conditions) were won by either the favorite covering the point spread or the underdog winning outright. Similarly, in 2017, this same scenario occurred in 36 out of the 40 bowl games played.

So, if you think the underdog can beat the spread, you may want to think about betting on them to win outright as well.

4. The names change, but the games remain the same

When we talk about college bowl games, we are not only talking about unique names like Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, or Rose, but also more unconventional ones such as the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl, the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl, and the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

The bowl games often undergo name changes as sponsors come and go, resulting in new names being introduced on a regular basis. Despite this, the games continue to be highly prestigious events, providing NCAA football players with an extra chance to secure a victory before the end of their season.

5. Look for teams that finish strong

Teams that are most likely to win in the postseason are often the ones that finish the season strong. This could be due to a winning streak that led them to clinch their conference title, a series of victories before the season ended, or stepping up and performing well against tough opponents as the season came to a close.

Look for the teams that displayed perseverance in tough matchups, emerged victorious as underdogs, and dominated their opponents. These teams are likely to make a significant impact in their upcoming bowl games.

When do college bowl game lines come out?

Oddsmakers typically set point spreads and matchup odds for the regular season games happening the following Saturday by the previous Sunday morning after analyzing the games.

Bowl games and College Football Playoff games have their own unique format when it comes to betting lines. The odds for standalone bowl games are usually released soon after the matchups are announced, while the odds for the College Football Playoff games are made available shortly after the four teams participating and their matchups are revealed. Following the conclusion of the semifinal games, the odds for the national championship game are updated accordingly.

Once the games are over, you can start looking at the futures betting market right away. Odds for the next NCAA football champion are typically released by oddsmakers shortly after the national championship game concludes.