2020 NCAA Football Championship Betting At NJ Online Sportsbooks

College football kicks off in late August, with Week Zero games between Arizona and Hawaii and an intrastate matchup between Miami and Florida.

For more than three months, football will consume our lives. And all of those games will culminate with the College Football Playoff National Championship in New Orleans on Jan. 13, 2020.

Will that final game be the fourth meeting between Clemson and Alabama in the past five years? Or will the college football landscape get shaken up?

Have some predictions and hot takes? In New Jersey, you can put your money where your mouth is, courtesy of a sports betting industry that has boomed over the past year.

Here you will find a cumulative look at the NJ sports betting landscape as it pertains to college football wagering.

Best NJ Sportsbook Apps For College Bowl Betting

Where to bet on the College Football Playoffs in NJ

Operators have taken full advantage of sports betting regulations in New Jersey, leading to a massive market that features 14 betting apps and 10 retail sportsbooks throughout the state.

NJ online betting apps

Online Sportsbook	Land-based Affiliate	iOS/Android app?	Bonus Offer	Promo Code
DraftKings Sportsbook	Resorts AC	Yes/Yes	$25 in free bets	Click here
FOX Bet	Resorts AC	Yes/Yes	$500 risk-free bet	Click here
FanDuel Sportsbook	Meadowlands	Yes/Yes	$500 match bet	Click here
William Hill NJ	Monmouth Park/Ocean Resort/Tropicana AC	Yes/Yes	$50 free bet	PLAYNJ50
PointsBet NJ	Meadowlands	Yes/Yes	2 x up to $500 free bets	Click here
SugarHouse NJ	Monmouth Park	Yes/Yes	100% up to $250	PLAY250
Caesars Sportsbook NJ	Caesars AC	Yes/Yes	$10 free	BETFREE10
Resorts Sportsbook	Resorts AC	Yes/Yes	Up to $250 match bet	MAXBONUS
888 Sport	Caesars AC	Yes/Yes	$10 free	Click here
PlayMGM Sport	Borgata AC	Yes/Yes	$25 free	None available
Golden Nugget Sportsbook	Golden Nugget	Yes/Yes	Up to $50 risk-free bet	Click here
Hard Rock Sports	Hard Rock AC	Yes/Yes	$100 free bet	None available
BetAmerica	Golden Nugget	Yes/Yes	100% up to $500	None available
Borgata Sports	Borgata AC	Yes/Yes	Up to $250 risk-free bet	None available
Unibet Sportsbook	Hard Rock AC	Yes/Yes	$20 free + up to $250 risk free bet	UNIBET25, UNIBET200
Bet365	Hard Rock AC	Yes/Yes	Up to $100 match bet	NA
TheScore Bet	Monmouth	Yes/Yes	NA	NA
Tipico	Ocean	Yes/Yes	$42 free	NA

NJ sports betting locations

• Borgata
• Resorts Atlantic City
• Ocean Casino Resort
• Monmouth Park
• Meadowlands Racetrack
• Harrah’s
• Hard Rock Atlantic City
• Golden Nugget
• Bally’s
• Tropicana Atlantic City

Online vs. retail betting

It is no secret that the secret to NJ sports betting has been the online betting side of things.

The state’s industry has taken off since launching in June 2018, as legalized retail and online sportsbooks have taken in nearly $3 billion in wagers over the last year.

About 73% of all bets made during the life of NJ sports betting have come online, via one of the 14 online sportsbooks operating in the Garden State. In 2019 alone, bettors have wagered more than $1.3 billion through betting apps, equating to more than 80% of overall handle in the state.

Retail sportsbooks obviously provide an event-style environment, with tellers, big-screen TVs, lounge chairs, and bars that add even more to the betting experience.

But if some prefer to stay at home, or if they are heading to a watch party or a prior engagement, New Jersey boasts plenty of online options to allow bettors to still make their wagers in time for kickoff.

2020 College Bowl Championship current odds

Summers are filled with the dog days of baseball, a few golf tournaments, maybe even a smattering of tennis action.

For most, though, the summer is a time for building hype. A time for getting to know the college football landscape. A time to get their first wagers on the books.

In New Jersey, bettors can begin laying down money on which team they believe will win the 2020 national championship. Next to each team is a number that is either paired with a plus or minus sign.

The plus sign tells bettors how much money they will win on a $100 bet should their selected team win the title. For example, bettors might find Clemson listed at +200 to go all the way. A Tigers victory, then, would pay $200 on a $100 wager.

Below is a look at the teams favored at some of New Jersey’s top betting apps:

College Football Playoff predictions and betting picks

Once again, it is Clemson and Alabama against the field … if not each other.

Most sportsbooks list the defending champion Tigers as the front-runners for the 2020 CFP National Championship. Others put them second, behind perennial power Alabama, which has advanced to four straight championship games, winning twice.

Heisman Trophy favorites Trevor Lawrence, Clemson’s QB, and Tua Tagovailoa, the Alabama QB, will have the spotlight on them all season. They lead explosive offenses that averaged more than 44 points per game. They also benefit from stout defenses that last season allowed less than 15 points per contest.

Over the past couple years, a few darkhorse programs have emerged that bettors have backed in hopes of Clemson and/or Alabama tripping over themselves.

Georgia is one of those teams, which heads into the 2019 season two years removed from an appearance in the national title game. D’Andre Swift has grabbed the attention of NFL scouts as a go-to running back, potentially even as an early first-round pick.

And no college football season could go without hype surrounding Ohio State and Michigan, two storied programs with fan bases that, in recent history, have had disappointing ends to seasons after lofty expectations.

Who knows, though? Perhaps this year belongs to the Big Ten.

How the College Football Playoff field is set

A 13-person College Football Playoff committee determines which programs earn spots in the four-team playoff field.

Beginning just after the midway point of the regular season, the CFP releases weekly Top 25 rankings. Once the season concludes, a final ranking will paint the picture of the playoffs.

The top four teams will advance to the playoff and will play at either the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona or the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. These semifinal games will take place Dec. 28, and winners will advance to the Jan. 13 national championship in New Orleans.

Types of College Football Playoff bets available in NJ

A variety of betting formats exist in the NJ sports betting world. From wagering on winning margins to simply choosing a winner to predicting a coin toss, options abound for bettors.

Point spread

This is arguably the most familiar betting type to the public. And one the media frequently cites when analyzing matchups.

Sportsbooks determine which teams in any given week should be favored in their respective games. To boot, they predict how much those teams will win by.

When looking at an odds board, bettors will see a decimal number with a minus sign next to it, such as “Clemson -7.5.” This tells bettors that the Tigers are favored by 7.5 points.

They can then wager on Clemson to win by more than that margin (or to “beat the spread”) or for Clemson’s opponent to lose by fewer than that total (known as “covering the spread”).

Underdogs don’t even need to lose to cover. Outright wins provide the same winnings for backers.

Moneyline

This type of bet hinges not on the score, necessarily; simply which team wins.

Bettors will see a three-digit number next to each team, which denotes the moneyline. A minus sign next to that figure indicates the favored team, and a plus sign shows the underdog.

Additionally, these numbers tell bettors either how much they can win on a $100 bet, or how much would need to be wagered in order to win $100.

Alabama as a -200 in a game, for example, means the Crimson Tide are not only favored but also that bettors would need to wager $200 in order to win $100. As a +150 underdog, an Alabama win would pay $150 on a $100 wager.

Totals

Not wanting to back any specific team? Look at the totals.

Prior to kickoff, sportsbooks will predict various totals within a given game. How many points will be scored? How many touchdowns will be scored? You get the idea.

All bettors need to do is decide if less or more than those totals will occur and place their bets.

Futures

For the long-game bettors, the action is with futures.

During the offseason or even during the season, bettors can find futures odds at sportsbooks. Which team will win the national championship? Who will win the Heisman?

Prices will likely be adjusted as the season goes on, so bettors can do some shopping and waiting to find the best value. But whatever price is listed at the time of a wager is the payout bettors will receive if they win.

Prop bets

These types of wagers involve players directly.

Seeing a market that wonders which player will score the first touchdown in a game, for example, is a prop bet.

Props typically revolve around individuals rather than teams. And they certainly add more skin to the sports betting game.

Parlay

Seeing multiple games you want to wager on? Or perhaps you’re looking to increase the payout on certain games?

Parlays are your ticket.

Bettors put money down across several events, combining their bets in a parlay to maximize winnings.

Moneylines, point spread, and totals could all be featured in a parlay. In order to collect, though, bettors must hit every “leg” of the bet. Go undefeated to reap the rewards, because even one loss in a 10-leg parlay will keep bettors from celebrating.

2020-21 college football bowl schedule

There’s a reason winter is perceived as “Bowl Season” for sports fans. There are games almost every day. For almost an entire month.

For just over three weeks, 41 games will take place, keeping all of us entertained through the new year.

Here’s a full schedule of the upcoming college bowl season and College Football Playoffs:

Date	Bowl	Time (ET)	TV	Matchup
December 19	Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco	7:00 PM	ESPN	American/C-USA/MAC/MWC
December 21	Myrtle Beach	2:30 PM	ESPN	American/MAC/Sun Belt
December 22	Famous Idaho Potato	3:30 PM	ESPN	MAC vs. MWC
December 22	Boca Raton	7:00 PM	ESPN	American/C-USA/MAC
December 23	R+L Carriers New Orleans	3:30 PM	ESPN	C-USA vs. Sun Belt
December 23	Montgomery	7:00 PM	ESPN	At Large vs. At Large
December 24	New Mexico	3:30 PM	ESPN	American/C-USA/MWC
December 25	Camellia	2:30 PM	ESPN	MAC vs. Sun Belt
December 26	Cure Bowl	12:00 PM	ESPN	American/MAC/Sun Belt
December 26	Gasparilla	12:00 PM	ABC	American/ACC/SEC
December 26	LendingTree	3:30 PM	ESPN	MAC vs. Sun Belt
December 26	SERVPRO First Responder	3:30 PM	ABC	American/ACC/Big 12
December 26	Radiance Technologies Independence	7:00 PM	ESPN	Army vs. Pac-12
December 26	Guaranteed Rate	10:15 PM	ESPN	Big 12 vs. Big Ten
December 28	Military	2:30 PM	ESPN	ACC vs. American
December 29	Cheez-It	5:30 PM	ESPN	ACC vs. Big 12
December 29	Valero Alamo	9:00 PM	ESPN	Big 12 vs. Pac-12
December 30	Duke's Mayo	12:00 PM	ESPN	ACC/Notre Dame vs. Big Ten
December 30	TransPerfect Music City	3:30 PM	ESPN	Big Ten vs. SEC
December 30	Goodyear Cotton	7:15 PM	ESPN	At-large vs. At-large
December 31	Lockheed Martin Armed Forces	12:00 PM	ESPN	American/Army/C-USA
December 31	Autozone Liberty	4:00 PM	ESPN	Big 12 vs. SEC
December 31	Arizona	4:00 PM	CBSSN	MAC vs. MWC
December 31	Texas	8:00 PM	ESPN	Big 12 vs. SEC
January 1	TicketSmarter Birmingham	12:00 PM	ESPN2	ACC/American/SEC
January 1	Chick Fil-A Peach	12:30 PM	ESPN	At-large vs. At-large
January 1	Vrbo Citrus	1 :00 PM	ABC	Big Ten vs. SEC
January 1	Rose	5:00 PM	ESPN	Semifinal Game
January 1	Allstate Sugar	8:45 PM	CBSSN	Semifinal Game
January 2	TaxSlayer Gator	12:00 PM	ESPN	ACC vs. SEC
January 2	Outback	12:30 p.m.	ABC	Big Ten vs. SEC
January 2	Playstation Fiesta	4:00 PM	ESPN	At-large vs. At-large
January 2	Capital One Orange	8:00 PM	ESPN	ACC/Notre Dame vs. Big Ten/SEC
January 1	National Championship	8:00 PM	ESPN	Semifinal winners
Cancelled	Bahamas	N/A	N/A	C-USA vs. MAC
Cancelled	Celebration	N/A	N/A	MEAC vs. SWAC
Cancelled	Fenway	N/A	N/A	ACC/Notre Dame vs. American
Cancelled	LA	N/A	N/A	Pac-12 vs. MWC
Cancelled	Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas	N/A	N/A	Pac-12 vs. SEC
Cancelled	New Era Pinstripe	N/A	N/A	ACC vs. Big Ten
Cancelled	Quick Lane	N/A	N/A	Big Ten vs. MAC
Cancelled	Redbox	N/A	N/A	Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Cancelled	SDCCU Holiday	N/A	N/A	ACC vs. Pac-12
Cancelled	Sofi Hawai'i	N/A	N/A	MWC vs. AAC/C-USA
Cancelled	Tony the Tiger Sun	N/A	N/A	ACC vs. Pac-12

When is the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship?

Just as the NFL playoffs begin, the peak of the College Football Playoff will arrive.

On Jan. 13, 2020, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, the last two teams standing will duke it out for college football supremacy.

How can I watch the CFP title game?

The vast majority of bowl games will air on ESPN. And the College Football Playoff is no different.

Both semifinal games on Dec. 28 will broadcast on ESPN, as will the national championship game.

Brief history of the College Football Playoff

The college playoffs enters its sixth season of existence, after years of the Bowl Championship Series system that determined the national champion.

Four of the five playoff title games involved Alabama, three of which came against Clemson. Only the first college playoff national championship, in 2015, went without a Crimson Tide appearance as Ohio State demolished Oregon 42-20.

Yes, the playoff format of college football has not yielded quite the parity the NCAA certainly hoped for. But hey, at least the template is in place in order to create it.

There has been little shortage of offense in the college football national championship, especially last year.

Then a freshman, Clemson QB Lawrence picked apart the Bama defense. His 347 yards passing and three touchdowns led to a 44-16 demolishing of the Tide.

How historic was that win? Clemson became the first college football team since the turn of the 20th century to finish a season 15-0. It became the first team to go undefeated in the brief history of the College Football Playoff.

One point further: Clemson became the first team to beat Alabama by more than 14 points since Tide coach Nick Saban took over in 2007.

Previous winners

Just because a new championship system went into place five years ago does not mean we should ignore the BCS national champs prior.

Here are the past 10 college football champions:

Date	Site	Result
Jan. 7, 2019	Santa Clara, Calif.	No. 2 Clemson 44, No. 1 Alabama 16
Jan. 8, 2018	Atlanta	No. 4 Alabama 26, No. 3 Georgia 23
Jan. 9, 2017	Tampa, Fla.	No. 2 Clemson 35, No. 1 Alabama 31
Jan. 11, 2016	Glendale, Ariz.	No. 2 Alabama 45, No. 1 Clemson 40
Jan. 12, 2015	Arlington, Tex.	No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Oregon 20
Jan. 6, 2014	Pasadena, Calif.	No. 1 Florida State 34, No. 2 Auburn 31
Jan. 7, 2013	Miami	No. 2 Alabama 42, No. 1 Notre Dame 14
Jan. 9, 2012	New Orleans	No. 2 Alabama 21, No. 1 LSU 0
Jan. 10, 2011	Glendale, Ariz.	No. 1 Auburn 22, No. 2 Oregon 19
Jan. 7, 2010	Pasadena, Calif.	No. 1 Alabama 37, No. 2 Texas 21

Biggest upsets in NCAA football championship history

Remember the days before college football instituted a playoff system? Way back when? Before 2014?

Well, those days of BCS selections were wild. As were the years prior, when the media voted on which team was crowned the national champion.

As crazy and manic-inducing as those years were, they certainly produced some memorable title tilts.

2006: Texas 41, USC 38

This BCS National Championship remains the standard.

Texas QB Vince Young, runner-up in that season’s Heisman voting, took frustrations out on the man who beat him out (USC RB Reggie Bush) and the guy who took third (USC QB Matt Leinart, who won the ’04 trophy) in a game for the ages.

Young passed for 267 yards and rushed for 200 more. He scored three TDs, including on a game-winning, fourth-down scramble with less than 20 seconds to play.

In leading Texas to its first outright national championship in 36 years, Young also helped the Longhorns snap USC 34-game winning streak and end the Trojans’ hopes of a third straight national title.

1984: Miami 31, Nebraska 30

Few teams ever get to play Cinderella on their home turf. Miami did.

At the Orange Bowl, the Hurricanes were appearing in only the program’s second bowl game since 1967. They faced top-ranked and perennial power Nebraska, which entered the game as a 10-point favorite.

Despite nearly blowing a 17-point lead, as the Cornhuskers narrowed the gap to 31-30 with less than a minute to play, Miami stood tall. That is, thanks in part to Nebraska coach Tom Osborne.

In those days, there was no overtime in college football. Nebraska had just scored a touchdown and could have opted for the point-after kick to tie the game and hope the polls voted the Cornhuskers’ national champs.

Osborne, though, went for the win. Miami denied him, breaking up the potential game-winning pass and securing a monumental upset for The U.

2003: Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (2OT)

From a game where overtime was not an option, Miami found itself hoping it wasn’t one.

The Hurricanes went into the BCS National Championship as 11.5-point favorites, riding a 34-game winning streak into the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.

Miami had the lead in the first overtime and thought it had it made when a fourth-down pass by Ohio State fell incomplete. But a pass interference call breathed new life into the Buckeyes, who scored three plays later to force a second extra period.

In the second overtime, Ohio State RB Maurice Clarett rushed for his second TD of the night to put the Buckeyes on top. Miami came back and had a fresh set of downs at the 2-yard line.

But Ohio State held serve, allowing just one yard over the next four plays to upend Miami.

College football bowl betting FAQ