If you're reading this article, you're likely much more than the casual college football fan who watches their favorite team on Saturday afternoons and might check in for the bowl games during Christmas break.
You're likely well-versed on the Power Four, Group of Five and are probably dangerous enough not to refer to FCS (Division 1-AA) competition as “Division II teams.”
Teams at the FBS level have been scheduling FCS competition for 50 years. You consistently see this in Weeks 1 and 2, as well as the second-to-last week of the regular season (looking at you, SEC!).
These are often referred to as “buy” games because most of the time, the FCS opponent goes in, takes a 50-point whoopin’, eats some crappy pizza on the way back to the hotel and flies home. Oh yeah — and they collect a check for doing so.
It’s a win-win because the big boys get a W on the schedule and get everyone on the roster on the field, and the small college team gets a large check to help fund the program for the year. For most people, that's the end of it for FCS. It doesn’t get covered as often, games aren't typically nationally televised, and you certainly can’t find betting lines on it — or can you?
Contrary to popular belief, FCS betting has become much more popular and mainstream in the last three to four years, and it has actually been an available market for over 10 years.
So, where do you even start from a betting perspective? It's college football — isn’t betting on it all the same? Well, there are actually a number of differences when it comes to line releases, line movement, limits and more.
I want to get into these differences and more to help you get in on the FCS action. So, let's dive in.
The Release of FCS Lines
I have been betting FCS football for years, and only this year have I seen FCS lines released long before kickoff. It remains to be seen if this will continue throughout the 2024 season, but many books such as FanDuel, DraftKings and bet365 released major FBS vs. FCS lines way ahead of schedule for Weeks 0 and 1.
The typical experience is that the FCS betting menu gets released one by one at about 11 a.m. ET on the day of the game. This provides advantages and disadvantages both to the bettor and the bookmaker.
They don’t have the extended exposure and can pivot quickly when receiving bets, while the bettor has to be prepared to fire away quickly at the computer right away on Saturday morning.
FCS Line Movement
With the books exhausting so much time and effort in the major P4 and G5 conferences, one market that can get overlooked is FCS.
Some books have even been sloppy enough to blindly copy a well-known projection site. If you're quick to recognize mistakes in the early lines, you can often find yourself on the right side of 7- or even 14-point line movement — something that never happens in FBS.
I always like to note that the quickest and easiest way to improve your positioning as a sports bettor is to shop around for the best lines, have multiple sportsbooks set up and funded before game day, and use an odds comparison tool to ensure you're buying at the right price. Action Network's odds tool is a great place to turn, with live odds from multiple books.
This resource is key for me in FCS betting, as I can spot line releases quickly and can see line movement in real time. That way, I always know I'm getting the best options available.
Doing this will add up over time, and a half-point here and there becomes huge over the course of a season.
Why Weather in FCS Games Matters
As we get into the season, plenty of college football games will be impacted by weather.
This could be heavy rain and hurricane-type weather in the southeast and East Coast, snow in the northeast or mountain ranges, windy conditions on the plains — you get the idea.
Light rain won't affect totals the way some people think, but heavy rain and snow — which affects visibility — and wind can impact totals substantially.
It has been observed that when potentially severe weather is impending, FBS games are quick to move totals. However, observant players who watched the FCS market may see that books aren't adjusting FCS totals accordingly.
Limits for FCS Football
Limits on these games are typically lower but still high enough to get down a decent wager.
The limits on FCS games are typically between $200-$500 per line, but the bettor is usually allowed to “re-bet” after a line has moved.
This provides liquidity in the market if you're trying to get more money down, so you don’t experience being stuck and feeling like betting FCS is a waste of your time.
And with higher limits on FCS games these days, please remember to bet responsibly.
How to Spot Severe Mismatches in FCS Football
It takes time and effort to analyze the betting board when factoring in FCS. In fact, it can look more and more like a college basketball board with 150 games on a Saturday.
So, how can you possibly be an expert on all of these teams while also profiting at the FBS level? I recommend a few strategies to start.
- Focusing on a particular conference that you might be familiar with based on where you live could help significantly. This ensures you can find local news from beat reporters who are close to the team and have a lot to say about a particular squad and conference.
- It may also help to start with the Missouri Valley Conference or Big Sky. These two leagues typically have the strongest teams top-to-bottom, including household names like South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Montana, Idaho, Montana State, Eastern Washington and more.
- Dive into the extremely unique FCS leagues and find ways to bet on that.
- For example, I've found success focusing on the Pioneer Football League, which is a non-scholarship FCS conference. Trust me when I say the "non-scholarship" part of the equation makes a big difference. These teams struggle to fill their rosters as is. Most of the schools in the PFL are small, private schools that are very expensive to attend, so when athletes aren't receiving scholarships, these programs become severely limited in who they can recruit.
- MEAC and SWAC teams are often at a severe disadvantage due to funding. They don’t have the high-end facilities, travel is often by bus, and depth issues on the roster are evident. Scheduling is much more difficult at the FCS level, so teams often have to scramble to fill the schedule — even if that means eight road games or playing in Hawaii before doubling back to another road game the very next week across the country.
Betting FCS football is a thrill. It has helped me sharpen the tools I use to handicap at all levels and provides unique angles to dive into as part of my game-by-game analysis.
With the popularity of FCS football increasing and the wider availability of the FCS betting market, this is the perfect time to dive in. With that said, be sure to check out the FCS content we'll have coming throughout the season. Good luck!
