College football lines and NFL betting lines may look the same but you need to realize that they are vastly different when you handicap the games. Football lines in college football look similar to NFL betting lines but the way you handicap the games is different. While both football lines are based on public perception the big difference between pro and college football is the amount of teams and the far greater tendency of college football to have mismatches, both real and perceived, in football lines.
Football lines in the NFL have the parity and competitive balance factor to take into account. The pro teams are basically very even in ability and rarely do you see big NFL betting lines. College football, on the other hand, will often have pointspreads that are over 20, 30, or even 40-points each week in football lines. College football has far more teams than the NFL. You will see as many as 60 games in a weekend of college action compared to the 16 NFL betting lines. Many college football teams play in small media markets and those that do play in the major media outlets still face competition for coverage and attention from the local professional teams.