It’s early September, with Labor Day on the horizon, so when it comes to tradition, that means two things. First, the college football season is upon us, and we are about to get some saucy Week 1 matchups. Second, it’s time for me to give you wagering neophytes my annual speech on why dipping your gambling toe in the water with season win total bets is a sensible alternative to diving head first into the deep end of the gaming pool with week to week game bets.
Season win total bets are like mutual funds, where you patiently watch the performance of your investment over a long period of months, as opposed to betting on games, which is days trading, a far more stressful, volatile endeavor. The good news, if you’re looking for wagering mutual funds, is that I’ve got my four best college football season win total best for you right here:
Houston OVER 7.5 (-150)
He did it at the JUCO level, he did in Division II, he did it in FCS and Group of 5, and Willie Fritz is doing Willie Fritz things again in Houston. Two seasons in, and Fritz already has a 10-win season and a bowl win over LSU to his credit. Now, with a Top 25 preseason ranking, Fritz is dealing with high expectations in his third season over in the Third Ward. Fortunately, they return most of their offensive production from 2024, including their starting QB Connor Weigman, who’s backed up by the No. 1 recruit in the nation last year, Keisean Henderson. The defense returns its best players from last season, including Khalil Laufau and Will James, and brought in some key players in the transfer portal. Their strength of schedule is near the bottom of FBS, 134th overall, so another double digit win season is very much in play.
Colorado UNDER 4.5 (-140)
Remember when the TV networks were trying to schedule every road trip for their studio show to land in Boulder, Colorado? That was just two seasons ago. Now, with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter long gone, Deion Sanders is just a loudmouth trying to keep from getting fired. The Buffaloes, who were awfully brash for a program that peaked at making a bowl game in which they got walloped after the 2024 season, are now just a dilapidated Big XII punching bag, favored in a grand total of two games this season. The offensive line has been an issue since Sanders arrived in 2023, and this season is no different. The defense is nearly all first year transfer students. The Buffs also play two legit Power Four opponents — Georgia Tech and Northwestern — out of conference. At least the weather is nice in Boulder, I suppose.
Arkansas UNDER 4.5 (-150)
First-year coach Ryan Silverfield replaces Sam Pittman, who was fired in the middle of a disastrous 2-10 campaign in 2025. It could be a rude awakening for Silverfield in the SEC, as he arrives just as the league converts to a nine-game conference schedule. Not optimal, especially when one of your out of conference games is late night kickoff at Utah in Week 2. They then kick off at noon versus Georgia the following week. Road trips to College Station and Austin to play Texas A&M and Texas, respectively, loom. It’s hard to imagine this team getting to 5-7 with the SEC schedule they’ve been handed, while acclimating to a new coaching staff and integrating players from the transfer portal. If you can find UNDER 3.5 with a plus payout, jump on it. A 2-10 record, identical to last season, is very much in play.
Notre Dame OVER 11.5 (+180)
It’s rare that I take the OVER on a double digit win total in college football’s 12 game season, and I can’t remember a single time that I’ve taken an OVER when 11.5 is the number. If we’re being honest, though, you rarely see 11.5 as a total for any school, because the OVER means you’re betting on an undefeated season, which is precisely what I’m betting for Notre Dame. Last season, the Irish started 0-2 with close losses to Miami and A&M, and then went on a rampage for ten games, finishing 10-2. That was not good enough for the playoff committee, and head coach Marcus Freeman has done everything this offseason but declare prima noctae on his opponents’ head coaches. Notre Dame basically has a three game schedule — home games with Miami and SMU, road game at BYU. They are going to skull drag the other nine teams on their schedule, and they might do the same to Miami, SMU, and BYU. Their slogan this season is “leave no doubt.” They will not leave any doubt. The Irish go 12-0.
