You're also saying that the favorite, in this case, Ohio State, will be winning by more than 7.5 points. So Ohio State can technically win, but your bet still loses. When you invest in the favorite, you are essentially picking a winner. Penn State (+7.5). In this hypothetical, Ohio State is the favorite (because they're giving 7.5 points) and Penn State is the underdog (because they're getting 7.5 points). So let's assume you've perused the latest college football odds and stumble across the following game's point spread: Ohio State (-7.5) vs. Seeing this in action is best done with an example. Point spread lines are broken down into two options: The favorite and the underdog.
How do these point spreads work? When is it best to use them? Can point spreads make for good parlay bets? We're here to break it all down. You are not-we repeat, you are not-necessarily trying to determine the winner. This wager consists exclusively of predicting a predetermined margin of victory or loss.
There are three core betting types in the sports gambling industry: the moneyline, the over/under and, perhaps the most popular of them all, the point spread.