While their will always be flaws in different sports betting systems, whether it is the NFL or any other sport, one popular method that emerged several years ago is the “411 system”. Not long ago a professional gambler decided that he had finally come up with the perfect football betting system, which would take in to range a long list of variables that included everything from quarterback play, to defense, to the coaching, and even the weather. Since it was titled the 411 system, it makes sense that it was based on numbers, with a point value assigned to each of the listed variables.

In the time following the invention of the new system, its original creator was able to make thousands of dollars selling his picks, before eventually he passed away. With the original creator gone, it had seemed as though his 411 system would be lost forever, however a handful of his customers were able to figure it out and use it for themselves. The 411 system had operated at around 70-percent when it was first revealed, and that number continued strong in the 2008-09 NFL season when handicapper Allen Eastman and his group were able to post an incredible 23-8 record with it while publishing their own picks. Eastman’s version of the system went 27-13 the next season, and then in 2010-11 it went 21-14-2. While it could take a little while to figure out all of the intricacies of the system, it has remained among the most successful, and with the criteria now published, it makes sense to invest a little time to figure it out and beat the pay head bookies at their own game.

With college football sports betting set to reach a high during bowl season, it makes sense to take whatever advantages are available in order to gain an edge. Bowl game handicapping could take a lot of work for those that haven’t followed one of the conferences all year, like an SEC fan trying to figure out the worth of the Oklahoma State Cowboys depending on the strength of the Big 12, or why the Stanford Cardinal didn’t emerge from the PAC-12 undefeated. While there are many systems that are out there to aid in beating the odds laid out by the pay head bookies, but there are some simple steps that every player should always considering before laying down money.

A quick look at a 10-year stretch before the 2010 bowl games illustrates that some teams are simply due for a letdown, as 41 games saw double-digit spreads with the underdogs prevailing at a 26-14-1 rate against the spread. The fact that the underdogs were so successful when it came to covering wasn’t fluke, but simply a matter of motivation. While most of the favorites probably got caught up in the hype of the media attention, or perhaps lacked motivation after missing out on a bigger bowl, the underdogs were in a position where they had to feel like they needed to prove their merit on the big stage. As such big underdogs, the NCAA football odds basically insinuated that they didn’t have a chance to win and from that perhaps didn’t deserve to be there. When it comes to bowl betting this season, look for the teams that finished strong but aren’t getting enough credit in the spreads. Those are the teams that will come through with something to prove.