College Football Championship Odds
Table Of Contents:
With college football booting up once again for the 2025/26 season, there are a lot of factors affecting this year’s college football playoff predictions. Take a look at this year’s College Football Playoffs odds from select top sportsbooks to help you make your CFP predictions. We’ve got a whole lot in store for you in this article, including each team’s odds to win the College Football Playoffs as well as the top National Championship odds that may affect your selections when betting.
🏈 National Championship Odds & Futures for 2025/26
In the table below, we’ve outlined the top five teams with the shortest College Football National Championship odds and NCAA Football Championship odds.
| Team | Current Odds | Opening Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | +500 | +500 |
| Texas | +550 | +550 |
| Georgia | +700 | +700 |
| Penn State | +750 | +750 |
| Clemson | +1000 | +1000 |
🏟️ Betting on the 2025-26 CFP
Below are some of the top sportsbooks with updated CFP odds you can use to directly place your NCAAF National Championship bets. Not only do these sportsbooks include CFB Playoff odds, NCAAF playoff odds, and odds to make the CFP, but they also each have their own unique sign-up bonuses you can claim right away!
📍 Where can I bet on the College Football Playoffs?
The following states listed below offer college football championship odds and allow betting on the NCAAF online with no restrictions:
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Michigan
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
The following states listed below offer college football championship odds and allow betting on the NCAAF online with player prop and team restrictions (betting on game outcome is permitted). The (*) symbol denotes states where betting on in-state teams is prohibited unless they are participating in the NCAA tournament. The (^) symbol denotes states where betting on a game taking place in the state is prohibited:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut*
- Florida
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts*
- Maryland
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire*^
- New Jersey*
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island*^
- South Dakota*
- Teneessee
- Vermont*
- Washington*
- Washington D.C.*
The following states listed below offer college football championship odds and allow betting on the NCAAF at retail locations only:
- Illinois
- Mississippi
- Montana
- North Dakota
- Wisconsin
🏆 Favorites to win the National Championship for 2025-26
Based on the table above, we’ve outlined five of the top NCAAF teams with the highest CFP national championship odds below:
Ohio State Buckeyes Odds to win the National Championship (+500)
Ohio State proves to be the strongest contender this upcoming year in terms of odds to make AND win the CFP. They currently have +500 odds to win the CFP at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Buckeyes are defending champs and bring back plenty of talent. Sophomore Julian Sayin steps in for Will Howard at quarterback, and with many of the Buckeye strong personnel returning this season, such as wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State has a solid case for winning it all once again.
Texas Longhorns Odds to win the National Championship (+550)
Next on our list are the Texas Longhorns, who have +550 odds to win the College Football Championship at FanDuel Sportsbook. No. 1 recruit Arch Manning and fellow Longhorns look to make a run at the SEC Championship with arguably one of the best defenses in the nation. Knocked out of the College Football Playoff Semifinals by the Buckeyes in 2024-25, Texas will look to get revenge this year and start the season with some of the shortest odds to win the National Football Championship.
Georgia Bulldogs Odds to win the National Championship (+700)
The Georgia Bulldogs are third on our list and currently have +700 odds to win the NCAAF National Championship at Caesars Sportsbook. Last season didn’t quite end as the Bulldogs hoped, losing to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals. But this year, they’re looking to tell a different story with QB Gunner Stockton stepping up to the plate, as the Bulldogs will aim for the top spot in the SEC with the help of improved blocking to spark a better offense throughout the upcoming season.
Penn State Nittany Lions Odds to win the National Championship (+750)
The Penn State Nittany Lions have +750 CFB Championship odds at bet365 Sportsbook. Head Coach James Franklin leads the Nittany Lions into another hopeful season after their run ended last year to Notre Dame in the CFB Playoffs Semifinals, but they have a slew of talent returning. Many important players are coming back this season, including QB Drew Allar along with rushers Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, giving Penn State a great chance to make the CFP this year as the season progresses.
Clemson Tigers Odds to win the National Championship (+1000)
Clemson is last on our list, but they have the 5th-shortest odds to win the CFP Playoffs and are priced at +1000 at Fanatics Sportsbook. Although the Tigers were eliminated in the first round of last year’s playoffs by Texas, head coach Dabo Swinney keeps his team hopeful as QB Cade Klubnik returns to lead his team this season. If Clemson improves on their defense, there’s no doubt the Tigers will be a strong contender heading into this year’s CFP.
💰 College Football Playoff Predictions for 2025-26
Based on our analysis of last year, we think Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Texas are all strong contenders with some of the top current CFB Playoff odds. Considering that teams that place in the top four seeds receive byes for the first round, we think Ohio State has a solid chance of making another National Championship run, only to be challenged by Texas in the final.
While Ohio State has returning stars like Jeremiah Smith, Texas has one of the best defenses in the entire nation, meaning if they can stay consistent with their results, the Longhorns will surely reach a deserved final. In the case this happens against Ohio State, Texas will want revenge for being knocked out of last year’s semifinals, leading us to predict the Texas Longhorns to win the CFP National Championship in the 2025-26 season.
👀 National Championship Picks: Longshot Candidates to Watch
While we’ve already listed five of the best CFP National Championship odds in our College Football Playoff predictions, it’s certainly up for grabs by any team. Some dark horses to watch out for from our perspective include Notre Dame (+1200 NCAAF Championship odds) and the return of RB Jeremiah Love. The Fighting Irish made it to the National Championship last year, but it may be tough with the loss of QB Riley Leonard. LSU (+1800 CFB Championship odds) is also a promising underdog choice, especially with QB Garrett Nussmeier at the helm of the team’s offense.
📊 College Football Playoff Trends & Statistics
Here are some trends and statistics to help make your College Football Playoff predictions:
- The SEC and Big Ten are often dominant in terms of teams that make the majority of playoff spots, leading them to have the shortest odds of winning the College Football Championship.
- In the last 10 years, an SEC team has won the national title six times, but a Big Ten squad has won the title for two straight years.
- While the top four seeds receive a first-round bye in the tournament, many believe a first-round win helps influence team confidence, leading to a higher chance of winning the next round.
- While #1 seeds are often thought of as the strongest candidate to win it all, there’s a history of #1 teams not always winning the championship, with 2020 being the last time a #1 seed won (Alabama).
- In the last 10 years, three #2 seeds have won, one #3 seed has won, and two #4 seeds have won the National Championship.
- Ohio State was the first and only #8 seed to win it all in the last decade.
- In the previous 5 years, 7 different teams have made the CFP Finals (Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, TCU and Washington).
🏆 National Championship Winners
Below is a table of the last 10 National Championship winners. We included who they faced, their records and their odds at the beginning of the seasons they won.
| Year | Team | Runners-up | Season record | Odds at beginning of season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 14-2 | +325 |
| 2023-24 | Michigan Wolverines | Washington Huskies | 15-0 | +800 |
| 2022-23 | Georgia Bulldogs | TCU Horned Frogs | 15-0 | +350 |
| 2021-22 | Georgia Bulldogs | Alabama Crimson Tide | 14-1 | +600 |
| 2020-21 | Alabama Crimson Tide | Ohio State Buckeyes | 13-0 | +300 |
| 2019-20 | LSU Tigers | Clemson Tigers | 15-0 | +2500 |
| 2018-19 | Clemson Tigers | Alabama Crimson Tide | 15-0 | +400 |
| 2017-18 | Alabama Crimson Tide | Georgia Bulldogs | 13-1 | +250 |
| 2016-17 | Clemson Tigers | Alabama Crimson Tide | 14-1 | +700 |
| 2015-16 | Alabama Crimson Tide | Clemson Tigers | 14-1 | +700 |
Looking at the table above, it’s clear that the only slight underdog to win with +1000 or longer odds was the LSU Tigers in 2019-20. From this data over just the past 10 years, it’s clear that the SEC favorites are strong choices when it comes to NCAAF playoff odds at the beginning of the season.
🤔 What Happened in Last Year’s College Football Playoffs?
Last year’s College Football Playoffs were the first edition where 12 different teams qualified for the postseason. Oregon (#1), Georgia (#2), Boise State (#3) and Arizona State (#4) all received first-round byes, while Texas (#5), Penn State (#6), Notre Dame (#7), Ohio State (#8), Tennessee (#9), Indiana (#10), SMU (#11) and Clemson (#12) rounded out the rest of the field. Here is how the games played out:
First Round
- #8 Ohio State (42) vs #9 Tennessee (17)
- #5 Texas (38) vs #12 Clemson (24)
- #7 Notre Dame (27) vs Indiana (17)
- #6 Penn State (38) vs #11 SMU (10)
Quarterfinals
- #1 Oregon (21) vs #8 Ohio State (41)
- #4 Arizona State (31) vs #5 Texas (39) – 2OT
- #2 Georgia (10) vs #7 Notre Dame (23)
- #3 Boise State (14) vs #6 Penn State (31)
Semifinals
- #8 Ohio State (28) vs #5 Texas (14)
- #7 Notre Dame (27) vs #6 Penn State (24)
Championship
- #8 Ohio State (34) vs #7 Notre Dame (23)
🤓 How do Sportsbooks Calculate CFP Betting Odds?
The CFB Playoff odds, odds to make the CFP and National Championship odds are all determined from several factors. These mainly include a deep team analysis, which involves using statistical models to create a sophisticated algorithm based on historical data such as win-loss records, strength of schedule, individual player ratings and team performance metrics.
Experienced oddsmakers from different sportsbooks take into account personnel changes on different teams, including returning/leaving coaches and players, injuries, transfers, team dynamics and more. As the season or tournament progresses, the market changes to reflect fair odds based on the volume of public bets made, different injuries that occur, upsets of certain high-profile teams, coaching controversies and changes to weather conditions.
🔢 How to Read CFP & National Championship Betting Odds
Understanding CFP and National Championship betting odds is simple; you need to understand the numeric odds and the context of the bet itself.
- A bet listed as Texas to win the game at +500 means Texas is likely not favored to win the matchup, as the opposing team generally will have higher odds, such as -300.
- A bet such as Texas to win the Championship at +500 means Texas is favored as one of the teams to win the tournament, as there is a large number of teams participating, generally with none of them being lower than +100 odds unless they are extremely favored and dominant.
- A bet listed at +500 odds means that by betting $10, you’ll win $50 in profits if your bet wins as a result, whereas a bet listed at -500 odds means that by betting $10, you’ll win $2 in profits as a result.
💭 How to Calculate CFP Betting Odds
I calculate CFP betting odds based on the team’s previous season performance while taking into account main factors such as returning players, coaching staff, and strength of schedule. If a team has a returning star QB or WR, such as Ohio State, then their odds will generally be listed higher. If the team has lots of experience and competes in a difficult conference such as the SEC or Big Ten, then their odds will be listed higher. If a team continues to perform well throughout the season, then their odds will be listed even higher, especially against unfavored teams in certain matchups.
