College football bettors and bookmakers are more comfortable heading into Year 2 of the sport’s expanded playoff.
Key Takeaways
- The National Championship market is a growing attraction for bettors
- Texas, Ohio State, and Penn State are seeing the bulk of the action at most sportsbooks
- There are other familiar names and a few surprises gaining traction in the title market
Gone are the days of four teams making the postseason, which has opened the National Championship odds door for more teams, strategy, and wagering excitement heading into Saturday’s Week Zero games.
“That market was growing every year. Now that it’s 12 teams, it’s growing even more,” DraftKings Sportsbook Director of Operations, Johnny Avello, told Covers this week. “You get a price on a team, and as long as they get in, you’ve got a shot. That’s what the bettors really like.”
Even though Ohio State is a co-favorite and the most-bet team to win the national title in 2025 at DraftKings, customers are also able to take longer shots they otherwise wouldn’t have with a lesser field.
Avello said opportunities to hedge and take different approaches, both during the season and when the playoff starts in December, add dynamic elements to betting.
“I think that’s what’s changed with how the bettors look at the National Championship now,” Avello said. “That’s why (wagering) has continually increased.”
Chalk it up
Despite the ability to expand wagering options in the national title market, a small group of teams is getting the bulk of action and money.
Avello doesn’t see any surprises in DraftKings’ top 10 teams by handle: Ohio State, Texas, LSU, Penn State, Clemson, Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, and Oregon.
Joey Feazel, Caesars Sportsbook’s Head of Football, said +475 favorite Texas is a “heavy” ticket and handle leader in the National Championship market for the operator.
BetMGM reported this week that Texas is the operator’s biggest liability and has received 21.3% of the handle, ahead of Penn State at 13.6% of the money.
“Their odds have both shortened approaching the start of the season, and a win by either would be good outcomes for bettors,” BetMGM senior trader Michael Ranftle said.
Texas and Ohio State, who open the season against each other on Aug. 30, are getting hammered at bet365, which lists both teams with odds of +500 to win the playoff. Texas’ ticket count is at 23%, while the Buckeyes have added 21% of the bets, 9% more than third-place Penn State.
Lion love
As for the Nittany Lions, they’re dominating the wagering at some sportsbooks. Fresh off a playoff appearance last year, FanDuel bettors are loving Penn State and returning quarterback Drew Allar, who are getting the most bets and handle of any team to win the national title.
ESPN BET recently reported that Penn State (+650) surpassed Texas as the most-bet National Championship winner by handle. The Longhorns still lead the sportsbook’s market with 23% of the tickets.
Penn State is getting 10.7% of the wagers at BetMGM, the second-most among all teams and nearly 2% more than fellow Big Ten competitor Ohio State.
Working down the list
While those are the big names leading the charge, there are plenty of others getting pieces of the National Championship pie.
Clemson (+1,200) is a team that’s second in bet count and third in handle at FanDuel. At BetMGM, the Tigers have been one of the biggest odds movers, going from +2,000 at the market’s open to +900 in late August.
Texas isn’t the only team from the strong SEC to attract bettors. Georgia at +700 is getting 8% of the tickets (fourth-most) at bet365. Alabama (+1,000) is right there with 7% of the wagers. LSU has the third-highest handle (7.9%) at BetMGM and intriguing odds at +1,400.
Avello said a team with long odds that’s taken action is Texas Tech (+10,000). South Carolina, behind QB LaNorris Sellers, is also gaining steam at +7,000 to win the national title.
Format change
Avello said an offseason modification to the format will aid sportsbooks.
Last year, the College Football Playoff committee awarded first-round byes to the four highest-ranked conference champions. This season, the five league winners are still locked into a spot in the 12-team field, but getting a pass into the second round will be determined by the committee’s final seeding.
“Now that they made that adjustment, that it no longer exists, I think that made our job a little bit easier because those teams were guaranteed byes,” Avello said.
“What did that mean to those teams? They ended up being dogs in those games anyway.”
