College Football National Championship Odds 2025: Buckeyes Big Favorites Ahead of National Championship Game

After Notre Dame punched their ticket to the National Championship game, Ohio State followed suit with a 28-14 grind-it-out win over the Texas Longhorns.

The Buckeyes defense, which was among the best all year, held firm on the goal line with Texas looking to tie it up. A fourth-down scoop-and-score by Jack Sawyer sealed the deal and put the Buckeyes in the National Championship game for the first time since 2020. 

Already tabbed as favorites on the college football national championship odds board ahead of the semifinals, the Buckeyes odds have shortened to -380 ahead of the January 20 showdown with the Fighting Irish.

College Football National Championship odds

College Football National Championship betting favorites

  Ohio State Buckeyes (-375)

The Ohio State Buckeyes defense stepped up in a big way when it mattered most.

Leading 21-14 with just over two minutes left, the Buckeyes D held firm on the goal line, forcing a fumble on fourth and goal, and taking it to the house to seal the deal. 

The offense got big and timely plays from Will Howard and TreVeyon Henderson, while Jeremiah Smith was held to just three total yards. 

It wasn't a masterpiece, but defense wins championships, and the Buckeyes certainly have an elite one. 

  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+300)

It may have not been pretty, but the Notre Dame Fighting Irish got the job done for the second consecutive week. 

Despite losing left tackle Anthonie Knapp and guard Rocco Spindler to early injuries, Notre Dame's offense found its footing when it mattered most in their Orange Bowl victory over Penn State, reaching paydirt three times in the second half courtesy of Riley Leonard and Jeremiyah Love. 

The Irish will now face Ohio State in the National Championship game in Atlanta on January 20 but the college football odds don't like their chances. 

College Football Playoff bracket

College Football National Championship predictions

With the field whittled down to three teams, Ohio State has emerged as the betting favorite (-380 at BetMGM), according to oddsmakers, giving the Buckeyes an implied probability of 79.19%. 

Douglas Farmer's College Football National Championship prediction: Ohio State

This was my bet in January at +650. This was my bet in August at +400. This remains my bet now. Ohio State has the best defense in the country, one so good its multiple NFL-caliber defensive linemen are somehow not the headliners. But coordinator Jim Knowles turned them loose to ruin Indiana’s unbeaten season, and that newfound aggression only raises the Buckeyes’ ceiling.

As their offense improves, despite worrying offensive line injuries, there is no weakness on this team. That cannot be said of anyone else in the country.

College Football National Championship odds over time

College Football National Championship betting splits

• Ohio State is the people's choice, gathering 12.6% of all tickets (first) and 15.9% of betting handle (first) to win the national title, per BetMGM. That makes the Buckeyes a huge liability for sportsbooks in 2024.
• Georgia is third in both ticket volume (9.6%) and handle (13%).
• Per Cameron Drucker, Senior Trader at BetMGM, “Oregon, Georgia and Texas are the favorites to win the College Football Playoff. We will be cheering for the chalk as all three of those teams are good results for the sportsbook.”

2025-26 CFP National Championship odds

Team	Odds
Ohio State Buckeyes	+450
Texas Longhorns	+500
Georgia Bulldogs	+550
Oregon Ducks	+750
Alabama Crimson Tide	+1000
Penn State Nittany Lions	+1000
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	+1600
Clemson Tigers	+2000
LSU Tigers	+2000
Tennessee Volunteers	+2300
Miami Hurricanes	+2800
Mississippi Rebels	+3000
Texas A&M Aggies	+3500
South Carolina Gamecocks	+4000
Michigan Wolverines	+4000
Florida Gators	+6000
USC Trojans	+7000
Oklahoma Sooners	+7000
Auburn Tigers	+8000
SMU Mustangs	+8000
Kansas State Wildcats	+9000
Arizona State Sun Devils	+9000
Florida State Seminoles	+10000
Colorado Buffalos	+10000
UNC Tar Heels	+10000
Louisville Cardinals	+10000

Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of 1/10

College Football Playoff odds

NCAA College Football Playoff odds are determined by professional oddsmakers at sportsbooks or betting sites. This year, the College Football Playoff bracket has expanded to 12 teams. The odds reflect the probability of a particular outcome and are set to attract balanced betting action on both sides of a wager. Here are some of the factors oddsmakers consider before releasing lines to the public:

Team performance: Oddsmakers assess the performance of the teams throughout the season, including their win-loss records and strength of schedule

Injuries: The status of key players, especially quarterbacks and other impact positions, can have a major impact on the odds.

Head-to-head matchups: The historical performance of teams against each other, as well as their most recent matchups, can influence the odds.

Public perception: Oddsmakers take into account public sentiment and betting patterns. If a popular team like Notre Dame or Ohio State is playing, odds may be adjusted to limit the sportsbook's risk.

Venue: The location of the game (neutral site or home-field advantage) can affect the odds.

Coaching: The reputation and experience of the coaches can play a big role in setting odds.

Once these factors are considered, oddsmakers set an initial line, known as the opening line. This line is adjusted based on betting activity to ensure the sportsbook has a balanced amount of money on both sides of the wager. If too much money is coming in on one side, the odds may be adjusted to encourage betting on the other side.

College Football National Championship history

Season	Team	Record	Rank
2023	Michigan Wolverines	15-0	1
2022	Georgia Bulldogs	15-0	1
2021	Georgia Bulldogs	14-1	3
2020	Alabama Crimson Tide	13-0	1
2019	LSU Tigers	15-0	1
2018	Clemson Tigers	15-0	2
2017	Alabama Crimson Tide	13-1	4
2016	Clemson Tigers	14-1	2
2015	Alabama Crimson Tide	14-1	2

College Football National Championship trends

• The CFP National Championship has been won by an SEC team in six of the last nine years. 
• An SEC team has played in the National Championship game in seven of the last eight years.
• The No. 1-ranked team has won just four of the last 10 National Championships.
• Only two teams outside of the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC have made an appearance in the National Championship (2014 Oregon, 2023 Washington).

Understanding college football futures odds

Sportsbooks release college football futures odds as soon as the clock hits zero in the previous season's national championship game. There are many ways to wager on NCAA football futures but picking the outright winner of the national championship is definitely the most popular. During the offseason and preseason, you'll be able to get a plus-money price on basically any team in the nation as there is so much uncertainty around what will happen next year.

NCAA football championship odds will usually look like this:

• Alabama Crimson Tide +700

This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to win $700 if the Crimson Tide win the national title. If it's close to the end of the regular season and there is a particularly dominant program, you might see that a team is has a minus sign (-) ahead of its odds. 

• Georgia Bulldogs -145

This means that if you bet on Georgia you would need to bet $145 to profit $100 if the Bulldogs won the championship.

Of course, futures odds are a fluid market. They can change every day based on news, injuries, suspensions, transfers, etc. In college football there generally isn't too much movement in the futures market during the offseason, but once the season begins, look for huge changes week-to-week based on wins and losses.

All the odds seen above are in American format. Should you find decimal format or fractional format easier to read, simply convert the odds using our simple odds converter tool.

College Football National Championship Odds FAQs

Pages related to this topic