Not even a football game played on a baseball diamond was enough to derail Ohio State’s charge toward a high seed in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes steamrolled Northwestern 31-7 last weekend at Wrigley Field to remain the odds favorite to win the national championship—but now, the real work begins.

The Buckeyes maintained their position as the +320 national championship favorite entering the penultimate weekend of the college football regular season, but now face a monster finishing kick in unbeaten Indiana, archrival Michigan, and then perhaps No. 1 Oregon in the Big 10 championship game. The Ducks remained second on the board but slipped to +475 from +340 following their close shave at Wisconsin, while SEC rivals Texas and Georgia are knotted in third at +500.

Oregon, Ohio State and Texas were the top three teams in the most recent CFP rankings. The expanded 12-team playoff set to debut after this season will accommodate five conference champions and seven at-large bids, substantially deepening the pool of legitimate national championship contenders compared to years past.

2024 College Football National Championship Odds

Odds as of November 18th, 2024 

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NCAAF National Championship Favorite: Ohio State, +320

Since losing at Oregon by one point and then barely surviving a challenge from Nebraska at home, the Buckeyes have been on a tear—they’ve won their last three games by a cumulative score of 96-20. Now comes one of the biggest games in the Big 10 this season, when surprising Indiana and its unbeaten record visit Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are 11-point favorites over the Hoosiers, whom Ohio State has beaten a whopping 29 consecutive times dating back to a tie in 1990. Indiana hasn’t won in the Horseshoe since 1987. After that it’s rival Michigan—5-5, but still a rival—also in Columbus. Win out, and the Buckeyes will likely get a rematch against Oregon in the Big 10 title game, with a bye to the CFP quarterfinals on the line.

NCAAF National Championship Contender: Oregon, +440

Every title contender has to win a grinder on the road, and the Ducks did just that last weekend, surviving 16-13 at 14.5-point underdog Wisconsin. Oregon was hardly its ruthlessly efficient usual self—quarterback Dillon Gabriel didn’t throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season, as the Ducks leaned on the rushing of Jordan James to rally from a third-quarter deficit and slowly take control.

The Ducks are off this weekend before closing the regular season Nov. 30 at home against Washington, which has won two of its last three both outright and against the spread. Oregon is one victory away from a berth in the Big 10 title game, and two victories away from likely being the top overall seed in the College Football Playoff—in which it would receive a bye into the quarterfinals.

NCAAF National Championship Long Shot: Colorado, +5000

It’s time to take Colorado seriously, and not just because two-way star Travis Hunter has become the commanding odds favorite for the Heisman Trophy. The Buffaloes have won four straight games by double-digits, have covered in eight straight, and are two wins away from putting Coach Prime in the Big 12 championship game. That path opened late last Saturday night, when Kansas upset previously unbeaten BYU in Provo.

Indeed, the idea of the Buffs not just making the playoff, but getting a bye to the quarterfinals as Big 12 champion, is hardly farfetched—assuming Colorado takes care of business against Kansas and Oklahoma State. The Buffaloes are a 2.5-point road favorite Saturday over the Jayhawks, who are hosting the game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City due to their home field being rebuilt.  Kansas has won three of four and covered every game in that stretch, including its 17-13 shocker at BUY last weekend.

When Is the College Football Playoff

With the expansion of the College Football Playoff, going from four teams to 12, this also forces us to wait until January 20 for a national champion to be crowned. This is the latest that we have seen a national championship game. In the second weekend of January, when we would typically see the big game, we will be enjoying the CFP semi finals with the Orange Bowl taking place on January 9 and the Cotton Bowl Classic the day after.

Last 10 College Football National Champions

The SEC conference has claimed six of the last national titles over the last decade. By the looks of it, sportsbooks do a decent job with their opening odds. Only one program had early odds of +1000 or higher, the Buckeyes in 2014. 

nCAAF Teams with the most national titles

Despite not having hoisted the trophy since 1927, Yale was a wagon, picking up 14 titles by the turn of the 20th century.

In terms of modern-day history, the Tide has been passed the torch as a dynasty. With the help of Nick Saban, Alabama pocketed six championships between 2009 and 2020. 

nCAAF National championship betting trends

How to bet on the college football national championship

When it comes to big events for any sport, you can bet on futures months in advance -- including which team will win the national championship. Each week, oddsmakers will update the odds to reflect how a squad is doing. If a team is plagued with injuries, their chances of making it to the final game slim down. A surging squad will see their odds skyrocket.

When you go to a college football sportsbook, you’ll see the betting lines laid out like this:

Georgia opens as the fave since the Bulldogs have the lowest odds. The Crimson Tide and Buckeyes are considered underdogs.

If you believe that Georgia has the best chance of winning the championship, and you bet $100 on them, you’d get a payout of $275 – your original $100 is returned along with your winnings of $175. Our odds calculating toolwill show you how much you’d win based on the odds and amount bet.

When you see futures odds that you like, it’s best to jump on them early. As mentioned above, betting sites will adjust the odds as we get closer to bowl season and teams move up and down in the standings.