The stage is set! After taking down undefeated Oregon and recently defeating Texas, the Ohio State Buckeyes are the favorites heading into the 2024-25 college football national championship holding odds of -400 at FanDuel.
Ryan Day will meet Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+310) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday, January 20.
Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love after beating Penn State:
— On3 (@On3sports) January 10, 2025
“We want to play Ohio State. We lost to them last year in a game we should have won... I feel like Ohio State is better than Texas. I want to play the best and win.”
(via @Andy_Staples)https://t.co/VnyjqnnAlJ pic.twitter.com/tdW24rFdwc
2024 College Football National Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ohio State Buckeyes | -400 |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | +310 |
Odds as of January 11 at FanDuel
See Our Best CFB Betting Sites Here
NCAAF National Championship Favorite: Ohio State (-400)
Ohio State have been noble favorites of 2.5-points or more through its three CFP meetings, covering each one against strong competition in Tennessee, Oregon and Texas. The Buckeyes have recorded at least 41-points in two of three outings and have held their offensively explosive opponents to three touchdowns or fewer.
In the Cotton Bowl, the Buckeyes stay disciplined following a tied third quarter, rallying together to glue together 14 crucial points for the dub. Ohio State has allowed 291 total yards this postseason while gaining 447.7 YPG.
Ryan Day has huge bragging rights, stripping the Ducks of their undefeated record and the Longhorns, a team that was once +375 favorites to win it all.The sportsbooks have been keeping tabs on the Buckeyes all season, averaging +350 national championship odds all year. Now, Will Howard and his crew have made it.
NCAAF National Championship underdog: Notre Dame (+400)
At first glance, the CFP bracket didn't look like a walk in the park for Notre Dame -- kicking things off with an inner-state matchup, followed by the Georgia dynasty and the pesky Penn State defense. But, the Irish have handled their business.
In his trio of postseason tilts, Riley Leonard flexed his passing and rushing game; signalling that his duality cannot be stopped. Even without Jeremiyah Love for a chunk of the Sugar Bowl, Marcus Freeman led his team to get enough distance on the scoreboard.
The Irish are coming off their toughest, yet most impressive performance. The Nittany Lions defense gave Leonard and his offensive line no space to breathe while Tyler Warren and Nick Singleton were getting down the field quick. After a 10-3 deficit at halftime, the Irish returned and adjusted to James Franklin's suffocating game plan.
Mitch Jeter secured the 41-yard game winning field goal, Jaden Greathouse came clutch with a huge reception, Jeremiyah Love battled for a rushing touchdown, Christian Gray picked off Drew Allar in the dwindling minutes -- heck, even back-up Steve Angeli went 6-for-7 for a helpful drive. It was all hands on deck.
Notre Dame's most compelling threat is its defense, ranked second in points allowed (14.3 PPG) and sit in the top three for passing yards (165.3) and top 10 total yards (298.3).
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.
| Round | Bowl | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Indiana vs Notre Dame | Dec. 20, 8:00 pm ET | Notre Dame |
| First Round | SMU vs Penn State | Dec. 21, 12:00 pm ET | Penn State |
| First Round | Clemson vs Texas | Dec. 21, 4:00 pm ET | Texas |
| First Round | Tennessee vs Ohio State | Dec. 21, 8:00 pm ET | Ohio State |
| Quarterfinals | Fiesta Bowl: Penn State vs Boise St. | Dec. 31, 7:30 pm ET | State Farm Stadium |
| Quarterfinals | Peach Bowl: Texas vs Arizona St. | Jan. 1, 1:00 pm ET | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| Quarterfinals | Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs Oregon | Jan. 1, 5:00 pm ET | Rose Bowl |
| Quarterfinals | Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame vs Georgia | Jan. 1, 8:45 pm ET | Caesars Superdome |
| Semifinals | Orange Bowl: Notre Dame vs Penn State | Jan. 9, 7:30 pm ET | Hard Rock Stadium |
| Semifinals | Cotton Bowl Classic: Ohio State vs Texas | Jan. 10, 7:30 pm ET | AT&T Stadium |
| Championship | National Championship | Jan. 20, 7:30 pm ET | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
Last 10 College Football National Champions
| Year | Team | Opening Odds | Postseason Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Michigan Wolverines | +800 | +185 |
| 2022 | Georgia Bulldogs | +200 | -165 |
| 2021 | Georgia Bulldogs | +800 | -225 |
| 2020 | Alabama Crimson Tide | +600 | -200 |
| 2019 | LSU Tigers | +5000 | +300 |
| 2018 | Clemson Tigers | +600 | +350 |
| 2017 | Alabama Crimson Tide | +300 | +400 |
| 2016 | Clemson Tigers | +700 | +600 |
| 2015 | Alabama Crimson Tide | +800 | +120 |
| 2014 | Ohio State Buckeyes | +1000 | +1500 |
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
| School | Number Of Championships | Latest Win |
|---|---|---|
| Yale | 18 | 1927 |
| Alabama | 16 | 2020 |
| Princeton | 15 | 1922 |
| Notre Dame | 13 | 1988 |
| Michigan | 10 | 2023 |
| USC | 9 | 2004 |
| Harvard | 8 | 1919 |
| Ohio State | 8 | 2014 |
| Oklahoma | 7 | 2000 |
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
- Heading into the national championship stage, the betting favorites have won and covered the spread in five straight seasons between 2020 and 2024.
- The UNDER is 7-3 across the last 10 national championship meetings.
- Since being inducted in 2014, Alabama has had the most CFP experience with eight appearances (9-5 SU). In that span, they've collected three national titles, lost in finals three times and fell in semi-finals twice.
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 +175
- Alabama +300
- Ohio State +350
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 tool will 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.
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