Congratulations are in order to the Ohio State Buckeyes who are this season's national champions after a 34-23 campaign against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Buckeyes open as early +450 favorites in the 2025-26 national championship odds at FanDuel.
Following is Texas (+650), Oregon (+650), Georgia (+700), and Penn State (+850) to round out the top five on the oddsboard, all teams who participated in last season's College Football Playoff.
2025 College Football National Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ohio State Buckeyes | +450 |
| Texas Longhorns | +650 |
| Oregon Ducks | +650 |
| Georgia Bulldogs | +700 |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | +850 |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | +1200 |
| Alabama Crimson Tide | +1600 |
| Tennessee Volunteers | +1800 |
| Clemson Tigers | +1800 |
| LSU Tigers | +2000 |
Odds as of January 21 at Sportsbook
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NCAAF National Championship Favorite: Ohio State (+450)
The new and now defending champions sit atop the oddsboard after hoisting their first title in a decade. The Buckeyes faced a bit of adversity, falling to Oregon and Michigan in the regular season before rallying in the CFP to defeat talented Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame programs.
There's no denying Ryan Day built a stacked program carried by two receivers and two running backs, all of which have eclipsed 1,000 and tacked on double-digit touchdowns.
However, before you smack some units down on Ohio State to go back-to-back, just be aware that this won't be the same Buckeyes group hitting the field in late August. Upward to 15 players will be throwing their names in the NFL Draft, including the decorated DE Jack Sawyer, WR Emeka Egbuka, and their star rushers TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Of course, Will Howard ages out of the program so Day will be putting his eggs in the basket of freshman Julian Sayin, who had 12 passing attempts this year.
NCAAF National Championship contender: texas longhorns (+650)
Texas is officially entering its Arch Manning era. After two seasons of sitting back up, the Manning prodigy is getting the nod to commence his first season as the Longhorns starting quarterback. After taking on a 5-7 SU Texas program, Quinn Ewers fulfilled his job after playing in two CFP semifinals and consecutive double-digit win records before hanging up his collegiate helmet -- even being No. 1-ranked in his first season in the SEC at one point this year.
Manning saw the field a decent amount in 2024, completing 61-of-90 tosses for 939 yards and 13 total touchdowns. But, with WR Matthew Golden, and running backs Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner all opting for the NFL Draft, his offensive options will need to be replaced.
I wouldn't be too concerned with Steve Sarkisian working his magic. The Longhorns are preparing to bring the top-ranked recruiting class for next season.
Last 10 College Football National Champions
| Year | Team | Opening Odds | Postseason Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Ohio State Buckeyes | +325 | +275 |
| 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
- 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.
