College Football National Championship Odds 2025: Buckeyes Bounce Penn State, Reclaim No. 1 Spot

There have been a handful of major shifts to the CFP National Championship odds this season, the latest seeing Ohio State gaining steam after taking down No. 3 Penn State in Happy Valley over the weekend. 

That win has Ryan Day's squad back atop the college football odds, with Georgia and Oregon rounding out the Top 3 ahead of Week 11. 

College Football National Championship odds

College Football National Championship favorites

  Ohio State Buckeyes (+325 to +350)

This Ohio State Buckeyes defense that fell flat against Oregon bounced back in a big way on Saturday, holding No. 3 Penn State's offense to just two field goals in a 20-13 victory.

Will Howard was not without his mistakes (pick-6, red-zone fumble), but the run game was able to close this game out behind a new-look (albeit still banged up) offensive line that had been struggling in recent weeks. 

As a result, the Buckeyes have snagged Penn State's No. 3 spot in the AP Poll and moved back to the No. 1 spot in the odds.

 Georgia Bulldogs (+350 to +425)

It's wild what one win can do for your season. The Georgia Bulldogs fell out of the Top 3 after losing to Alabama in Week 5 but have once again staked their claim as a top-end contender after dominating No. 1 Texas from start to finish three Saturdays ago.

The defense looked as stout as ever, holding Quinn Ewers & Co. to 259 total yards, 15 points, and 2-for-15 on third down. Some may raise concerns about Carson Beck — who's thrown 11 interceptions in his last five games — but Kirby Squad's team is back in a good position to win the SEC and take another stab at a national title.

 Oregon Ducks (+375 to +450)

The Oregon Ducks have made a steady rise up the odds board after a sluggish start that saw them barely hold off the likes of Idaho and Boise State.

However, taking down No. 2 Ohio State was the statement victory Dan Lanning's squad needed. Oregon followed that up with 35-0, 38-9, and 38-17 thrashings of Purdue, Illinois, and Michigan over the last three weeks.

The slow start is very much in the rearview, putting now 9-0 Oregon on the shortlist of true national title contenders. 

College Football National Championship odds over time

College Football National Championship betting splits

• Ohio State remains the people's choice through nine weeks of action, gathering 14.5% of all tickets (first) and 18.9% of betting handle (first) to win the national title, per BetMGM. That makes the Buckeyes the biggest liability for sportsbooks in 2024.
  
  
• Georgia is third and second in those categories with respective marks of 11.1% and 17% but is outside of the Top 3 in liability at BetMGM behind teams like Tennessee (8% tickets, 6.2% handle at +1,600) and Colorado (2.3%, 2.3% at +20,000).
  
  
• Texas is second in total tickets (12%) and third in betting handle (11.7%) after losing to Georgia in Week 8.
  
  
• Defending national champion Michigan sits 11th in tickets (2.9%) and even lower in total handle (1.3%). 

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

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