College Football National Championship Odds 2025: Texas, Ohio State Soar Into Round 2

A blowout-filled quartet of Round 1 games is in the rearview, with all four favorites — Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas, and Ohio State — handling business at home.

With Round 2 matchups now set, the focus shifts to the college football national championship odds, now led by Texas after its win over Clemson.

College Football National Championship odds

College Football National Championship betting favorites

  Texas Longhorns (+300 to +320)

While the Texas Longhorns lost their first-round bye when they fell to Georgia in the SEC title game, they handled business in the 5/12 matchup, fending off a late Clemson run to win 38-24.

The run game looked as good as it has all season long, and considering they should cruise past Arizona State in Round 2, Sark's crew has taken over the No. 1 spot in the odds. 

  Ohio State Bulldogs (+350 to +400)

In perhaps a bounceback game for the ages, Ryan Day's Ohio State Buckeyes were able to right some wrongs in a 42-17 trouncing of Tennessee last night.

Will Howard was accurate, Jeremiah Smith was dynamic, and the defense looked stout as per usual. The reward? A rematch with No. 1 Oregon in Round 2.

  Oregon Ducks (+400)

The Oregon Ducks had a sluggish start but made their case as a legitimate contender after beating Ohio State — and cemented it with a win vs. Penn State in the Big Ten title games, capping a perfect 13-0 season.

Oregon is rightfully on the shortlist of national title contenders, sitting as short as +400 after a first-round bye in the CFP as the No. 1 overall seed.

College Football Playoff bracket

College Football National Championship predictions

Oddsmakers are telling us that if the season ended today, either Oregon or Texas (+350 at BetMGM) would win the national championship. They each hold an implied probability of 22.2%.

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.”

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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