College Football National Championship Odds 2026: Buckeyes Favored to Defend Title

Was there ever any real doubt? 

The Ohio State Buckeyes are National Champions for the first time since 2014 after beating Notre Dame 34-23 at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. 

A near-perfect performance from Will Howard (17/21, 231, 2TD) and three touchdowns from Quinshon Judkins was enough to seal the fate of the Fighting Irish. 

Such a display has the Buckeyes favored on the college football national championship odds board for 2026, and rightfully so. 

2025-26 CFP National Championship odds

Team	Odds
Ohio State Buckeyes	+450
Texas Longhorns	+500
Georgia Bulldogs	+550
Oregon Ducks	+750
Penn State Nittany Lions	+900
Alabama Crimson Tide	+1000
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	+1600
Clemson Tigers	+2000
LSU Tigers	+2000
Tennessee Volunteers	+2300
Miami Hurricanes	+2800
Mississippi Rebels	+3000
Texas A&M Aggies	+3500
South Carolina Gamecocks	+4000
Michigan Wolverines	+4000
Florida Gators	+6000
USC Trojans	+7000
Oklahoma Sooners	+7000
Auburn Tigers	+8000
SMU Mustangs	+8000
Kansas State Wildcats	+9000
Arizona State Sun Devils	+9000
Florida State Seminoles	+10000
Colorado Buffalos	+10000
UNC Tar Heels	+10000
Louisville Cardinals	+10000

Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of 1/20

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the same handful of schools are back atop the college football odds board ahead of the 2026 season. 

Ohio State (+450) leads the way ahead of Texas (+500), Georgia (+550), Oregon (+750), and Penn State (+900) who are all listed at shorter than 10/1 odds.

The Alabama Crimson Tide (+1000) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1600) are in the second tier. 

2024-2025 College Football Playoff bracket

2024-2025 College Football National Championship odds over time

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
2024	Ohio State Buckeyes	14-2	6
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 10 years. 
• An SEC team has played in the National Championship game in seven of the last nine years.
• The No. 1-ranked team has won just four of the last 11 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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