College Football Championship Odds 2025-26: Track The Favorites
By Chris Wright
Last Updated:
- Odds to win the national championship are available at most online sportsbooks for the 2025-26 NCAAF season.
- Defending champion Ohio State continues to be among the betting favorites. Several SEC teams, including Texas and Georgia, also have strong title odds.
- Track the betting favorites and longshots throughout the 2025-26 season.
On this page you’ll find the live national championship odds for many of the top teams as well as complete information about the CFP national championship both this year and in years past.
The 2024-25 national championship has come and gone, with Ohio State winning the national title. The Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame in the title game on January 20, 34-23. By doing so, head coach Ryan Day won his first championship at the helm of the Buckeyes program. It was the second consecutive national title for the Big Ten; Michigan won the title game in 2023-24. Previous to this recent run, no B1G team had won a national title since Ohio State won the inaugural Playoff as a No. 4 seed in 2014-15.
Can the SEC get back to its winning ways in 2025-26?
National Championship Odds
National championship odds reflect the likelihood of a college football team winning the title, updated weekly by major sportsbooks.
The season officially began Aug. 23, though most teams with legitimate national title hopes open on Labor Day Weekend.
The Associated Press and Coaches have released their Top 25 polls. The Texas Longhorns are No. 1 in both polls. The AP voters selected Penn State at No. 2, followed by defending champion Ohio State at No. 3. The coaches selected Ohio State, then the Nittany Lions. Nine SEC teams were in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.
Clearly, optimism is building as teams vie for a spot in the 12-team Playoff and, ultimately, try to win the national championship. The SEC won 6 of the first 9 national championships in the Playoff era but now has gone 2 consecutive seasons without a national title. Fortunately, several SEC teams enter this season with excellent odds to win.
BetMGM Sportsbook has already released initial lines for the 2025-26 national champion. Here are the latest odds, as of July 29, 2025.
Check it out below:
Texas is the current national champion favorite, in large part because the Longhorns return quarterback Arch Manning. Though he will be a first-time starter, Manning already has the lowest Heisman odds. Preseason Heisman betting favorites don’t always pan out, but there is precedent for a first-time starter to become a Heisman winner. Johnny Manziel won the 2012 Heisman as a redshirt freshman, and Jameis Winston did the same thing in 2013, when he won the Heisman and led Florida State to the national championship.
So there is precedent for what Manning and the Longhorns are trying to accomplish in 2025-26.
With odds of +450, if you bet $10 on the Longhorns to win the college football national championship and they do, your payout will be $55. (Texas also has the best odds to win the SEC Championship.)
Of course, recent college football power Georgia again will be in the Longhorns’ way. Georgia swept Texas in 2024, winning a thriller in Austin, and then outlasting the Longhorns in overtime to win the SEC Championship. The two SEC powers will meet again in 2025, this time in Athens. Of course, they could meet again in the SEC Championship and/or the College Football Playoff. Georgia will have to do so with Gunner Stockton, who replaces Carson Beck. Beck transferred to Miami, which has +4000 odds to win the national championship.
LSU is more of a betting longshot, though the Tigers return top quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who threw for 4,052 yards in 2024. If Nussmeier takes another step forward, the Tigers will become even more dangerous. The Tigers have odds of +2000, so if you bet $10 on LSU to win the national championship and the Tigers do, your payout would be $210.
Texas Tech might be another team to monitor. The Red Raiders typically fly under the radar in Texas, where they battle the Longhorns and Texas A&M for headlines and attention. As of August 13, 2025, Texas Tech has +10000 odds to win the national title. Those are the same odds as college football royalty USC.
Where Can You Bet on National Championship Odds?
The following sportsbooks let you bet on college football futures such as national championship odds, Heisman Trophy odds, and much more.
Who’s Favored To Win The National Championship?
Defending national champion Ohio State (+550) and the Texas Longhorns (+550) are the early betting favorites to win the 2025-26 college football national championship.
Both teams will have a new starting quarterback in 2025. OSU fill finalize its quarterback situation during preseason camp. The Longhorns will turn to Arch Manning after Quinn Ewers left for the NFL.
Georgia, which also reached the College Football Playoff in 2024-25, has odds of +650 to win the national championship. The Bulldogs also will have a new starting quarterback after Carson Beck transferred to Miami.
If you are looking for a championship contender that returns its starting quarterback, you might be interested in Penn State at +750. The Nittany Lions return Drew Allar, who guided the Nittany Lions to the Playoff in 2024.
Clemson (+1600) and LSU (+2000) also return talented starting quarterbacks. Cade Klubnik led Clemson to the ACC championship and Playoff spot last season. And the Tigers have the best odds to win the ACC Championship in 2025, too. Garrett Nussmeier threw for 4,052 yards last season for LSU, easily adding his name to the list of SEC quarterbacks who have thrown for 3,000 yards.
2025-26 National Championship Key Dates
College Football Playoff Dates for 2025-26 season
- First Round (1 Game): December 19, 2025
- First Round (3 Games): December 20, 2025
- Quarterfinals (Cotton Bowl): Wednesday, December 31, 2025:
- Quarterfinals (Orange Bowl): Tuesday, January 1, 2026
- Quarterfinals (Rose Bowl): Tuesday, January 1, 2026
- Quarterfinals (Sugar Bowl): Tuesday, January 1, 2026
- Semifinal Game (Fiesta Bowl): Thursday, January 8, 2026
- Semifinal Game (Peach Bowl): Friday, January 9, 2026
- CFP National Championship Game: Monday, January 19, 2026
Of course, exact kickoff time and TV schedules will be released later.
College Football Playoff Selection Committee
The College Football Playoff was adopted in time for the 2014-15 season. Instead of a computer selecting teams to play for the national championship, the Playoff adopted a 12-person committee to rank and select the teams that make the College Football Playoff. The committee rotates membership. The selection committee is made up of athletic directors, journalists, coaches and administrators. Members typically are on the committee for 2 years.
The 2025-26 selection committee roster is:
- Chris Ault
- Troy Dannen
- Mark Dantonio
- Jeff Long
- Ivan Maisel
- Chris Massaro
- Randall McDaniel
- Mack Rhoades
- Mike Riley
- David Sayler
- Wesley Walls
- Carla Williams
- Hunter Yurachek
National Championship Game Scores
Saturday Down South has a separate page with every college football national champion, scores and more. Here is a recent look at the national champions:
Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Era
- 1998-99: Tennessee 23, Florida State 16
- 1999-2000: Florida State 46, Virginia Tech 29
- 2000-01: Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2
- 2001-02: Miami 37, Nebraska 14
- 2002-03: Ohio State 31, Miami 24
- 2003-04: LSU 21, Oklahoma 14
- 2004-05: USC 55, Oklahoma 19
- 2005-06: Texas 41, USC 38
- 2006-07: Florida 41, Ohio State 14
- 2007-08: LSU 38, Ohio State 24
- 2008-09: Florida 24, Oklahoma 14
- 2009-10: Alabama 37, Texas 21
- 2010-11: Auburn 22, Oregon 19
- 2011-12: Alabama 21, LSU 0
- 2012-13: Alabama 42, Notre Dame 14
- 2013-14: Florida State 34, Auburn 31
College Football Playoff Era
- 2014-15: Ohio State 42, Oregon 20
- 2015-16: Alabama 45, Clemson 40
- 2016-17: Clemson 35, Alabama 31
- 2017-18: Alabama 26, Georgia 23
- 2018-19: Clemson 44, Alabama 16
- 2019-20: LSU 42, Clemson 25
- 2020-21: Alabama 52, Ohio State 24
- 2021-22: Georgia 33, Alabama 18
- 2022-23: Georgia 65, TCU 7
- 2023-24: Michigan 34, Washington 13
- 2024-25: Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 23
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
