2025-26 CFP Futures Odds: Ohio State Favorite, Alabama, Indiana Follow
College Football Playoff championship odds for 2025-26 are perking up, with eight weeks in the books.
Ohio State remains the favorite in 2025-26 College Football Playoff futures odds. Alabama has fully rebounded from a Week 1 loss, now sitting as the No. 2 choice to win it all, followed by Indiana.
Below are current CFP odds from an array of operators. Also, check out our College Football Week 9 odds report. And to get the most out of your college football bets, use our Fanatics Sportsbook promo.
(Feature image: Will McLelland/Imagn Images)
National Championship Winner Odds
| Time | Bet365 | BetMGM | Caesars | ESPNBet | FanDuel | RiversCasino | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |  › |  › |  › |  › |  › |  › | |
| +260 | +275 | +260 | +260 | ||||
| +650 | +600 | +650 | +650 | ||||
| +850 | +900 | +800 | +900 | ||||
| +1100 | +1000 | +1100 | +1000 | ||||
| +1000 | +1000 | +1200 | +1000 | ||||
| +900 | +1000 | +1000 | +950 | ||||
| +1100 | +1200 | +1200 | |||||
| +1600 | +1500 | +1600 | +1700 | ||||
| +1800 | +1600 | +1800 | +2700 | ||||
| +2200 | +2000 | +2500 | +2700 | ||||
| +2500 | +2500 | +2500 | +2700 | ||||
| +2800 | +3000 | +3000 | +3300 | ||||
| +3500 | +4000 | +4000 | +3300 | ||||
| +4000 | +5000 | +4000 | +3500 | ||||
| +6000 | +5000 | +7500 | +5500 | ||||
| +10000 | +8000 | +10000 | +12500 | ||||
| +10000 | +8000 | +10000 | +10000 | ||||
| +7500 | +10000 | +7500 | +12500 | ||||
| +12500 | +12500 | +10000 | +10000 | ||||
| +50000 | +15000 | +50000 | +70000 | ||||
| +30000 | +15000 | +10000 | +25000 | ||||
| +12500 | +15000 | +10000 | +10000 | ||||
| +75000 | +15000 | +50000 | +100000 | ||||
| +20000 | +20000 | +15000 | +15000 | ||||
| +50000 | +20000 | +15000 | +70000 | ||||
| +20000 | +20000 | +15000 | +17500 | ||||
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2025-26 College Football Playoff Odds
Hoosier Daddy
LATEST UPDATE: Ohio State (7-0) again did what was expected as a 24.5-point road favorite vs. Wisconsin. The Buckeyes rolled 34-0, remained No. 1 in the nation and shortened their College Football Playoff Championship odds from +350 to +275 at BetMGM.
That's the shortest price of the year for Ryan Day's defending national champs.
However, Indiana (7-0) is still the story of the season. Entering Week 7, the Hoosiers were +3000 in CFP futures odds. But they stunned Oregon 30-20 as 7-point road underdogs and moved into the +900 fourth choice.
In Week 8, Indiana kept rolling with a 38-13 home win over Michigan State. BetMGM kept the Hoosiers at +900, but due to Miami's upset loss to Louisville, Indiana is now the third choice to win the national title.
"Indiana looks great for the book at the moment," BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said. "The big bets we took on Clemson, Penn State and Texas have made some of the longer shots at the start of the year a lot more palatable for the futures book."
More on those big bets in a minute.
The only teams ahead of Indiana: Ohio State and Alabama (+600). After the win over Oregon, the Hoosiers leapfrogged a host of teams, including Georgia, Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
Back when College Football Playoff odds first posted, in January, you could've gotten Indiana at +10000 (100/1). Four weeks ago, you still could've gotten +5000. But no longer.
Yet bettors aren't buying in yet. At BetMGM, Indiana is 11th in ticket count and money. Ohio State, No. 1 in both counts, is seeing almost four times more tickets and nearly 3.5 times more money than the Hoosiers.
And that's fine with Magee, since the Buckeyes' price has been short all season in CFP odds.
"As it stands, BetMGM would have no problem at all with Ohio State winning the whole thing again. Another good team for the book," Magee said.
Rounding out the top five in tickets:
- Penn State (more on that mess in a moment)
- LSU
- Texas
- Alabama
And tailing Ohio State in money are:
- Texas
- Penn State
- LSU
- Miami
Texas (5-2) followed a statement win over Oklahoma with another dud of a game at Kentucky. The Longhorns barely escaped with a 16-13 overtime victory, despite being 12.5-point favorites.
So even with the win, BetMGM's risk room didn't upgrade Texas' odds, keeping the 'Horns at +1600, the ninth choice.
Now then, circling back to those three big bets Magee alluded to: A BetMGM customer has a tenuous grip on those three wagers. Back in late June, the bettor went to the sportsbook located at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, and made the following major wagers:
- $300,000 Texas +500
- $200,000 Penn State +750
- $115,000 Clemson +1300
Texas appears to be the only remaining hope, and as noted above, Arch Manning & Co. are wildly inconsistent. Clemson (3-4) continued playing itself off stage with a 35-24 home loss to SMU in Week 8.
As for Penn State, well ...
Trending Teams
LATEST UPDATE: By "trending teams," that doesn't always mean trending up. A team can trend down, too. And no team is trending downward more than Penn State (3-4).
In Week 5, the Nittany Lions rallied from a 17-3 fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime against Oregon. Penn State lost that game 30-24 in double OT, but it was seen as a more-than-respectable setback.
So BetMGM nudged Penn State from the +600 second choice to the +800 fourth choice. Then the Nittany Lions went to UCLA as 24.5-point favorites and shockingly lost outright 42-37. That sent Penn State to +3000 in College Football Playoff odds.
Not dead, but certainly a little troubled. Then in Week 7, Penn State was a 21-point home favorite vs. Northwestern. And lost again, 22-21. It didn't get better after firing coach James Franklin, with the Nittany Lions losing 25-24 at Iowa.
The Nittany Lions are now huge +30000 long shots (300/1) to win the national title.
"It's a huge result for the futures book," Magee said. "We took that big bet on them to win the championship in the preseason, while Penn State was already being a popular bet.
"I can't say I expected the Nittany Lions to be completely out of it by mid-October, with James Franklin on a job hunt. It's truly shocking what's transpired in Happy Valley."
Oregon (6-1) went down a few pegs after the Indiana loss, from +500 second choice to +1000 co-fifth choice, joined by Georgia (6-1). The Ducks rebounded in Week 8 on the road, smashing Rutgers 56-10. And the Bulldogs outgunned visiting Ole Miss 43-35.
BetMGM kept Oregon and Georgia at +1000 in College Football Playoff futures. But both are now the co-fourth choice, along with Texas A&M, thanks to Miami's 24-21 home loss to Louisville.
Notable positive movers, from pre-Week 8 to post-Week 8:
- Texas A&M (6-0) from +1400 to +1000.
- Notre Dame (4-2) from +1700 to +1200.
- Vanderbilt (6-1) from +8000 to +5000, after a statement win over LSU.
And other teams going the wrong way, from pre-Week 8 to post-Week 8:
- Miami (5-1) from +800 to +1500.
- Texas Tech (6-1) was at a season-best +1700, but lost at Arizona State and slid to +2500.
- LSU (5-2) from +2500 to +10000 (100/1), after losing at Vanderbilt.
Interestingly, even though Ole Miss lost that shootout at Georgia 43-35, the Rebels actually improved in CFP futures odds. BetMGM moved Ole Miss (6-1) from +2200 to +2000.
Along with Ohio State and Indiana, Magee said Notre Dame, Alabama and Miami are good outcomes in College Football Playoff futures odds. On the flip side, BetMGM's key liabilities are on Oregon, Texas and Texas Tech, though the Red Raiders' liability is significantly less.
Under The Radar
Magee would've put Texas Tech as an under-the-radar outfit prior to Week 7. After the Red Raiders' 26-22 loss to Arizona State, perhaps the Red Raiders have a little value again, at +2500.
A week ago, Magee thought Notre Dame still have value at +1700. Now, it's not quite as much at +1200, after a solid 34-24 home victory over USC.
"This may sound wild, but I feel like Notre Dame seems pretty under the radar," Magee said. "They lost two close games against Miami and Texas A&M, but have been absolutely rolling on offense of late.
"I think if they stole one of A&M or Miami, we'd be talking a lot about C.J. Carr's Heisman odds."
Virginia (6-1) is definitely a sleeper outfit and can be had at odds in the 200/1 range to win it all. That's a long shot, but the Cavs are +600 to just make the playoff, which is certainly a possibility at this point.
"I'd be remiss to not mention my Virginia Cavaliers here," he said. "At No. 16 in the country, with one of easiest schedules remaining, they can get to the ACC title game and be in the mix to get to the playoff this year. Think SMU last year.
"There are some striking similarities between the two. SMU got into the playoff with two losses, one of them in the ACC championship game, and without beating Clemson, Georgia Tech or Miami. Who's to say Virginia can't replicate that resume this season?"
Opening National Championship Odds
Listed below are January's opening odds to win the 2025-26 National Championship
- Ohio State +450
- Texas +550
- Georgia +600
- Oregon +700
- Penn State +850
- Notre Dame +1200
- Alabama +1200
- Clemson +2000
- LSU +2000
- Tennessee +2000
- Texas A&M +3000
Odds Provided by BetMGM and subject to change.
Use our BetMGM bonus code today to pick which team you think will win the College Football Playoff!
College Football Playoff Format
Last season, the College Football Playoff went from four teams to 12 teams, and it will again be 12 teams for the 2025-26 season.
The field of 12 is comprised of six conference champions, plus the six highest-ranked other teams. The rankings will again be determined by the College Football Playoff committee.
College Football Playoff Schedule
Here is the bowl schedule for the 2025-26 College Football Playoff.
First round (Dec. 19-20) — On campus
- Friday, Dec. 19: One game
- Saturday, Dec. 20: Three games
Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)
- Wednesday, Dec. 31: Cotton Bowl
- Thursday, Jan. 1: Orange Bowl (early afternoon)
- Thursday, Jan. 1: Rose Bowl (late afternoon)
- Thursday, Jan. 1: Sugar Bowl (primetime)
Semifinals (Jan. 8-9)
- Thursday, Jan. 8: Fiesta Bowl
- Friday, Jan. 9: Peach Bowl
CFP National Championship
- Monday, Jan. 19, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
How To Read College Football Playoff Futures Odds
Over 133 schools are looking for a chance to earn a trip to the 2025-26 College Football Playoff.
Let's look at an example. Ohio State is the +500 co-favorite to win the national championship. That means a $100 wager would yield a $500 profit if the Buckeyes win the title.
How To Bet On College Football Futures
American football is the most popular game among bettors in the United States, and a large portion of that interest is from college football. Analyzing futures odds and predicting which school will become the champion every season continues to receive attention at the betting counter.
Check out our list of the best sportsbooks and sportsbook promos to find the best and most secure places to make college football bets, as well as exclusive sportsbook offers. You can also use our Caesars sportsbook promo code to unlock potential bonus bets.
College Football Futures can be bet on throughout the year. As with any betting market, there are wagering peaks and valleys. After each season ends in January, oddsmakers send out their opening futures for the following season.
The main market is for the NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision. There are more than 125 teams divided into 10 conferences, and a group of independent schools, including Notre Dame.
Some sportsbooks set college football futures on every school eligible to win the championship. But other operators keep the list at 50 teams or even fewer, since some lower-tier schools don’t have a competitive chance. The Future Odds market doesn’t receive as much attention in the spring, but interest tends to pick up in the summer and in the first couple weeks of the regular season.
Interest tends to heighten again as conference championship weekend draws near. And betting on College Football Playoff futures odds really picks up after the 12-team field is set.
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NCAAF Popular Futures Odds
- Heisman Trophy
- College Football Playoff
- Win Totals
- SEC Championship
- Big Ten Championship
- Big 12 Championship
- American Championship
- MWC Championship
- Sun Belt Championship
- CUSA Championship
- MAC Championship
Most Popular Betting Odds
