It’s never too early to get in on the action, and the sportsbooks are certainly not ones to waste time releasing their odds for the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship winner. Let’s take a look.
2025-26 College Football Championship Odds
Don’t forget to explore the many handicapping tools available to you right here. Whether it is our college football computer picks or our power rankings, there is always something for everyone.
Here are the NCAA Championship Winner odds via Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review).
NCAAF
2026 CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS
| Team | Opening Odds | Current Odds at Bet365 |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | +450 | +500 |
| Texas | +650 | +550 |
| Georgia | +700 | +650 |
| Oregon | +750 | +750 |
| Penn State | +900 | +800 |
| Notre Dame | +1400 | +1400 |
| Alabama | +1700 | +1400 |
| Tennessee | +3100 | +1800 |
| Clemson | +2000 | +2000 |
| LSU | +2000 | +2000 |
| Ole Miss | +2500 | +2500 |
| Michigan | +2000 | +2800 |
| Miami (FL) | +3000 | +3000 |
| Texas A&M | +3000 | +3500 |
| South Carolina | +4000 | +4000 |
| Florida | +6000 | +4000 |
Teams to Back
Florida Gators
After Ohio State won the national championship with Will Howard at quarterback — a not hugely talented guy who is projected to be a second-round draft pick — it is easy to forget how important the quarterback position is.
Let’s not forget that, while Howard was the title-winning quarterback last year, early first-round draft picks like Tua Tagovailoa and Deshaun Watson were quarterbacks whose talent and throwing ability played important roles in their respective teams’ ability to win a national championship.
Quarterback is an undeniably very important position and folks, for good reason, are saying that Florida will have one of the best quarterbacks in this upcoming season.
DJ Lagway deserves the hype. Confidence in him is justified based on his success in big-time games against both LSU and Ole Miss. More generally, he demonstrates tremendous skill. Video footage illustrates his ability to avoid getting sacked, to maintain composure, and to make perfect throws downfield.
Lagway and Florida’s pass attack will be complemented by Ja’Kobi Jackson and Jadan Baugh who are turning heads in the offseason after they performed strongly in more limited playing time last season.
The Gators will have a good defense with Caleb Banks opting against the NFL Draft, where it is believed that he would have been selected in one of the earlier rounds, to man the defensive line along with a level of depth that might equal that of Florida’s cornerback room.
Devin Moore and Dijohn Johnson are both talented and developing cornerbacks with great physical tools that include length and speed. Their experience will help Florida’s deep secondary ensure that the Gators are one of the best teams at defending against the pass.Â
Takeaway
Florida will have the pass attack, rush attack, and defense to win the national championship next year.
Given their weaponry, the Gators are being criminally undervalued by oddsmakers, who are listing them at +4000 to win the national championship.
NCAAF Pick: Florida (+4000) at Bet365
Penn State Nittany Lions
Folks talk about Penn State head coach James Franklin failing to win big games. But his team won two playoff games last year, both of which required him to beat a highly ranked opponent.
His record against big games looks bad because Penn State is in a conference with Ohio State and a once-elite Michigan team. But he clearly can win big games.
He will have the weapons to win more big games with his quarterback, two stud running backs, and several experienced offensive linemen returning.
Perhaps more impressively, he added Jim Knowles, Ohio State’s defensive coordinator last year, to his coaching staff. Knowles is arguably the best defensive coordinator in the game — under his tutelage, the Buckeyes ranked number one in total defense last year. The Nittany Lions also bring back significant returning talent, including Zane Durant to secure the interior of their defensive line and AJ Harris to stabilize the secondary.
Takeaway
Penn State is listed at +800 to win the national championship. While this isn’t as attractive as Florida’s odds, the Nittany Lions have the added benefit of their most recent postseason experience. They made a deep run last year that they have the tools on both sides of the ball to build off of.
NCAAF Pick: Penn State (+800) at Bet365
Teams to Fade
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama has a mega-talented quarterback in Keelon Russell, but he is raw. The expectation is that Ty Simpson will be the quarterback.
Simpson has waited for three years and will likely get his chance, finally. He is often compared to Mac Jones, who likewise waited for his chance to start at Alabama. Jones, though, was a proven backup. With zero career passing touchdowns, Simpson has not proven himself at all.
With this question mark at quarterback, Alabama is being overvalued by oddsmakers.
The Crimson Tide are also going to struggle to get sacks. They ranked 66th last year in sack percentage and miss Que Robinson, who will enter the NFL.
Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns’ success will largely hinge on the progress made by quarterback Arch Manning.
The Manning hype is high because of his name. But, because he is (obviously) his own person, we need to consider who Arch is apart from who Eli and Peyton were.
Last year, Manning had a chance to outcompete Quinn Ewers for the starting quarterback position, but his head coach trusted Ewers more. Ewers was the guy Texas relied on to lead them past difficult opponents. Manning, unlike Ewers, often failed to make throws in between defenders and lacked accuracy as a passer. With the wide receiving corps taking a hit due to the departure of Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond, Texas’ pass attack is not going to be championship-level.
Its defense will also miss significant talent. A prominent example is Jahdae Barron, who was named the best defensive back last year and will enter the NFL. Defensive tackle Alfred Collins will be another Longhorn who will get drafted — he is being ranked as one of the top NFL prospects at his position. With eight Longhorns players projected to be selected in the first three rounds alone, the upcoming NFL Draft will provide ample proof of Texas’ losses on defense as well as on offense.
Texas is listed at +550 to win it all when there are too many concerns on both sides of the ball.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Ahead of Texas, Ohio State is the most heavily favored team to win the upcoming national championship. Bet365 has the Buckeyes at +500.
The Buckeyes are worth fading because it is extremely rare for teams to win back-to-back titles. Georgia and Alabama are the only teams to do it this century.
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
College Football FAQs
Question: Where can I bet on the 2025-26 College Football National Championship?
Answer: The best online sportsbooks are the safest online sportsbooks, which are those licensed in jurisdictions where online sports betting is legal in the United States. The top-rated books are Caesars, Bet365, FanDuel, BetMGM, SugarHouse, BetRivers and DraftKings. All offer a wide variety of NCAAF props, futures, and point spreads.
Question: What types of bets are popular with college football?
Answer: The most popular bet is the point spread bet where the underdog is getting points or the favorite is giving points. However, moneylines, where no point spread is involved have grown increasingly popular, as have over/under, or total bets, where bettors can wager over or under on the combined total of the two teams in that game.
Question: Do I have to bet a lot?
Answer: No, the minimum bet is as low as $1 and accounts can be funded with as little as $10 at many of the books across the nation.
