College Football National Championship Predictions & Odds: Ohio State Slated to Repeat?

The 2024-25 college football season has come to a close with the Ohio State Buckeyes winning the national championship, beating Notre Dame 34-23.

With the season wrapping up, it’s never too early to start looking ahead to the 2025-26 season. 

Below, I’ll check out the extremely early odds for next year's national champion, deep dive the top four odds-on favorites, examine some potential underdogs, provide a brief overview of the top 10 teams, and more.

National Championship Odds

All odds below are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Click on the odds in the table below to head to FanDuel Sportsbook and place your bets: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.

National Championship Favorites to Win

Ohio State Buckeyes (+450) at FanDuel

The Buckeyes are coming off a national championship win, and the early odds have them repeating next year. 

However, they’ll need to replace a lot—and I mean a lot—of talent. 

I expect 15 or more players to head to the NFL, headlined by JT Tuimoloau, Will Howard, Donovan Jackson, Tyleik Williams, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, Emeka Egbuka, Josh Simmons, and others. 

So, they’ll need to replace their top two running backs, edge rushers, left tackle, and quarterback. 

Thankfully, they have an excellent safety in Caleb Downs. 

As for quarterback, they could turn things over to Julian Sayin, a former five-star recruit and a transfer from Alabama. 

He’ll have Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate to throw passes to in 2025. 

He seems like the most likely candidate to replace Howard, as the options in the transfer portal are seemingly limited. 

They have brought in talent like Max Klare at tight end, Phillip Daniels at offensive tackle, and Air Noland at quarterback. 

The Buckeyes will almost certainly be back in the mix next season. 

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Texas Longhorns (+650) at FanDuel 

The Arch Manning era has officially arrived, and Quinn Ewers is heading to the NFL. 

Along with Ewers, key assets like Matthew Golden Jaydon Blue, Isaiah Bond, Vernon Broughton, Gunnar Helm, Kelvin Banks Jr., and Andrew Mukuba are also off to play football on Sundays. 

They’ve brought in some defensive line talent in Travis Shaw (North Carolina) and Cole Brevard (Purdue). 

They’ll need to add some offensive weapons to the fold, and there are some solid options in the portal, but they are not committed anywhere in Johntay Cook II, Cortez Braham Jr., and Omari Evans. 

Either way, Manning has the talent to elevate whatever team he’s on. He completed 61 of 90 passes (67.8%) in limited action for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also had 25 carries for 108 yards and four touchdowns.

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Oregon Ducks (+650) at FanDuel 

The Ducks were the No. 1 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff and lost to Ohio State. Now, they say goodbye to players like Josh Conerly Jr., Tez Johnson, and Dillon Gabriel. 

However, I think their heir apparent at quarterback is already on the roster: Dante Moore. He transferred last season from UCLA after playing in nine games for them in 2023. 

They’ve also added notable talent in the portal, like Emmanuel Pregnon (USC), Isaiah World (Nevada), Bear Alexander (USC), Dillon Thieneman (Purdue), Alex Harkey (Texas State), Jamari Johnson (Louisville), Makhi Hughes (Tulane), and much more. Those were just the four-star players. 

Moore is already inside the top 10 in Heisman odds at +2000. 

Oregon will be back in the hunt. 

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Georgia Bulldogs (+700) at FanDuel 

The Bulldogs had an unfortunate trip to the College Football Playoff. Quarterback Carson Beck got injured in the SEC title game, missed their first CFP game, and ultimately lost to Notre Dame. 

Now, the team is losing players like Jalon Walker, Mykel Williams, Nazir Stackhouse, and more to the NFL. 

They’re also losing Beck, but not to the NFL—he’s committed to Miami for a reported $5 million. 

They’ve also lost some other talent to the portal, such as Damon Wilson II, Julian Humphrey, Jamaal Jarrett, and more. 

However, they’ve picked up some notable names in Zachariah Branch, Zion Branch, and Noah Thomas.

It appears Gunner Stockton, Beck's backup this past season, who finished the SEC title game and played against Notre Dame, will be the starter. 

He’s got some dual-threat ability, though he left a bit to be desired in the action we saw him in. 

To be fair, we saw it in the College Football Playoff and off the bench in the SEC title game. 

He’ll have Thomas and Branch to throw to, which will help any signal-caller.

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National Championship Underdogs

Nebraska Cornhuskers (+9500) at FanDuel

The Cornhuskers enter 2025 with Dylan Raiola in his second season. 

As a freshman, he completed 66.3% of his passes for 2,816 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. 

Considering he was a true freshman, that was a fine debut season. 

Now, he’ll have former Kentucky wide receiver Dane Key to throw to. They also added some edge and offensive line talent with Williams Nwaneri, James Williams, and Elijah Pritchett. 

They did lose Princewill Umanmielen to Ole Miss, but things are pointing up for Nebraska. 

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North Carolina Tar Heels (+11000) at FanDuel 

It’s only January, so why not enjoy the Bill Belichick hype? 

North Carolina certainly has a massive talent disparity compared to any other team on this list, but they’ve brought in some talent via the transfer portal, including Daniel King, Khmori House, and Thaddeus Dixon, and retained Amare Campbell. 

I have no earthly idea who the quarterback will be, either.

For now, I’ll ride the Belichick hype recognizing that a lot of work needs to be done.

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Top 10 National Championship Teams in 2025

Ohio State

The Buckeyes say goodbye to a wealth of talent, but the future is bright, and Sayin will likely take over the reins. Remember, he still has Smith and Tate to throw to, and Klare enters the fold now, too. 

Texas

The Manning era is here. He’ll need some weapons, but with Manning as the quarterback, I expect the talent to come soon. 

Oregon

Moore is around the top 10 in Heisman odds, and they still have plenty of talent to work with, especially on defense. I’m curious if this team will be able to score at will like it has over the last two seasons, but expect Oregon to be a frequent visitor to the College Football Playoff. 

Georgia

Beck is out, and Stockton is in. 

They’ve also added one of the most sensational players in college football with Branch. 

Stockton didn’t show much in limited action, but he’ll have a full offseason to prepare and adjust to his role as the Bulldogs starting quarterback. 

Penn State

The Nittany Lions lost in the semifinal to Notre Dame, and while they’re losing Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren, they’ll have Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and Drew Allar back. 

They’ve lost Harrison Wallace III to Ole Miss but brought in Kyron Hudson from USC and Devonte Ross from Troy. 

Evans is in the transfer portal, but perhaps they can retain him. 

Expect Penn State to compete once again this season. 

Notre Dame

Notre Dame is losing Xavier Watts and Riley Leonard, but they have plenty of young talent coming back and have numerous commitments from the transfer portal like Malachi Fields from Virginia, DeVonta Smith from Alabama, Jalen Stroman from Virginia Tech, and much more. 

It appears their next signal-caller will be Steve Angeli, but expect CJ Carr to compete heavily. 

Alabama

The Crimson Tide went 9-4 in DeBoer’s first season and will now have to replace Jalen Milroe, Tyler Booker, CJ Dippre, Jihaad Campbell, and more. 

As mentioned, Moore left for Notre Dame. 

They have brought in several talent players, though, such as Isaiah Horton, Nikhai Hill-Green, Cameron Calhoun, and Kelby Collins. 

My No. 1 question: Who will be the quarterback? Will it be Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, or someone else? 

Mack had three pass attempts this past season and had a touchdown. 

Simpson has been on the team for three seasons but hasn’t gotten a lot of runs. 

Mack is six-foot-six and over 230 pounds. He could be a force. 

Tennessee 

Dylan Sampson is off to the NFL, and Squirrel White has departed for Florida State. 

Nico Iamaleava will once again be an excellent dual threat, but the Volunteers will have to fill the same massive holes, not only from Sampson but edge rusher James Pearce Jr. 

Let’s see how this team shapes up over the offseason. 

Clemson

Klubnik is back, which is an immediate boost. He played well down the stretch. In the College Football Playoff against Texas, he had 261 passing yards and four touchdown passes. 

He was one of the top passers in the league with 3,642 yards and 36 touchdown tosses. 

Clemson is typically light on the transfer portal, but they’ve added players like Tristan Smith, Jeremiah Alexander, and Will Heldt. 

Heldt is the most notable. He’s a six-foot-six, 265-pound four-star edge rusher. 

LSU 

As we get closer to the season, expect to hear the name Garrett Nussmeier early and often. 

He’ll be atop Heisman Trophy odds throughout the offseason and preseason.

He has weapons like Kyren Lacy, Zavion Thomas, and Aaron Anderson to throw to. LSU has already gotten commitments from Nic Anderson, a receiver from Oklahoma, and Barion Brown, a wideout from Kentucky. 

Nussmeier finished 2024 with 4,039 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. 

I think LSU will be a College Football Playoff team next year.

National Championship History

Since 2014, the College Football Playoff has been the primary way of deciding the national champion. However, this Playoff has always been four teams. 

As of 2024, that’s changed. 

It’s now 12 teams instead of four, which will allow more programs a shot at bringing home the title. This will certainly result in some underdogs winning a championship more often than in the past. 

The Crimson Tide have the most appearances with eight and won the most games with nine. 

Here are all of the national champions since the Playoff was introduced.

How to Bet on the National Championship

In betting on the national championship, you’ll be wagering on the dedicated futures betting market. There are other markets you can wager on that indirectly apply to it, like conference winners, but the only true way to wager on who will win the national championship are futures and when the day of the actual game comes, moneyline, point spread, totals, parlays, props, and more.

Where to Bet on the National Championship

College sports betting is available in all legal sports betting states, but there are some prohibited markets. 

I’ll touch on that below and list the top online sportsbooks for wagering on the national championship and college football as a whole. 

• Arizona (AZ): Cannot wager on college player props.

• Colorado (CO): Cannot wager on college player props.

• Connecticut (CT): You cannot wager on teams based on Connecticut unless they’re in a tournament. 

• Delaware (DE): Cannot wager on in-state teams

• DC: Cannot wager on DC-based teams or any college games occurring in the region. 

• Illinois (IL): Cannot wager on college player props. You can wager on in-state teams if done at retail sportsbooks. 

• Indiana (IN): Cannot wager on college player props.

• Iowa (IA): Cannot wager on college player props.

• Kansas (KS): No restrictions.

• Kentucky (KY): No restrictions.

• Louisiana (LA): No restrictions.

• Maryland (MD): No restrictions.

• Massachusetts (MA): You cannot wager on teams based in Massachusetts unless they’re in a tournament. 

• Michigan (MI): No restrictions.

• Mississippi (MS): Cannot wager on college player props. 

• New Jersey (NJ): Cannot wager on in-state teams

• New York (NY): Cannot wager on games involving New York-based schools or player props. 

• North Carolina (NC): No restrictions. 

• Ohio (OH): You cannot bet on college player props.

• Pennsylvania (PA): Cannot bet on college player props. 

• Tennessee (TN): Cannot wager on college player props, including live college player props. 

• Vermont (VT): You cannot wager on teams based in Vermont unless they’re in a tournament. 

• Virginia (VA): Cannot wager on college games that include Virginia teams. 

• West Virginia (WV): You cannot bet on college player props. 

• Wyoming (WY): No restrictions.

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