College Football National Championship Predictions & Odds 2025: Ohio State Heavily Favored

The college football national championship game is decided: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame. 

Below, I’ll check out the latest national championship odds, examine the two remaining 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 $300 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.

National Championship Favorites to Win

Ohio State Buckeyes (-350) at FanDuel

The Buckeyes had their toughest outing of the College Football Playoff against Texas, but they still won by double digits, 28-14. 

Quarterback Will Howard completed 24 of 33 passes for 289 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. 

Running back Quinshon Judkins had just nine carries but had two scores. 

The game was tied at 14-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Buckeyes pulled away after a touchdown run by Judkins and a massive strip sack returned for a touchdown by edge rusher Jack Sawyer. 

Texas managed to hold wide receiver Jeremiah Smith to just one catch for three yards. Prior to this game, he had over 100 yards in two of his last three games and scored five times overall in that span. 

Ohio State allowed 283 passing yards to their former signal-caller, Quinn Ewers. He finished with 23 completions on 39 attempts for 283 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick. 

The Buckeyes elite run defense showed out, though, holding Texas to just 58 yards. 

Remember, this game was tied at 14-14 heading into the fourth quarter, so it wasn’t a scenario where Ohio State was leading by double digits throughout and Texas had a throw to keep up. 

Through three College Football Playoff games, Howard is averaging over 300 passing yards per game.

He’ll contend with the second-best pass defense in the national title game. Notre Dame allows just 165.3 passing yards per game, but they haven’t faced a team with the weapons Ohio State possesses. 

Further, Notre Dame and Ohio State are the top two teams in points allowed per game. Ohio State surrenders just 12.2, while Notre Dame allows 14.3. 

I’m expecting an Ohio State win and cover at -8.5.

Get $300 in Bonus Bets at FanDuel With a Wining $5 Wager

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+280) at FanDuel

Of all the College Football Playoff games to date, Notre Dame vs. Penn State was probably the more exciting. 

Penn State went out to a 10-3 lead heading into halftime. 

In the second half, Notre Dame had two unanswered scores to go up 17-10. 

Then, Penn State responded with two unanswered scores of their own to go up 24-17. 

With 4 minutes and 38 seconds left in the game, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard hit Jaden Greathouse for a 54-yard catch-and-run touchdown. 

After a couple more possessions overall, Penn State found themselves with the ball with less than a minute left. 

They could’ve slow-rolled it to get into overtime or be aggressive and try to score. 

They opted to be aggressive, but it didn’t pay off. 

Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray picked off Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, and Notre Dame kicked a game-winning field goal with just seven ticks left on the clock. 

When it was all said and done, Leonard completed 15 of 23 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown, and two picks. He also had a rushing score. 

Jeremiyah Love added 11 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown. 

Notre Dame is 42nd in run defense, allowing 133 rushing yards per game. They gave up three rushing scores to Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton. 

The Fighting Irish will also need to contend with Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau coming off the edge, especially over left tackle Tosh Banker. Anthonie Knapp is out with a knee injury, and they’re turning to a backup in the biggest game of the season. 

Now, they’ll have to contain Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson, and the trio of Ohio State receivers.

Bet $5 Get $300 in Bonus Bets If Your Bet Wins at FanDuel

Final Four National Championship Teams in 2025

Ohio State

The Buckeyes explosive offense cooled down a bit in the Cotton Bowl, but this is still an offense where their quarterback averages over 300 passing yards per game during the College Football Playoff and has eight touchdowns between Judkins and Henderson. Notre Dame has a top pass defense, but they’re vulnerable against the run game. 

Notre Dame

Notre Dame hasn’t quite faced an offense like Ohio State yet, but credit where credit is due. The injury to Knapp is certainly one to watch for, but Leonard is dangerous with his legs. He’s a shaky passer, but he can convert first downs, extend drives, and put Notre Dame in positions to score regardless of his throwing ability. 

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. In 2024, that’s changing. 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.

*Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms.