College Football National Championship Odds: Ohio State, Notre Dame Lead the Way

The offseason barbs between the Big Ten and SEC focused on the former’s postseason supremacy and the latter’s recent struggles. In case you haven’t heard, the Big Ten has won the last three college football national championships. The SEC has not even appeared in the game it routinely won for much of this century since 2022.

These things tend to be cyclical — and maybe a contender from the Big 12 or ACC breaks through this season — but the teams with the best odds of winning it all this season hail from the Big Ten and SEC. Lest we forget about Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish are also on par with the likes of defending champion Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia and Texas in their national championship aspirations.

Based on the current betting markets, Las Vegas likes the chances of a fourth consecutive champion from the Big Ten. There is no prohibitive favorite. Rather, there is a definitive set of top seven teams — as we saw in the preseason AP poll. After that group, there’s a drop off to the second tier of contenders and then a larger drop off to the dart throws.

With the season set to start on Saturday, Athlon analyzed the 10 teams with the best odds to win the College Football Playoff in January in Las Vegas.

• 2026 CFB Preview:Top 138 Team Rankings | All-America Teams | Playoff Predictions | Bowl Projections | Preseason Picks

(All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.)

Ohio State

The No. 1 Buckeyes are the betting favorite with +550 odds to win their second title in a three-season span. Coach Ryan Day certainly has a roster capable of making another deep run. Heisman Trophy candidates Julian Sayin (quarterback) and Jeremiah Smith (wide receiver) return to lead an electric offense. However, the defense must make up for the lost production of three first-round picks. Ohio State faces one of the toughest schedules in the country, but talent is hardly a concern in Columbus, where championships are the standard.

Notre Dame

The No. 4 Fighting Irish haven’t garnered this much praise in decades. This is their highest preseason position since 2006. They have the second-shortest odds to win it all at +600, as they gun for their first national title since 1988. Coach Marcus Freeman’s group felt slighted last season by their CFP snub and doesn’t want to leave anything to chance this time around. Notre Dame brings back star quarterback CJ Carr, and the defense is littered with All-Americans at every level. The Irish schedule should prove more challenging this season, but this group is built to weather it and should be playing deep into January.

Oregon

The No. 2 Ducks have lost three games two years into the 12-team CFP era. They fell twice last season to Indiana, which went on to win the title. And they were beaten by eventual champion Ohio State the year before. That’s it. Their 26-3 mark since 2024 is bested only by the Hoosiers. And coach Dan Lanning’s team has all the pieces on paper to bring a national championship to Eugene for the first time, which is why it has the third-best title odds at +750. Quarterback Dante Moore spurned the NFL for another season at Oregon, where he’ll be surrounded by arguably the best roster in the country. No team has more Athlon All-Americans than the Ducks.

Georgia

The No. 3 Bulldogs are the SEC’s best bet to end its title drought. Coach Kirby Smart’s squad has the fourth-best championship odds at +800. But Georgia also hasn’t won a playoff game since its back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. The conference’s postseason struggles were a major offseason talking point. However, the Bulldogs remain the standard bearer, and they’ve hardly lost a step. Quarterback Gunner Stockton is back for another season under center, and the defense should be as strong as ever.

Texas

The No. 5 Longhorns’ preseason expectations aren’t as high as they were last season, when they were ranked No. 1 and viewed as title favorites. However, there is still a strong belief that Texas is among the top teams in the country. The Longhorns’ +850 championship odds back up that sentiment. Coach Steve Sarkisian brought back several stars and made big adds on defense (coordinator Will Muschamp, linebacker Rasheem Biles) and offense (wide receiver Cam Coleman, running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown), but the play of quarterback Arch Manning will set Texas’ ceiling.

Indiana

The No. 6 Hoosiers did the unthinkable last season, running the table en route to their first national championship. It’s a shocking turnaround for what was once the losingest program in college football history. But what Curt Cignetti has done in just two years has Indiana in the mix to go back-to-back. The Hoosiers have the sixth-best odds at +900. Indiana lost some of the holdovers who followed Cignetti from James Madison, but there is plenty of talent returning on both sides of the ball, particularly in the trenches. If Cignetti can replicate what he did with Fernando Mendoza and Kurtis Rourke with TCU transfer Josh Hoover, IU is set up for a third consecutive playoff appearance and another deep run.

• Curt Cignetti Q&A: Indiana Coach Opens Up on Challenge of Title Defense

Miami

The No. 7 Hurricanes just enjoyed their best season in recent memory and return what could feasibly be an even better team than the one that fell just short in the title game. Miami is the odds-on favorite to win the ACC and is +1200 to win its first national championship since 2001. Coach Mario Cristobal expertly navigated the transfer portal, landing quarterback Darian Mensah (Duke) from a conference rival and edge rusher Damon Wilson (Missouri) to address what few areas of need this team had with all-conference — and perhaps All-America — level talent.

Texas Tech

The No. 12 Red Raiders are anomalous, ranking outside the preseason top 10 and among the favorites to win it all with +1900 odds. That dichotomy might have something to do with the stranglehold they seem to have on the Big 12 and how well they actually stack up against the other true contenders. Coach Joey McGuire hit the portal hard once again to reinforce this roster. The defense is elite, and the offense has weapons all over. But the question in Lubbock is still at quarterback. After the Brendan Sorsby saga, the QB1 job fell to Will Hammond. And with Hammond still recovering from an ACL tear, the Red Raiders added more insurance under center with former FSU signal-caller Tommy Castellanos.

• Related: Which Big 12, ACC Teams Can Actually Make the College Football Playoff?

Oklahoma

The No. 10 Sooners returned to the CFP for the first time this decade a season ago. Coach Brent Venables had been up and down since his arrival in Norman, but he might have a team capable of building on that first-round exit. Oklahoma has the ninth-best odds at +2200. There are few questions with Venables’ defense, which should again be among the best in the SEC and the country. But the offense struggled to move the ball after quarterback John Mateer’s injury in 2025. With him back for another season and a few new pieces in place around him, can the Sooners put it together on both sides of the ball?

LSU

The No. 11 Tigers are the most polarizing team in the country. Expectations for coach Lane Kiffin’s debut in Baton Rouge range from winning a national championship to missing the playoff entirely. The oddsmakers split the difference, putting the Bayou Bengals in a three-way tie with SEC rivals Ole Miss and Alabama for the 10th-best odds at +2500. LSU is immensely talented. The Tigers brought back the bones of what should be a strong defense, and they assembled an All-Star squad of mercenaries on offense, including quarterback Sam Leavitt (Arizona State) and offensive tackle Jordan Seaton (Colorado), two of the top players in the transfer portal.

Other Contenders

Ole Miss (+2500)
Alabama (+2500)
Texas A&M (+2700)
USC (+3300)
Michigan (+4000)
Florida (+5000)
Tennessee (+5000)
Penn State (+8000)
BYU (+8000)
Washington(+8000)