We’re a month into a new era of college football, in which the playoff field will expand from four to 12. The five highest-ranked conference champions, as well as the next seven highest-ranked teams, will make up the 12-team field. There’s no limit on how many teams from a single conference can qualify, nor is there any rule guaranteeing a bid for every single conference.
All a team needs to do is simply qualify and get hot at the right moment. With that in mind, there are less runaway favorites to win the College Football National Championship.
Ohio State has the shortest odds (+340), despite being only No. 3 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. The Buckeyes are 3-0, but haven’t played stiff competition yet. They’ve blown out the opposition in each game, beating Akron 52-6, Western Michigan 56-0 and Marshall 49-14. That’ll change this week when they begin Big 10 play against the 3-1 Michigan State Spartans.
Georgia is right behind the Buckeyes at +360. The No. 2 ranked team in the nation is led by quarterback Carson Beck, who is 56-of-82 for 680 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. The Bulldogs will have one of their toughest matchups of the year this week as they visit No. 4 Alabama. The Crimson Tide have the fourth-best odds to win the title at +800.
Meanwhile, No. 1 ranked Texas has the third-best odds to win it all at +500. The Longhorns are 4-0 on the year, including a 31-12 blowout over No. 10 Michigan. The Longhorns have had to deal with a bit of adversity as Quinn Ewers has missed time with an oblique strain. There’s no update on how much time the quarterback will miss, but Arch Manning impressed last week in his first career start, going 15-for-29 for 258 yards and two touchdowns. Manning performed even better when thrust into action the week before, completing 9-of-12 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns, along with three carries for 53 yards and another score.
College Football National Championship Odds
Odds according to DraftKings as of September 24.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ohio State | +340 |
| Georgia | +360 |
| Texas | +500 |
| Alabama | +800 |
| Oregon | +1000 |
| Tennessee | +1100 |
| Ole Miss | +1300 |
| Miami (FL) | +1800 |
| Penn State | +2200 |
| Clemson | +4000 |
| LSU | +4500 |
| Utah | +5000 |
| USC | +5000 |
| Notre Dame | +5000 |
| Missouri | +6000 |
| Texas A&M | +7500 |
| Kansas State | +10000 |
| Michigan | +12000 |
| Oklahoma | +13000 |
| Louisville | +13000 |
