2024-25 NCAA College Football Playoffs Odds and Predictions

The 2024-25 college football season will be a memorable one. It will be the first in which a new 12-team playoff will determine the national champion. The 2024-25 college football playoffs will feature 12 teams instead of four as has been the norm for the past decade. The College Football Playoff featuring four teams replaced the Bowl Championship Series in 2014. Now, the postseason field expands once again.

The CFP Selection Committee will use a set of criteria to determine the 12 teams that make the playoffs. The playoff games will exist within the bowl system just as the four-team CFP did for the past ten seasons. The regular season still matters as we will see momentarily when we explain the 2024-25 college football playoffs, how they work, and this year’s schedule. We’ll also look at how you can bet on this year’s NCAAF championship.

Who will make the new CFP? That’s the topic at hand and a number of blueblood programs come to mind immediately. Georgia and Ohio State appear to be the leading favorites to end up as the 2024-25 national champion. This season will be the first since 2007 that Nick Saban will not be on the sidelines at Alabama. The Crimson Tide will surely somehow figure into the 2024-25 college football playoffs mix.

Remember, we’re down to the Power 4 now, which still seems a little odd to say. With the breakup of the Pac-12, we’ve seen some serious conference realignment. It may take some getting used to, but here at Scores & Stats, we’ve got the answers you’re looking for. Find all of your 2024-25 college football odds and analysis right here all season long. Right now, let’s find out how this whole college football playoffs thing works.

How Many Teams Are in the College Football Playoffs?

The new 2024-25 college football playoffs will feature 12 teams using a 5 plus 7 format. This means the five highest-ranked conference champions will automatically qualify for this year’s CFP. Again, keep in mind that we now have four Power Conferences – ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and the SEC. That means one Group of 5 conference champion is making the postseason tournament.

Here’s how it all works. As mentioned, the five highest-ranked conference champions receive an automatic bid to the 2024-25 college football playoffs. The four highest-ranked conference champs will receive a first-round bye. The seven highest-ranked teams remaining will round out the playoff field.

The selection committee will seed the teams No. 5 through No. 12 and those teams will face each other in the first round of the playoffs. These first-round games as well as semi-final round games will be played as part of the New Year’s Six bowl games (Rose, Cotton, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, and Peach Bowls) on a rotating basis. Read on to see this year’s schedule of bowl games as part of the 2024-25 college football playoffs.

In the first-round, the No. 5 seed plays No. 12, No. 6 faces No. 11, and so on. Teams are not reseeded after the first round, meaning the top overall seed in the playoffs will play the winner of the No. 8-No. 9 first-round game.

2024-25 College Football Playoffs Schedule

This year’s College Football Playoffs schedule is as follows.

First Round

• Friday, December 20, 2024: One Game (evening)
• Saturday, December 21, 2024: Three Games (early afternoon, late afternoon and evening)

Quarterfinal Round

• Tuesday, Dec. 31:      Fiesta Bowl, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
• Wednesday, Jan. 1:    Peach Bowl, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
• Wednesday, Jan. 1:    Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California
• Wednesday, Jan. 1:    Sugar Bowl, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Semifinal Round

• Thursday, Jan. 9:        Orange Bowl, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida
• Friday, Jan. 10:           Cotton Bowl, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

CFP National Championship Game

• Monday, Jan. 20:        Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

2024-25 College Football Playoffs Odds

College Football Odds	College Football Odds
Georgia Bulldogs +300	Ohio State Buckeyes +400
Texas Longhorns +800	Oregon Ducks +800
Alabama Crimson Tide +1200	LSU Tigers +1400
Ole Miss Rebels +1400	Florida State Seminoles +2200
Penn State Nittany Lions +2200	Michigan Wolverines +2500
Notre Dame Fighting Irish +2500	Tennessee Volunteers +3000
Clemson Tigers +3500	Texas A&M Aggies +4000
USC Trojans +4000	Oklahoma Sooners +4000
Oklahoma Sooners +4000	Missouri Tigers +4000
Washington Huskies +5000	Miami Hurricanes +5000

College Football Playoffs Favorites

The overall favorite to win the 2024-25 college football playoffs is the same team that was favored a year ago – Georgia. The Bulldogs were on a mission to become the first team in NCAA history to win three consecutive national titles in the poll era. Minnesota did it back in 1934, 1935, and 1936, but no team has done so since. This year’s Georgia team is equally equipped for success.

Georgia Bulldogs +300

• Head coach: Kirby Smart
• 2023 Record: 13-1 (8-0)

Georgia ran the table in the regular season, going 12-0 to qualify for the SEC championship game for the sixth time in the last seven years. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs lost to Alabama, 27-24, and missed out on an opportunity at the playoffs. A repeat of the regular season is certainly in the cards.

Head coach Kirby Smart returns 15 starters from last year’s team, including QB Carson Beck, who figures into the Heisman Trophy race as well. The Bulldogs won six of the past seven SEC East titles, but this year the conference eliminates the division format. Instead, the top two teams at the end of the regular season will play for the conference title.

In the lastest SEC odds, Smart and Georgia are the favorites to win another conference title. The schedule does them no favors. The Bulldogs will travel to face Alabama (+1200), Texas +800), and Ole Miss (+1400) and they get Tennessee (+3000) at home. If Smart manages to come out of that unscathed, the Bulldogs are certainly worthy of both SEC and national championships.

Ohio State Buckeyes +400

• Head coach: Ryan Day
• 2023 Record: 11-2 (8-1)

Michigan once again ruined another season for Day and the Buckeyes. The Wolverines scored a 30-24 home win over their biggest rival in the final week of the regular season to clinch a spot in the conference title game and effectively end the Buckeyes’ chances of a national championship.

Ohio State has lost the last three games to Michigan. With Jim Harbaugh off to the NFL, Day may have his best team since taking over in Columbus. He’ll return 8 starters on what was arguably the best defense in the country last year. Ohio State allowed just 11.2 points per game (2nd nationally) and had the nation’s best pass defense (145.9 ypg). That defense is one of the reasons why the Buckeyes are atop the Big Ten conference odds board.

On offense, former Kansas State starter Will Howard will take over the offense. He’ll have two 5-star running backs – TreVeyon Henderson and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins – to work with. Don’t forget WR Emeka Egbuka, who will be the next Buckeye first round wide receiver.

Texas Longhorns +800

• Head coach: Steve Sarkisian
• 2023 Record: 12-2 (8-1)

The Longhorns were so close a year ago. A midseason loss to rival Oklahoma by four points and then a loss to Washington in the CFP semifinals by six were the only things separating Texas from a perfect season and a possible national championship. QB Quinn Ewers is one of five offensive starters returning for the Longhorns, who were a top-10 team in total offense and a top-15 scoring team.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian’s defense returns seven starters from a unit that finished third in the nation against the run. The defense should be solid once again, especially since the schedule avoids several of the top teams in the SEC. Texas avoids Alabama, Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee, and they get Georgia at home on Oct. 19. It’s easy to see why the Longhorns are among the favorites in the SEC conference football odds race.

Texas is among the top four favorites to win the SEC as well as the 2024-25 College Football national championship. Bettors should consider the Longhorns for both the SEC and national titles. Not only are the Longhorns extremely talented, they also got a gift from the schedule gods.

Texas avoids Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri and Tennessee. All five of those SEC teams are ranked in the preseason Top 15. The Longhorns also get the luxury of playing top-ranked Georgia at home Quinn Ewers is back at quarterback and the wide receiver room was replenished through the transfer portal. The defense welcomes back seven starters.

College Football Playoffs Betting Value

Georgia is the betting favorite, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Bulldogs offer the most betting value. Georgia’s +300 odds convert to a 25 percent probability of winning. Prior to last season, Georgia was a +240 favorite (29.4% probability) and the year before Alabama was a +181 preseason favorite (35.6% probability).

It seems that oddsmakers are a little less clear as to which team will win this year’s national title. Rightfully so. It will now take a few more wins against some of the nation’s best teams to get to that 2024-25 CFP National Championship trophy. From a betting value standpoint, it makes more sense to back a different SEC team and another that many haven’t even considered.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish +2500

While the Power 4 conferences, primarily the Big Ten and SEC, are busy beating each other up, watch out for the Fighting Irish. Sure, the schedule isn’t stellar, but third-year head coach Marcus Freeman (19-8 in two seasons) and the Irish open with Texas A&M. They’ll face Miami, Louisville, and Florida State. The Hurricanes (No. 19) and Florida State (No. 10) open the season ranked in the Top 25 while Louisville is the highest vote-getter of non-Top 25 teams.

If the Irish welcome the Seminoles to South Bend on Nov. 9 with an 8-0 record, Notre Dame to win it all will not be this much of a bargain. A 12-0 Irish team will be hard to keep out of the 12-team playoff. Freeman went to the transfer portal to get former Duke QB Riley Leonard to run an offense that finished seventh in scoring (39.2 ppg) a year ago. The defense was also seventh (15.9 ppg) in scoring.

And, who doesn’t love a coincidence? The great Knute Rockne went 9-0 in his third year in South Bend. Legendary Frank Leahy won a national championship in his third year (1943). So did Ara Parseghian (1966), Dan Devine (1977), and Lou Holtz (1988). Don’t forget, Brian Kelly played for a national title in 2012, his third year at Notre Dame.

College Football Playoffs Longshot

Why Oklahoma State is given longer odds (+20000) than teams like Nebraska (+15000), Texas Tech (+15000), and Florida (+12500) is absurd. Yes, the Cowboys defense was atrocious in 2023, but head coach Mike Gundy and company still found a way to go 10-4 overall, 7-2 in the Big 12. Eight starters return to that defense that finished in the bottom 10 percent in pass and total defense last year. That could be a bad thing, but nothing beats experience.

Then, there’s the offense. Oklahoma State returns the nation’s leading rusher, Ollie Gordon II. He rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. Alan Bowman (3,450 yards passing, 15 TDs) returns for his seventh season and he’s one of nine returning offensive starters.

The Cowboys enter the new season ranked No. 17 in the preseason polls. Only Utah (No. 12) is ranked higher among Big 12 teams. Gundy has done this before. Don’t be surprised when the Coach formerly known as the Mullet is taking a No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the 2024-25 College Football Playoffs.

2024-25 College Football Playoffs Predictions

First Round Byes

• No. 1: Ohio State – winner of the Big Ten
• No. 2: Texas – winner of the SEC
• No. 3: Oklahoma State – winner of the Big 12
• No. 4: Florida State – winner of the ACC

First Round Games

• No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 12 Boise State – Boise State makes the playoff as the highest-ranked non-Power 4 conference champ. Georgia loses the SEC title, but makes the CFP this time around.
• No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Clemson – Two conference runners-up square off in this first-round game. The Ducks go from Bo Nix to Dillon Gabriel at quarterback. Clemson has experience at the position with Cade Klubnick.
• No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Penn State – The Rebels could pull off another dream season only this time it gets them into the playoff. Penn State has a dream schedule and gets Ohio State at home.
• No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Alabama – How about two of the winningest college football programs of all-time in a first-round playoff matchup?