2024-25 NCAA Football Championship Odds and Predictions

The College Football Playoff era changes yet again come 2024-25. The field expands to a 12-team tournament, making early bets on the 2024-25 College Football Championship odds even more interesting.

It could be a complicated mess, as Nick Saban’s retirement and Jim Harbaugh’s return to the NFL could instantly see two top tier teams toppling down the Top 25 rankings.

Do you let those big moves sway how you bet on the 2024-25 CFB national title winner? Or do you lean on recruitment rankings, overall talent, and what teams showed us a year ago?

All I know is that the 2024-25 College Football title odds are live at the top sportsbooks, and getting early bets is probably the way to go. Let’s take a look at the latest pricing and see how you should bet this season.

College Football Championship Odds to Win

Georgia leads the way with the best odds to win the CFB national championship in 2024-24. After winning back-to-back titles, they’re in the driver’s seat to win for a third time in the past four years.

Behind them is Ohio State, who should see a boost with Michigan likely taking a significant step back. It gets a bit unclear from there, so let’s take a gander at the college football odds for the top 20 teams, per BetOnline.

This might be the most wide open the race for the NCAAF title has ever been. Okay, that’s a tad hyperbolic, but seriously. 

The previous year’s champion is being written off after losing a ton of key pieces – including their gritty head coach – another marquee University is in limbo after a legendary coach called it quits, and the latest NCAAF championship odds don’t exactly make things any easier for sports bettors.

All that said, Oregon and Texas are tied for the third best odds, but there’s even some uncertainty with what we can expect out of those teams. Alabama lost the great Nick Saban, but the sheer amount of talent they have is keeping them in the conversation at +1200.

There are some very appealing prices here, but can we trust the top favorites? And could this season offer bettors one of the best chances at a true sleeper pick taking this thing down?

The fact that the College Football Playoff is stretching out to 12 teams (top five conference winners and the seven best teams following them) makes the road to a national title as difficult as ever.

Why is Georgia Favored to Win the 2024-25 CFB Title?

Let’s get this one out of the way first; why are the Georgia Bulldogs the favorite to win the 2024-25 CFB national title? Quite simply, they’re one of the few top tier teams that aren’t undergoing a sizable facelift.

I could talk at length about the change everywhere else in the CFB landscape, but all you really need to know about Georgia is they’re virtually the same team that they were a year ago.

Quarterback Carson Beck is a big reason for optimism. The 6’4” Junior blew up in his first full season under center last year, putting up 24 passing touchdowns to just six picks, along with nearly 4,000 yards.

There’s reason to believe Beck could improve even more in his second full season as the starter, and his return alone makes Georgia a tough team to bet against.

In fact, he arguably heads the race for this year’s Heisman.

Beck and co. were good enough to put up 496.5 total yards per game a year ago (5th in the nation in total offense), and they’ll lean on some young faces to do so again. If you want reason to doubt Georgia, look no further than that reliance on youth.

The Bulldogs said good-bye to generational tight end Brock Bowers, and also lost their top two running backs and wide receiver Ladd McConkey to the NFL Draft.

Georgia is still going to have the ability to hang with just about anyone offensively. However, per usual, it’s head coach Kirby Smart’s intellect, leadership, and his touch on a nasty (and supremely talented) defense that gives them their edge.

The Bulldogs weren’t the top defense in the nation last season, but they weren’t far off. Smart still coached them into the top-10 (9th in point allowed), and this was a team that still lost just one game en route to a stellar 13-1 season and an Orange Bowl victory.

Georgia took a break from winning national titles, stopping their dominant run at two. However, they’ve won 11+ games in six of the past seven years, and have won six bowl games during that stretch. It’s a pretty good bet that they’ll be in position to do more of the same – with a national title very much within striking distance.

If you’re making early college football picks for who might win it all, your process should start with Georgia.

Top 2024-25 College Football Championship Contenders

This is another college football season that almost certainly ends with Georgia slapping everyone around, but their CFB title odds aren’t super inviting. 

They also lost a ton of bodies from their offense, so let’s aim a bit higher with some of the other 2024-25 College Football Championship threats. Here are the two I’d be spending most of my time (and money) on this year.

Ohio State +375

The Buckeyes are stacked. And they (probably) no longer have to worry about Michigan. Combine good coaching+immense talent in a conference that has little competition and you’ve got a real contender.

The conference champ from the best five conferences will reach the CFP, so Ohio State is immediately in the running. Even if they miss the boat, they just need to stay within the top half of the college football rankings and they’re probably in.

Ohio State has their question marks – most notably under center. However, if Will Howard is their guy, I think they could do a heck of a lot worse. The former Kansas State standout was an absolute baller for the Wildcats.

Of course, there are some who disagree.

The Buckeyes can lean on star running back TreVeyon Henderson as needed, but Howard gives them a better than average rushing component (9 TDs on the ground last year) and can put up numbers with his arm.

Incoming stud wide receiver Jeremian Smith will try to play a part in replacing the departed Marvin Harrison Jr. Nobody is saying that – or any of this – is a lock, but the Buckeyes have what matters most; good coaching and endless talent.

Alabama +1200

I’m sorry, but am I really supposed to ignore the Crimson Tide at this staggering price? I know that Saban is gone, but the talent holdover is still impressive.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe is a huge reason why we shouldn’t turn away from Alabama just yet. He still needs to show marked development under center, but he still put up big numbers in a relatively small sample size.

Milroe also made a big impact on the ground, turning 161 carries into 531 rushing yards and 12 scores. That dual threat ability could be huge, while we know the Tide have loads of weapons for him to work with down the field.

Some will doubt him, but I won’t.

Another reason to give the Crimson Tide a vote of confidence? They’re not taking a big hit on the sidelines. It’s nearly impossible to replace an icon like Saban, but stealing Kalen DeBoer from Washington is about as good as it gets.

DeBoer led the Huskies to the national title game last year, and he transitioned over to perhaps the best job in the nation. Can he really reach a CFB title game in successive years, but with two different squads?

The risk is baked into the value with Alabama. But when you look at sheer talent, ignoring the Crimson Tide and their +1200 College Football national championship odds feels like a mistake.

Best 2024-25 CFB Championship Sleepers

The value looks pretty good up top, if you ask me. College football is one of the few sports where talent means more than anything else, as luck has very little to do with how the chips fall.

That said, the transfer portal, the NFL Draft, a 12-team tourney, and head coaching changes really do complicate matters. In all seriousness, this may be the most unpredictable national title game of all-time.

Needless to say, I understand the desire to look a little further for some extra value when betting on the 2024-25 CFB national champion.

Penn State +3300

The Nittany Lions offer some of the best value in college football this year. They’re back to relevancy after consecutive 10-win seasons, and last year sported the nation’s third best scoring defense (allowed 11.4 points per game).

Defensively, this team could be as good as ever. Former Indiana head coach Tom Allen takes over as defensive coordinator, giving hope of a jump from third to first in scoring defense. Even if Penn State takes a mild step back in the ranks, they’re going to be nasty on that side of the ball.

It’s the offense that would have most bettors hesitant. Penn State actually finished 15th in points per game last year, but weren’t as impressive (60th) in yards per game, and didn’t have the most explosive passing attack.

There is hope for quarterback Drew Allar to improve in that regard. He certainly played well overall in his first full season as the team’s starter, compiling 25 touchdowns through the air. Of course, Penn State’s bread and butter may remain their rushing attack, which is led by the explosive Nicholas Singleton.

Singleton averaged 6.8 yards per carry with 12 scores two years ago, and was still productive last year despite a dip in efficiency. 

If he can return to form and Allar sees a jump in play, an improved offense could mesh with one of the nation’s top defenses to give Penn State a real shot at making some noise in the CFP.

Utah +6000

The Utes are one of my favorite 2024-25 College Football Championship bets. Obviously their odds suggest they’re not great bets to win the whole thing, but they still look fantastic on paper.

Kyle Whittingham has had this crew competitive almost every year since taking over in 2005, and they’ve been in solid form lately. They had two 10-win seasons in the last three years, while last year saw them overcome by injuries.

Utah still managed to go 8-5 and get a bowl game, which is a testament to their coaching and depth. A healthier 2024-25 campaign could go a long way in ushering in their best season since 2019, though.

A lot of that hangs on quarterback Cameron Rising, who missed all of last year with an injury. He was a dual threat monster before that, combining for 32 total touchdowns in 2022. He improved upon a solid 2021 season, which may suggest he and this offense are due for another leap.

I am a tad worried about the departure of Jonah Elliss (12 sacks last year), but Utah was solid (19.8 points per game allowed) last year. If they can replace their star pass rusher, they should be fine in that regard.

Health is the key here. Utah is far from a title lock even if that works out. But if their roster is checkered with injuries like it was a year ago, they won’t stand a chance.

2024-25 College Football National Championship Prediction

This has to be the most wide open the College Football Championship race has been in years. There are several teams to make a case for, and some I didn’t even mention. Texas and Oregon are two legit contenders you certainly could back, but I just prefer the other contenders I mentioned.

There are also endless value bets to take advantage of. It’s just worth wondering how deep we should really dig when trying to come to a College Football Championship prediction.

The tourney expands to 12 teams, but that feels like a lot of noise. Ultimately, I’d be focusing on coaching and overall talent. Kirby Smart is probably the best shot-caller roaming the sidelines still, and he has perhaps the best collection of talent in the nation.

It’s a little scary to bet on Georgia, seeing as they lost a ton of key players, but they reloaded and could be as good as ever. Let’s not forget that they lost just one game last year – a tight 27-24 defeat in the SEC title game against Alabama.

On paper, Georgia is as good as anyone, and I trust in Smart.

Bet: Georgia Bulldogs +325

Recent NCAAF National Title Winners