2026-27 College Football Odds | Championship & Heisman

The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff ended with a storied program, Ohio State, taking the title. A program with rich tradition was unable to claim the 2025-26 CFP, though, as the Curt Cignetti-led Indiana Hoosiers outlasted Miami on the way to the program's first National Championship.

As college football bettors prepare for a long off-season, we've got them covered down below with consistently updated odds for the 2026-27 National Championship from now until the end of next season.

2026-27 CFP Championship - Best Odds

• Odds as of January 20, 2026

• Opening odds via FanDuel

• * = the same odds are offered by multiple sportsbooks.

2026-27 CFP Championship Odds Comparison - Final Contenders

Odds as of January 20, 2026

Current Favorites

Ohio State: For a good portion of the 2025-26 season, it looked like Ohio State could be well on their way to becoming repeat champions. With first-year starter Julian Sayin operating the offense at an incredibly high level with elite wide receivers, the Buckeyes averaged 30.6 points per game. Meanwhile, on defense, the Buckeyes were first in the country in points allowed per game with 10. Even with all of that, the Buckeyes would lose in the Big Ten Championship and in the CFP quarter-finals. Like most seasons, the Buckeyes will lose a slew of their players to the NFL Draft, and while they also lost offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, the trio of Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and Bo Jackson should have the Buckeyes in a good spot to compete.

Notre Dame: After missing out on the College Football Playoffs, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish decided to call it a season and not compete in a bowl game. As they look to make their way back to the title game, the Irish will enter the 2026-27 season with the 9th-ranked transfer portal class and 2nd-ranked recruiting class in the country, per On3. While the Fighting Irish will lose star running back Jeremiyah Love, they will have quarterback CJ Carr returning for his second full year as the starter, after posting a 24:6 TD-to-INT ratio in his freshman season.

Indiana Hoosiers: Curt Cignetti did the impossible, transforming the Hoosiers into a dominant football program. In his second season at the helm, Cignetti and Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza led the Hoosiers to an undefeated season following their 27-21 win over Miami in the National Championship. While Mendoza will be moving on to the NFL, the Hoosiers have already found his replacement in TCU transfer Josh Hoover. Along with Hoover, the Hoosiers are bringing in the #2-ranked transfer portal class, per On3.

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Past CFP National Champions & Odds

College Football Betting - Historical Odds vs. Actual Winners

Historical odds for the national championship show a fascinating pattern: while college football often feels dominated by a small group of perennial powerhouses, the futures market has consistently underestimated teams that undergo rapid transformation. Preseason favorites like Alabama, Georgia, and Clemson have certainly justified their short prices across the past decade, but many of the most profitable national title runs came from squads sitting in the mid-range or long-shot territory before kickoff.

The clearest example is 2019 LSU, which opened at roughly +2500 before delivering one of the most explosive offensive seasons in history under Joe Burrow. Even more dramatic was TCU’s stunning 2022 surge from +15000 to the national title game — a run that exposed how blind the market can be to coaching changes, scheme shifts, and returning-experience metrics.

On the opposite end, we’ve seen highly publicized “superteams” fall flat. Programs like USC (2023) and Oklahoma (2020) opened among the top five favorites only to collapse under defensive shortcomings, injury issues, or flawed preseason narratives. Historical results make one thing clear: while favorites win their share, the national championship futures market regularly rewards bettors willing to dig deeper than brand reputation, preseason polls, and recruiting rankings.

What Past Conference Champions Reveal About Odds Accuracy

Conference futures historically lean more chalky than national title betting, but long-shot hits still shape the landscape every few seasons. The SEC and Big Ten frequently produce winners from the top two or three preseason favorites thanks to concentrated recruiting power, yet other conferences have seen surprising champions. Baylor’s 2021 Big 12 title run at preseason odds ranging from +4000 to +5000 remains one of the biggest modern conference upsets.

Washington’s 2023 Pac-12 triumph, opening around +1000, demonstrated how returning quarterback talent and coordinator continuity can outperform early market expectations. Even in the ACC, Clemson’s down years opened the door for Florida State and Pitt, both of which cashed tickets at longer preseason odds. Across conferences, bettors gain an edge by identifying undervalued defensive units, new offensive play-callers, and teams benefiting from schedule-friendly division structures — three factors consistently linked to surprise champions.