This year’s national championship game featured two teams new to that stage since the national title game became a thing in college football, but the odds say that even with the expanded College Football Playoff field, Georgia and Alabama are still expected to be the top powers in the sport. Georgia opened as the favorite to win next year’s national title, followed by the Crimson Tide, on BetMGM.
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The Bulldogs are +500 (5-to-1) to win the 2025 national title. Alabama is +600 to win it all. Ohio State (+700) and freshly crowned champion Michigan (+800) are next.
Seeing any of these teams at the top of the odds isn’t a surprise. Georgia looked like the best team in the country for much of this year, but slipped up against Alabama in the SEC title game and the competition to get in the top four this season didn’t allow much room for error. That won’t be the case next year with the 12-team playoff field debuting. Would Georgia have been able to win the national title from the No. 6 seed if that format took place this season?
Georgia and Alabama had somewhat down years, at least compared to their absurdly high recent standards, but both will have returning quarterbacks from teams that won 12 games. Carson Beck is back for his senior year and the Bulldogs added Florida transfer Trevor Etienne at running back. Alabama brings back quarterback Jalen Milroe, who got a lot better as the year went on.
Ohio State will have a new quarterback, but not an inexperienced one. The Buckeyes lost Kyle McCord in the transfer portal and added Will Howard from Kansas State. Is Howard going to be an upgrade? OSU is expected to lose three of its top four receivers, including Heisman Trophy finalist Marvin Harrison Jr., not that the Buckeyes are ever hurting for pass-catching talent.
Michigan is a bit more of a wild card, but a defending champion is typically high in the odds to win the next year. There is plenty of uncertainty around the Wolverines with the future of coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and star running back Blake Corum in question. Even still, the Wolverines have proven consistent with three straight CFP appearances.
This year’s runner-up, Washington, is expected to take a step back. Washington loses Heisman finalist quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and is expected to lose wide receiver Rome Odunze to the NFL Draft. The Huskies got quarterback Will Rogers in the transfer portal from Mississippi State, but are still viewed as a longshot to win the title at +8000 (80-to-1).
The other CFP team from this season, Texas, is sixth in the odds at +1000. Quarterback Quinn Ewers could return as the Longhorns move to the SEC.
| Team | Odds |
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+500 | |
+600 | |
+700 | |
+800 | |
+900 | |
+1000 | |
+1100 | |
+1600 | |
+2000 | |
+2000 | |
+2500 | |
+3000 | |
+3000 | |
+3000 | |
+4000 | |
+5000 | |
+5000 | |
+8000 | |
+8000 | |
+8000 | |
+8000 | |
+8000 | |
+10000 | |
+10000 | |
+10000 |
The odds also show the expected dominance of the SEC and Big Ten. The top eight teams in the odds are from those two conferences. Of the top 17 teams in the odds to win next year’s national title, 14 of them are from the SEC or Big Ten. The only “outsiders” are Florida State (+2000), Clemson (+2000) and Notre Dame (+3000).
Utah has the shortest national title odds of any Big 12 team at +8000 (80-to-1).
Required reading
- Michigan stymies Michael Penix Jr., Washington to claim first national championship since 1997 season
- Picking the most memorable moments from College Football Playoff’s 4-team format era
(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
