College Football Championship Predictions: 2025 National Championship Favorite & Long Shot
The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is set following an exciting conference championship week that saw the SMU Mustangs push the Alabama Crimson Tide out of the postseason picture.
My college football championship predictions look at the college football championship odds to determine my favorite futures ahead of the postseason beginning. I've chosen one favorite and one long shot I believe can win a national championship, in addition to constructing a two-team semifinal parlay.
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Best college football championship predictions
College football odds subject to change. Track the college football scores for the latest line movement and matchup info.
- Texas (+450 via bet365)
- Clemson (+6000 via FanDuel)
- Georgia, Penn State to make CFP semifinals (+153 via FanDuel)
College football championship prediction: Favorite
Texas Longhorns (+450)
Best odds: +450 via bet365 | Implied probability: 18.18%
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While Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns would've loved to have won the SEC Championship Game during their first year in the conference, the game was relatively meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Texas lost in overtime to Georgia, but in the process, it showed vast improvements since the last time the two teams met.
The defeat saw the Longhorns drop to the No. 6 seed, which sets them up nicely on the opposite side of the bracket from their bogey team. Texas gets to host Clemson in the first round, a game in which it is a 10.5-point favorite at the best sports betting sites. If the Longhorns move on, they'll face the lowest-seeded conference champion, Arizona State.
In other words, Sarkisian's side avoids any real heavy hitters until a potential meeting with Oregon in the semifinals.
Most of the best college football betting sites list Texas among the favorites with +350 odds. Once again, bet365 is the place to place a future on Texas (+450). This gives the Longhorns an implied probability of 18.18%, and a successful $10 wager returns $45, up from $42.50 at the weekend.
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College football championship prediction: Long shot
Clemson Tigers (+6000)
Best odds: +6000 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 1.64%
There are just two active national championship-winning coaches following Mack Brown's departure from North Carolina: Georgia's Kirby Smart and Clemson's Dabo Swinney. Swinney's current team is a shell of its former national title core, however, championship DNA runs deep in this program.
The Tigers proved over the weekend that they can still run with the big dogs, even if their odds don't reflect that reality.
Clemson has a quarterback in Cade Klubnik who has grown markedly from where he was in his first full season under center. Clemson possesses one of my favorite postseason traits, as well, and Klubnik plays a huge part in that. The Tigers' turnover margin is the joint-second best in the country at +16.
There are areas Clemson will have to strengthen if it wants any chance to compete. The Tigers are 73rd nationally in rush defense, which could pose issues against Arizona State and Texas on their side of the bracket. However, if they can play a couple of clean games and upset the Longhorns, their draw isn't as difficult as others in the field.
The best sportsbooks don't know how to view this Clemson team. The Tigers can be found as low as +3000 with bet365 to win the first 12-team College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, FanDuel lists them at +6000, which is easily the best price on the market. These odds carry an implied probability of 1.64%, and if this tournament is played out 100 times, I'd venture to say Clemson wins at least a couple. Thus, there's value in this experienced underdog.
College football championship prediction: Semifinal parlay
Georgia and Penn State to make the CFP semifinals (+153)
Best odds: +153 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 39.53%
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FanDuel is offering bettors the chance to play a unique market before the College Football Playoff kicks off. The sportsbook allows users to parlay potential semifinalists, and that's what we've decided to do with Georgia (-156) and Penn State (-184).
A two-leg parlay on the Bulldogs and Nittany Lions carries plus-money odds of +153 for a return of $15.30 on a winning $10 bet.
Georgia's path to the semifinals is relatively simple. As SEC Champions, the Bulldogs receive a first-round bye, meaning they have to win one game to reach the penultimate stage. Smart's men will take on the winner of 7-seed Notre Dame and 10-seed Indiana, both of whom they will be heavily favored against. Even with an uncertain quarterback situation, Georgia has the championship pedigree, experience, and talent to continue to win.
Penn State has the more difficult path of the two teams, but the committee set the Nittany Lions up nicely to make a run. As the higher seed between itself and SMU, Penn State welcomes the Mustangs to Happy Valley. The visitors will have to overcome the odds - they're 8.5-point underdogs - and winter weather conditions, which is not an easy feat. James Franklin's side is 63-15 over the last decade at home, after all.
If the Nittany Lions perform as the best sports betting apps project, they secure a date with the only non-power conference champion to receive a bye week, Boise State. Ashton Jeanty and the Broncos haven't seen a rush defense as fierce as Penn State's this season. Further, the Nittany Lions are a better overall team, which leads me to believe they'd be significantly large favorites in that matchup, as well.
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College football championship odds
College football championship FAQs
Who is the CFP National Championship favorite?
Oregon is the favorite by the 2025 college football championship odds. The Ducks' shortest odds (+350) imply a 22.22% probability they'll win it all according to our odds calculator.
When will the CFP National Championship be decided?
The 2025 CFP National Championship will be decided on Monday, Jan. 20.
Where will the CFP National Championship take place?
The 2025 college football championship will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
College football betting odds pages
Here are our best college football betting sites:
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- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
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