College Football Predictions & Best Bets for the 2024-25 Season: Our 16 Favorite Wagers
The biggest college football season in the history of the sport is finally here.
Between the 12-team playoff, one of the murkiest Heisman Trophy odds races of all-time, and conference realignment, there's plenty of value to find when making college football predictions and best bets for the 2024-25 season.
Using our top college football betting sites, I'm making my best bets on everything from the college football championship odds to the 2025 NFL Draft odds - and all the markets in between.
Best college football championship bet
Ohio State (+400)
Even the most biased fans can agree that Ohio State, Georgia, and Oregon are just on another level this season in terms of talent. I'm backing the Buckeyes for two reasons: their strength of schedule ranks 57th - the easiest among those three teams - and they have the best all-around roster in the country.
Under Ryan Day, Ohio State has consistently fielded been one of the nation's best offenses. The additions of Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins via the portal and No. 1 recruit Jeremiah Smith should continue that. Plus, the defense is even better after ranking No. 2 in SP+ last year thanks to the acquisition of Caleb Downs.
A $10 winning bet on Ohio State pays a $40 profit.
Best odds: +400 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 20%
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Best Heisman Trophy bet
Jalen Milroe (+1400)
This is one of the toughest Heisman markets in recent memory, which is why I'm looking for the best value bet.
Caleb Williams is the only first-year transfer to win the award, which makes it hard to bet Dillon Gabriel or Will Howard. I also think in the 12-team playoff era, it's difficult to hand it to a QB who can't lead his team to the playoff - that takes Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava off the board for me.
That leaves Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers, Jaxson Dart, and Jalen Milroe. Georgia may be too good for Beck to put up the numbers, Ewers lost his top five pass-catchers, and Dart isn't a player whose shown he's among the elite.
Two things that have been important to recent winners have been aggressive downfield passing on top of terrifying mobility. Well, Milroe had the most big-time throws of all these QBs last season (27) and had the fourth-most runs of 10-plus yards among all quarterbacks (35), per PFF.
The lone knock is he has a new head coach, but Kalen DeBoer has a proven track record of helping QBs put up Heisman numbers. If Milroe wins, a $10 bet pays a $140 profit.
Best odds: +1400 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 6.67%
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Best College Football Playoff bet
Utah (+200)
The best way to attack this market is to bet on the team you expect to be the ACC or Big 12 champion. The College Football Playoff odds are full of SEC and Big Ten teams sitting at minus-money, but every contender in the ACC and Big 12 is plus-money.
I'm going with Utah over Florida State here because the Utes have a clearer playoff path, whereas the Seminoles have to deal with Miami and Clemson. Kyle Whittingham is one of the best coaches in the country, and Utah is 16th in college football returning production with Cam Rising finally healthy.
A $10 winning bet on Utah pays a $20 profit.
Best odds: +200 via BetMGM | Implied probability: 33.33%
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Best Group of Five College Football Playoff bet
Liberty (+440)
To me, there are only really three teams I'd even consider to earn the CFP G5 bid: Boise State, Appalachian State, and Liberty. (I expect the AAC to eat itself alive and kill Memphis' chances.)
The Mountaineers play the Flames on Sept. 28, which could decide the G5 playoff spot. But I'm actually starting to think if Liberty loses that game it can still get in, because its schedule is one of the worst in the country (129th).
Meanwhile, Appalachian State and Boise State both play in competitive conferences. I'm banking on the committee taking a 12-1 Flames squad led by a stud QB in Kaidon Salter over a multi-loss G5 champ. If I'm right, a $10 bet pays a $44 profit.
Best odds: +440 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 18.52%
Best conference winner bet
Georgia (+190)
The Bulldogs could make me look like an idiot for picking against them to win the natty and Beck to take home the Heisman. But I'm fully confident they'll win the SEC and can't believe these odds are this long.
Texas is new to the conference, and I just don't trust Ewers enough to make up for all the Longhorns lost to the NFL. And don't forget, Georgia finished first in SP+ last season despite not making the CFP.
Kirby Smart's team is full of five-stars and even loaded up via the portal with playmakers like Trevor Etienne. If Georiga wins the SEC, a $10 bet pays a $190 profit.
Best odds: +190 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 34.48%
Best win total Over bet
Virginia Tech Over 8.5 wins (+120)
There's two teams I really like to hit the Over on their win totals, and they're the top two in returning production. Iowa State is a legit sleeper to win the Big 12 and hit Over 7.5 wins at -115 in the process, but Virginia Tech's a better value.
The Hokies return 86% of their production, best in the country, and that includes all its stars on offense. Quarterback Kyron Drones is due for a breakout season, and Brent Pry's defense should be even better with a top cornerback duo and the addition of Aeneas Peebles.
Best odds: +120 via bet365 | Implied probability: 45.45%
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Best win total Under bet
North Carolina Under 7.5 wins (+100)
It's starting to feel like the (second) Mack Brown era in Chapel Hill has run its course. North Carolina has had two straight NFL quarterbacks with Sam Howell and Drake Maye starting all five years that Brown has led the Tar Heels.
The team is 38-27 in that time, and now it's expected that former LSU and Texas A&M QB Max Johnson will start. That's certainly a downgrade. For as good as Omarion Hampton is at running back, he can't save a team that's 127th in returning production.
These even-money odds pay a $10 profit on a $10 winning bet.
Best odds: +100 via Caesars | Implied probability: 50%
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Best Doak Walker bet
Ashton Jeanty (+1200)
This might be my boldest bet of the college football season, but I'm all in on Boise State's Ashton Jeanty. He's viewed by The Athletic's Dane Brugler as the best running back in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he's got the potential to put together an all-time season.
Jeanty was the only running back in the country to average over 4.4 yards after contact per carry (4.52) and have at least 35 runs of 10+ yards (37) last season, per PFF. He did that while leading all running backs in receiving yards (578).
It's not as if a Group of Five running back hasn't won the Doak Walker before: it's happened three times. So while Ollie Gordon (+300) is a good bet to win back-to-back awards, Jeanty is a better value play with a $10 bet paying a $120 profit.
Best odds: +1200 via bet365 | Implied probability: 7.69%
Best Biletnikoff bet
Tetairoa McMillan (+900)
Once again, I'm going with a player that Brugler has ranked as the top at his position for the NFL draft. And frankly, I'm shocked McMillan's odds are this much longer than those for Missouri's Luther Burden (+350).
I wouldn't bet on any receiver winning the Biletnikoff over those two, and the Arizona Wildcats star has a little more potential than Burden thanks to playing with a more talented QB in a less talented receiver room.
McMillan had the second-lowest drop rate in the country last season among players with 100-plus targets (2.2%). He also had the second-most contested catches with 17, behind top-10 pick Rome Odunze. A $10 winning best on McMillan pays a $90 profit.
Best odds: +900 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 10%
Best Mackey bet
Colston Loveland (+650)
Brock Bowers is off to the NFL after winning the Mackey in each of the last two seasons. This is an award that's historically gone to tight ends that have the most NFL draft hype, and that's why Loveland is the play.
Five of the last six winners were the first tight end taken in their draft class - Bowers twice, Trey McBride, Kyle Pitts, T.J. Hockenson - and Brugler has Loveland ranked No. 1 for 2025.
He's also the leading returning power conference tight end after putting up 649 yards last year. And he was second in the power conferences to just Bowers in yards per route run by tight ends (2.38). That's why these odds are a steal with a $10 bet paying a $65 profit.
Best odds: +650 via bet365 | Implied probability: 13.33%
Best regular season passing yards leader bet
Dillon Gabriel (+800)
I'm not really sure why Gabriel is the Heisman favorite but has the fifth-shortest odds to lead the country in passing yards. Obviously, I'm not betting on him to take home the sport's top honor, but I'll happily take him to throw for the most yards.
He's joining an offense at Oregon that has two studs at receiver in Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart. It also returns offensive coordinator Will Stein, who was a huge reason Bo Nix ended up going 12th overall in the draft.
Nix was second in the country in passing yards in this offense, and Gabriel was ninth in a much worse Oklahoma offense. I like the chances of him increasing his output and turning a $10 bet on these odds into an $80 profit.
Best odds: +800 via bet365 | Implied probability: 11.11%
Best conference passing yards leader bet
Shedeur Sanders in Big 12 (+300)
With Colorado set to re-join the Big 12, I think Shedeur Sanders is easily the best value bet to lead his conference in passing. Outside of Arizona's Noah Fifita, I'm not sure any other QB will come near 3,500 yards.
We also know Deion Sanders basically named Pat Shurmur offensive coordinator to make the focus all about Shedeur. Even behind what's likely to be a bad O-line, he'll be throwing far more than any other QB in the conference. It helps they'll often be playing from behind, too.
And remember, Sanders is a legitimately good QB and was eighth in adjusted completion rate last season (79.2%). A $10 winning bet on him pays a $30 profit.
Best odds: +300 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 25%
Best conference rushing yards leader bet
Kyle Monangai in Big Ten (+500)
In a conference that has a CFB 25 cover athlete at running back (Donovan Edwards) and two of the best running tandems in the country (Ohio State, Penn State), I'm going with the kid at Rutgers that every fan needs to know about this season.
Unlike Quinshon Judkins and Nicholas Singleton, Kyle Monangai won't be splitting snaps because he's the Scarlet Knights' whole offense. Greg Schiano wants to run the ball and doesn't have the talent to throw it much, so expect Monangai to consistently see 20-plus carries per game.
He's not just a college bellcow, either. He's a legit NFL prospect and led the conference in rushing last year (1,262) while forcing the eighth-most missed tackles in the country (73). A $10 winning bet on him pays a $50 profit.
Best odds: +500 via bet365 | Implied probability: 16.67%
Best conference receiving yards leader bet
Kevin Concepcion in ACC (+600)
Taking McMillan to lead the Big 12 in receiving yards (+200) or Burden in the SEC (+250) aren't bad bets, but the best value on the board is going with true sophomore Kevin Concepcion at NC State.
As a freshman, he had 839 receiving yards for a team that only threw for 2,521 yards because of bad QB play. That means he accounted for 33.2% of the team's receiving yards in his first season on campus.
Now he's set to be the focal point of an offense that has Coastal Carolina transfer Grayson McCall at QB, which is why I love that a $10 bet pays a $60 profit.
Best odds: +600 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 14.29%
Best FCS championship bet
South Dakota State (+150)
The North Dakota State dynasty is dead! Long live South Dakota State!
The Bison won nine FCS championships between 2011 and 2021 under three different head coaches. But the Jackrabbits have won back-to-back and return star QB Mark Gronowski, who has accounted for 98 career touchdowns and won the Walter Payton award last year.
With Gronowski, head coach Jimmy Rogers, linebacker Adam Bock, and several other preseason All-Americans, South Dakota is poised to three-peat. If they do, a $10 winning bet pays a $15 profit.
Best odds: +150 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 40%
Best 2025 NFL Draft No. 1 pick bet
Carson Beck (+425)
Even though I don't think Beck will win the Heisman, I have a hard time seeing any other quarterback emerge above him as an NFL prospect. A quarterback has been the No. 1 pick in eight of the last 10 NFL draft classes, and Beck should be next.
He's ranked as the top QB by Brugler, and he was one of just six QBs in the country last year to have an ADOT of 8.5 or more yards and an adjusted completion percentage of 77.5% or better, per PFF (minimum 300 dropbacks).
Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, the top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, were two of the others to hit those numbers. A $10 winning bet on Beck pays a $42.50 profit.
Best odds: +425 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 19.05%
College football betting odds pages
Here are our best college football betting sites:
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUS1000 | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- 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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