College Football National Champion pick and odds
A new exciting season of college football is right upon us. That means that the odds to win National championship are already out there and ready to change depending on how much we overreact after the first two weeks of the season. But those who’ve been around for long know better than to rule out or praise a team after just a handful of games.
As some of you may know by now, we’re in for an unprecedented college football season in 2022. The transfer portal nearly exploded due to the new NIL agreements, so there was more movement than ever. Some think this is bad for competition; others disagree. Whatever the case, it’s nice to see that players can finally — and legally — make real benefits from their efforts.
But as much as some of the coaches from the top-ranked programs complained, the NCAA football championship odds haven’t changed all that much. Yes, we’ll see some old faces in new places, but the teams expected to compete at the highest level will continue to be the same until further notice.
The NCAA playoffs odds are no surprise right now. Once again, Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia look like sure postseason material and currently sit near the top of the NCAA Football Championship odds table. It’s been like that for a while, and that’s not likely to change any time soon. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the current picture and the teams with the highest NCAA football championship odds.
- TCU +1800
- Ohio State +360
- Michigan +280
- Georgia -130
Also, if you’re looking to make the most of these odds, don’t forget to visit our best college football betting apps page.
Top NCAAF teams breakdown
See what we think about the chances for each of the top NCAA Football teams in the country.
TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs couldn’t put the cherry on top of the sundae after a perfect regular season, dropping Big-12 Championship Game to Kansas State in Overtime. Nonetheless, and despite that dramatic loss, they were sill one of the nation’s finest and surely deserved a spot in the College Football Playoffs.
Now, it remains to be seen whether they can bounce back from that heartbreaking defeat and match up vs. Michigan, a team that has been nothing short of spectacular on offense for most of the campaign.
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines made sure to make a statement in back-to-back weeks to secure their spot in the College Football Playoffs. Shortly after taking down lifelong rival Ohio State, Jim Harbaugh’s team followed with a 43-22 route of the Purdue Boilermakers to silence the few doubters that still criticized them.
Jim Harbaugh has earned some skepticism in the past, but this is a team on the rise that’s peaking when it matters the most. They may not have the best defense in the CFP Pool, but their offense can surely give everybody on Earth plenty of trouble.
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs have proven that they can win ugly football games, even when their lockdown defense has a bad day. They’ve been the most dominating team in the nation since day one, and it doesn’t seem like they’re going to slow down any time soon.
Stetson Bennett has been solid for the most part, and the Bulldogs are well-coached and well-balanced. They know what it takes to win at the highest level, and not even losing some of their biggest studs to the NFL Draft has hurt their chances. Barring a disaster, they should win back-to-back titles this season.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes sure know how to make some noise. Their offense has been the best in the nation, and it’s not even close, and C.J. Stroud continues to make a case for being the first-overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. He’s sure shown that week in and week out, and he’s only getting more comfortable.
The Buckeyes currently have the second-highest NCAA football championship odds, and it seems like they’re not going to cave in. They’ve played with a chip on their shoulder after last season’s loss to Michigan, and they’ve been a wreaking ball on the offensive side of the field.
What are College football futures?
Just like in every other sport and tournament, college football also features NCAA football futures bets. Simply put, future bets are bets place at any point in the season, but cashed in at the end of the campaign based on whether the team/player went over/under the said bet or won an award. Some of the most popular NCAA football futures bets are:
Heisman Trophy Winner
Perhaps the NCAA football futures bets with the most yearly traction revolve around the Heisman Trophy. The Heisman is handed out to the best player in all of college football. Needless to say, this award is rarely given to first-year players, and more often than not, it’s a competition between the nation’s top-tier QBs and RBs.
Some notable Heisman winners are Charles Woodson, Roger Staubach, Tim Tebow, Charlie Ward, Cam Newton, Ricky Williams, Marcus Allen, O.J. Simpson, Tony Dorsett, Barry Sanders, and more recently, Joe Burrow, DeVonta Smith, and Bryce Young.
This award has been given out 86 times and has been won by 85 different players, with Ohio State Buckeyes legend Archie Griffin as the only player to earn that distinction award. Notably, Bryce Young has a chance to replicate that milestone, as he’s got the second-highest odds to win the Heisman at +400.
NCAA Champion, Division Winners
Other NCAA football futures bets center around whether a team will win the National Championship or if they’ll end up on top of their division. Unsurprisingly, the highest NCAA playoffs odds go to the AP’s top-25 ranked teams, a list that varies every week depending on their performances.
Notably, this ranking is put together by an individual panel of experts. These experts put together an individual list of the top 25 teams in the nation, based on their performance, the strength of schedule, metrics, their roster, and even some intangibles. Then, all rankings are combined to put together the national ranking, with the first-place vote giving 25 points, 24 for a second-place vote, and so on until the 25th spot.
But even though the NCAA playoffs odds seem reserved for the top-tier programs, that can always change throughout the season, and being a top-25 team by the end of the campaign is no guarantee to clinch a postseason berth.
To Make The Playoffs
The NCAA playoffs odds will change throughout the campaign, as every team must abide by some criterion to be playoff-eligible. In fact, just four teams selected by a panel of 13 individual experts wind up making the playoffs every year, with the winner being crowned as the National Champion.
The rest of the teams go through a series of ‘Bowls’ that grant them different trophies. To be bowl-eligible, a team must get at least six wins and a winning percentage above .500 throughout the regular season. A total of 82 teams round up the 41-Bowl game pools.