As the 2025/26 NCAAF season edges closer to it’s start, the favorites to be crowned national champions are becoming clearer.
The usual candidates are once again in the mix to earn the title of national champion for the current season, with the Ohio State Buckeyes claiming the championship in the 2024/25 season as they defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish back in January.
But who are the real favorites to claim the title this time around? We’ll take a look at the teams and provide you with our best free NCAAF betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the field.
| NCAAF: CFP Championship 2025/26 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Longhorns | +600 | +500 | +530 |
| Ohio State Buckeyes | +650 | +500 | +525 |
| Georgia Bulldogs | +650 | +700 | +650 |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | +700 | +750 | +800 |
| Clemson Tigers | +850 | +1000 | +1200 |
Check out the best college football betting sites here.
This year will be the second with the expanded College Football Playoff, which moves from four teams to 12, opening the door for those that don’t win their conference championship or suffer multiple losses to remain in the mix in a positive change for the fans.
In addition to that, The Power 5 conferences are now the Power 4 after most Pac-12 schools joined the ACC, Big Ten, or Big 12 to add more big games between top sides to the calendar in the regular season.
The championship game will take place on January 19th 2026 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Below you’ll find a list of favorites to win the NCAAF CFP Championship in 2025/26.
After several years as the back-up quarterback, Arch Manning is set to enter the 2025 season as the starting main man and Texas are the favourites for the national championship as a result.
Quinn Ewers has moved on after consecutive double-digit win seasons, including being ranked No.1 in his first season in the SEC, and now a new era is beginning in Texas as a result.
Manning proved he was ready to step up last season when he completed 61/90 passes for a total of 939 yards and 13 touchdowns. However, with all of Matthew Golden, Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner opting for the NFL Draft, they all need replacing and that could make it really difficult for the Longhorns to be able to go all the way.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian is known to work wonders with his teams, and Texas will no doubt be able to recruit some elite prospects to come into the side. But until they’re on the field and performing you never know how they’ll do.
Odds of +600 seem a little too short considering all the big changes happening this season, so this may be a bet to avoid this time around.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Ohio State completed the 2024 season being crowned as national champions for the first time in over a decade, and now they’re right in the mix once again to go back-to-back.
Ryan Day has built a strong team that relies heavily on the two receivers and two running backs, all of whom delivered last season by delivering double-digit touchdowns. But the team needs more weapons to be able to retain the title.
They are now also set to lose a huge chunk of their roster with around 15 players from the title-winning team heading for the NFL draft including the likes of Jack Sawyer, Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, while Will Howard has now aged out of the program.
That means Day will have a lot of work to do to get the team back up to par to be able to compete for the championship. Julian Sayin is likely to get the lead role as the quarterback which leaves plenty to be desired, because we barely saw him in 2024.
It will be very difficult for such a new-look team to be able to carry over the momentum of a successful season. Odds of +650 for a team to repeat aren’t the worst, but once again, there are big changes coming for this season and this looks like a bet to avoid.
One of the greatest institutions in college football, it’s been two seasons since the Bulldogs last won the national championship, which is not what Kirby Smart or anyone else expected after he won his first title.
In 2024, it was injuries that put a real end to their hopes of success as they were eliminated from the playoffs with a disappointing display, and now they’ll be hoping to avoid that again to get back to the winning ways that they’re used to.
A new look team will be leading the charge in 2025 with hungry and talented stars Gunner Stockton and Nate Frazier on offense, being backed up by the strong and fierce defense that often shuts teams out and stops them playing their game.
When taking their schedule into account, it’s very difficult to see how they don’t make the playoffs at least, and once they get to the postseason they have all the experience and know-how to go all the way. The staff and players will be hugely motivated to bounce back from a disappointing season last time out too, and at odds of +700 there is great value in backing them to go all the way.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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