Updated CFB National Championship Odds as the Playoffs Draw Ever Closer

Guest Author
Mon, 12/08/2025

As the regular season’s smoke clears and the College Football Playoff field starts to crystallize, there’s no mistaking the current that crackles in the air. The postseason is almost here.

 

This year, the road to Miami feels both familiar and brand-new at the same time. The reigning champion Ohio State Buckeyes and their Big Ten rival Indiana are seemingly locked on a collision course to meet at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19th, but before then, we have a slew of crunch clashes waiting in the wings. Oklahoma squares up with Alabama in a battle that could alter the bracket’s gravitational center, while Texas A&M and Notre Dame wage their own war for survival. Oregon, Ole Miss, and a rabble of conference wildcards also circle, scenting blood.

 

But which of these contenders are considered the favorites to leave Hard Rock Stadium with the Natty on January 19th? Let's take a look.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State romped to the Natty for the first time in over a decade last season, thumping Notre Dame in Atlanta to claim the crown. But their title defence has been less of a season and more of a statement of intent. Ryan Day’s Buckeyes have smashed everything that dares stand in their way this season, carving out a 12-0 record and completing a perfect regular season for the first time since 2022.

 

That kind of dominance has forced online oddsmakers to sit up and take note. The latest Bovada football odds currently rank the champs as a +160 favorite to successfully defend their crown in Miami, and it's hard to find anyone who disagrees.

 

The Buckeyes were handed a monster out of the gate: a Texas team with every reason to believe. What followed—a gritty, surgical 14-7 win—set the season’s tone. The 27-9 evisceration of Michigan and a clinical dispatching of Penn State underlined their class and cold-blooded execution in big games.

 

Enter Julian Sayin, the barometer of calm in the biggest storms. Sayin’s 3,065 yards, 30 touchdowns, and a laser-sharp 78.9% completion rate are dazzling, but watch him on third and long, when games hang in the balance. His composure is contagious, his mistakes (just five picks) rare and costly for opponents. Running back Bo Jackson has rumbled for 900 yards and 5 touchdowns, a relentless counterpart whose legs never missed a beat. On defense—pure menace. Caden Curry, owning nine sacks and a highlight reel’s worth of shattered pockets.

 

Ohio State does not merely win; they assert, they dictate, they squeeze the life out of rivals in a manner that speaks to championship mettle. It would take a brave punter to bet against them successfully defending their crown in the coming weeks.

Indiana Hoosiers

From historical footnote to potential giant-killer, Indiana in 2025 has become the sport’s most magnetic story. Coach Curt Cignetti’s project has shed the underdog label, replacing it with something much more disruptive. Twelve wins, none more vital than their 28-24 conquest of Oregon on foreign turf, have delivered the Hoosiers to heights not reached since 1945. Yet, through it all, the sense of there being still another gear persists.

 

Indiana wins with violence—44.3 points a night and a firecracker offense driven by Heisman hopeful Fernando Mendoza. The young quarterback is part artist, part assassin: his 2,758 yards and 32 scores delivered at a 72% clip, cool under pressure, and always a threat with his legs if necessity demands. But offense tells only half the tale.

 

Defensively, this group is opportunistic—2.4 turnovers forced per contest testifies to an instinct for the big play, the kill shot. They've dismantled Illinois, crushed Maryland, and navigated a nervy 24-21 escape versus Iowa that served as a warning against complacency. Finding a way past the Buckeyes in the Big Ten finale will be the ultimate litmus test, but being considered a +435 second favorite for the Natty as deep as December is beyond any Hoosier's wildest dreams.

Georgia Bulldogs

Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs stared into the abyss early—a collapse at Alabama, a season on the brink, and doubts swirling over whether the defending order was shifting for good. Their reply? Authoritative. Georgia steadied, tore through the rest of their SEC schedule with the controlled fury of a program that refuses to blink, and closed with a 35-10 clubbing of Texas and a 44-41 Rose Bowl soliloquy at Tennessee.

 

Their only loss—a devastating collapse at Alabama—remains a scar, but also a scar that healed into steel. With a possible redemption arc in the SEC Championship and Smart’s .853 win rate looming in the background, Georgia is both a proven brand and a snarling underdog. Ignore them for long, and you’ll awaken to find them sitting atop the throne yet again.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

To chart Notre Dame’s 2025 journey is to dive into the very soul of the sport: heartbreak, heroics, and a refusal to fade. Marcus Freeman’s squad wears its two losses like badges—27-24 on a weather-slick field at Miami, and a 41-40 gut-punch courtesy of Texas A&M—because each was a lesson, each a cauldron no other contender can quite match.

 

The Irish are unrelenting in their defensive aggression, allowing just 17.6 points per contest, and on offense, they oscillate between thunder and lightning. CJ Carr is the orchestrator, racking up 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns, and a head-turning ability to extend plays and strike late. But if there’s a secret weapon, it’s Jeremiyah Love: 1,372 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns, and the look of a man with records yet to chase. Eli Raridon—the “safety blanket” at tight end with 800+ yards—adds a vertical menace in red zones.

 

Notre Dame’s playoff berth isn’t a courtesy. Their first-round gauntlet at Texas A&M is a bad draw, but it’s also a test for any team that believes itself worthy. Freeman is 8-2 in games against ranked opponents, and his group believes the pain of 2024’s near-miss has forged them into something steelier, truer. Ignore them at your peril.