College Football National Championship Odds 2026: Ohio State Favorite; Penn State, Georgia Trail

Unsurprisingly, the college football national championship odds saw very little change following a Week 2 college football slate that had just one top 25 matchup.

The same blue bloods own the top of the board, with Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, and Texas remaining the biggest favorites. The most movement came with Oregon and Oklahoma jumping up following the most impressive wins of the week, and Clemson sliding down after it struggled with Troy.

It continues to look like Big Ten and SEC programs are the teams to focus your college football picks on for this year's national championship.

📊 Live college football national championship odds 2026

Our college football championship odds update in real time based on the latest college football odds.

📈 College football national championship betting insights

College football national championship betting insights via BetMGM.

🏆 My college football national championship prediction & best bet

🦁 Penn State (+650)

Could the Big Ten make it three in a row after Michigan and Ohio State won the last two national championships? Like those two programs in their national championship-winning seasons, Penn State entered this year ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP top 25 poll. Could that be good luck? The preseason No. 2 team has won the national championship in four of the last nine seasons.

The Nittany Lions certainly have the talent to live up to their College Football Playoff odds and win it all; however, there are plenty of questions about the way James Franklin and his QB, Drew Allar, perform in big games. But like Ryan Day did last year, Franklin has a chance to completely change the narrative thanks to how much Penn State brought back. The Nittany Lions are No. 7 in SP+ and among just six teams that rank top 12 in SP+ on both offense and defense - and you saw why in their 46-11 trouncing of Nevada and 34-0 win over FIU.

Unlike the Buckeyes and Bulldogs, the Nittany Lions have an experienced QB in Allar, who was top 20 in the country in big-time throws last year (21) while having the 10th-lowest turnover-worthy play rate in the country among QBs with 300-plus dropbacks (2.1%). He's not alone on offense, either, with the best running back tandem (Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen), an upgraded wide receiver trio via the portal (Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross, Kyron Hudson), and two of the top linemen in the conference (Drew Shelton, Olaivavega Ioane).

If that wasn't enough, Franklin poached Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, fresh off a national championship. Knowles took over a defense that has two all-conference-caliber defensive linemen (Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant) and defensive backs (Zakee Wheatley, A.J. Harris), on top of linebacker transfer Amare Campbell (North Carolina).

The Nittany Lions have the makings of a national champion, and we'll see if they can live up to it when they take on Oregon on Sept. 27 and Ohio State on Nov. 1. If they can come through, a $10 bet pays a $65 profit.

🔢  College football national championship opening odds

Odds via DraftKings.

• Ohio State (+450)
• Texas (+500)
• Georgia (+550)
• Oregon (+750)
• Penn State (+900)
• Alabama (+1200)
• Notre Dame (+1600)
• Clemson (+2000)
• LSU (+2000)
• Tennessee (+2000)
• Miami (+2500)
• Ole Miss (+2500)
• Michigan (+3000)
• Texas A&M (+3500)
• South Carolina (+4000)
• Florida (+6000)
• Oklahoma (+7000)
• USC (+7000)
• Auburn (+8000)
• SMU (+8000)
• Arizona State (+9000)
• Kansas State (+9000)
• Colorado (+10000)
• Florida State (+10000)
• Louisville (+10000)
• North Carolina (+10000)
• Iowa State (+12000)
• Utah (+12000)
• BYU (+15000)
• Indiana (+15000)
• Nebraska (+15000)
• Virginia Tech (+15000)
• Arkansas (+20000)
• Boise State (+20000)
• Illinois (+20000)
• Iowa (+20000)
• Missouri (+20000)
• Syracuse (+25000)
• Baylor (+25000)
• Georgia Tech (+25000)
• Kansas (+25000)
• NC State (+25000)
• TCU (+25000)
• Wisconsin (+25000)
• Kentucky (+30000)
• West Virginia (+30000)

💰 College football national championship odds history

❓ College football national championship FAQs

Who is the favorite to win the college football national championship?

Ohio State is the favorite to win the college football national championship for the 2025-26 season. The Buckeyes' odds (+575) imply a 14.81% probability that they'll repeat as champions, according to our odds calculator.

Who won the college football national championship last year?

The Ohio State Buckeyes won last year's CFP National Championship, defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23 in Atlanta.

When will the college football national championship be decided?

The 2026 college football national championship will be decided on Monday, Jan. 19.

Where will the college football national championship take place?

The 2026 college football national championship will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

When does the College Football Playoff start?

The 2025-2026 College Football Playoff begins Friday, Dec. 19, with the first of four first-round games; the other three will be played Saturday, Dec. 20. The quarterfinal games will then be played on Wednesday, Dec. 31, and Thursday, Jan. 1.

The semifinal games will be Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, with the championship game slated for Monday, Jan. 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Who has won the most college football championships?

Yale has won the most college football championships with 18. Alabama ranks second with 16 total victories, and the Crimson Tide's three championships in the College Football Playoff era also stand as the most.

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