College Football National Championship Odds | CFP Look-Ahead Lines & Hypothetical Matchups

With the College Football Playoff semifinals kicking off on Thursday and Friday, we're looking ahead at the college football national championship odds and look-ahead lines for all four hypothetical matchups we could see in the CFP title game on Jan. 19.

You can only bet on these lines before the semifinals kick off, so we have you covered with the latest CFP look-ahead odds and our College Football Playoff predictions for each of these four hypothetical title matchups. All games will be televised on ESPN.

🏆 CFP championship odds & look-ahead lines (Jan. 19 @ 7:30 p.m. ET)

CFP national championship look-ahead odds via FanDuel as of Jan. 6.

Indiana (-5.5) vs. Miami

The Hurricanes were 7.5-point underdogs when they faced Ohio State in the quarterfinals, and while they did beat the Buckeyes, so did Indiana when those teams faced off in the Big Ten title game. This feels like a bit too much respect for the 'Canes, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this line move in the Hoosiers' favor if they win convincingly against Oregon this week in the semifinals.

Early pick: Indiana -5.5

Indiana (-7.5) vs. Ole Miss

If this was the betting line on the day of the championship game, I'd lay the points with the Hoosiers. But if you're betting ahead on the look-ahead lines, it's to attack value ahead of potential line movement, and it would not surprise me at all to see Ole Miss earn the favor of bettors after a hypothetical upset of Miami in the semis. If you're betting this now, take the Rebels - you can even try to middle later with a bet on Indiana -6.5.

Early pick: Ole Miss +7.5

Oregon (-2.5) vs. Miami

Remember when we highlighted Miami ahead of the quarterfinals as a clear value play based on the speculative lines? I feel the same way about this matchup. If the Ducks actually pull off the upset over Indiana, they'll be favored over the Hurricanes in this hypothetical title matchup - and likely by more than 2.5 points. There's a huge difference between laying 2.5 and 3.5 points, so let's grab Oregon early below the key number.

Early pick: Oregon -2.5

Oregon (-3.5) vs. Ole Miss

I feel less confident about this bet as the one above, in large part because of the value of the key number: the difference between -3.5 and -4.5 is much less significant than betting this number now and watching the line move in Ole Miss' favor. I do think Oregon would win this matchup, so I'm not rushing to bet this one. But like with a matchup against Indiana, I'm taking the Rebels plus the hook if I'm betting early.

Early pick: Ole Miss +3.5

📊 College football national championship odds

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🤔 Is it worth betting on CFP look-ahead odds?

No matter how sharp the market appears to be on paper, there is always an element of overreaction baked into these betting odds - especially late in the season when every matchup is under a spotlight and bettors are eager to attack the board the moment the clock hits zeroes.

That's why betting early can prove advantageous, especially if you expect an outlier result from the current market. For example, Miami opened as just a 1.5-point favorite over Ole Miss by the look-ahead lines for the semifinal. But after beating top-seeded Ohio State, the Hurricanes' odds shortened to -3.5 against the Rebels once the matchup was set - offering major value for those who backed Miami ahead of time.

The best part about betting on CFP look-ahead odds is that your bet is voided if the hypothetical matchup never happens. So if you bet on any of these four teams and they get beat in the semifinals, you'll get your money refunded.

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