The Georgia Bulldogs in Week 2 did just what you want to see a national title contender do against an overmatched FCS opponent—pour on the points. The 48-3 outcome was never in doubt, and it kept the Bulldogs atop the college football national title odds board as the +280 favorites to claim the crown.
Ohio State remained the No. 2 odds choice at +380, followed by Texas, which improved to +500 after its dominating victory at Michigan in Week 2. The Bulldogs, Buckeyes and Longhorns have separated themselves from the rest at the moment, as the only three programs with title odds in the triple digits.
2024 College Football National Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Georgia Bulldogs | +280 |
| Ohio State Buckeyes | +380 |
| Texas Longhorns | +500 |
| Oregon Ducks | +1100 |
| Alabama Crimson Tide | +1200 |
| Ole Miss Rebels | +1400 |
| Miami (FL) Hurricanes | +2000 |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | +2200 |
| Tennessee Volunteers | +2500 |
| Missouri Tigers | +4000 |
| LSU Tigers | +4000 |
Odds as of September 9, 2024
NCAAF National championship favorites: Bulldogs keep rolling
It shouldn’t have been much of a game, and it wasn’t. Georgia ran out to a 48-0 lead on Tennessee Tech, which managed a field goal at the final horn to avoid the shutout. Quarterback Carson Beck threw for five touchdowns as the Bulldogs continued on their collision course with Alabama on Sept. 28.
Georgia hasn’t allowed a touchdown through two games, and has outscored opponents 82-6 over that span. Next up is a Week 3 trip to Kentucky, which managed only a pair of field goals in a blowout home loss to South Carolina. The Bulldogs look like they’ll be hard to keep out of the expanded 12-team playoff that debuts this season.
nCAAF National championship contender: Texas looking tough
Has there been any team more impressive through two weeks than Texas? The Longhorns blew out a Colorado State team with some pretty good skill players to open the season, and then went to the Big House and dominated defending national champion Michigan 31-12 in a game that wasn’t that close.
Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers tossed three TD passes, and continued to spread the wealth by hitting eight different receivers. The touchdown Texas allowed to Michigan in garbage time was the first it’s given up this season. Now Texas has a chance to further burnish its resumé against UTSA, Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State before getting Oklahoma and Georgia back-to-back.
NCAAF National championship long shot: Tennessee makes a statement
Oh my, Tennessee. Other than Texas, perhaps no other team made a bigger statement in Week 2 than the Volunteers—who absolutely destroyed a nationally-ranked opponent in a 51-10 beat-down of N.C. State on a neutral field in Charlotte, N.C.
Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleva threw for two TDs and rushed for another, as Tennessee ran out to a 37-3 lead and never looked back. The Volunteers are just the type of team the expanded playoff was made for, and they passed an early eye test with flying colors. Now they get a breather against Kent State before traveling to Oklahoma on Sept. 21.
Last 10 College Football National Champions
| Year | Team | Opening Odds | Postseason Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Michigan Wolverines | +800 | +185 |
| 2022 | Georgia Bulldogs | +200 | -165 |
| 2021 | Georgia Bulldogs | +800 | -225 |
| 2020 | Alabama Crimson Tide | +600 | -200 |
| 2019 | LSU Tigers | +5000 | +300 |
| 2018 | Clemson Tigers | +600 | +350 |
| 2017 | Alabama Crimson Tide | +300 | +400 |
| 2016 | Clemson Tigers | +700 | +600 |
| 2015 | Alabama Crimson Tide | +800 | +120 |
| 2014 | Ohio State Buckeyes | +1000 | +1500 |
The SEC conference has claimed six of the last national titles over the last decade. By the looks of it, sportsbooks do a decent job with their opening odds. Only one program had early odds of +1000 or higher, the Buckeyes in 2014.
nCAAF Teams with the most national titles
| School | Number Of Championships | Latest Win |
|---|---|---|
| Yale | 18 | 1927 |
| Alabama | 16 | 2020 |
| Princeton | 15 | 1922 |
| Notre Dame | 13 | 1988 |
| Michigan | 10 | 2023 |
| USC | 9 | 2004 |
| Harvard | 8 | 1919 |
| Ohio State | 8 | 2014 |
| Oklahoma | 7 | 2000 |
Despite not having hoisted the trophy since 1927, Yale was a wagon, picking up 14 titles by the turn of the 20th century.
In terms of modern-day history, the Tide has been passed the torch as a dynasty. With the help of Nick Saban, Alabama pocketed six championships between 2009 and 2020.
nCAAF National championship betting trends
- Heading into the national championship stage, the betting favorites have won and covered the spread in five straight seasons between 2020 and 2024.
- The UNDER is 7-3 across the last 10 national championship meetings.
- Since being inducted in 2014, Alabama has had the most CFP experience with eight appearances (9-5 SU). In that span, they've collected three national titles, lost in finals three times and fell in semi-finals twice.
How to bet on the college football national championship
When it comes to big events for any sport, you can bet on futures months in advance -- including which team will win the national championship. Each week, oddsmakers will update the odds to reflect how a squad is doing. If a team is plagued with injuries, their chances of making it to the final game slim down. A surging squad will see their odds skyrocket.
When you go to a college football sportsbook, you’ll see the betting lines laid out like this:
- Georgia +175
- Alabama +300
- Ohio State +350
Georgia opens as the fave since the Bulldogs have the lowest odds. The Crimson Tide and Buckeyes are considered underdogs.
If you believe that Georgia has the best chance of winning the championship, and you bet $100 on them, you’d get a payout of $275 – your original $100 is returned along with your winnings of $175. Our odds calculating tool will show you how much you’d win based on the odds and amount bet.
When you see futures odds that you like, it’s best to jump on them early. As mentioned above, betting sites will adjust the odds as we get closer to bowl season and teams move up and down in the standings.
