2025 national champion odds: Texas favored to win 1st title in 20 years
Ohio State steamrolled through the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff to capture its ninth national title in program history. The Buckeyes won the first four-team playoff in 2014 and prevailed in the first season of the 12-team playoff. As the celebration roars on in Columbus, it's never too early for the rest of the college football world to start thinking about next season.
Forecasting college football's future is as difficult as ever in this rapidly changing era of college athletics. The transfer portal and NIL have created more roster turnover than in any previous period.
Without having an idea of how teams will take form through the transfer portal, oddsmakers have released a look at who should be in contention for next year's crown. Spoiler alert: the schools leading the charge are unsurprising.
2025 national champion odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Texas | +450 |
| Ohio State | +500 |
| Georgia | +600 |
| Oregon | +750 |
| Penn State | +750 |
| Alabama | +1300 |
| Notre Dame | +1500 |
| Tennessee | +1600 |
| LSU | +1800 |
| Clemson | +2000 |
Ohio State has the second-best odds of repeating, but Texas is the favorite. While it was a down season for elite quarterbacks, signal-callers are still essential to a winning operation. Teams without a reliable, top-tier QB won't compete for titles. That's why Texas is the favorite.
The Longhorns are as secure at quarterback as any team in the country. Arch Manning will move into a starting role after serving as the backup for the past two seasons. He was featured plenty in Texas' offense this past campaign, however, including starting multiple games when Quinn Ewers was injured.
It's rare for a highly recruited quarterback to accept a backup role for multiple seasons without transferring, but Manning stayed patient and waited for his moment. That'll come next season when the newest Manning in a long lineage of great ones takes the reins of Texas' offense. He's a presumed top pick in the NFL draft whenever he declares. Texas will also certainly have a loaded roster filled with NFL-caliber talent.
The 2024 finalists Ohio State and Notre Dame have some uncertainty at quarterback next season. Will Howard and Riley Leonard are (presumably) moving onto the NFL, so the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish must find signal-callers. Each program is rich with resources, so enticing a quarterback shouldn't be an issue. Plus, Ohio State has so much receiver talent that even an average quarterback could look adequate in that offense.
Penn State also has an assured quarterback situation. Drew Allar is coming back for another year. Despite his awful decisions in the semifinal against Notre Dame, Allar took a huge step forward this season. He'll have Penn State in a position to return to the playoff.
Beyond Texas and Ohio State, the teams atop the oddsboard are high-level programs consistently considered contenders. Even without knowing the exact personnel, the teams leading the Big Ten and SEC have the resources to attract the best talent through the transfer portal and out of high school while properly developing their players.
It's a safe bet to assume one of the teams listed above will celebrate a championship a year from now.
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.