College Football National Championship Predictions & Odds 2024: Ohio State Falls, Oregon Takes Over

Ohio State lost their second game of the season in Week 14, losing at home to Michigan. With that loss, they’ve fallen to third in the odds, while Oregon and Texas have gone ahead of them. 

This week, we have the conference title games this coming Friday and Saturday. These will impact the College Football Playoff seedings, creating easier and more complicated paths to a national championship. 

Below, I’ll check out the latest national championship odds, examine the top favorites, look at an underdog, and more.

National Championship Odds

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National Championship Favorites to Win

Oregon Ducks (+390) at FanDuel

After finishing the regular season with an undefeated record, Oregon will host the Big Ten title game against Penn State.

In their final game of the regular season, Oregon beat Washington decisively, 49-21.

Now, they’ll face a Penn State offense that does well on the ground while Oregon is 23rd in rushing yards allowed per game, allowing 118.2 per game.

Offensively, Oregon averages 36.2 points (ninth), 445.1 yards (14th), 176.8 rushing yards (40th), and 268.3 passing yards (19th) per game.

Their defense has also been fantastic in the passing game, allowing a mere 171.8 per game (eighth). 

It’ll be intriguing to see if they can slow down the Penn State rushing attack.

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Texas Longhorns (+450) at FanDuel

Heading into the SEC title game, Texas has one loss, which came at home against Georgia. The SEC Championship is a rematch of that game. 

In the final week of the regular season, Texas took down Texas A&M on the road, 17-7. 

The Longhorns rushing attack has come alive recently, with Quintrevion Wisner rushing for 150 yards or more in back-to-back games. 

The question for Texas heading into the SEC title game is simple: Can they take advantage of mistakes made by Georgia quarterback Carson Beck? 

Beck threw three picks in their previous meeting, but Texas couldn’t move the ball on offense, scoring just 15 points. 

Beck has been better lately, but Texas is still the best pass defense in the country, holding teams to a mere 143.7 per game. 

We’ll see if Texas can get their revenge. This game is played in Texas once again.

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Ohio State Buckeyes (+260) at FanDuel

The Buckeyes suffered a brutal loss at home in Week 14. They were 20.5-point favorites and lost 13-10 to the Michigan Wolverines. 

The Wolverines have one of the best run defenses in the country with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, and it showed in that game. 

Still, Ohio State itself has a fantastic defense. 

They hold teams to just 24.1 yards (first), 144.3 passing yards (second), 96.8 rushing yards (sixth), and 10.9 points (first) per game. 

I suspect that they’ll do well in the College Football Playoff and potentially win it all. No other team has two top-five caliber NFL Draft picks in their interior, and Ohio State has a fantastic offense with three excellent wide receivers: Carnell Tate, Emeka Egbuka, and Jeremiah Smith. They also have running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.

They await their seeding fate with no games slated just yet.

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Georgia Bulldogs (+350) at FanDuel

Heading into the SEC title game, Georgia has two losses. They’ve lost to Alabama and Ole Miss. 

In the final game of the regular season, they beat Georgia Tech 44-42, but it took eight overtime periods. 

Quarterback Carson Beck has been stellar lately, throwing 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions over his last three games. While UMass was one of those opponents, the other two were Georgia Tech and Tennessee. 

Georgia is one of those teams that’s down statistically compared to previous seasons. Where they excel most is in the passing game. They average 293.8 passing yards per game, ninth in the nation. 

However, they’re 40th or worst in total yards, rushing yards, and passing yards allowed per game. 

They shut down Texas last time, and we’ll see if they can do it again this weekend.

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National Championship Underdog

Penn State (+1000) at FanDuel

I’ve been on Penn State all season as an underdog to win it all, and I’m sticking with them. 

Heading into the Big Ten title game, they have a more than legitimate chance to beat Oregon as a 3.5-point underdog.

If they do win, they’ll have a bye week in the College Football Playoff, which will be massively beneficial. 

Even if they don’t, though, they have a fantastic defense.

They hold opponents to 266.9 yards (fourth), 97.2 rushing yards (sixth), 169.8 rushing yards (seventh), and 14 points (fourth) per game. 

Meanwhile, they average nearly 200 rushing yards per game from multiple sources, including working backup quarterback Beau Pribula. 

Don’t sleep on them.

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Top 10 National Championship Teams in 2024

Oregon

Oregon heads into the Big Ten title game as the No. 1 team in the country and undefeated. Their biggest question: Can they stop the Penn State rushing attack? 

Texas

Texas hosts Georgia in a rematch for the SEC crown. They picked off Beck three times in their last meeting but still lost by 15. We’ll see if they can move the ball this time around on Georgia. 

Ohio State

Coming off a tough loss to Michigan, the odds for Ohio State have dropped. While they won’t have a bye, they’ll demonstrate their stout defense on whatever opponent they draw. 

Georgia

Beck has been clean the last three games, but will that hold up against the team he threw three picks against and is the best pass defense in the league? 

Notre Dame

Their schedule has been easier than that of the Power Four schools, but they’ve shown a dynamic rushing attack and relentless defense. We could see them and Ohio State link up in the first round. 

Penn State

Following Ohio State’s loss, Penn State has been put in the Big Ten title game. A win will give them a first-round bye and dramatically improve their chances of winning it all. 

Alabama

Will a three-loss Alabama team make it into the College Football Playoff? A lot of it depends on how the various conference title games shake out. 

Does three-loss Alabama deserve a spot over two-loss Miami? It remains to be seen. 

Tennessee

Tennessee should make the College Football Playoff, but likely as a double-digit seed. In that case, they could face a team like Notre Dame or even Ohio State. 

They have a top-10 rushing unit, averaging 226.2 yards per game. 

SMU 

SMU has been fantastic in their first season in the ACC, going undefeated. They have a great run defense and are well inside the top 10 in sacks. 

They’ll take on Clemson at home in the ACC title game, and a win will earn them a higher seed in the College Football Playoff. 

Indiana

Indiana will make the College Football Playoff as a one-loss team. However, it was a bad loss on the road to Ohio State. They could be in a spot to face a team like Tennessee in an 8 vs. 9 matchup. 

They still have the best run defense in the country, allowing a mere 76.2 yards per game. 

National Championship History

Since 2014, the College Football Playoff has been the primary way of deciding the national champion. However, this Playoff has always been four teams. In 2024, that’s changing. It’s now 12 teams instead of four, which will allow more programs a shot at bringing home the title. This will certainly result in some underdogs winning a championship more often than in the past. 

The Crimson Tide have the most appearances with eight and won the most games with nine. 

Here are all of the national champions since the Playoff was introduced. 

How to Bet on the National Championship

In betting on the national championship, you’ll be wagering on the dedicated futures betting market. There are other markets you can wager on that indirectly apply to it, like conference winners, but the only true way to wager on who will win the national championship are futures and when the day of the actual game comes, moneyline, point spread, totals, parlays, props, and more.

Where to Bet on the National Championship

College sports betting is available in all legal sports betting states, but there are some prohibited markets. 

I’ll touch on that below and list the top online sportsbooks for wagering on the national championship and college football as a whole. 

• Arizona (AZ): Cannot wager on college player props.

• Colorado (CO): Cannot wager on college player props.

• Connecticut (CT): You cannot wager on teams based on Connecticut unless they’re in a tournament. 

• Delaware (DE): Cannot wager on in-state teams

• DC: Cannot wager on DC-based teams or any college games occurring in the region. 

• Illinois (IL): Cannot wager on college player props. You can wager on in-state teams if done at retail sportsbooks. 

• Indiana (IN): Cannot wager on college player props.

• Iowa (IA): Cannot wager on college player props.

• Kansas (KS): No restrictions.

• Kentucky (KY): No restrictions.

• Louisiana (LA): No restrictions.

• Maryland (MD): No restrictions.

• Massachusetts (MA): You cannot wager on teams based in Massachusetts unless they’re in a tournament. 

• Michigan (MI): No restrictions.

• Mississippi (MS): Cannot wager on college player props. 

• New Jersey (NJ): Cannot wager on in-state teams

• New York (NY): Cannot wager on games involving New York-based schools or player props. 

• North Carolina (NC): No restrictions. 

• Ohio (OH): You cannot bet on college player props.

• Pennsylvania (PA): Cannot bet on college player props. 

• Tennessee (TN): Cannot wager on college player props, including live college player props. 

• Vermont (VT): You cannot wager on teams based in Vermont unless they’re in a tournament. 

• Virginia (VA): Cannot wager on college games that include Virginia teams. 

• West Virginia (WV): You cannot bet on college player props. 

• Wyoming (WY): No restrictions.

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