College Football 2025-26 Future Bets & Team Props: Early Value Picks
- Lee Shipley
- Jul 15
- 4 min read
As July rolls in, college football fans everywhere are buzzing about the upcoming 2025 season. It's going to be a wild one, especially since it's probably the last hurrah for the 12-team College Football Playoff. Everyone's wondering if Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns will finally claim a championship, or if Ohio State, with their new quarterback and coordinators, can achieve back-to-back national titles like Georgia did a few years ago. With kickoff less than 50 days away, the debates are heating up, and we're all eager to see which teams have what it takes to make it to the CFP.
Odds to Win the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship!
The Odds (per Bet365)
Ohio State +425
Georgia +600
Texas +600
Oregon +650
Penn State +1000
Alabama +1400
Notre Dame +1600
Tennessee +1800
Clemson +2000
Ole Miss +2000
LSU +2200
College Football Playoff Format!
Last season, the College Football Playoff went from four teams to 12 teams, and it willow again be 12 teams for the 2025-26 season.
The field of 12 is comprised of six conference champions, plus the six highest-ranked other teams. The rankings will again be determined by the College Football Playoff committee.
This Years Betting Strategy!
The best long-term strategy for futures betting is to hunt for value.This means betting prices instead of teams.
Over time, a certain percentage of your smart, well-reasoned wagers will hit. If you bet according to prices, then you will profit more because your successes will net a greater payout.
That being said, there isn't much to like about the more heavily favored teams. The odds seem to be heavily influenced by the most recent results and do not account sufficiently for the mostly personnel-based changes that each team will undergo.
Are we Looking at a Open Field Season?
Ohio State's the favorite, but they're losing a ton of talent on offense and defense. They're saying goodbye to their super-efficient quarterback and key guys like their second-best wide receiver, Emeka Egbuka, and defensive star Jack Sawyer. In fact, their entire starting defensive line is gone. And their running backs, offensive line, secondary, and linebackers are all taking big hits with major losses.
A lot of these favored teams are losing their quarterbacks and looking worse off at that super important position. That includes Oregon, who's losing their Heisman finalist, plus Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame, and Ole Miss.
Penn State's keeping their quarterback, but it's hard to get behind them when their head coach, James Franklin, is known for choking in big games. Just look at his terrible record against top-five and top-ten teams.
Texas is getting a new quarterback who's played a bit, but they'll really miss their top two and six of their top nine wide receivers. They're also losing six defensive starters, including their star cornerback, Jahdae Barron, who won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2024 and is basically irreplaceable.
Finally We get to the CFB Futures & Best Bets for the 2025-26 Season!
The Big Sleeper of the Season!
The Pick: Illinois Fighting Illini to win the National Title +17500
The Pick: Illinois to Make the College Football Playoff +500
Could Illinois Shock the World?
Feeling lucky and looking for a long shot? You might want to keep an eye on the Illinois Fighting Illini for the national title. They're currently sitting at +17500, which is a huge long shot, but hear me out. This team has been quietly getting better, going from a losing record two years ago to a solid 10-3 season last year.
Their defense really tightened up, cutting down their points allowed significantly. Plus, they could bring back their entire secondary, including standout Xavier Scott, and star edge rusher Gabe Jacas even decided to skip the NFL draft to return!
On offense, their quarterback, running backs, and offensive line are all coming back, and while they'll have some new faces at wide receiver, the core of this team is intact. With so many programs going through big changes, Illinois' stability and improvement could make them a really interesting dark horse pick this season.
The Big Shocker of the Season!
The Pick: Texas to Miss the College Football Playoff (+250)
Okay, so Texas had a pretty good run last season, making it to the College Football Playoff but ultimately losing to Ohio State, who went on to win it all. Now, Quinn Ewers is off to the NFL, and surprisingly, a lot of Texas fans are feeling good about it, figuring he might've been holding them back. All eyes are on Arch Manning now, the super-hyped new quarterback, who everyone expects big things from.
But here's the catch: Texas has a brutal schedule coming up, with tough road games against Ohio State (their first game!), Florida, and Georgia, plus Oklahoma at a neutral site and Texas A&M at home. On top of that, they've lost a ton of players to the NFL, so there are a lot of inexperienced guys stepping up. Even with the committee potentially cutting them some slack for their tough schedule, it's a long shot for them to make the CFP with all those challenges. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if they miss out.
The Big Best Bet of the Season!
The Pick: LSU to win the National Title +2200
I'm feeling pretty good about LSU as a top contender, even if Illinois is more of a dark horse for the adventurous bettors out there.
My confidence in the Tigers mostly comes down to quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. He's a Heisman favorite for a reason, and LSU quarterbacks often make huge leaps in their second year in the same offensive system, which I expect Nussmeier to do. He's also got an even better group of wide receivers this year, with some key players returning and incredible transfers like Nic Anderson from Oklahoma and Barion Brown from Kentucky. Plus, running back Caden Durham is back after a fantastic freshman year, which is a big deal, especially since Clemson lost their starting running back.
On the defensive side, LSU's looking strong too, with a lot of talented returners from those highly-ranked recruiting classes finally hitting their stride, like pass-rusher Harold Perkins and linebacker Whit Weeks. Basically, LSU's offense, especially their passing game, should be elite, and their defense will be more than solid.
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