- CFP Odds are often preferable to championship odds because they’re more forgiving.
- 2023 College Football Playoff Odds are topped by Georgia (-250).
- The Big Ten is still likely represented by Michigan (+100) or Ohio State (+115).
- Clemson and Florida State are both +300.
Few college football futures are as enjoyable to bet as the College Football Playoff odds. It’s like betting a more forgiving national championship market.
With the season now beginning, it’s important for serious futures bettors to consider at least one position in the 2023 CFP odds.
College Football Playoff Odds
| Team | CFP Odds | Last CFP Appearance |
| Georgia | -250 | 2022 |
| Michigan | +100 | 2022 |
| Ohio State | +115 | 2022 |
| Alabama | +150 | 2021 |
| USC | +225 | N/A |
| Clemson | +300 | 2020 |
| Florida State | +300 | 2014 |
| Texas | +325 | N/A |
| LSU | +325 | 2019 |
| Penn State | +450 | N/A |
| Oklahoma | +600 | 2019 |
| Washington | +650 | 2016 |
| Oregon | +650 | 2014 |
| Notre Dame | +750 | 2020 |
| Utah | +1000 | N/A |
| Wisconsin | +1000 | N/A |
| Tennessee | +1400 | N/A |
| Texas A&M | +1600 | N/A |
| Kansas State | +2000 | N/A |
| North Carolina | +2000 | N/A |
| Oregon State | +2000 | N/A |
| Iowa | +2000 | N/A |
| UCLA | +3000 | N/A |
| Texas Tech | +3500 | N/A |
| Ole Miss | +3500 | N/A |
| Baylor | +3500 | N/A |
| TCU | +4000 | 2022 |
| Miami (FL) | +4000 | N/A |
| South Carolina | +5000 | N/A |
| Louisville | +5000 | N/A |
| Tulane | +5000 | N/A |
| Auburn | +6600 | N/A |
| Arkansas | +6600 | N/A |
Betting on College Football Playoff Odds
Let’s start at the beginning. CFP odds are quite different from the zero-sum college football national championship odds market. As Billy Beane said in Moneyball, only one team can win the last game of the season. Thus, only one ticket is going to cash out in the championship market.
CFP odds offer a slightly softer approach to betting the top 1% of college football odds, since it can pay out for four teams instead of one.
That means shorter returns, but it also means more attainable wins. Last year, for example, I was really high on TCU, and bought up just about every future I could get my hands on. TCU national championship tickets were losers; TCU playoff tickets were big-time winners.
If you see an opening with a team like 2022 TCU, it’s often best to bet their conference championship odds and their College Football Playoff odds over their national championship odds.
A total of 14 teams have made the CFP since its inception, but only five have actually won it. If you’re betting on someone outside of that inner elite circle of Georgia/Alabama/Clemson/Ohio State/LSU, it’s usually better to stick to the CFP odds.
When Do the First College Football Playoff Rankings Come Out?
The first official 2023 College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed on Tuesday, Oct. 31.
The rankings will be updated every Tuesday for the remainder of the regular season, then again after championship Saturday in December.
College Football Playoff Bracket 2024
College football playoff history says that bettors can feel confident the SEC and Big Ten will both receive at least one invite.
The Big 12, with a freshly unbalanced schedule and an injection of top-end G5 programs, will also be in a healthier position than usual. In past years, the chaos of a full round-robin schedule has wounded the Big 12; the new format may allow it to succeed in the mold of a traditional playoff contender from eastern conferences.
USC (+225) and Washington (+650) have the look of real playoff contenders, but they’ll need to overcome the Pac-12’s inability to crack the playoff bracket in recent years. There hasn’t been a Pac-12 team in the CFP since 2016.
If the ACC yields a 12 or 13-win team – most likely Clemson (+300) or Florida State (+300) – it will also have a strong case. The ACC was represented in the CFP in each of the first seven years but has now failed to place a team in the playoff for back-to-back seasons.
With the top programs in the American picked off by the Big 12, the likelihood of a G5 program in this year’s CFP is extremely unlikely. In fact, the top contending G5 conference is now likely the Sun Belt.
College Football Playoff Picture
With no games to react to yet, there’s not much data to put together for a College Football Playoff picture.
A strict interpretation of the current CFP odds would imply that the most likely playoff picture is Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Alabama, with USC and the presumed ACC champion trailing closely behind.
However, we know that Michigan and Ohio State will play each other, with at least one automatically eliminated from Big Ten title contention this year. The likelihood that both make the playoff for a second straight season is small.
If you’re willing to accept Alabama as a second SEC team out of the West, then we could have Georgia, Michigan/Ohio State, Alabama, and USC.
If you’re more inclined to throw out Alabama and assume four different entities are represented – this last happened in 2020, with a field of Alabama/Clemson/Ohio State/Notre Dame – then the odds say that the most likely group is Georgia, Michigan/Ohio State, USC, and Clemson/Florida State.
College Football Playoff Rankings
When the team rankings are released in November, I’ll keep the updated list here for your NCAA football betting convenience.
How To Bet on College Football Futures
College football betting doesn’t stop when the games end in January. You can bet on futures throughout the offseason!
As teams are holding spring practice, adding players from the transfer portal, and releasing depth charts, you can view updated online sports betting odds for a variety of markets, including national championship odds, win totals, and conference champion odds.
If you don’t have an account, register today with BetMGM’s welcome offer. Once you have an account, check for daily sports betting promos.
