College Football Playoff Odds: Notre Dame, Alabama Among Favorites to Make Playoff Field in Early Projections
The college football season is upon us, and fans are asking many important questions about their favorite squads before kickoff. Will teams like Alabama find their way back to the College Football Playoff after stumbling a year ago? Are Ohio State and Penn State locks? What about the upside for Michigan and Miami? Peter Alexis examines the preseason College Football Playoff odds to see which blue bloods will make the 12-team field.
Peter Alexis - August 21, 2025, 10:45 AM EDT
6 Minute ReadCollege Football Playoff Odds: Notre Dame, Alabama Among Favorites to Make Playoff Field in Early Projections
The 2025 College Football season is set to kick off on Saturday afternoon in Dublin, and while it's only August, many contenders have their eyes set on the College Football Playoff as the only metric of success. For many elite programs, failing to make the 12-team field after spending millions in NIL turns the season into a massive failure.
For this analysis, we are skipping over teams with heavy odds to make or miss, and focusing on the main bubble zone as it currently appears on the odds board. Ohio State (-380), Penn State (-320), Texas (-320), Georgia (-260), and Oregon (-220) are all ahead of the pack currently, and don't need to be discussed unless they pick up an early loss as they are each expected to find their way into the postseason as of now.
While most of the powerhouse programs won't be playing this weekend, now's a great time to get in these playoff futures if you are confident in a team one way or another. There is always the NO option, if you want to fade a blue blood with inflated odds to not make the postseason as well. Let's take a look at the preseason College Football Playoff odds and see which teams the oddsmakers are favoring to make it.
Looking for advanced AI predictions and props to enhance your CFB betting? Try out oddschecker+ now on this limited time 7-day free trial!
College Football Playoff Odds
College Football Make the Playoff Odds
Alabama to Make the Playoff (-160) Click here to bet on Alabama at FanDuel
The Alabama Crimson Tide are favored to make it back to the College Football Playoff in the second year of Kalen DeBoer's tenure. They missed last season for only the third time in the history of the playoff, with Nick Saban carrying this team to eight appearances since the 2014 debut of the format.
These odds are interesting, with the Crimson Tide set at -200 on DraftKings but just -160 on FanDuel. Of course, they haven't even played a down yet, and it will fluctuate often throughout the season. They'll get the campaign underway on August 30th on the road against Florida State, which might have been a tougher game in years past. But the Seminoles have fallen from their perch, and Alabama is a -13.5 favorite here. Ty Simpson takes over as the quarterback following a below average year for Jalen Milroe.
Clemson to Make the Playoff (-200) Click here to bet on Clemson at DraftKings
As discussed in our Heisman article ahead of Week 0, the Clemson Tigers have a relatively easy path to the playoff, and that's why we find them at -200 odds to make the 12-team field. After the opening test with LSU, it's smooth sailing until a meeting with South Carolina at the end of the year. SMU could be a bit of a test, but won't be as powerful as last year.
Clemson will be favored in potentially every game this season, starting with a 3.5-point advantage over LSU in Week 1. Keep an eye on a veteran Cade Klubnik and the Tigers to run the table in the ACC without too much difficulty.
Notre Dame to Make the Playoff (-180) Click here to bet on Notre Dame at FanDuel
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are hungry for revenge after falling short in the National Championship a year ago. Jeremiyah Love returns in the backfield, expected to be one of the premier running backs in the country. The defense will be one of the best in the nation
The Irish will begin the season as a -2.5 favorite on the road against the Miami Hurricanes. They'll have another battle against the No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies in Week 2, and a bit of a test against the Boise State Broncos in early October. Other than that, the schedule is pretty weak and favorable. They only need to prove themselves in the first few games and cruise to something like an 11-1 or maybe even undefeated regular season with a likely top-4 seed in the playoffs.
LSU to Make the Playoff (+110) Click here to bet on LSU at DraftKings
LSU is seeing some surprising playoff odds here at +110. While Garrett Nussmeier can light up the statsheet, with over 4,000 yards last season, this team might not be well-rounded or well-coached enough to find themselves in the field. They lost four games a year ago, and there is room for at least three losses on the schedule this season, which would likely disqualify them.
The SEC is stacked once again, and with six ranked matchups out of 12 games, the margin for error is extremely low. Four of their first six games are ranked, and they could find themselves as underdogs in most of them. +110 is definitely not a buy, but you could reconsider the Tigers if they can get through the first few games without racking up losses.
Miami to Make the Playoff (+170) Click here to bet on Miami at DraftKings
The Miami Hurricanes open the season against Notre Dame, and if they can pull that initial upset, we'll see them as major favorites to make the playoff. They avoid Clemson in the regular season, and Carson Beck could lead this team on a cakewalk to the ACC Championship. The other major tests on the schedule are against No. 15 Florida later in September, and No. 16 SMU later in the season. The Canes don't have to leave the state of Florida until November, so they'll have solid travel arrangements and plenty of time to build chemistry if they are going to put together a playoff-caliber team.
Michigan to Make the Playoff (+210) Click here to bet on Michigan at FanDuel
The Michigan Wolverines finally wrapped up the sign-stealing scandal that swirled around the program for the last few years. Sherrone Moore is in his second full season as head coach, and brings 5-star freshman Bryce Underwood into the fold at quarterback. The entire campaign hinges on him adapting quick to the Division 1 speed of the game. He won't have much time, a date with No. 18 Oklahoma looms on September 6th.
They don't have a ton of ranked matchups on the schedule overall though, at least as compared with the SEC. They avoid Penn State this season, but will have rivalry clashes with Michigan State and No. 3 Ohio State later in the year. Late September on the road in Lincoln, Nebraska against Matt Rhule and Dylan Raiola will be a grit fest as well. Because of all of the questions and changes at Michigan, I wouldn't recommend a playoff wager on them, but the schedule is somewhat favorable if they can get the engine rolling early.
More College Football Odds
Affiliate Disclosure.
We are not a gambling or betting operator, but we receive a commission from these companies when we advertise their brands and refer customers to them (affiliate marketing). We provide information, odds information and links to websites of these companies. Some of the information made available on our site may be positioned as a result of a commission paid to us by a third party. We do not take or place bets/transactions and any information on Our Products is provided for entertainment purposes only.
