2026 CFP National Championship Odds: Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas Lead Tight Pack of Title Favorites as AP Poll Releases
The 2026 college football season opens with Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Oregon, Georgia and defending champion Indiana tightly packed at the top of the national championship market. With the 12-team College Football Playoff remaining in place, which contenders have the roster and schedule to survive the regular season and make a run to Las Vegas? Check out the latest college football national championship odds and outlook for the 2026 season.
Peter Alexis - August 17, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
5 Minute ReadBig Ten Features Three of Top Six Title Contenders with Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon Leading as First AP Top 25 Poll Releases
Ohio State enters the 2026 season as the +600 national championship favorite, with Notre Dame +650, Texas +750 and Oregon +800 close behind. Georgia and defending champion Indiana are both +900, while Miami +1200 and LSU +2000 round out the top eight teams in the market.
There is little separation among the leading contenders, and nearly every favorite faces multiple games that could reshape its playoff path. The expanded field provides some margin for error, but difficult conference schedules, quarterback development and several early marquee matchups will quickly determine which teams have a realistic path to the national championship.
2026 CFP National Championship Odds
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2026 CFP National Championship Odds Breakdown
Ohio State Buckeyes (+600) Check out these best odds at bet365 Sportsbook
Ohio State went 12-2 last season, losing 13-10 to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game before Miami eliminated the Buckeyes 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal. The offense remains loaded with Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Bo Jackson, giving Ohio State one of the best collections of returning skill talent in the country.
Sayin is +1300 to win the Heisman after throwing for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns, while Smith is +1500 after another dominant season at receiver. Ohio State opens against Ball State before visiting Texas, and the schedule later includes road games at Indiana and USC, Oregon at home and Michigan to close the regular season. The playoff format provides some protection, but the Buckeyes cannot afford to lose several of those marquee games and still expect a favorable championship path.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+650) Check out these best odds at bet365 Sportsbook
Notre Dame finished 10-2 last season after overcoming an 0-2 start with 10 consecutive victories, but the Fighting Irish still missed the College Football Playoff. C.J. Carr returns at quarterback alongside Jordan Faison, while Boubacar Traore, Drayk Bowen and Leonard Moore give the defense established talent.
Carr enters the year as the +750 Heisman favorite after throwing for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns. Notre Dame gets an immediate test against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, then has road games against BYU and other difficult opponents before Miami visits South Bend in November. Without a conference championship available, the Irish need to build a strong enough regular-season résumé to comfortably finish inside the playoff field.
Texas Longhorns (+750) Check out these best odds at bet365 Sportsbook
Texas went 10-3 and missed the playoff last season before finishing with a 41-27 Citrus Bowl victory over Michigan. Arch Manning returns after throwing for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 10 rushing scores, and the Longhorns surround him with high-end talent including Cam Coleman and Colin Simmons.
Manning is +800 to win the Heisman, giving Texas one of the leading candidates in the individual market as well. The Longhorns open against Texas State before hosting Ohio State in Week 2, then face Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU and Texas A&M later in the season. Texas has championship-level talent, but it will have to navigate one of the most difficult collections of marquee games in the country.
Oregon Ducks (+800) Check out these best odds at DraftKings Sportsbook
Oregon went 13-2 and reached the College Football Playoff semifinal before Indiana ended its season with a 56-22 Peach Bowl victory. Dante Moore returns after completing 71.8% of his passes for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns, while Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill help give the Ducks another deep offense.
Moore is +1200 to win the Heisman and has a legitimate chance to become the centerpiece of Oregon's championship push. The Ducks open against Boise State, visit USC in September and later face a defining November stretch with a trip to Ohio State followed by Michigan at home. Oregon has consistently recruited at a championship level under Dan Lanning, but it still needs to prove it can beat the very best teams when the postseason stakes are highest.
Georgia Bulldogs (+900) Check out these best odds at BetMGM Sportsbook
Georgia finished 12-2, won the SEC Championship and earned a playoff bye before Ole Miss eliminated the Bulldogs 39-34 in the Sugar Bowl. Gunner Stockton returns after throwing for 2,894 yards and 24 touchdowns, while Nate Frazier leads the backfield and KJ Bolden, Ellis Robinson IV and Elijah Griffin headline another talented defense.
Stockton is +2000 in the Heisman market, considerably longer than several quarterbacks attached to the other leading championship contenders. Georgia opens with Tennessee State and Western Kentucky before SEC play brings games against Oklahoma, Alabama and Ole Miss. The Bulldogs remain deep enough to win another title, but avoiding multiple conference losses would make their path through the playoff considerably easier.
Indiana Hoosiers (+900) Check out these best odds at DraftKings Sportsbook
Indiana enters as the defending national champion after completing a perfect 16-0 season with a 27-21 victory over Miami. Fernando Mendoza is gone, but TCU transfer Josh Hoover takes over after throwing for 9,629 yards and 71 touchdowns in his college career, with Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh among the top weapons around him.
Hoover is +1600 to win the Heisman as he attempts to follow Mendoza's award-winning season. Indiana opens with North Texas before a manageable early nonconference stretch, but the schedule becomes much more difficult when Ohio State visits Bloomington and the Hoosiers travel to Michigan immediately afterward. Repeating a perfect season is unrealistic to expect, but surviving that stretch with no more than one loss could keep Indiana firmly in the championship picture.
Miami Hurricanes (+1200) Check out these best odds at bet365 Sportsbook
Miami won a school-record 13 games and reached the national championship before falling 27-21 to Indiana. Carson Beck has departed, but former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah arrives after throwing for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns, while Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher Jr. give the Hurricanes proven offensive playmakers.
Mensah is +1150 to win the Heisman, while Toney is +3800 after catching 109 passes for 1,211 yards as a freshman. Miami opens ACC play at Stanford and later faces Clemson, Florida State and Notre Dame. The ACC schedule gives the Hurricanes a potentially cleaner route than many SEC or Big Ten contenders, but they still have to prove last year's playoff run can be sustained with a new quarterback.
LSU Tigers (+2000) Check out these best odds at bet365 Sportsbook
LSU finished just 7-6 last season, closing with a 38-35 Texas Bowl loss to Houston, but the program enters 2026 with a dramatically different outlook. Lane Kiffin takes over as head coach, while former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt joins an upgraded roster featuring Eugene Wilson III, Trey'Dez Green, Whit Weeks, DJ Pickett and Princewill Umanmielen.
Leavitt is +2200 in the Heisman market and could quickly elevate LSU if Kiffin's offense clicks. The Tigers open against Clemson before facing Ole Miss and Texas A&M in September, while November brings Alabama, Texas and Tennessee. LSU has enough talent to become one of the season's biggest risers, but its schedule leaves almost no room for an extended adjustment period under the new coaching staff.
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