With the 2025-26 NCAA college football season fast approaching, we’ll take a look at the best values to win the national championship in January 2026. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college football odds around the national championship odds and make our expert college football picks and predictions.

Last season, college football expanded the playoffs to 12 teams with the Ohio State Buckeyes topping the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Jan. 20, 2025. It was the Buckeyes’ second CFP National Championship and their ninth national title.

With the new season just weeks away, let’s look at 2025the best futures bets. Will the Buckeyes repeat? Will the SEC rise back to the top of the college football world? Will there be a dark horse making the playoffs and going on a magical run?

Playoff scheduleFirst round — at higher seed — Dec. 19-20One game: Friday, Dec. 19Three games: Saturday, Dec. 20Quarterfinals — Dec. 31 and Jan. 1Cotton Bowl (Arlington, Texas): Wednesday, Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ETOrange Bowl (Miami Gardens): Thursday, Jan. 1, noon ETRose Bowl (Pasadena): Thursday, Jan. 1, 4 p.m. ETSugar Bowl (New Orleans): Thursday, Jan. 1, 7:30 p.m. ETSemifinals — Jan. 8-9Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Arizona): Thursday, Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m. ETPeach Bowl (Atlanta): Friday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. ETCFP National Championship — Monday, Jan. 19Miami Gardens, Hard Rock Stadium, 7:30 p.m. ET

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

2025-26 national championship odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Last updated Thursday, July 17, at 11:52 p.m. ET.

FavoritesTop contendersNext tier of contendersImagine the payoffYou never know?

For a full list, check out BetMGM Sportsbook.

National championship picks / best betsOHIO STATE BUCKEYES (+525)

How can you go wrong selecting the defending national champions? Ohio State lost to rival Michigan in its annual rivalry game in late November, but it snuck into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.

Before knocking off the Fighting Irish in the title game, the Buckeyes pounded the ninth-seeded Vols 42-17 in Columbus in the first round and dumped the No. 1 seed Ducks 41-21 in the Rose Bowl in a semifinal that really wasn’t close as OSU jumped out to a 34-0 lead late in the first half. In a semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, Ohio State outlasted fifth-seeded Texas 28-14, buoyed by a late strip-sack, fumble recovery and touchdown by LB Jack Sawyer.

The Buckeyes lost a good number of pieces after the season, including the aforementioned Sawyer, QB Will Howard, RB Quinshon Judkins and WR Emeka Egbuka to name a few. However, the future is bright with the likes of QB Julian Sayin, as well as budding superstar WR Jeremiah Smith, S Caleb Downs.

The team did lose offensive coordinator Chip Kelly (now Las Vegas Raiders OC) and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles (Penn State DC), too, but former NFL coach Matt Patricia joins as the new DC, and Tyler Bowen comes over from Virginia Tech to join the offensive coaching staff.

Ohio State kicks off the season with a rematch against Texas and new starting QB Arch Manning Aug. 30 in the ‘Shoe. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Buckeyes and Longhorns are ranked 1-2 when the US LBM Coaches Poll releases its preseason poll. We could learn a lot about the Buckeyes right off the bat. Trips to Washington (Sept. 27), Illinois (Oct. 11), Wisconsin (Oct. 18) and Michigan (Nov. 29) will be huge tests, too. Excluding a home game vs. Penn State (Nov. 1), the rest of the home schedule is rather soft.

GEORGIA BULLDOGS (+700)

Finishing 11-3 last season, the Bulldogs might have had a disappointing year by their standards, but don’t expect a hangover or nosedive. Georgia is still the premier program in the SEC.

Georgia needed overtime to beat Texas 22-19 in the 2025 SEC Championship Game, but it didn’t have starting QB Carson Beck in a 23-10 CFP quarterfinal loss as the No. 2 seed Bulldogs lost to the seventh-seeded Irish in the Sugar Bowl.

Coach Kirby Smart has been the man at the helm for the past decade, and he will have offensive coordinator Mike Bobo back, as well as Glenn Schumann as his DC. QB Gunner Stockton received some playing time in big situations when the now-departed Beck was out. It is Stockton’s show now with QBs Ryan Puglisi breathing down his neck, should Stockton falter.

Brothers WR Zachariah Branch and S Zion Branch transferred in from USC, while WR Noah Thomas joins the receiver ranks after 3 seasons with Texas A&M.

The non-conference schedule for UGA is a joke, facing Marshall, Austin Peay and Charlotte. An early trip to Tennessee in mid-September will give us a lot of information, but the rest of the road schedule is rather easy. Alabama (Sept. 27) and Texas (Nov. 15) do visit to play between the hedges, providing the biggest tests, as well as the annual neutral-site rivalry game in Jacksonville vs. Florida (Nov. 1).

MIAMI HURRICANES (+3000)

If you want to think a little outside of the box, consider Miami. Is the U back? We’ll see.

Beck transfers in from Georgia, putting off his NFL Draft for one more season of college ball. Ah, the good ‘ol NIL.

The Hurricanes jump right into it, and can get a huge boost before the calendar even turns to September. The ‘Canes host the Fighting Irish Aug. 31 at Hard Rock Stadium, so we could be staring at a high ranking with a victory in that opener.

The next test figures to be a visit from the rival Gators Sept. 20. The ‘Canes don’t leave South Florida until an Oct. 4 trip to Florida State. With 6 of its first 7 games at home and the contest at FSU, Miami doesn’t leave the Sunshine State until Nov. 1, a trip to SMU. The Hurricanes’ second trip outside of the state doesn’t come until Nov. 22 when they visit Virginia Tech — followed by a Nov. 29 regular-season finale in Pittsburgh.

Barring any injuries or major disappointments, Miami should be able to run through a very, very easy schedule. Watch out for Louisville Oct. 17 in a rivalry game on a Friday night, however. That could be a surprise danger spot.

Stream live college football games and full replays: Get ESPN+!

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow @danieledobish on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:

Alabama / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / College Sports Wire / High School / Recruiting