Who Is Favored to Win the College Football Championship in 2024?

The Georgia Bulldogs are the favorites to win the college football championship in 2024, with +320 NCAA football odds to win the championship. The Ohio State Buckeyes are not far behind at +350 odds, and the expanded playoff format has a whopping 9 teams with +2000 odds or shorter. 

The college football playoff has been expanded from a four team tournament to 12 teams. This has created added excitement for the college football regular season, as more teams will be battling for seeding in the rankings. The 12 teams participating in the playoffs will not necessarily be the top 12 ranked teams, as special consideration goes to conference winners and historically good football schools. You can read all about the brand new college football playoff format here.

2024 College Football Championship Odds

College Football Championship Expert Predictions and Team Breakdown

Georgia Bulldogs: +320

The Georgia Bulldogs have won back-to-back college football championships and are the favorites to make it three straight titles this year. As a result, 8 players were drafted into the NFL, including five selections in the first two rounds. The Georgia Bulldogs have lost a few of their key players, but they have a steady pipeline of top prospects to take their place. 

Quarterback Carson Beck is the expected first overall pick next year in the NFL, and Beck would love nothing more than to finish his amateur career with a championship. Beck has thrown for 680 yards, 7 touchdowns, and no interceptions through the first three games of the season, and he has only been sacked once. His backfield partner, running back Trevor Etienne, shook off his early suspension and has been a dominant force for the Bulldogs offense. 

Georgia got off to a red hot start this season, but a narrow 13-12 victory over lowly Kentucky saw them drop out of the top spot in the rankings. They are still the outright favorites to win the college football championship but will need another dominating win to reclaim top spot. Georgia has 9 games left on their schedule, and four of them are against Texas (#1), Alabama (#4), Ole Miss (#5), and Tennessee (#6). They’ll need to win at least three of those four tough matchups if they hope to hold onto a top four spot in the rankings and the first round bye that goes with it. 

Ohio State: +350

The Ohio State Buckeyes won the 2014 National Championship and have been a part of the playoffs in three of the last five seasons. Their high octane offense routinely leads them to massive victories, and this year appears to be no exception.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard has been phenomenal for them so far, but his competition hasn’t been anywhere close to the level he will see later this season. Ohio State won its first two games of the season by dominating score lines, 52-6 and then 56-0. While every victory gets them one step closer to a national championship, these +350 odds on Ohio State are speculative. 

Ohio State should cruise to another massive season with their soft schedule, but there are teams below them that have proven they can beat competent teams. Ohio State isn’t scheduled to face anyone inside the top 8, and has only four ranked matchups this season. If they lose even a single game, their chances at a crucial top four seed would evaporate. The +350 odds on Ohio State are way too short, and there is no upside in taking them at this stage of the season. 

Texas: +500

There is plenty of upside in a college football prediction on Texas to win the 2024 National Championship. They’ve already had a pair of dominating 50 point victories in the first two weeks, with a 19 point road victory against #18 Michigan sandwiched between the blowouts. 

The offense for Texas will always draw attention, but their defense will take them far this season. They’ve only allowed 19 points through the first three games, with an average of 245 yards of total offense allowed. Linebacker Anthony Hill has already amassed 22 tackles despite not playing the entire game during blowouts. 

Texas squares off against Georgia on October 19th, which is their only matchup against a team currently ranked in the top 14. If they can outlast the Georgia Bulldogs, Texas will put themselves in a great position to hold the top spot in the rankings. Even if Texas were to lose, an otherwise perfect season would see these college football championship odds plummet. Make a college football prediction on Texas to win the championship as soon as possible. 

Alabama: +900

Alabama will always be one of the top dogs in NCAA football, and this year is no different. They may not be quite as dominant as they once were, but they still have the talent needed to make a deep playoff run. 

Alabama has a dominant offense, but their lower-tier players’ lack of playing time is always a concern. A single injury could force Alabama to rotate in players who haven’t seen the field before. A fully healthy Alabama roster can undoubtedly win the college football championship, but a disjointed one cannot keep pace with the top teams. 

Five of their last nine games are against ranked teams inside the top 15, including a matchup against Georgia next week. There is a very real possibility that Alabama finishes the season ranked outside the top 4, which would greatly inflate these odds. A big win over Georgia would see them shoot up the rankings, but considering they will be in the +250 range to do so, there is far more upside in waiting until next week to make any Alabama football predictions.