College Football: From Favorites to Longshots, 4 National Championship Futures Bets

(Editor’s note: This article is from The Spun by Athlon Sports’ 2025 Football Betting Guide — the perfect preseason reference companion for new bettors or sharps alike. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.)

The days of a consensus, runaway national championship favorite in college football are over — at least for now.

As bettors and fans, we grew accustomed to seeing bluebloods like Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and Ohio State regularly top the preseason betting boards at very short prices. However, that’s all changed with college football’s new landscape.

The expanded College Football Playoff, NIL contracts, the transfer portal — all of it helped usher in a much more unpredictable time in the sport. Which in turn has provided some terrific betting opportunities in the futures market that just weren’t there in recent eras.

With those opportunities front of mind, we’ve plucked our favorite National Championship futures from each section of the betting board.

Tier I: Favorites (20/1 or shorter)

Clemson (14/1)

The Tigers return the most offensive production in the nation, and the heart of that production is quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Cade Klubnik. Clemson’s schedule is more than manageable, and Dabo Swinney’s squad gets an opportunity to make an immediate (and loud) statement in Week 1 when LSU visits Death Valley.

Tier II: Contenders (between 20/1 and 40/1)

Texas A&M (37/1)

There are a handful of trendy national championship contenders in this price range, but Texas A&M stands out as the best bet. The Aggies return 71% of their production from 2024 (including every offensive starter) and will be in Year 2 of the Mike Elko era. A lot of folks were bullish on what Elko could accomplish in College Station, and there’s no reason to jump off that bandwagon for 2025. Residing in the SEC, Texas A&M’s schedule is brutal. But that shouldn’t make the Aggies a throwaway in the national championship picture — remember, Alabama nearly got into the 12-team tournament last year with three losses.

Tier III: Sleepers (between 40/1 and 100/1)

Florida (40/1, ESPN Bet)

There really aren’t many viable candidates beyond the previous tier. That said, it’s hard to resist taking a shot with the Gators after what we saw in 2024. Billy Napier’s team finished 8-5 overall and 4-4 in the SEC, which is quite a feat considering the schedule included a non-conference clash with Miami, and SEC road games against top-10 opponents Tennessee, Georgia and Texas.

The Gators have a potential star under center with DJ Lagway, and he’s got plenty of weapons to work with after Napier made a couple of key acquisitions in the portal. Another tough schedule awaits, but there’s enough upside to roll the dice on the Gators at a juicy national title price.

Tier IV: Longshot (100/1 or longer)

Utah (100/1)

This is a terrific buy-low opportunity on a team that was picked to win the Big 12 each of the past two seasons, only to go a combined 13-12 and burn Utah backers in the process. With new offensive coordinator Jason Beck and quarterback Devon Dampier both coming over from New Mexico, there is reason to believe the Utes can reverse their underachieving ways. Regardless, this team has a higher ceiling than the futures market suggests, even if the price has come down considerably from opening odds as high as 200/1.