Ohio State is fresh off a national title, and the Buckeyes are already favored to win another one. OSU is the favorite to win next year’s national championship with +450 odds on BetMGM, ahead of Texas and Georgia, which are both listed at +650.
The Buckeyes will lose a lot from this year’s team, including quarterback Will Howard, leading rusher TreVeyon Henderson, stalwart wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and a number of standouts from the loaded defense, including leading tackler Cody Simon and top pass rushers Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau. Of course, it’s Ohio State, so there’s always more talent. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith became a star as a freshman and will enter 2025 as arguably the best receiver in the country, alongside Carnell Tate, who was a threat as a No. 3 wide receiver this season. Quinshon Judkins should return as the main running back.
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The biggest question will be quarterback. Howard has used up his eligibility, and freshman Air Noland and junior Devin Brown both entered the transfer portal. The Buckeyes haven’t added a quarterback in the portal yet, which leaves Julian Sayin, a five-star in the Class of 2024, and Tavien St. Clair, a five-star incoming freshman, as the presumptive contenders for the starting job.
A team with a question mark, and likely first-year starter, at quarterback as the national title favorite sounds unusual, but it is a sign of the lack of confidence in the other contenders. Texas has plenty of pedigree at quarterback in Arch Manning, but next season will also be his first as the No. 1 quarterback. Manning was used regularly as the backup and filled in for Quinn Ewers, who declared for the NFL Draft last week, for a pair of starts this season when Ewers was injured, but he last threw a pass in a game on Nov. 9.
Georgia will also have a new starter at quarterback after Carson Beck transferred to Miami. Gunner Stockton, who started in the quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame after Beck got hurt in the SEC Championship Game, is the presumed starter. Stockton would be another first-year starter. On top of that, running back Trevor Etienne is headed for the NFL Draft.
Next in the odds is Oregon (+700). The Ducks will have, you guessed it, a new starting quarterback. With Heisman contender Dillon Gabriel gone, Oregon could at least have some experience at the position with Dante Moore, a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, waiting in the wings. Moore started for UCLA in 2023, tallying 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions before transferring to Oregon last offseason.
Penn State is the fifth team on the betting board at +850 and the first one on the board to have a returning starting quarterback. Drew Allar is coming back, along with stud running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, giving the Nittany Lions one of the best-returning cores in the sport. There is a lot to like about Penn State, especially after seeing Michigan and Ohio State win titles with many potential NFL prospects staying for another year. However, James Franklin still needs to prove he can guide the Nittany Lions to wins against elite programs.
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As for Notre Dame, which just lost to Ohio State in the national title game, Marcus Freeman’s team has +1200 odds. Continuing the theme, ND’s starting quarterback Riley Leonard is also departing.
Then there’s Alabama (+1600), which loses Jalen Milroe and is coming off its first sub-10-win season since Nick Saban’s first year in charge of the Crimson Tide. The default optimism in Alabama football has already lessened, although there’s still plenty of talent on Kalen DeBoer’s roster, including wide receiver Ryan Williams.
With these seven teams at the top of the odds, it starts to make sense that Ohio State is the default favorite, even after losing so much talent. It could be another wide-open season in college football with so many of the traditional powers facing major questions at key positions.
2025-26 national title odds
(Photo of Ryan Day: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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