This season dawns a new era of college football on multiple fronts. Not only did conference realignment shake up the landscape of the sport but it’ll mark the beginning of the expanded 12-team playoff format. This comes after 10 years of the playoff being a four-team field. Oh, and the transfer portal along with NIL deals continue to make waves as there’s more player movement than ever. With all of that being said, 2024-25 has the potential to be one of the most interesting seasons in history. Now with 12 teams taking part in the playoff, there will be more programs trying to compete and win the National Championship. Ahead of the season, it’s time to take a look at exactly who those teams might be.
*via FanDuel (as of 8/20)
2024-25 College Football National Championship Odds
Georgia (+280)
Over the last three seasons, Georgia went 32-2 and that includes winning back-to-back National Championships in 2021-2022. Last season, Georgia went undefeated heading into the SEC Championship Game but lost to Alabama. Despite that one loss, they were excluded from the College Football Playoff. Because of that, the Bulldogs will have a chip on their shoulder in 2024 and that’s dangerous.
Heisman Trophy favorite Carson Beck returns at quarterback to throw to a deep receiving core and added Florida transfer running back Trevor Etienne, which brings even more explosiveness to this offense. Georgia also returns four starters on the offensive line, which is HUGE.
While the offense has promise, we know Georgia is known for fielding the best defenses in college football. In 2023, they ranked ninth in the nation in total defense and first in the SEC. This season, they should be ranked towards the top yet again. The Dawgs return the majority of their front six, led by a potential top pick in Mykel Williams. The linebacker group is loaded with talent and while the secondary may be the biggest question with losing a few bodies, the ceiling of the talent that will be fielded is through the roof. Georgia has been the best team in the country for the past few years and it doesn’t seem like it’ll change under Kirby Smart in 2024.
Ohio State (+400)
Right behind Georgia heading into the upcoming season is Ohio State. They missed the College Football Playoff last year after finishing 11-2 and getting beat by rival Michigan for the third consecutive year. The Buckeyes’ defense was one of the best in the country. The limitations came from the offensive side of the ball with Kyle McCord at quarterback, even with the luxury of throwing the ball to Marvin Harrison Jr. every Saturday.
Before Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl game against Missouri, McCord announced that he would enter the transfer portal. Fast forward to now, and former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard was named the starter for the Buckeyes. While he won’t have Harrison Jr. to throw to, “Wide Receiver U” never fails to produce talent. This year, the position will be led by Emeka Egbuka in what will be one of the best groups in the country, which also adds true freshman and number-one prospect Jeremiah Smith. Ohio State also brings in Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, who will contribute to what’s expected to be a fun and improved offense under new coordinator Chip Kelly.
The defense got a notable transfer to their unit as well with former Alabama safety Caleb Downs coming over to Ohio State after being named an All-American in 2023. He’s a huge addition to that safety room that maybe needed another body. Now they get an elite one. Downs is surrounded by a lot of talent, making the Buckeye defense even more dangerous. Along with Georgia, Ohio State has the most talented roster in college football and Ryan Day has a chance to lead his team to a National Championship this season.
Oregon (+650)
Oregon enters its first season in the Big Ten conference, coming over from the Pac-12 after going 12-2 last season. They’ve won a total of 53 games over the last five seasons (excluding 2020) and have had a great resume of playing in big bowl games and conference championships. However, the one thing that has always eluded them during their stretch of great play over that time is the College Football Playoff. In fact, Oregon has only had one playoff appearance and that was when the format was introduced in 2014. That happened to be the season that they went to the National Championship but lost to Ohio State. Oregon has been close since then to returning to the playoff but no cigar.
They enter the season ranked number three, suggesting that this year might be their best shot, but they now play in a superior conference in the Big Ten. Oregon might’ve lost a few notable pieces on offense, including Bo Nix, but the offense looks to be just fine on paper heading into the season. They landed former Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the transfer portal as well as wide receiver Evan Stewart from Texas A&M. Oregon has a few receivers that can have this passing attack up there with last year’s. The duo of Jordan James and Noah Whittingham could be one of the most underrated duos heading into the campaign. This offense still has the potential to put up numbers, it’s the defense that will be the deciding factor in whether Oregon will be a player.
While Oregon’s defense was the best scoring defense in the Pac-12 last year, there’s a lot of turnover on that side of the ball in 2024. They did however land some high-upside transfers that could be just what this team needs. The run defense looks to be solid and the linebacker group is good, the Ducks just need the pass defense to show their potential with the talent they have. I don’t know if the Ducks win the Big Ten but they certainly can be in the conversation until the end. With the playoff field expanded to 12 teams, they have a better shot at that as well.
Texas (+850)
Playing in the SEC will be the toughest test Texas has ever had but it seems like they will be well equipped to excel. Before they went 12-2 last season and made the College Football Playoff, they didn’t strike you as SEC material. Since 2009, they’ve only tallied two 10-win seasons (2018, 2023). Before last season, they were always penciled into being anywhere from a six-win team to a nine-win team. The start to the Steve Sarkisian era wasn’t pretty as they finished with just five wins in 2021 but they improved to eight wins in 2022 and then 12 wins just last year that included a trip to the College Football Playoff.
Last year’s version of Texas is what everyone expects them to be heading into the SEC, maybe even better. They have a Heisman favorite under center in Quinn Ewers, who enters his third year starting. He has the experience needed throwing to a new group of receivers as four of his top targets from 2023 are gone. The Longhorns added four notable receivers, including Isaiah Bond of Alabama. Texas also has a very talented and deep offensive line. Not all is good news on offense as projected starter C.J. Baxter suffered a season-ending injury but behind this offensive line, Jaydon Blue will be very much capable of carrying the load.
On the defense side, replacing T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy won’t be easy up front but with the returning players and adding talented transfers, the run game should be great once again. There are a couple of questions as you get deeper into the defense, which isn’t ideal heading into the SEC, but the pass rush has good potential and the secondary can make plays. With this Sarkisian-led offense, Texas has a good chance at getting back to the playoff and winning it all.
Next Best Odds:
Alabama (+1400)
Ole Miss (+1400)
LSU (+1800)
Notre Dame (+1800)
Penn State (+2000)
Florida State (+3000)
Michigan (+3000)
Tennessee (+3500)
Missouri (+4000)
Texas A&M (+4000)
Main Image: Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
