College football season is quickly approaching, and it is time to start making futures bets. DraftKings Sportsbook has odds available on every team in the country to make the College Football Playoff. This is a look at the best bets to make for this market.
Odds to make the College Football Playoff
The 2024-25 college football season was the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Some aspects didn’t quite work, and one was already corrected this offseason with the new seeding format. However, it also generated some great games and allowed more teams and fan bases the chance to enjoy meaningful postseason action. The 2025-26 season should be even more exciting with the new seeding rules in place. It still gives different teams a chance to get into the CFP, but once they are in, the first-round matchups should be more even, which will trickle down to the following rounds.
Here is a look at the teams with the best odds to make the 2026 College Football Playoff:
There are 30 teams with 5/1 or better odds to make the CFP. The usual suspects like Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Oregon and Georgia lead the way. Clemson has the best odds of the teams from the ACC, Kansas State has the best odds out of the Big 12 and Boise State has the best odds to make it from the Group of Five. It should be another extremely competitive year in the SEC, as they have 10 teams in this group of 30. The Big Ten isn’t far behind, with seven teams from their conference on this list. Those two conferences dominate the current college football landscape, but teams like Clemson and Notre Dame are looking to attack the top dogs.
Here is a look at which teams the public is backing to make the CFP:
Top 5 highest ticket count:
- Texas 14.1%
- Georgia 12.5%
- Penn State 11.44%
- Ohio State 9.57%
- Clemson 8.24%
Top 5 highest handle percentage:
- Texas 20.35%
- Penn State 18.69%
- Ohio State 14.69%
- Clemson 14.51%
- Notre Dame 8.44%
The public is all-in on Arch Madness, backing Texas to make the CFP. Other than that, the usual suspects are getting plenty of love in the betting market.
In addition to the odds available on every team to make the College Football Playoff, DraftKings Sportsbook has yes/no odds for some of the top teams in the country. That way, you can not only bet on the teams that you think will make the CFP, but also fade the teams that you think will miss out.
Here are my favorite bets on the College Football Playoff market at DraftKings Sportsbook:
Ohio State/Penn State/Georgia/Clemson to Make the CFP Parlay (+252)
One of the best parts of the CFP market on DraftKings Sportsbook is that you can partly different teams to make the CFP. If there are a couple of teams that you feel confident in making the field but don’t want to lay the juice, you can parlay those teams. For me, these are the four teams I think have the best chance to make the CFP, barring any serious injuries. Ohio State and Penn State have the two best rosters in the Big Ten. They should both comfortably make it into the CFP with so much experience on those rosters. Drew Allar decided to return to Penn State for one more year, so they have great experience at quarterback. While Ohio State is replacing Will Howard, they might have the most talented player in the country on both sides of the ball with Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs.
Georgia had a bit of a down year in 2024-25, largely due to poor quarterback play from Carson Beck. Now, a down year for Georgia still saw them win the SEC. However, they weren’t quite at the National Championship level that they now expect every season. Georgia has a brutal schedule once again, but this season they get their three toughest games, Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss, all at home. They should still comfortably win ten or more games, which will get them back into the CFP. The final team of my parlay is Clemson. They didn’t have a great season in 2024-25 and still made the CFP as well. Clemson should improve next year with Cade Klubnik returning for another year at quarterback and the ACC will be even worse with Cam Ward off to the NFL. Clemson is deservedly the favorite to win the ACC and should be back in the CFP this season.
Texas to Miss the College Football Playoff (+250)
Texas made the College Football Playoff in 2025, coming up just short against the eventual National Champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Quinn Ewers is off to the NFL after making the CFP in back-to-back years, but many Texas fans feel more confident without Ewers. Despite his experience, some believed that Ewers was holding the team back. In steps Arch Manning, one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory. Of course, his family name weighs heavily on his back, but Manning has also shown flashes of great talent.
Arch Manning should be a great college quarterback and eventually an NFL one. However, Texas is playing a brutal schedule next season, with some inexperienced players expected to make big jumps. Manning is replacing Ewers at quarterback, but Texas has also had 22 total players drafted over the past two years. There are key positions on both sides of the ball being filled by players with minimal experience, and Texas travels to Ohio to take on the defending national champions in their first game of the season. That is a brutal first test for Arch Manning.
Texas will have the benefit of the committee acknowledging their tough strength of schedule, so they certainly could get into the CFP with three losses. However, last year the precedent was set that three losses won’t get you into the College Football Playoff if the committee can help it. Texas faces Ohio State, Florida and Georgia on the road next season, along with Oklahoma at a neutral site and Texas A&M at home. Not to mention games against Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Arkansas, where Texas could trip up if they don’t play their best game. Texas could easily lose three or more games with that schedule, making them a great bet to miss the CFP at odds of +250.
Illinois to Make the College Football Playoff (+500)
Illinois had a breakthrough 2024-25 season, spending most of the season inside the AP Top 25 and finishing 20th in the final CFP rankings. They ended up taking a bad loss against Minnesota late in the year, which ultimately kept them out of the College Football Playoff. However, winning nine games, including one over Michigan, was a turning point for the program. Quarterback Luke Altmyer is back for another year with the Illini and he could be one of the top quarterbacks in the country this season. They should have a great defense again and be a competitive team in the Big Ten.
Last season, Indiana was gifted one of the easier schedules in the Big Ten. They had a great team with a veteran quarterback and took advantage of their weak schedule, making the College Football Playoff. This season, Illinois could be that team. Of the top four teams in the Big Ten (Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Oregon), they only play Ohio State next year. Even if that game is chalked up as an automatic loss, Illinois could easily win its 11 other games. They could slip up in one of those games, like last year against Minnesota, but a 10-2 Big Ten team would be hard to leave out of the CFP, even if they don’t have a signature win. So, at 5/1 odds, it is worth a bet on the Illini to make the CFP.
