College Football Playoff: Odds Update, Future Bets & Key Insights | December 19, 2024

The College Football Playoffs are here, and the path to a championship is wide open. While the top four teams have their strengths, there are plenty of potential longshots like Notre Dame, Penn State, and Tennessee who could surprise. With the right matchups and some chaos in the mix, these teams could provide great value for future bets.

College Football Playoff Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, a longtime fixture among the top online sports betting sites. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then bag a big bonus (100% if your first deposit is with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency) to bet on College Football games.

• Texas (+350)
• Oregon (+365)
• Georgia (+500)
• Ohio State (+520)
• Penn State (+600)
• Notre Dame (+600)
• Tennessee (+2800)
• Boise State (+3300)
• SMU (+4000)
• Indiana (+4000)
• Clemson (+5000)
• Arizona State (+5000)

Get These Odds & Sign Up Bonus at BetOnline 

Where is the value?

It is all about the path to the final. Who has the best chance to win it all? I am out on the top four. I do not like their value or how they have been playing lately—especially Georgia and Texas. One team lost its starting quarterback, and the other does not even know who their starter should be.

That brings me to the two teams just outside the top four: Penn State and Notre Dame. Two teams I usually despise. One has a coach who never shows up when the lights are brightest, and the other has been the most fraudulent “good” team of the last three decades. Some would argue Notre Dame is the most privileged program in college football history.

However, both the Fighting Irish and the Nittany Lions have impressed me this year. I believe they have the potential to wreak havoc in this tournament, especially given the paths in front of them.

Notre Dame first needs to get past an Indiana team that has proven it is not ready to compete with the big dogs. After that, they would likely face a Carson Beck-less Georgia team, which still boasts the most battle-tested defense in the country. That game will show us if Notre Dame is truly legit. Beyond that, they would most likely meet Penn State—and by then, our bets might just hedge themselves.

To Win the College Football Championship: Penn State (+600) & Notre Dame (+600)

To Make the College Football Finals Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, a longtime fixture among the top online sports betting sites. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then bag a big bonus (100% if your first deposit is with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency) to bet on College Football games.

• Georgia (+155)
• Texas (+180)
• Oregon (+190)
• Penn State (+190)
• Ohio State (+280)
• Notre Dame (+350)
• Tennessee (+1400)
• Boise State (+1400)
• Indiana (+1400)
• Clemson (+1600)
• SMU (+1600)
• Arizona State (+1600)

Future Leans

All week, I have been trying not to oversell myself on Tennessee, but the odds for them to win it all and make the finals are intriguing. Their path to the semifinal seems very manageable for this Volunteers team. Ohio State’s quarterback, Will Howard, does not impress or intimidate me. He has consistently struggled in big games.

If Tennessee can get past Ohio State, their next challenge would be the number one team in the country, the Oregon Ducks. Oregon showed plenty of red flags on defense during the Big Ten Championship. If not for an early interception by their defense that led to a score, Oregon probably would have lost that game to Penn State.

If the stars align and Texas somehow gets knocked out by either Clemson or Arizona State, Tennessee could roll past either of those teams—especially if they are coming off a massive win over a team projected to win it all.

They are called longshots for a reason, but put a little something on the Vols.

To Make College Football Finals: Tennessee (+1400)

Interested in More Content?

Follow me on X @C_marchio2 for all of my picks and sports opinions!

Be sure to check out all things Betting News on X and Twitch!

While you are at it go get some merch at our Betting News Store!

In need of a sportsbook? Check out one of our favorites below and sign-up for a bonus!

Still Didn’t Get Your Football Fix?

Here at Betting News, we offer Free Expert Picks for every major sports league. We also host daily streams on our Twitch Channel with our best bets, as well as sweat out games on Playback! Be sure to tune into everything we have going on at our Youtube, TikTok, and X pages as well.

For more football action, check out these pages below.

• Pick & Odds for NCAAF
• NCAAF Betting Guide for Beginners

More Content