The 2024 College Football Playoffs begin Friday, December 20 with a first-round matchup between Indiana and Notre Dame at 8:00 p.m. ET. As of this writing, there are a pair of teams co-favored to win the College Football National Championship.
Texas, Oregon Co-Favored to win National Championship
According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Longhorns and Ducks have the same odds to win the college football playoff national championship at +360. This, despite Texas not winning the SEC championship and being forced to play in the first round. The ‘Horns will square off against Clemson on Saturday, December 21 in the CFP first-round. Texas is currently an 11-point favorite.
As for the Ducks, they’re off until New Year’s Day when they’ll face the winner of the Ohio State-Tennessee first-round matchup. Oregon hosted Ohio State in the regular season, narrowly surviving the Buckeyes, 32-31.
Georgia, Ohio State & Penn State Next-Best
SEC champ Georgia is +500 to win the national championship, as are the aforementioned Buckeyes. Penn State, which lost to Oregon in a shootout in the Big Ten Championship Game, is +550 to win the national title.
The Bulldogs have the No. 2 seed and awaits the winner of the No. 7 Notre Dame versus No. 10 Indiana first-round matchup. That game will also be held on New Year’s Day at 8:45 p.m. ET in the Sugar Bowl.
As for the Buckeyes, they’ll host the Volunteers on Saturday, December 21 in Columbus, OH. Ohio State, which costs itself an opportunity to play for the Big Ten title because of an ugly loss to Michigan in its final regular season game, is a 7.5-point favorite over Tennessee. As previously mentioned, the winner will take on Oregon in the second round.
Finally, Penn State drew SMU in the first round. The Nittany Lions are 8.5-point home favorites against the Mustangs, who lost in the closing seconds to Clemson in the ACC title game. Despite the loss, the college football playoff committee decided to put SMU into the playoff field.
Notre Dame, which is +700 to win the national championship, will host Indiana in the first-round of the playoffs. The Fighting Irish will advance to the second round to play Georgia if they post a win against the Hoosiers. Notre Dame is currently a 7.5-point favorite.
The National Championship Longshots
Tennessee is a +2500 long shot to win the national championship, although the Vols’ odds are better than a handful of teams. SMU and Indiana are +4000 to win the national title, respectively, while Arizona State, Clemson and Boise State are +6000 to win it all.
What’s noteworthy is that Boise State has a bye in the first round and will host Penn State or SMU on Tuesday, December 31 in the Fiesta Bowl. I would have to imagine the Broncos will be an underdog against the Nittany Lions in the second round, provided PSU gets past the Mustangs.
College Football National Championship Odds
Texas +360
Oregon +360
Georgia +500
Ohio State +500
Penn State +500
Notre Dame +700
Tennessee +2500
SMU +4000
Indiana +4000
Arizona State +6000
Clemson +6000
Boise State +6000