Who will win the College Football Playoff? Odds, picks, predictions for the 2025 CFP bracket

After weeks of anticipation, the 2025 College Football Playoff bracket was revealed Sunday afternoon. Although several teams earned bids as expected, there were some surprises. Most notably, the committee still gave a bid to Alabama, despite finishing with three losses and losing 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC title game. 

The other big surprise was 10-2 Notre Dame getting left out. Although the committee had been ranking the Irish ahead of the Canes in the five polls leading up to Sunday, the two teams swapped places and Miami earned a bid despite neither team playing on championship weekend. 

Now that the field is set, let's take a look at which teams have the best odds to win the 2025 CFP. We'll break down each team in the field, as well. 

MORE: Bill Bender's expert picks for 2025 CFP bracket

2025 CFP Odds

Odds via DraftKings. 

Who will win the 2025 College Football Playoff? 

Indiana earned the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket, after an impressive 13-10 victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. But outside of the Hoosiers, there are several other talented teams capable of making a run. No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia, and No. 4 Texas Tech will also have first-round byes. 

Four other teams will host first-round games, including No. 5 Oregon. No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 8 Oklahoma. The last four teams in No. 9 Alabama, No. 10 Miami, No. 11 Tulane and No. 12 JMU can also make surprise runs, but they have to play the first round on the road. 

Bill Bender's latest predictions has Georgia winning it all, defeating Indiana in the national title game. 

DECOURCY: After a month of nonsense, committee got field right

Top four seeds

No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers  (+250)

For the second year in a row, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has proved the Hoosiers are for real. But it's clear that this Indiana team has cemented itself as one of the best teams in the country, with a statement 13-10 victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. 

The next step for the Hoosiers appears to be winning a playoff game. Last year, Indiana's dream season ended with a disappointing 27-17 loss against Notre Dame in the playoff, in a game that wasn't as close as the final score leads you to believe. But Indiana appears to be a much more dangerous team in 2025. The Hoosiers outscored opponents 542-141 this season, and have had impressive road victories over Iowa, Oregon and Penn State. 

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been the key to unlocking Indiana's offense. He is on pace for a career-best season, throwing for 2,980 yards with 33 touchdowns and six interceptions.

The Hoosiers have the talent and resolve to make a deep playoff run, and have the added benefit of being the No. 1 overall seed with a first-round bye.

MORE: Ranking the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff

No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (+240)

The Buckeyes had to replace most of its national-title winning roster from last season, as well as both offensive and defensive coordinators. Instead of having a down year, the Buckeyes look even better than last season. Although OSU losing to Indiana in the Big Ten title game was a disappointment, the Buckeyes are having a huge season.

For starters, the Buckeyes outscored teams 444-93 in the regular season, and the defense is allowing 8.2 points per game, which leads the nation. Julian Sayin has been flawless in his first season as a starter, living up to his former 5-star rating as a recruit. He's thrown for 3,323 yards with 31 touchdowns and just six interceptions on the year. He has a multitude of weapons around him too, in receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, and running back Bo Jackson doesn't look like a true freshman. 

The big question for OSU is can the Buckeyes repeat and rebound from the Big Ten title loss? Just two teams in the last three decades have repeated as national champions—Alabama in 2011 and 2012, and Georgia in 2021 and 2022. But neither of those teams had to go through a 12-team playoff. 

No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (+600)

Death, taxes and Georgia in the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs have now made the playoff five times, including in 2017, 2021, 2022 and last season. The blueprint for the Dawgs remains the same as years past–a dominant defense paired with a balanced offense. 

At quarterback, Kirby Smart has been able to find diamonds in the rough, turning lesser-known names like Stetson Bennett and Gunner Stockton into household names. Stockton, who made his first-ever career start last year against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, has improved this season. He's thrown for 2,691 yards with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. He's been able to contribute to Georgia's ground game as well. He is third on the team in rushing yards with 403 with eight scores. 

Georgia's defense looked dominant against Alabama in the SEC title game, holding the Tide to 209 yards of offense and just -3 rushing yards. The Dawgs get a first-round bye, and will play the winner of No. 11 Tulane and No. 6 Ole Miss. 

No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders (+800)

The Texas Tech Raiders had an outstanding year, finishing 12-1 and champions of the Big 12. The Red Raiders won their first Big 12 title in school history with a 34-7 win over BYU in the Big 12 championship game. The Red Raiders beat BYU for the second time this season. 

Now, Tech can add a first-ever CFP bid to its outstanding resume from 2025. It's an impressive year for fourth-year head coach Joey McGuire. Tech has the No. 3 scoring offense in the nation, putting up 42.5 points per game. Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton has been playing lights out all season, and he hasn't thrown an interception since Nov. 1 against Kansas State. 

Texas Tech's defense is equally impressive, ranking third in the nation behind Indiana and Ohio State in scoring defense. The Red Raiders allow just 11.3 points per game. With a team as balanced as Tech is, the Red Raiders could be a dangerous team in the 12-team field.

Troy Wayrynen/USA TODAY Network

Teams that will host playoff games

No. 5 Oregon Ducks (+750) 

Oregon is looking to avenge its poor showing in last year's playoff. Last season, the Ducks finished a perfect 13-0, and cruised to the playoff with a Big Ten title game victory and first-round bye. But Ohio State dismantled the Ducks in the Rose Bowl, winning 41-21. 

The Ducks have reloaded well so far this season, with their lone loss coming to Indiana at home. Oregon sophomore quarterback Dante Moore has been great all season, throwing for 2,733 yards and 24 touchdowns with just six interceptions. The Ducks also boast a top-20 rushing offense, led by a trio of backs in Noah Whittington, Jordan Davison and Dierre Hill Jr.

Defensively, the Ducks rank fourth in the nation in total defense, allowing just 251 yards per game. With Oregon's No. 5 seed, the Ducks should be heavily favored in the first round, hosting the No. 12 seeded James Madison Dukes. Aside from Oregon's 30-20 loss to Indiana, Oregon has been playing quite well at home this season.

No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels (+2500)

Ole Miss enters this playoff hoping to block out the noise surrounding it as a program. Now that the drama surrounding Lane Kiffin's departure from Ole Miss is seemingly over, the Rebels have to game-plan without Kiffin for the first time ever. 

The school wasted no time naming defensive coordinator Pete Golding as the new permanent head coach. He will be helped by Charlie Weis Jr. Calling the plays as he splits time between his new LSU gig to do so. 

That's important for Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who is having a phenomenal season. He's thrown for 3,016 yards with 18 touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing for another 470 with six scores on the ground. The Rebel run game is led by Kewan Lacy, who has 1,279 yards with 20 touchdowns as just a sophomore. 

The big question for Ole Miss is if it can move on from losing its head coach weeks before hosting a playoff game for the first time ever. Ole Miss and Golding will undoubtedly want to prove it's just as good a team without Kiffin. The good news for Ole Miss? The Rebels beat Tulane 45-10 in Week 4 earlier in the season, so Ole Miss should be heavily favored.   

No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies (+1800)

Texas A&M would have played in Saturday's SEC Championship game, but losing 27-17 to Texas prevented that. Luckily, the Aggies' 11-1 finish still gave A&M its first-ever playoff bid in school history, set to take on No. 10 Miami at home. 

The Aggies are led on offense by quarterback Marcel Reed, who's thrown for 2,932 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the season. He's also second on the team in rushing, with 466 yards with six touchdowns. Reed has a pair of talented receivers in KC Concepcion and Maro Craver, who have combined for 109 receptions for 1,711 yards and 13 touchdowns. 

A&M losing to Texas—its biggest rival by a mile—no question adds a sour taste for Aggie fans to what has been a dream season in College Station. But the loss to Texas just might have been the wakeup call A&M needed heading into the playoff. 

No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners (+5500)

You have to tip your cap to head coach Brent Venables for the job he's done in Norman this season. Although it appeared he was on the hot seat entering this year after two 6-7 finishes over three seasons, he's brought Oklahoma back to the CFP for the first time since the 2019-20 season. 

The 10-2 Sooners also successfully knocked off Alabama two years in a row, with their only other loss coming to Texas.

Oklahoma has a top-10 scoring and total defense this year, but the offense has gotten a boost thanks to quarterback John Mateer. The former Washington State quarterback has thrown for 2,578 yards with 12 touchdowns this year, adding 416 with seven scores on the ground.  He threw three interceptions against LSU in the last week of the regular season, so he'll have to take care of the football if the Sooners want to make a deep run.   

Now, the Sooners have a chance to beat the Tide for a third time in roughly one calendar year.

The last four teams in 

No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide (+2500)

Alabama was a bit of a surprise to earn a bid. Despite an abysmal performance against Georgia in the SEC title game, losing 28-7 and finishing with -3 rushing yards, the Tide are in as the No. 9 seed. 

The committee clearly saw merit in Alabama playing in the SEC title game. Also a factor was likely the Tide's impressive strength of record and schedule, both ranked inside ESPN's FPI Top-10. 

Alabama's opponent for the first round? The Oklahoma Sooners, who could beat the Tide for the third time in just over a year. Oklahoma defeated Alabama 24-3 last season in Norman, and beat the Tide 23-21 in Tuscaloosa in mid-November. If Alabama wants to prove its worthy of being in the playoff, defeating Oklahoma is a great first step. Quarterback Ty Simpson will look to rebound after throwing an interception and getting sacked five times against the Dawgs.

No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (+2500)

Heading into conference championship weekend, Miami was expected to be one of the last few teams out. When BYU lost and was dropped (unlike Alabama), Miami and Notre Dame were next to each other in the rankings, and the committee decided to flip them. 

CFP chairman Hunter Yurachek stated on Sunday afternoon that the committee re-watched the Week 1 game between Miami and Notre Dame, and that apparently was a factor in the decision.

This 2025 Miami team appears to be one of the most talented that Mario Cristobal has had in Coral Gables. Quarterback Carson Beck has been playing quite well in recent weeks, and his go-to-receiver Malachai Toney is an electric playmaker. Defensively, Miami allows just 13.8 points per game, good for sixth nationally. The Canes will be eager to prove they are worthy of a spot over Notre Dame, and could make a deep playoff run to do just that. 

MORE: Rece Davis grills CFP chair Hunter Yurachek over Miami/Notre Dame 

No. 11 Tulane Mean Green (+60000)

Tip your cap to Tulane, who looked squarely in line to earn a historic first CFP bid in school history. All that was left for Tulane to do was win the AAC conference title game, which it did, defeating North Texas handily 34-21. 

Although Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall has already accepted the Florida head coaching job, he will coach his team through its playoff run. It'll be interesting to see how he balances both jobs, but the first round not kicking off until a couple weeks from now should help. 

The Green Wave has a ton of familiarity with Ole Miss, having lost 45-10 in Oxford earlier this season. The Green Wave will get a chance to avenge that loss on college football's biggest stage.

No. 12 James Madison Dukes (+50000) 

Thanks to the five-loss Duke Blue Devils winning the ACC Championship Game, the committee awarded two playoff spots to Group of Five schools. One of those is JMU, who finished 12-1 and Sun Belt champions. 

The Dukes will have a chance to prove they deserve to be in the 12-team field going on the road to play the No. 5 seed Oregon Ducks. Autzen Stadium is obviously a tough environment for any team, let alone one making its first-ever playoff appearance. 

For JMU to have a shot at pulling off an upset, it will need quarterback Alonza Barnett III to have a big day. He's thrown for 2,533 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions on the season, along with 544 yards and 14 scores on the ground.  

College Football Playoff schedule 2025

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