How to Bet on the College Football Playoff: Betting Trends and Historical CFP Results

The College Football Playoff got a massive makeover before the 2024 season, and for college football bettors that meant more opportunities to get in on the CFP action.

Now entering Year 3 of the 12-team format, betting on the College Football Playoff is as popular as ever, and top-rated online sportsbooks are offering a wide range of odds and markets.

This college football betting guide will cover the basics of betting on the CFP, diving into emerging trends and the best tools to inform your college football wagers.

Types of Bets to Make on the College Football Playoff

Betting on the College Football Playoff is a lot like betting on any other football game, at least when it comes to the actual games. Here’s what would be available to you at college football betting apps for wagering on individual CFP games:

• Moneyline: The most straightfoward type of NCAAF odds, as you simply pick the winner.
• CFP Point Spread Betting: Picking a team to win or lose by a specific margin. For example, Indiana was a 7.5-point favorite heading into the 2026 National Championship game, meaning it needed to win by eight or more to cover the spread. The Hoosiers won 27-21, so while they took home the trophy, it was Miami that actually covered the spread.
• Over/Under (Total): Betting on the combined final score of the game to be higher or lower than a given number. The total in Indiana vs. Miami was 47.5, and 48 points were score, so the Over won. Barely.
• Prop Bets: Betting on specific events to happen during the course of the game. These can be team props, such as Over/Under 200.5 total passing yards for Indiana. More popular are player props, such as Malachi Toney Over/Under 4.5 receptions. College player props are not available in all states, though.
• Parlays: Combine bets from the markets above to create a parlay, or same game parlay. All of the bets will need to win for your parlay to cash, so these come with longer odds and higher potential payouts.
• Live Betting: Place bets on basically any of the above markets while the game is going on. Live betting on college football is a great way to make more informed wagers, as you have real game information to draw from.

Betting on CFP Futures

The CFP does offer bettors a much bigger futures betting menu, thanks to it being multiple rounds. When betting on College Football Playoff futures, here are the college football odds you will find at different points of the season:

• To Win CFP
• To Make CFP Semifinals
• To Make CFP Quarterfinals
• To Make the CFP
• CFP Exactas (picking both title game participants, and the winner)

College Football Playoff Betting Trends

It’s tough to pick out trends with a playoff format that’s only been around for two years, but here’s a look at how things have shook out early:

• In 2024-25, home teams were 4-0 ATS in Round 1, but they were just 1-3 ATS in 2025-26
• Teams that did not have a bye are 6-2 ATS in Round 2, and 7-1 overall.

Seeding rules have changed since Year 1, as conference champions aren’t guaranteed top seeds, but road teams are just 2-6 overall through two years. The bye does seem to be a thing, with only Indiana in 2025-26 surviving the quarterfinals after getting to sit through the first round. To this point, that’s made it a good place to target underdogs.

It’s way too early to really call these results a trend, but it’s something to keep an eye on moving forward as you peruse College Football Playoff odds.

Best Tools for CFP Betting

Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings were big on Indiana heading into the playoffs, but so was everyone else. Still, that is the gold standard for college football ranking systems, and one oddsmakers are often very near with their betting lines.

SP+ is behind the ESPN+ paywall, but if you follow Connelly on X or Bluesky, he posts the system’s weekly picks for free.

FEI, or the Fremeau Efficiency Index, is a free advanced statistical look at college football. It was 8-3 ATS in Year 1 of the CFP and 6-5 in Year 2.

All-Time College Football Playoff Results

The first year of the CFP was 2014-15, with Ohio State shocking the country and winning it all. It was the Buckeyes who won in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, as well. Here’s a look the history of the CFP, including results ATS.

2014-15 CFP Results

Final: Ohio State 42, Oregon 20 (OSU +5.5)

Semifinals: Oregon 59, Florida State 20 (OU -7.5); Ohio State 42, Alabama 35 (OSU +7.5)

2015-16 CFP Results

Final: Alabama 45, Clemson 40 (CL +6.5)

Semifinals: Clemson 37, Oklahoma 17 (CL +4); Alabama 38, Michigan State 0 (UA -10)

2016-17 CFP Results

Final: Clemson 35, Alabama 31 (CL +6.5)

Semifinals: Alabama 24, Washington 7 (UA -13); Clemson 31, Ohio State 0 (CL +1)

2017-18 CFP Results

Final: Alabama 26, Georgia 23 OT (UGA +3.5)

Semifinals: Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48 2OT (UGA -2.5); Alabama 24, Clemson 6 (UA -3.5)

2018-19 CFP Results

Final: Clemson 44, Alabama 16 (CL +5)

Semifinals: Clemson 30, Notre Dame 3 (CL -10.5); Alabama 45, Oklahoma 34 (OK -14.5)

2019-20 CFP Results

Final: LSU 42, Clemson 25 (LSU -4.5)

Semifinals: LSU 63, Oklahoma 28 (LSU 12.5); Clemson 29, Ohio State 23 (CL -2.5)

2020-21 CFP Results

Final: Alabama 52, Ohio State 24 (UA -9.5)

Semifinals: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14 (ND +19); Ohio State 49, Clemson 28 (OSU +7)

2021-22 CFP Results

Final: Georgia 33, Alabama 18 (UGA -3)

Semifinals: Alabama 27, Cincinnati 6 (UA -13); Georgia 34, Michigan 11 (UGA -7.5)

2022-23 CFP Results

Final: Georgia 65, TCU 7 (UGA -13.5)

Semifinals: TCU 51, Michigan 45 (TCU +7.5); Georgia 42, Ohio State 41 (OSU +5.5)

2023-24 CFP Results

Final: Michigan 34, Washington 13 (UM -5.5)

Semifinals: Michigan 27, Alabama 20 OT (UM -2); Washington 37, Texas 31 (UW +3.5)

2024-25 CFP Results

Final: Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 23 (OSU -8.5)

Semifinals: Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24 (ND +1); Ohio State 28, Texas 14 (OSU -5.5)

Quarterfinals: Penn State 31, Boise State 14 (PSU -11.5); Texas 39, Arizona State 31 2OT (ASU +13.5); Ohio State 41, Oregon 21 (OSU -2.5); Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10 (ND -1)

First Round: Notre Dame 27, Indiana 17 (ND -7); Penn State 38, SMU 10 (PSU -9); Texas 38, Clemson 24 (Texas -13.5); Ohio State 42, Tennessee 17 (OSU -7.5)

2025-26 CFP Results

Final: Indiana 27, Miami 21 (MIA +7.5)

Semifinals: Indiana 56, Oregon 22 (IND -3.5); Miami 31, Ole Miss 27 (MIA -3.5)

Quarterfinals: Ole Miss 39, Georgia 34 (MISS +6); Indiana 38, Alabama 3 (IND -7.5); Miami 24, Ohio State 14 (MIA +7.5); Oregon 23, Texas Tech 0 (ORE +1)

First Round: Alabama 34, Oklahoma 24 (ALA +2.5); Ole Miss 41, Tulane 10 (MISS -16.5); Oregon 51, James Madison 34 (JMU +20.5); Miami 10, Texas A&M 3 (MIA +3)