How to Bet on College Football Playoff Futures: Betting Trends, Historical Results for CFP Futures

Betting on College Football Playoff futures is nothing new but under the new CFP format, it’s become bigger and much more exciting.

The 12-team playoff, introduced in 2024, expanded not just the field but the number of futures bets you can make at your favorite college football betting apps.

This guide will cover those futures bets, including where you can find the best value and trends that emerging.

2026-27 CFP Futures Odds

Big Ten teams have won the last three national titles and both of the expanded College Football Playoff tournaments, so it’s not surprise they’re at the top of odds for the next title.

Here are the latest CFP Futures odds for the 2026-27 tournament:

Types of CFP Futures Bets

College Football Playoff futures are a branch of college football futures, which is a branch of college football betting, in general.

The front page of a college football odds section is going to show you the upcoming games, with moneylines, point spreads, totals, player props, parlays, same game parlays, etc. When you click into the futures section, you’ll find CFP futures.

Betting on the college football championship might be the most popular CFP futures bet, but it’s not the only thing you’ll find at your favorite online sports betting app.

Here’s an example of the CFP futures markets available at DraftKings as the 2026 season approaches:

• CFP National Championship Winner
• To Make the College Football Playoff
• Make the Playoff Y/N
• Number of Teams from X Conference in CFP (Over/Under)
• College Football Playoff No. 1 Seed

As the season progresses, you can expect to see more college football playoff odds pop up, including advancement to the CFP semifinals or final, and CFP Final exactas – bets on the two teams to make the final and winner.

When to Make College Football Playoff Futures Bets

Picking a team to win a title prior to the season is equal parts skill and luck. Sure, you can identify who the most talented team is, but there’s plenty you can’t account for prior to the teams taking the field.

So yes, that’s when you typically can get the best odds for elite teams, but it’s hard to do. Here are some strategies for the timing of your CFP futures bets.

Take Advantage of Temporary Dips in Performance

The expansion of the CFP does allow more opportunities to find favorable odds on the team you think is going to win it all.

Under the previous four-team system, teams couldn’t really afford to have a dip in performance and still earn a playoff spot. One loss could seriously dent your hopes, and a second was almost always disqualifying.

Miami had a disastrous middle of the season in 2025, and looked like it would be on the outside looking in all the way until the final rankings release. The Hurricanes not only got in, but made a run to the final. While a futures bet on them winning it all wouldn’t have won, the cash out option could have been pretty sizable had you bought the dip.

Indiana, meanwhile, had no dip during its season, but carried +10000 odds heading into the year. It wasn’t until it won the Big Ten conference championship that people truly took Indiana seriously, and its national championship odds became in line with a favorite.

See the Field First Before Making CFP Championship Bets

The CFP is a grind, and the potential road to the final could be just as important as who is actually the best team.

Indiana was the No. 1 seed in the 2025-26 Playoff, and rolled into the title game with wins over No. 9 Alabama and No. 5 Oregon. But the year before, the top seed was given zero favors.

In the 2024-25 Playoff, the Ducks were the 1 seed, but had a potential date with Ohio State in the quarterfinals – a team they defeated in a thriller at home earlier in the season.

Bettors who had placed their wagers prior to the bracket announcement were likely not excited about that prospect, and they were proven right as OSU won the rematch in a laugher.

Target ‘Make the Playoff’ Bets Over Championship Futures in Preseason

Odds to make the CFP aren’t going to pay out nearly as much as championship futures, but if you’re trying to win your bets, they’re a much more practical preseason option.

You won’t find value in the big names here. Oregon, for instance, is -325 to make the CFP at BetMGM. But if you are targeting a top 15-ish team, or even a smaller conference team, this could be the way to go.

Perhaps you think Lane Kiffin is going to have immediate success at LSU? If so, you can get the Tigers to make the CFP at +155.

Alternatively, you can also pick against a team to make the CFP. Concerned Indiana might fall off? You can get the Hoosiers to not make the playoff at +250.

College Football Playoff Futures Betting Trends

The debut of the 12-team playoff in the 2024-25 season makes it a little difficult to parse betting trends, as things are now very different. But we are seeing some things hold, and others change.

The SEC’s CFP Dominance is Dwindling

Is two years a trend? It’s tough to say, but each of the past three seasons the CFP National Championship Game was not only won by a non-SEC school, but didn’t even include one.

Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan have all won the title out of the Big Ten, while their opponents came from the ACC (Miami), Independent (Notre Dame) and Pac 12 (Washington). Prior to that, at least one SEC team had played for the title in eight straight seasons, winning six of those.

That’s 60% of the CFP champions in the four-team era coming from one conference. They also had 10 of the 20 finalists.

There are plenty of theories (NIL, Transfer Portal, a blip that will get corrected), but we’re clearly beyond the days of just expecting the SEC to turn out the nation’s top team.

Power Conference Schools Have Dominated the CFP

March Madness this is not, at least not yet. Non Power 5 schools found it almost impossible to crack into the four-team playoff, as only Cincinnati was able to do so from a Group of 5 conference.

One bid is promised to the Group of 5 in the current format, and Tulane claimed it a year ago. The Green Wave were seeded 11th and blown out 41-10 in the opening round against Ole Miss.

So, in 12 years of the CFP, one in a 12-team format where a bid is guaranteed, non-Power 5 schools have three entries and zero wins.

While it feels like there’s more parity at the top of the mountain, that has yet to fully roll downhill.

Look Toward Top of Preseason Odds Board, But Not the Top

If you’re looking to pick a champion in the preseason, you probably don’t want to scroll past the top three – at least on odds boards.

In seven of the past 10 years, the eventual champion had at least the third best odds in the country in the preseason. The only exceptions are Indiana in 2025-26 (24th) Michigan in 2023-24 (fourth) and LSU in 2019-20 (ninth).

Indiana kind of broke the mold, but that LSU team, which featured Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson and is considered one of the most dominant of all-time, is really the only true preseason longshot (other than IU) to win in the past decade, with odds of +3300. And that’s LSU!

Three might be the magic number, as that’s the most common preseason placement for eventual champions (four) in the past 10 years, followed by second (three).

Alabama’s 2018-19 title is the only one to come from a team that was the preseason favorite.