2021 CFP National Championship Odds Tracker
- Track the College Football Playoff National Championship odds for every contending NCAA football program
- The title futures have been revised with the Big Ten back in the mix
- The graphs below only display odds that were posted when Big Ten teams were under consideration
The college football season may be short-lived, but betting on the next National Championship is open nearly all year.
This page tracks the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship odds, distilling an average from the futures at major online sports-betting sites.
National Championship Favorites
- Sep. 17: With Ohio State (and the rest of the Big Ten) inserting itself back into 2020 National Championship contention, Clemson and Alabama saw their odds fade slightly.
- Sep. 11: The National Championship odds are finally back up at multiple sportsbooks. The new data shows Clemson’s odds shortened from +225 to +169 after the Big Ten and Pac-12 opted out of the season.
- July 16: LSU didn’t stay in quadruple digits for long. The reigning champions improved from +1075 to +825 over the last month.
- June 17: There has been little change among the favorites, except that reigning champion LSU has dropped from +750 to +1075 since mid-April.
- May 9: The biggest movement of late saw Oregon (+2500) and Auburn (+2800) move into the top ten, bumping out Texas A&M (+3000) and Notre Dame (+3500)
- Mar. 13: CFP title futures are still up during the coronavirus pandemic; Clemson (+225) and Ohio State (+300) remain a tier above even Alabama (+450).
- Feb. 13: Texas A&M (+2800) and Penn State (+3300) both entered the top ten in the last update, while Auburn and Texas (both +4000) dropped out.
- Jan. 21: Travis Etienne’s return to Clemson has consolidated the Tigers’ status as 2021 title favorites.
- Jan 14: Though they were just trounced by LSU in the 2020 title game, the Clemson Tigers have opened as 2021 title favorites at almost every sportsbook, ranging from +225 to +250.
2021 CFP National Championship Odds (No Big Ten)
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Clemson | +200 |
| Ohio State | +250 |
| Alabama | +400 |
| Georgia | +1200 |
| Florida | +1800 |
| Oklahoma | +2000 |
| Penn State | +2800 |
| LSU | +3300 |
| Texas | +3300 |
| Notre Dame | +4000 |
Odds as of Sep. 17, 2020.
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
Thanks to Clemson, the ACC has won two of the last four National Championships, and has played in four of the last five.
With QB Trevor Lawrence entering just his junior season, the Tigers are early favorites to win the 2021 title.
Florida State also made an appearance in the playoff back in 2015, losing badly in the semifinal to Oregon.
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 is the only Power 5 conference to have never sent a team to the CFP National Championship.
Oklahoma has made the playoff four times, but lost in the semifinals each year.
Big Ten Conference
COME BACK IN 2021
The Big Ten is just one of three conferences that has won a CFP National Championship. Ohio State won the very first edition back in 2015.
The Buckeyes lost in the semifinals in both 2017 and 2020. Michigan State made an appearance in 2016, but were hammered 38-0 in the semifinal by Alabama.
PAC-12 Conference
COME BACK IN 2021
Oregon is responsible for the PAC-12’s only CFP National Championship appearance. The Ducks lost 42-20 in the very first edition.
Washington is the only team from the conference to make it back to the playoff since then.
Southeastern Conference (SEC)
The SEC is the only conference to ever send two teams to the same playoff. Both Alabama and Georgia were a part of the 2018 CFP, and actually met in the National Championship, as well.
G5 Conferences/Independents
Notre Dame made the 2019 CFP but was destroyed 30-3 by Clemson in the semifinal.
College Football Playoff Appearances & Records
| Team | # of Appearances | CFP Record | # of Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 5 | 6-3 | 2 |
| Clemson | 5 | 6-3 | 2 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 0-4 | 0 |
| Ohio State | 3 | 2-2 | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 | 1-1 | 0 |
| Oregon | 1 | 1-1 | 0 |
| Florida State | 1 | 0-1 | 0 |
| LSU | 1 | 2-0 | 1 |
| Michigan State | 1 | 0-1 | 0 |
| Washington | 1 | 0-1 | 0 |
| Notre Dame | 1 | 0-1 | 0 |
Table updated through 2020 CFP.
There are only six teams who have won a game in the College Football Playoffs, and both Alabama and Clemson have more CFP wins than the others combined. These two schools have simply dominated the CFP era.
No Independent or team from a Group 5 Conference has ever won a national championship in this time.
National Championships by Coach
| Coach (Current Team) | Number of National Titles |
|---|---|
| Nick Saban (Alabama) | 6 |
| Urban Meyer (Retired) | 3 |
| Dabo Swinney (Clemson) | 2 |
| Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M) | 1 |
| Les Miles (Kansas) | 1 |
| Mack Brown (North Carolina) | 1 |
| Ed Orgeron (LSU) | 1 |
There are only seven “active” coaches with national championship rings locked away (if we count recently retired Urban Meyer). Alabama head coach Nick Saban has twice as many as any other active coach.
