2021 CFP National Championship Odds Tracker
- Track the College Football Playoff National Championship odds for every contending NCAA football program
- Alabama is the new chalk after Clemson lost to Notre Dame (in double-OT without Trevor Lawrence)
- The graphs below have been limited to data collected when Big Ten teams were under consideration; all but the first data point also includes the Pac-12
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
- Nov. 30: Ohio State’s inability to take the field in Week 13 (due to COVID) led to their national championship odds fading from +224 to +413.
- Nov. 25: Not much change after last week. Alabama (+142), Ohio State (+224), and Clemson (+321) continue to sit well ahead of secondary contenders like Florida (+1100) and Notre Dame (+1400).
- Nov. 16: Alabama (+163), Ohio State (+263), and Clemson (+313) are still heavily favored over the rest of the field, but Florida (+1050) has seen its odds improve two-fold in the last three weeks.
- Nov. 9: With Trevor Lawrence sidelined for a second straight week, Clemson fell 47-40 (2OT) to Notre Dame. But their title odds only fell from +188 to +313. Oddsmakers still expect Dabo Swinney to win the ACC title once Lawrence returns.
- Nov. 2: Clemson barely eked out a win over Boston College (34-28) with Trevor Lawrence sidelined by COVID. Their odds fell from +140 to +188. They remain the chalk, but Alabama (+200) is on their heels.
- Oct. 26: Ohio State held serve in its opener against Nebraska (52-17) and saw its odds improve modestly from +300 to +292.
- Oct. 18: Despite getting shutout in the second half of a 41-24 loss to Alabama, Georgia (+1400) still has the fourth-best odds to win the title. But the gap between UGA and the top three – Clemson (+135), Alabama (+300), Ohio State (+300) – is growing.
- Oct. 11: Florida’s loss at Texas A&M dropped its odds from +1333 to +2300. Miami also fell hard, fading from +5000 to +13333 after Clemson handed the Hurricanes a 41-17 beatdown.
- Oct. 5: Oklahoma (+8200) has tumbled out of the top ten after a second loss in as many weeks. Alabama’s rout of Texas A&M moved them into second at +283, ahead of still-idle Ohio State (+293).
- 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
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Alabama | +134 |
| Clemson | +252 |
| Ohio State | +413 |
| Florida | +663 |
| Notre Dame | +1400 |
| Cincinnati | +1975 |
| Northwestern | +3900 |
| BYU | +11375 |
| Oklahoma | +11667 |
| Texas A&M | +12400 |
Odds as of Nov. 30th, 2020.
ACC Contenders
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 Contenders
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 Contenders
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 Contenders
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.
SEC Contenders
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.
Group of Five Contenders
Notre Dame made the 2019 CFP but was destroyed 30-3 by Clemson in the semifinal. In 2020, they are playing in the ACC.
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.
