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 2 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 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: Simply pick the winner.
• CFP Spread Betting: Picking a team to win or lose by a specific margin. For example, Ohio State was an 8.5-point favorite in the national title game against Notre Dame and won 34-23, covering that spread, as it won by more than 8.5 points. Had Notre Dame won or lost by less than 8.5, it would have covered.
• Over/Under (Total): Betting on the combined final score of the game to be higher or lower than a given number. The total in Ohio State vs. Notre Dame was 45.5, and there were 57 total points scored, so the Over won.
• Prop Bets: Betting on specific events to happen during the course of the game. These can be team props, such as Over/Under 185.5 total rushing yards for Notre Dame. More popular are player props, such as Jeremiah Smith Over/Under 4.5 receptions. College player props are not available in all states, though.
• 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 menu, thanks to it being multiple rounds. When betting on College Football Playoff futures, here’s what 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 a year, but there were two that majorly stood out in Year 1 of the 12-team playoff:

• Home teams were 4-0 ATS in Round 1
• Teams that did not have a bye were 3-1 ATS in Round 2

Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas all won relatively easily in the opening round of the 2024-25 CFP, and covered the spread despite all being favored by a TD or more.

All four then closed as favorites in the quarterfinals, with all but Texas covering. The Longhorns were 13.5-point favorites, but needed overtime to knock off Arizona State.

The first-round results are not all that surprising, as seeds 5-8 figure to be among the toughest outs each year. But those quarterfinal results were a bit surprising, considering the only team with a bye to cover was ASU, the No. 4 seed.

It’s way too early to really call these results a trend, but it’s something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Best Tools for CFP Betting

Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings had Ohio State No. 1 heading into the 2024 postseason, this despite the fact the Buckeyes were the No. 8 seed in the CFP and had just suffered an embarrassing defeat against rival Michigan.

Well, computers don’t care about embarrassment, so his stuck with the Buckeyes and were proven correct.

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, and it had an incredible 2024 CFP. While it didn’t have Ohio State as the top-ranked team heading into the postseason, it did go 8-3 against the spread with its playoff game projections.

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. 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)