College Football Playoff Betting Guide & Odds Tracker: Oklahoma-Alabama Rematch Highlights First Round

By Bill Speros Dec 8th, 2025 4:44 PM EST

Welcome to "Playoffuary." The College Football Playoff begins on Dec. 19 and ends with the national championship game a month later, on Jan. 19. Follow our College Football Playoff Betting Guide & Odds Tracker for all the latest news and analysis.

The final College Football Playoff poll dropped on Sunday. Indiana nabbed the No. 1 spot after its Big Ten Championship win over Ohio State. It marked the Hoosiers' first conference title since 1967 and their win over the Buckeyes in 31 tries. Of the 12 teams that made the cut, 11 of them were trading as high as 94% on Kalshi ahead of the great unveil. The big surprise was the inclusion of Miami over Notre Dame. Both teams finished 10-2, but the Hurricanes opened their season with a 27-24 win over the Irish at Hard Rock Stadium.

Here’s the current College Football Playoff Betting Guide & Odds Tracker breakdown for you to use at the best sports betting apps.

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College Football Playoff Final Top 12

Here are the Final College Football Playoff Rankings, with each team ranked by its national championship odds at DraftKings and its overall record.

RANK	TEAM	TITLE ODDS	RECORD
1	Ohio State	+240	10-0
2	Indiana	+250	11-0
3	Georgia	+600	9-1
4	Oregon	+750	11-1
5	Texas Tech	+800	10-1
6	Texas A&M	+1800	11-1
7	Alabama	+2500	10-3
8	Ole Miss	+2500	11-1
9	Miami (FL)	+2500	10-2
10	Oklahoma	+5500	10-2
11	James Madison	+50000	12-1
12	Tulane	+60000	11-2

What Is The 2025-26 College Football Playoff Schedule?

Here's the breakdown of the College Football Playoff Schedule for the 2025-26 season.

The 12-team playoff begins with an SEC matchup between Alabama and Oklahoma on Friday, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN. First-round action continues with a triple header on Saturday, Dec. 20. ABC/ ESPN will broadcast the Miami-Texas A&M game at 12 p.m. ET, while TNT airs games at 3:30 p.m. (Tulane at Ole Miss) and 7:30 p.m. ET (James Madison at Oregon). Check the College Football Playoff Betting Guide before you wager responsibly on the best sports betting apps.

ESPN will broadcast the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the National Championship Game on Jan. 19, set for Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

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College Football Playoff Opening Round Best Bets

Here are the current odds and NCAAF picks for the opening round playoff games in our College Football Playoff Betting Guide & Odds Tracker:

Friday, Nov. 19
(9) Alabama at (8) Oklahoma, 8 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)

Buzz: Oklahoma won at Alabama 23-21 on Nov. 15. The Sooners scored 17 points off 3 turnovers. Kalen DeBoer and Ty Simpson got trucked by Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday. The Tide rolled over against Georgia's fierce defense. The Tide slipped into the final 12 despite a "what happened" loss at Florida State in August. Alabama posted a perfect record on the road during the SEC regular season - beating Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina, and Auburn. The Sooners' defense balances an ability to pressure the QB and protect against the big play. Think "Dollar Store Georgia." The Sooners rank in the 80s in FBS when it comes to the important nerdy red zone stuff on offense. And their offense has been generally terrible. (Alabama hasn't been much better in the past month.) John Mateer hasn't been 100% all season - especially when it comes to throwing downfield. Alabama (7-4-2 ATS) has gone under the point total in 5 straight games and in 9 of its past 10 games. This time, the Tide limits those turnovers and keeps OU out of the end zone when it matters. The under here seems way too obvious, so we'll lean toward the over and a close Alabama win.

Best Bet: Alabama ML (-120) Hard Rock Bet via OddsJam 
Best Bet: Over 40.5 Points (-110) FanDuel via OddsJam 

Saturday, Dec. 20
(10) Miami at (7) Texas A&M, 12 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)

Buzz: The Miami Hurricanes slipped under the trip wire to snag the final non-conference championship spot in our College Football Playoff Betting Guide & Odds Tracker. Notre Dame was -1000 to make the playoff before Sunday's announcement. Both Miami and ND were 10-2, but the Committee chose Miami due to its 27-24 win over ND in August. Miami found balance this season. The Hurricanes' defense has allowed 12 or fewer points, while their offense has scored 34 or more points 7 times apiece this season. But Miami's shown a tendency to tighten up in close games, never mind road games in Texas (see a 26-20 OT loss at SMU). In that game, Miami eschewed a potential game-winning kick and instead opted for OT. Texas A&M stretches opponents on offense and defense. The Aggies may be the most balanced team West of Bloomington. Miami won't be able to keep up, and TAMU's defense will leave Carson Beck wishing he had never left Athens. The issues that slowed Texas A&M will be sidelined after a long break. At least for this one.

Best Bet: Texas A&M -3.5 Hard Rock Bet via OddsJam 

(11) Tulane at (6) Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. (TNT)

Buzz: Ole Miss dominated Tulane from the jump in Oxford on Sept. 22. That 45-10 win came under Lane Kiffin. Now it's Lane Who? The Rebels play their first game since Kiffin jumped to LSU after winning the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss players wanted Kiffin's replacement to come from inside the house - and they got it. New Ole Miss coach Pete Golding ran Kiffin's defense. The Playoff Committee did the right thing by not penalizing the Rebels for the actions of their former coach. Ole Miss' defense should control the pace of this game and contain the usual high-scoring American Conference champion Green Wave by pressuring QB Jake Retzlaff. If Golding can mimic Kiffin's aggressive play calling - especially on 4th down - the Rebels mirror that September blowout. But don't expect Ole Miss to empty its playbook with Georgia up next in the Sugar Bowl. Tulane coach Jon Sumrall will be on his way to Gainesville by the time the 4th quarter starts.

Best Bet: Under 56.5 Points Fan Duel via OddsJam 

(12) James Madison at (5) Oregon, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)

Buzz: Put up your Dukes. The Sun Belt Conference did just that. James Madison's first College Football Playoff run has a "one-and-done" but "back-door cover" sort of feel. A road game in the Great Northwest at nightfall on a chilly December Saturday at Autzen Stadium does not offer the best possible setting for a team used to playing in front of sparse crowds on warm Southern fall afternoons. The Dukes offer compelling numbers on the stat sheet. But the depth of talent doesn't make it out of the kiddie pool when compared to Oregon. JMU's defense does keep things tight early. But the weakest of the two "Group of 5" teams in the playoff will leave Notre Dame and Texas fans fuming as they fail to offer much of a game in the second half. The Dukes are 4-5 ATS in their past 9 games, while Oregon is 6-3. Still, in these first-round games, you won't get the same sort of blowout one might expect during the regular season. Oregon needs to ice the win, run the clock, and move on to Texas A&M.

Best Bet: JMU +20.5 (-104) Fan Duel via OddsJam 

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How To Earn A College Football Playoff Berth?

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee chooses the 12 teams that make the playoff. Committee membership consists of one member each from the 10 FBS conferences, and the University of Notre Dame.

The four highest-ranked conference champions earn the 1-4 seeds and a first-round bye. The remaining teams, including the fifth conference champion, get seeded 5-12 based on their final ranking.

No specific formula exists to determine the 12 playoff berths. Committee members are free to use whatever data they choose. Among the factors considered are strength of schedule, head-to-head results against common opponents, and conference championships won. The Power 4 Conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) play their conference championship games on Saturday, Dec. 6.

One spot among the 12 teams is set aside for the best “Group of 5” school. The “Group of 5” berth goes to the team determined to be the best from the American, CUSA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt. This year, that team is likely to be Memphis.

Changes This Season In The College Football Playoff

This season, the CFB Playoff eliminated the automatic first-round bye for the four best conference champions. Now, the teams will be seeded based on their overall quality, with the best conference champion not making the top four, getting the 5^th spot overall.

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How Is The College Football Playoff Schedule Determined?

The No. 5-12 teams play in a first round with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds on campus. The selection committee assigns the top four conference champions to Playoff Quarterfinals hosted by bowls. The committee considers historic bowl relationships and then rankings when assigning those games.

The two Playoff Semifinals will be played in bowl games, and a national championship game will be played in a different city every year, always on a Monday night.

Do Any Teams Automatically Qualify For The College Football Playoff?

No. The Committee evaluates each FBS team on performance. (Unless it’s Notre Dame. Then it gets in no matter what.)

Where Will The National Championship Game Be Played?

Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, will play host to the 2026 National Championship Game on Jan. 19. Future national championship games take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (2027), Caesars Superdome in New Orleans (2028), and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa (2029)

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About the Author

Bill Speros

More About Bill

Bill Speros is an award-winning journalist and editor whose career includes stops at USA Today Sports Network / Golfweek, Cox Media, ESPN, Orlando Sentinel and Denver Post.

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