College Football Playoff Betting Guide & Odds Tracker: Ohio State, Indiana Own Top Seeds In Poll

By Bill Speros Nov 7th, 2025 2:18 PM EST

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 first College Football Playoff poll dropped Tuesday night. The top four teams in this week's playoff poll are (1) Ohio State, (2) Indiana, (3) Texas A&M and (4) Alabama. Meanwhile, both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll have the same Top 10 teams this week in the same order.

Here’s the current College Football Playoff Betting Guide & Odds Tracker breakdown. The next poll comes out on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

College Football Playoff Poll - Week 10 Edition

Here's the latest College Football Playoff Poll, with team each's rank, national championship odds, and overall record.

RANK	TEAM	ODDS	RECORD
1	Ohio State	+220	8-0
2	Indiana	+500	9-0
3	Texas A&M	+900	8-0
4	Alabama	+700	7-1
5	Georgia	+1100	7-1
6	Ole Miss	+1700	8-1
7	BYU	+12000	8-0
8	Texas Tech	+2000	8-1
9	Oregon	+1000	7-1
10	Notre Dame	+1000	6-2
11	Texas	+3000	7-2
12	Oklahoma	+6000	7-2
13	Utah	+13000	7-2
14	Virginia	+40000	8-1
15	Louisville	+9000	7-1
16	Vanderbilt	+7500	7-2
17	Georgia Tech	+18000	8-1
18	Miami (FL)	+6000	6-2
19	USC	+10000	6-2
20	Iowa	+30000	6-2
21	Michigan	+10000	7-2
22	Missouri	+20000	6-2
23	Washington	+40000	6-2
24	Pittsburgh	+30000	7-2
25	Tennessee	+35000	6-3

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 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 first game at 12 p.m. ET, while TNT airs games at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. ET, respectively. Each of these four first-round games will be played on campuses to be announced on Selection Day, December 7.

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

College Football Playoff Projected Spreads - Opening Round

Official betting lines on the CFB Playoff games will be set once the final poll comes out in December. Here are the current projected matchups with our hypothetical betting lines (set with help from several sports betting sites) for the opening round playoff games in our College Football Playoff Betting Guide & Odds Tracker:

No. 12 Memphis at No. 5 Georgia
Georgia (-12.5)

Buzz: The Bulldogs carry a double-digit line at home against Memphis, the best “Group of 5” entry. No doubt SEC commissioner Greg Sankey must be left wondering why the Bulldogs pulled the American Conference entry Tigers. Kirby Smart and the ‘Dawgs let up in the 2^nd half, but Memphis’ high-octane offense could be a good cover.

No. 11 Virginia at No. 6 Ole Miss
Ole Miss (-9.5)

Buzz: Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin may well be on his way to Gainesville or Baton Rouge after this season. First things first. The Rebels represent the SEC against another non-conference foe. Kiffin’s stock rises with each playoff win. Virginia’s soft-serve schedule propped up Tony Elliott’s team all season in the rankings. That ends here. All aboard the Lane Train for another week. Winner gets Texas A&M.

No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 BYU
Notre Dame (-3.5)

Buzz: The CFB Playoff Selection Committee has the two-loss-and-only-one-win-over-a-ranked-team Irish ranked 10^th. Last season Notre Dame reaching the national title game. This time, the Irish visit Provo in their playoff opener. The 8-0 Cougars may well win the Big 12 title and capture the No. 5 seed. The Fighting Irish need to make sure they aren’t overtaken by Texas and Oklahoma in this spot.

No. 9 Oregon at No. 8 Texas Tech
Oregon (-5)

Buzz: The winner gets a well-rested No. 1 Ohio State. The Billionaire Bowl has Phil Knight and the Ducks visiting Cody Campbell’s Red Raiders. Both teams boast offenses and defenses that rank in the top 10 nationwide. Texas Tech ranks 5^th in points scored (43.6) and points allowed (13.2). The Ducks, meanwhile, sit 9^th overall on offense (41.3 PPG) and 6^th in defense (13.2). A nice test of where the iron of the Big Ten and Big 12 stand head-to-head.

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.

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 top 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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