With the 2022 college football season in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look toward the future. Over the coming months, recruiting, the transfer portal, spring practice, and summer camps are going to shape the destiny of all 133 FBS programs. Let’s take an early look at the 2024 College Football National Championship odds for the teams that could emerge at the forefront of the sport over the next 12 months.
2024 College Football National Championship Odds
2024 College Football National Championship odds are provided by FanDuel Sportsbook, where you can enjoy a “No Sweat Bet” up to $1000.
- Georgia Bulldogs +250
- Alabama Crimson Tide +500
- Ohio State Buckeyes +750
- Michigan Wolverines +900
- USC Trojans +1200
- Clemson Tigers +1800
- LSU Tigers +1800
- Florida State Seminoles +2000
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish + 2500
- Penn State Nittany Lions +2500
Georgia Bulldogs: +250
Winning one college football title is an impressive achievement. Winning consecutive college football titles is exceptionally difficult, verging on the impossible. To win back-to-back-to-back titles is unprecedented in the modern era. No team has ever won three consecutive titles, whether by the AP Poll, in the BCS era, or under the College Football Playoff four-team format.
However, the opening 2024 College Football National Championship odds suggest that a “Threepeat” is a genuine possibility. While the Georgia Bulldogs will lose starting QB Stetson Bennett IV and several pieces of an imposing offensive line, the team that squashed the TCU Horned Frogs in SoFi Stadium had a substantial amount of young talent on both sides of the ball that will return for the 2023 college football season.
MORE: Top 25 College Football Power Rankings
With pass catchers of the caliber of Brock Bowers and Adonai Mitchell, neither Carson Beck nor Brock Vandagriff should have any issue transitioning to the starting QB role. Branson Branson Robinson gave Bulldogs fans a little taste of what to expect this season during the title game. Meanwhile, defensive MVP Javon Bullard leads a host of talented young players on defense.
As the early 2024 College Football National Championship odds favorite, Kirby Smart can’t claim disrespect as motivation. They should have the team to compete at the highest level again and will undoubtedly start the year as the number one team in the AP Poll. Their schedule once again avoids Alabama in cross-conference play, ensuring a relatively simple route to the College Football Playoff once more.
Alabama Crimson Tide: +500
Inviting Nick Saban to join the broadcast crew for Georgia’s stroll to a second consecutive national title was a stroke of television genius, if only for his reaction to David Pollack describing the Bulldogs as the dominant force in college football. If Smart wanted to use perceived disrespect as rocket fuel for his Georgia title defense, Pollack gave Saban all the “rat poison” he could ever need in front of millions.
Make no mistake, Alabama will be back at the forefront of college football at some point. It’s a fool who suggests otherwise. There’s a reason why the Crimson Tide are the second favorite to head to Houston in the initial 2024 College Football National Championship odds from FanDuel.
Although the perennial powerhouse of college football loses a duo in Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. that could dominate the top of the 2023 NFL Draft, there’s a ton of returning talent in Tuscaloosa. Dallas Turner and Kool-Aid McKinstry might be two of the best defensive players in all of college football, while Jaheim Oatis is highly regarded within the program.
Meanwhile, Alabama is the top team in the 2023 CFN Fusion Recruiting Rankings, with an influx of highly talented playmakers heading to Alabama for the upcoming season. That said, next-in-line at the QB position, Jalen Milroe threw just two fewer interceptions than Young despite 327 fewer attempts when called into action last year. Milroe also completed just 58.5% of his passes in eight appearances — something to bear in mind before betting the bank account on ‘Bama.
Ohio State Buckeyes: +750
The Ohio State Buckeyes backdoored their way into the final four last year and almost beat the eventual title-winning Bulldogs in a Peach Bowl punch-up. A perennial contender for the Big Ten title and one of just four teams to make the championship game on multiple occasions, it’s not surprising to find that they’re one of the early favorites in the initial 2024 College Football National Championship odds.
Losing C.J. Stroud, both tackles, and their starting center to the draft hurts. However, former five-star QB Kyle McCord will have an embarrassment of WR riches to work with, including the magnificent Marvin Harrison Jr. In Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau, the Buckeyes might have the best pass rush duo in the nation. Their ability to make it back to the CFB title game will be defined by their late September trip to South Bend and the annual dust-up with Michigan, which this time takes place in Ann Arbor.
Michigan Wolverines: +900
After consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff without making it past the semifinal, the Michigan Wolverines are the fourth favorite to win the 2024 College Football National Championship, according to the early odds from Fanduel Sportsbook. Having had Ohio State’s number for the past two seasons while being the only team listed so far to return their starting quarterback would suggest that the Wolverines are deserving of this early-year show of respect.
They also return star running back Blake Corum, are expected to have a large chunk of their offensive line back, and have been extremely successful in the transfer portal. However, NCAA violations and their repercussions hang over the program like a rain cloud over an outdoor wedding. Meanwhile, head coach Jim Harbaugh continues to flirt with the NFL. They may have some roster continuity, but Michigan may start the 2023 college football season with a new man at the helm.
USC Trojans: +1200
Reasons why the USC Trojans can live up to their preseason billing as the fifth favorite to lift the 2024 College Football National Championship: Caleb Williams. Reasons why the USC Trojans can’t live up their early 2024 College Football National Championship odds: the retention of defensive coordinator Alex Grinch despite routinely allowing teams to walk all over them last season — including Utah, twice.
That might seem like a simplistic summation of the Trojans’ 2023 college football campaign, but what more is there to say? With his insane arm talent and ludicrous athleticism, Williams is the early favorite to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy for a reason.
He can effortlessly conjure up points. But, if he needs to score 50 points every game just to scrape a win, the Trojans might fall short of the Pac-12 title once more, let alone the ultimate college football prize.
Is There a TCU-Esque Team With Long-Shot Odds to Win the 2024 College Football National Championship?
Before the start of the 2022 college football season, TCU was a +20000 long shot to win a national title. Sure, they came up short in devastating fashion in SoFi Stadium, but it was an incredible journey to get to that point.
Is there a team with similar 2024 College Football National Championship odds that could replicate that journey and potentially go one step further and win the whole damn thing?
There are currently six teams with 2024 College Football National Championship odds of +20000, according to Fanduel Sportsbook. They are Louisville, Arkansas, South Carolina, UCF, Baylor, and Oklahoma State. Of those teams, only Arkansas, Oklahoma State, and UCF have any claim to a previous national championship.
It is somehow fitting that three of the teams with similar odds to win the 2024 College Football National Championship as 2022 TCU come from the Big 12 Conference that provided the football fairytale.
MORE: Where is the 2024 College Football National Championship Game?
However, it would take some delicious college chaos to see them — UCF, Baylor, and Oklahoma State — overcome Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, and defending champion Kansas State to win the conference, let alone a national title.
With the return of Spencer Rattler and KJ Jefferson, South Carolina and Arkansas appear to be the best bet of those six teams. However, if you’re looking for a genuine outsider, how about Colorado?
You can get 2024 College Football National Championship odds of +3000 on Deion Sanders bringing immediate success back to Boulder in the same way he turned around Jackson State — albeit without an HBCU title.
Although not a TCU-esque long shot, my sneaky outside bet is on FSU. The Seminoles currently have 2024 College Football National Championship odds of +2000. Mike Norvell’s team is on an upward trajectory, has starting QB Jordan Travis amongst a host of talented returners to Tallahassee, and has a schedule that should bolster their résumé should they run the table.
