Oregon Ducks
The Ducks were dominant all season and were No. 1 for quite a long time through 2024. Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel came in and absolutely balled out for Oregon, completing 73.2% of his passes for 3,558 yards and 28 touchdowns against six interceptions. Gabriel led the Ducks to a 13-0 record and the Big Ten title in their first season in the conference, winning an offensive shootout against Penn State. Oregon is extremely solid on both sides of the ball and has a bye into the Rose Bowl where they will face the winner of Ohio State vs Tennesee. Dan Lanning’s squad has +350 odds to win the College Football Playoff outright at Sports Interaction.
Texas Longhorns
Also sitting at +350 odds for the CFP, Texas is no stranger to the big stage. They were in the four-team Playoff last season, losing a heartbreaker in the semifinals to the Washington Huskies. The Longhorns bounced back in a big way in ‘24 with Quinn Ewers under center, finishing with an 11-2 record in their first season in the SEC. Texas lost in OT in the SEC title game to Georgia, which is part of the reason they’re ranked fifth in the CFP rather than higher. Both of their losses came to Georgia, which Texas could potentially face again. Steve Sarkisian’s group is set to take on Clemson in the quarterfinals.
Georgia Bulldogs
The Bulldogs lost starting QB Carson Beck to an elbow injury in the SEC Championship and there are doubts he’ll play in the College Football Playoff. If that is the case, it will be Gunner Stockton under center. Georgia also had an 11-2 record and managed to get a bye into the Sugar Bowl, where they will face the winner of Notre Dame vs Indiana. While the passing game is more of a strength than the run game for the Bulldogs, they destroyed Texas on the ground last weekend. If it is Stockton at QB, expect Georgia to keep running the football in the CFP. They have the third-best odds at online betting sites.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The regular season didn’t end all that well for the Buckeyes, who were shocked by Michigan. Ohio State was seen as a National Championship contender for most of the year but after that loss, they will have something to prove. Because of that defeat, they’re No. 8 in the field and will need to beat Tennessee in order to advance. Defense is the name of the game for the Buckeyes, ranking top-10 in the country in nearly every major category.
