2025 College Football Playoff Preview: Odds, Bracket & Predictions | December 9, 2024

As the College Football Playoff picture takes shape, there are a few longshot teams with decent value worth considering. While some teams are clear favorites, others could provide unexpected opportunities for a profitable sprinkle. Here’s a breakdown of a couple of teams that stand out and my early leans on the tournament matchups.

College Football Playoff Odds

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• Georgia (+360)
• Texas (+360)
• Oregon (+390)
• Ohio State (+550)
• Penn State (+650)
• Notre Dame (+1200)
• Tennessee (+2500)
• SMU (+4000)
• Arizona State (+4000)
• Indiana (+4000)
• Boise State (+4000)
• Clemson (+5000)

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Where is the value?

When looking at longshots with value worth sprinkling on, two teams stand out:

First, Penn State at +650. After showing they can hang with a high-powered offense like Oregon’s this past weekend, they have opened my eyes to the potential for making noise in the tournament. Am I still a James Franklin doubter? Definitely, his record says it all. But I think he could prove the doubters wrong in the College Football Playoffs.

Second, Tennessee. I’m not high on them, but at 25/1, they could surprise. They will need to beat an Ohio State team with a subpar offense and a flukey quarterback in Will Howard. If they can pull that off, they would face an Oregon team that was exposed in the Big Ten Championship. Oregon’s defense is vulnerable—they couldn’t stop Penn State, and if not for some turnovers, Penn State might have come out on top. Tennessee boasts a high-powered offense that averages over 30 points and 440 yards per game. It will be interesting to see how Oregon’s defense handles that.

Early Leans

I’ve already locked in Texas -10.5 against Clemson in the first round. Clemson can only beat bad teams and will struggle against anyone in this tournament. I would have preferred a -10 line, but I’m comfortable with the one I got. It will be interesting to see what head coach Steve Sarkisian does with the quarterback position, considering Quinn Ewers’ struggles in the SEC Championship. Regardless, I’m leaning heavily toward Texas in that matchup. I will have more updates on this in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

For the other matchups, I’m letting the lines marinate and will keep an eye on their movement. More pieces will be out soon!

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