After winning the national title on Monday night, the Ohio State Buckeyes are the early favorites to win the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship.
How Did Ohio State Win The 2025 National Championship?
RAISE IT UP BUCKS #CFBPlayoff • #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/AoSmQ7dRk2
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) January 21, 2025
The Ohio State Buckeyes captured their sixth national championship in Monday night’s 34-23 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after an 18-play, nearly 10-minute drive to open the game.
Ohio State settled in and responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive, capped off with a Jeremiah Smith 8-yard touchdown pass.
The Buckeyes scored 31 unanswered points to take a 31-7 lead halfway through the fourth quarter.
However, Notre Dame scored the next 16 points, cutting the lead to 31-23.
With under three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Will Howard completed a 56-yard pass to Smith on 3rd and 11 to essentially ice the game. The Buckeyes kicked a field goal to seal the game.
Howard completed 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. Quinshon Judkins rushed for 100 yards, two touchdowns, and caught one touchdown pass. Smith finished with five receptions for 88 yards and one touchdown.
The win marks head coach Ryan Day‘s first national championship as the head coach of Ohio State. Day’s record is now 70-10, with a .875 winning percentage, the highest (per 75-game sample) since Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne in the 1920s.
2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Odds
And what do you think?! Ohio State is FAVORITE to win next year's Natty too! 🏆
Can the Buckeyes go back-to-back!? 🫡https://t.co/uaVmbeTCHa pic.twitter.com/Ud9yfEyW4c
— BetOnline (@BetOnline_ag) January 21, 2025
Due to their returning talent, the Buckeyes (+450) are favored to win the national championship in 2026. If Ohio State wins the title next season, they would be the first team since Alabama (2011-2012) to win consecutive national championships.
The Texas Longhorns (+500) are directly behind the Buckeyes on the odds list. The Longhorns will turn to Arch Manning at quarterback after the departure of Quinn Ewers.
Georgia (+700), Oregon (+700), and Penn State (+900) round out the top five.
| CFP National Championship Winner | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ohio State | +450 |
| Texas | +500 |
| Georgia | +700 |
| Oregon | +700 |
| Penn State | +900 |
| Notre Dame | +1200 |
| Alabama | +1600 |
| LSU | +1800 |
| Clemson | +1800 |
| Tennessee | +1800 |
| Ole Miss | +2500 |
| Miami (FL) | +2500 |
| Texas A&M | +3300 |
| South Carolina | +3300 |
| Michigan | +4000 |
| Florida | +5000 |
| Oklahoma | +6600 |
| Auburn | +6600 |
| Arizona State | +6600 |
| Louisville | +7500 |
| SMU | +7500 |
Odds via BetOnline.
