Ohio State vs. Notre Dame: Betting History Of College Football National Championship

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Written By Brett Gibbons | Last Updated
OSU Notre Dame Odds

“I don’t like college football because the favorite wins the National Championship yearly.” Stop us if you’ve heard that one. It’s one of the most common complaints from those arguing against college football, especially with bettors lining up to bet on the odds of OSU vs. Notre Dame. But do the favorites always win in college football national championship history?

Below, we’ll review the history of college football’s championship odds and betting. From strings of SEC dominance and the Saban dynasty to the genesis of the College Football Playoff, we’ll lay out roughly the last two decades of the title game.

Keep up-to-date with TheLines for this year’s championship coverage and more college football betting content.

2025 National Championship Odds: Ohio State Vs. Notre Dame

Compare national championship odds from the best college football betting sites below. Click on OSU vs. Notre Dame odds to place a bet. Browse the best sportsbook promo codes before betting on the 2025 national championship game.

Beating The Stigma: Preseason Favorites Don’t Always Win

Full transparency: reliable historical odds in college football are challenging. It’s an emerging betting market today and isn’t as well-documented as leagues like the NFL and MLB. We uncovered the title game and futures odds dating back to 1998 and 2002, respectively.

The bottom line is that preseason favorites don’t win the title yearly. More teams with preseason odds of +2500 or longer have won the championship since 2002 than favorites have. Just two preseason favorites captured the title between 2002 and 2020 – Alabama (2017) and USC (2004). However, the preseason favorite captured the title in two of the last three seasons during the pitch of the Georgia run and Alabama dynasty.

In 2024, Washington opened at 40-1 and nearly joined the elite underdogs in college football history. They fell short of becoming one of the teams with the longest odds to win a title, a list that includes 2010 Auburn (50-1), 2014 Ohio State (40-1), and 2019 LSU (25-1).

College Football National Championship Betting history

Regarding National Championship game odds, favorites have seen much more success.

National title game betting favorites have won and covered the last five championships. Georgia put the exclamation point on that in 2023, setting championship and bowl game records en route to a 65-7 win over TCU as -14 favorites. Before 2019, Alabama was favored in four straight championship games, covering none but winning two titles.

Favorites of -6 or more are just 4-10 against the spread with eight outright losses (those favorites began 1-5 outright since the introduction of the BCS in 1999). Favorites between -3 and -6 saw much more success, going 6-2 ATS and losing just once outright (Tennessee +5.5 in 1999 won outright).

Like most sporting events, late-week or day-of movement strongly indicates a winner. In 2023, TCU saw some early line movement, pushing the number below +14. However, just hours before kickoff, Georgia took heavy action, moving the line multiple points. Of course, the Dawgs covered quickly.

National Championship Game Odds By Year

YearResultOdds
2025TBDOSU -8.5
2024Michigan 34, Washington 13MICH -4.5
2023Georgia 65, TCU 7UGA -14
2022Georgia 33, Alabama 18UGA -2.5
2021Alabama 52, Ohio State 24BAMA -8.5
2020LSU 42, Clemson 25LSU -5.5
2019Clemson 44, Alabama 16BAMA -6
2018Alabama 26, Georgia 23 (OT)BAMA -4
2017Clemson 35, Alabama 31BAMA -6.5
2016Alabama 45, Clemson 40BAMA -7
2015Ohio State 42, Oregon 20ORE -6
2014Florida State 34, Auburn 31FSU -6.5
2013Alabama 42, Notre Dame 14BAMA -10
2012Alabama 21, LSU 0LSU -1.5
2011Auburn 22, Oregon 19AUB -1
2010Alabama 37, Texas 21BAMA -4
2009Florida 24, Oklahoma 14UF -4
2008LSU 38, Ohio State 24LSU -3.5
2007Florida 41, Ohio State 14OSU -7
2006Texas 41, USC 38USC -7
2005USC 55, Oklahoma 19USC -1
2004LSU 21, Oklahoma 14OU -7
2003Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (2 OT)MIA -11
2002Miami 37, Nebraska 14MIA -8.5
2001Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2FSU -10
2000Florida State 46, Virginia Tech 29FSU -5.5
1999Tennessee 23, Florida State 16FSU -5.5

Note: College Football introduced the BCS system in 1998 and the College Football Playoff system in 2014. Odds taken are at the opening. Numbers may differ with older title games.

College Football Futures Odds By Year

SeasonChampionPreseason Odds
2023Michigan+900
2022Georgia+350
2021Georgia+600
2020Alabama+300
2019LSU+2500
2018Clemson+400
2017Alabama+250
2016Clemson+700
2015Alabama+700
2014Ohio State+4000
2013Florida State+1600
2012Alabama+550
2011Alabama+600
2010Auburn+5000
2009Alabama+1200
2008Florida+600
2007LSU+800
2006Florida+1000
2005Texas+800
2004USC+300
2003LSU+4000
2002Ohio State+1900
2001Miami+500

Note: Reliable futures odds data begin with the 2002 season.

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