College Football National Championship Bets: The Houston Cougars Headline The Lottery Ticket Bets

With an expanded 12-team field for the college football playoffs, the FBS post-season tournament is beginning to generate the type of madness normally reserved for March. It also means that College Football National Championship futures wagers on who will win the title are fully loaded and present some intriguing options if you are looking to back a favorite or get behind a longshot that could have you sitting on a winning lottery ticket. Let’s explore some of the interesting teams to back to win the championship this season.

The Favorites To Win The 2027 College Football National Championship

There's no need to hide it—the expectation for these teams is a championship. They are loaded with talents that they've developed, as well as talents that they have (checks notes) acquired from other universities. Their combination of experience, elite future NFL talent and resources mixed with a drive to be the best is the formula that makes them the shorter-odds programs in the country. These are teams that could lose a game (or even two) and still find their way into the 12-team tournament. You are definitely paying for teams that are almost guaranteed to have a shot at the title. If they win, you can win a few coins, but you will need to invest heavily if you want the return to be big.

Ohio State Buckeyes (+600)

The Buckeyes don't rebuild; they reload. And usually it's from within their own roster: guys who've been waiting their turn to ascend to a starting position because they know that it only takes one good season playing for Ohio State to turn it into a lucrative NFL career.

Julian Sayin is back at quarterback, and receiver Jeremiah Smith is finally a junior, so he can declare for the NFL draft in 2027 and become a top-two pick. Even though they're replacing a ton of NFL talent on defense, they're replacing them with blue-chip talents. And the offensive line is set to be one of the best in the nation once again.

$tex.svg$ Texas Longhorns (+700)

Arch Manning in his second full season as a starter, receiving weapons all over the field, 6-foot-8 offensive tackles protecting the blind side and a bevy of defensive talent to fly around the field and make plays: All of this is why Texas is so loaded going into the 2026 season.

The Second Tier Of CFB National Championship Contenders For 2027

These teams have spared no expense to make their programs some of the most recognizable and talked-about programs in the nation. They have gone out and acquired some of the best talent money can buy, but it all comes down to how those pieces come together in a football season. Failing to make the tournament would be a massive disappointment for these programs. But if they get in and they're clicking properly, they have a legitimate shot at going on a run to the title. 15:1 odds means you can make a great return on your decent-sized investment.

LSU Tigers (+1500)

The Lane Kiffin experience begins with a redesigned Tigers team full of some of the best talent across the country. They've added receivers from a myriad of programs and former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt to distribute the football. They have one of the freakiest talents in the nation at tight end and blue-chip talent across the defense.

In addition to Kiffin, they have offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who is one of the hottest commodities in all of football.

Texas Tech Red Raiders (+1500)

After losing transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby to, ironically enough, sports betting, the Red Raiders decided to go with Will Hammond as the starting quarterback. They've seen him in limited action last season, and now he gets the job full-time.

He will be supported by a defense with several elite-level transfers, including linebacker Austin Romaine from Kansas State, defensive lineman Mateen Igbirogba from Wake Forest and Trey White, EDGE from San Diego State. They will hopefully make the Red Raiders hard to score on, which will allow that routinely high-volume passing offense to put points on the board.

Realistic Longshot Bets To Win The 2027 College Football Championship

These are teams that play in the most respected conferences and have high-level offenses that, on any given day, can defeat a team by simply drowning them in points. They have elite-level offensive weaponry at the positions that matter most in football: quarterback, receiver and running back. If they can make the tournament, it means that they will likely be a home team in the first round, then face an opponent on a neutral site. If they can turn it into a shootout, they can beat anyone. They are an excellent value. One unit wins you 40.

Ole Miss Rebels (+4000)

The team that Lane Kiffin left went on to make the college football playoff last season and got close to the championship game. They are armed once again with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, one of the best play-making quarterbacks in all of college football, and running back Kewan Lacy, who could be the best back in the land.

USC Trojans (+4000)

The Trojans have quarterback Jayden Maiava back for a fifth season. He has two elite running backs in Waymond Jordan and King Miller. He also has homegrown veteran receivers, transfer weapons and talented young receiving options to throw the ball to. This will be one of the most exciting offenses in all of football once again.

Lottery Ticket Bets For The College Football National Championship

Don't go betting your mortgage on these guys, but they have a realistic route into the tournament. They're either G6 teams or P4 squads that most prognosticators are underestimating. Once they're in, anything can happen. We are still in the infancy of this expanded playoff, but the parity in this tournament will improve just like it did on the hoops side. Anytime you're getting odds in the neighborhood of 250 to 1 or greater, you know this is a lottery-ticket situation. Throw 10 bucks on them and have some fun.

Boise State Broncos (+25000)

They won the Mountain West title three years in a row before making the move to the newly rebuilt Pac-12. They return quarterback Maddux Madsen for his senior season, as well as a one-two punch at running back in Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines. They have the beef in the trenches, as well as experience and depth, to put a scare into anyone in the country.

Houston Cougars (+25000)

The Houston Cougars had the quietest 10-3 season you will ever see, because they're not flashy like many other Big-12 programs or elite Texas universities. But what they do have is Willie Fritz, and he has a track record of success. It starts with the rebuild in year one and a leap in year two. Year 3 is usually where his team starts winning hardware. Guess what year it is for Houston?

With so many teams in the Pac-12 replacing quarterbacks, Houston has the advantage of returning starting quarterback Conner Weigman for another year. After he put up 36 total touchdowns in 2025, his dual-threat ability gives him a decided edge in a Big 12 that has been porous on defense for many, many years.

Never underestimate Willie Fritz. He's done it at Sam Houston, at Georgia Southern, and at Tulane. Don't be surprised if he does it with the Cougars this year.

Navy Midshipmen (+60000)

The Midshipmen have the longest odds to win the National Championship, but they have a pretty defined path to get into the tournament. As stated earlier, if you're in, you have a chance. They are the predictive favorites in what should be an extremely competitive conference.

What makes Navy's chances even more interesting is they will enter the postseason tournament with an offense that none of the other teams have experienced to that point. Nothing prepares you for the efficiency with which they run their offense. Regardless of how good the talent is you can put out there to combat it. It's the type of offense that keeps you off balance, chews up time and frustrates your players in the most high-leverage, stressful times possible.

They could really shake things up if they handle their business in the AAC, beat Army and punch a ticket into the tournament.

Published Jul 30, 2026, 4:00 AM ETUpdated Jul 30, 2026, 9:10 AM ET