Texas Trending Up In 2026 College Football Championship Futures

Chris Wassel
By , Updated on: Jul 7, 2025 12:00 AM
OSB Texas Trending Up In 2026 College Football Championship Futures

Early odds came out in March for the 2026 National Championship. Now, can Ohio State repeat? After their big win in the College Football Playoff Final over Notre Dame, the Buckeyes are truly the hunted. Yes, in a few short months, the money has moved a little. 2026 college football futures mull the changes.

Ohio State, opened with odds of +425, still leads the pack of early title contenders, but has moved to +500 in some places. Texas stands at around +550. According to the prime college football betting sites, 12 of the top 15 favorites come from the SEC or Big 10.

Notre Dame came one step short of winning their first title since 1988. Currently, the Fighting Irish slipped to eighth, trailing other playoff teams such as Texas (+550), Georgia (+700), and Penn State (+750) as we get even closer to the 2025-26 season. It is hard to believe but in less than seven weeks, Week 0 will be here.

There will be no shortage of 2025-26 college football betting odds as the 2025-26 college football season gets closer every day.

2026 College Football Updated Championship Odds

NCAAF 2025-26 FuturesBovadaBetUSBetOnline
Ohio State+500+550+550
Texas+550+550+575
Georgia+700+650+675
Penn State+750+800+800
Oregon+950+900+900
Clemson+1100+850+1000
Alabama+1200+850+950
Notre Dame+1200+1400+1500
LSU+1800+1600+1500

Ohio State Is The Slight Favorite For Now

Ohio State began as the frontrunner to claim another title. Will Smith and company won four straight games to claim the national championship. It was quite a feat and the Buckeyes showed playing was more important than resting in the tournament. As the field expanded, there expected to be upsets. That did not quite pan out. 2026 college football futures updates with some new insight.

Naturally, it is not ideal to lose both coordinators heading into any season. Ohio State lost offensive coordinator Chip Kelly (Las Vegas Raiders - NFL), and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who headed to Big 10 rival Penn State. Keep in mind, Ohio State retools well and is annually in the Top 10 or 15 when it comes to recruiting. If anyone is wondering, Jeremiah Smith is coming back and he only had 1300+ yards and 15 touchdowns receiving. He will be even better this year.

So many players went into the 2025 NFL Draft. However, it will be interesting to see who wins the quarterback job coming out of the summer. Julian Sayin appears to have the inside track early. Some have argued that Lincoln Kienholz is neck-and-neck with Sayin but the raw skills say otherwise. Again, quarterback always seems to be an issue with the Buckeyes. Defense and running are plenty fine to handle most teams.

The feeling is that Ohio State cannot lose twice in conference this time around. Yes, the Buckeyes are the team until someone beats them. Repeating feels unlikely.

Ohio State To win 2026 College Football National Championship
Bovada
+550

Does Oregon Win The Battle, Lose The War Again?

Dan Lanning and his Oregon Ducks were great last year. They won their first 13 games and then got throttled by Ohio State. It was a half they will want to forget. However, Ohio State will try to remind them early and often.

Dillon Gabriel was a Heisman Finalist in this system. He is gone but Dante Moore is ready to step up at quarterback. Moore showed some flashes in his debut at UCLA. He learned the offense last year at Oregon. Despite some potentially nervous moments the redshirt sophomore has the arm and talent some believe that Gabriel lacked. PFF seemed to like his ability to throw the ball downfield and he will take more shots.

If Moore can truly be unleashed in Will Stein's offense, then watch out! Some are thinking even that Oregon could have another Heisman finalist on their hands.

The Ducks have plenty of receivers even with the injury to Evan Stewart. Watch catchers like Makhi Hughes (Tulane), Isaiah World (Nevada), and Emmanuel Pregnon (USC). Defensively, the team continues to show much promise and their speed will be a vital part in their ability to defend their Big 10 crown.

The transfer portal helped vault Oregon right back into the Top 5 among the contenders. One interesting quirk had them lengthen in the odds though. They have gone as high as +1000 and stand currently at +950 with several sportsbooks. Oregon has better footing here and could challenge for the 2026 College Football Playoff and title as well.

Oregon To win 2026 College Football National Championship
BetUS
+950

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Texas, Some SEC, And 2026 College Football Futures

Here we go. The Arch Manning era begins at Texas. Every pundit, bettor, and fan understands how hard the SEC Conference is. They are dominant because of the gauntlet. The SEC has LSU with Garrett Nussmeier, Alabama is Alabama, and Georgia still has that elite defense. Arch Manning will have the heaviest expectations in college football arguably. Texas has been so close after all. Again, Texas will need to score in the playoffs. The Longhorns had their chances against Ohio State but mistakes derailed their hopes.

Manning has much potential and showed against Georgia last year he has the command of the offense. With a whole season the thought process that he will only get better. All those training and reps are going to count for something after all. Manning has a lot of family to lean on when it comes to the SEC. See Eli Manning and Peyton Manning. Both have won Super Bowl titles and played in the toughest conference in all of college football.

Manning has a stacked arsenal to go with his own talent. Wide receiver Ryan Wingo could be even better in year number two, and the running back corps is led by C.J. Baxter and a host of transfers. Anthony Hill anchors a Top 5 defense that could improve even more.

I think Texas is worth a look at this price, I would definitely bet this at +575 odds. 

Texas To win 2026 College Football National Championship
BetOnline
+575

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Meet the author

Chris Wassel

Chris Wassel AA, AAS CURRENTLY Sports Writer and Journalist RESIDES IN Rahway, NJ EDUCATION Union County College, Montclair State University EXPERTISE Business, Writing, Sports, Food, Grilling, Olympics, Injuries, Politics, and Baking Cookies Summary A long s...

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