College football betting odds: Value future plays for 2025 national championship, conference titles, Heisman
Coaching changes are done. Transfer additions are at a trickle. Most coaching staffs are wholly focused on recruiting for the 2026 class. Until media days pick up in mid-July, it's the quietest time on the college football calendar.
We've reached peak college football offseason.
But it's also the perfect time, for those of you doing your research, to place some very strategic offseason bets before the money starts flowing in from the public and potentially alters the odds.
This is when you crush Cover 3 Summer School episodes and find some sleeper bets for the 2025 season. And we've got a few of those value picks for your consideration.
From conference picks to the Heisman Trophy race to potential national championship winners, these are futures bets further down the odd's boards that provide a ton of value with a few months to go before the season begins.
Note: All futures odds are via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Conference picks ACCGeorgia Tech (+1,400): The best approach to the ACC is to sort the contenders into tiers. Clemson is on a rung by itself. Louisville, Miami and SMU are in a group just below the Tigers -- all with +800 odds or better. But I'd argue Georgia Tech also belongs in that group. The Yellowjackets bring back the 26th most production in the FBS (per ESPN's Bill Connelly), just added a historic recruiting class (21st nationally) and have a fifth-year senior QB in Haynes King who just wins games.
Yes, the Yellow Jackets finished just 7-5 last regular season, but four of those six losses came by 12 or fewer points to Syracuse, Louisville and Georgia. They were very close to 9-10 wins.
The schedule sets up well. Of the top four league contenders, Yellow Jackets only drew Clemson -- at home. Their road games (Wake Forest, Duke, NC State, Boston College) are also manageable.
It would not be a surprise to see the Yellow Jackets go 7-1 or 6-2 in conference play and have a shot to win the league. That's what makes the +1,400 number so appealing as opposed to the other favorites in the league.
Pittsburgh (+3,900): Don't forget Pittsburgh started last season 7-0. It didn't end well with six straight losses, but it's worth noting that the team's starting QB, Eli Holstein, basically missed 4.5 of those games. Holstein returns this year along with the 27th-most production in the FBS. Pittsburgh is going to score plenty. It averaged 38.9 points per game in the games Holstein played from start to finish last season. A top 40 defense returns most its key pieces, too.
The schedule sets up well. Pitt will host the two toughest conference opponents on its schedule (Louisville, Miami) and avoids Clemson and SMU. The Panthers are more of a long shot than Georgia Tech. But they're a flyer worth considering at +3,900 odds,
Big 12Texas Tech (+650): The Red Raiders should not have the fourth-longest odds to win the Big 12. They should be the favorite. Texas Tech won the offseason. The Red Raiders had the No. 2 overall transfer class in the country, adding an eye-popping 13 four-star players to their roster. Keep in mind, Texas Tech was already one of the most talented teams in the Big 12 with the fifth-highest 247Sports Team Talent Composite ranking in 2024. Talent isn't everything, but it creates a very high floor in a league where the talent distribution is extremely even.
Texas Tech returns the fourth-most production in the FBS, and it's not like the Red Raiders were bad last year at 8-5. If not for a horrendous defense -- one that gave up 42.2 ppg in their losses -- they likely make the Big 12 championship game. And that's where all that portal talent plus a new DC (Shiel Wood from Houston) enter the picture.
The Red Raiders do have a difficult schedule with road games at Utah, Arizona State and Kansas State. But they're talented enough that it shouldn't matter.
Anything less than a trip to the Big 12 title game is a failure, which makes these excellent odds.
Big TenPenn State (+270): Value is relative in the Big Ten. Realistically, only three teams have a legitimate chance to win the league: Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State. They're in a group of their own from a talent perspective. The Nittany Lions have the third-worst odds among that group, which is where the value comes from.
Penn State, my preseason No. 2, returns a large chunk of the team that reached the CFB Playoff semifinals last season. That group includes third-year starter Drew Allar, standout running backs (Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen) and a potential first-round defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton. Combine those returners with a wide receiver-heavy transfer portal class – addressing the team's biggest offseason need – and new DC Jim Knowles, who came over from Ohio State, and the Nittany Lions have loaded up for a 2025 run.
It's worth mentioning the Nittany Lions rank 33rd in returning production versus 101st for Ohio State and 109th for Oregon. The Nittany Lions boast the best combination of experience and talent among the Big Ten contenders.
Illinois (+3,600): This is a flyer. I think the chances of Illinois winning the Big Ten are slim. But 36-to-1 are great odds, and it's worth considering a small wager on the Illini, who return the third-most production in the FBS, including quarterabck Luke Altmyer, who many teams were interested in poaching from the portal. Throw in a very favorable schedule -- Illinois misses Penn State, Oregon and Michigan while drawing Ohio State and USC at home -- and the path sets up well for an 2024 Indiana-like run.
LSU (+750): The SEC feels more open than it has in year's past. I'd argue that Georgia (+300) and Texas (+320) are sucker's bets as the favorites given the questions both programs carry into 2025. Both teams have very high floors. But we're looking at ceiling plays when searching for value picks with conference title odds, which brings us to LSU.
The Tigers have a lot working in their favor. They return a Heisman Trophy candidate at QB (Garrett Nussmeier), get a healthy superstar back in linebacker Harold Perkins and added the nation's No. 1 transfer portal class, which aggressively addressed needs on both sides of the ball.
LSU needs to be better on defense after finishing No. 89 nationally in yards allowed per play in Year 1 under DC Blake Baker. But it should take a leap after addressing several huge needs on that side of the ball in the portal.
It's also worth mentioning that, at least by SEC standards, LSU's schedule is friendly. The Tigers don't play Texas or Georgia. They'll have to travel to Ole Miss and Alabama. But the path is there for the program's first SEC championship game appearance since 2022.
Florida (+2,000) and Auburn (+2,000) are intriguing options a bit farther down the odd's board in the SEC. You could squint and see both teams making a run to the SEC title game if things break right.
National championshipClemson (+1,400): LOVE the value at +1,400, only the eighth-best odds on the board despite Clemson being my preseason No. 1. Honestly, what's not to like about Clemson this year?
- The Tigers return more production than any team in the FBS.
- Clemson is led by Cade Klubnik, the top-returning QB (and the best QB under pressure) in the FBS.
- The roster is LOADED. Five Tigers were projected in the first round of a recent CBS Sports mock draft.
- Clemson is strong where you need to be to win championships. The o-line returns four starters. The d-line brings back a pair of projected first rounders (T.J. Parker, Peter Woods), added a standout transfer (Will Heldt) and the No. 7 overall player from the 2025 class (Amare Adams).
- The ACC provides a very friendly path to the playoff.
- Clemson is one of only a handful of teams from a blue-chip talent perspective that's even capable of winning a national championship looking at the 247Sports Team Talent Composite.
Combine all those factors together, and +1400 is GREAT value, especially when compared to the favorites Texas (+600) and Ohio State (+600) both of which have big roster questions after losing a large chunk of their teams to the NFL Draft.
(Miami +4,800): There's a big drop in odds after LSU at +1,700 -- Vegas views 11 teams as legit national contenders -- but if you're looking for a dark horse, I'd give Miami consideration. There are some questions -- from Carson Beck's health, to who he'll throw to and whether the secondary can take a step -- but Miami combines national championship-level talent with a reasonably favorable path in the ACC to reach the playoff.
A lot will have to go right for Miami to reach its championship ceiling. But when you consider the Hurricanes have one of the best offensive and defensive lines in college football AND have invested heavily in the portal to win now, there's a scenario with a healthy Beck in which Miami makes a real run.
Do yourself a favor with long-shot national title bets, don't reach for anyone who fails to fit the Blue Chip Ratio for 2025. The teams that don't just don't win national championships, and I'd argue the path is even more difficult in the 12-team playoff era where teams must win at least three postseason games to emerge as national champion.
Heisman TrophyGarrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU (+900) – There's no runaway favorite for the Heisman this year, so I'd stay away from those like Arch Manning (+700) or Julian Sayin (+1,300), both of whom have very low odds despite never starting significant snaps.
Nussmeier is in a pass-happy offense -- LSU threw the ball 59% of the time last year -- and will be on a contender. If he can cut down on his 12 interceptions from last year, he is going to have the stats to win. That's half the battle. It also helps that LSU is one of the few teams with a realistic chance to make a run at a national championship. Combine those factors together and Nussmeier has a lot of things working in his favor with the Heisman.
Drew Allar, QB, Penn State (+1,600) – Allar provides a high floor. He rarely throws picks, produces a lot of yards and will be in a bunch of big games for a national contender. He'll be around the hoop for this award all year.
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame (+5,000) – Love's candidacy comes down to volume. Notre Dame tends to split carries, so Love might not get enough touches to really be in the mix. But his production from last season was electric -- 1,125 yards, 17 TDs, 6.9 ypc -- and if he gets an extra 50 carries or so he'll have the stats. He'll also be the best offensive player on a legit national contender. Notre Dame's offensive line is awesome, by the way. There will be plenty of holes to run through, and Love is a home run hitter.
Behren Morton, QB, Texas Tech (+20,000) – Now, this is a real long shot. But let's say Texas Tech is the best team in the Big 12 and manages to run the table. Morton, who threw for 3,335 yards last year, could be thrust into the Heisman discussion just by nature of being QB1. He'll throw for a lot of yards and win a lot of games. That's a good combination when searching through the bargain bin.
I would have included Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith on this list as I think the media is already entering 2025 with the consensus thought that Smith is the best player in football. But +1,300 for a wide receiver -- remember, this is a quarterback award – with a first-year starting QB is terrible value.
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