After listening to years of clamoring for an expanded college football postseason, the College Football Playoff powers-that-be finally shifted from four teams to 12 — and now blue bloods and a few Cinderellas will compete in the first 12-team playoff over the next month.
Undefeated Oregon, led by Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel, earned the No. 1 seed and one of the four first-round byes. No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Boise State and No. 4 Arizona State — the three other highest-ranked conference champions — also claimed first-round byes and an extra 10 days to prepare for their quarterfinal games, which are married to the traditional New Year's Day games: the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl.
Meanwhile, the other eight teams play their first-round games on Dec. 20-21 — and they will be the first postseason games held at teams' home stadiums. Fifth-seeded Texas hosts No. 12 Clemson, sixth-seeded Penn State welcomes No. 11 SMU, No. 10 Indiana visits seventh-seeded Notre Dame in the first meeting between these intrastate foes since 1991, and eighth-seeded Ohio State hosts No. 9 Tennessee.
The semifinals will be Jan. 9-10 as the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl games, then the CFP Championship plays out on Monday, Jan. 20, in Atlanta. You can bet on all of the College Football Playoff action after signing up with the best college football betting promos.
With the BetMGM bonus code ROTOSPORTS, you're guaranteed a protected first bet up to $1,500. That's the highest betting limits you're going to find among the top of sportsbook promos. This means BetMGM has your back on your first bet when it's anywhere from $5 to $1,500.
If your first bet loses, BetMSM will return the full amount of your bet to you as bonus bets — and you'll have seven days to play these non-withdrawable bonus bets. BetMGM and all the other online sportsbooks mentioned below feature a 1X playthrough requirement. This means a bonus bet must win only once for you to claim the profit in cash.
Caesars Sportsbook
Launch a Caesars Sportsbook account with the Caesars Sportsbook promo codeROTODYW and play at least $1 on your first bet. When you do, you'll receive 10 100% profit boosts that you'll have 14 days to use on college football or any other sport you enjoy.
When you play a profit boost, you'll double your profit on that bet if you win. You can attach a profit boost to any bet you play as long as they're within these guidelines: They can only be added to wagers of $25 or less and the most profit you can earn with a boost is $2,500.
Fanatics Sportsbook
Fanatics Sportsbook's goal is to help consistent bettors have chances to win even more. When you sign up for an account with the Fanatics Sportsbook promo, you'll get one daily No Sweat Bet up to $100 for 10 consecutive days.
Each day, choose which wager will be your No Sweat Bet. Just make sure it's played on odds of -500 or better — and you will only be protected up to $100. If your No Sweat Bet comes up short, then Fanatics Sportsbook will send you a bonus bet for the same amount you played. You receive seven days to use your bonus bet.
DraftKings
DraftKings' welcome offer varies depending on where you are. If you start an account with the DraftKings promo code in DC, IA, KS, KY, LA (specific parishes), MD, MI, NJ, NV, TN, VA or VT, then play a $5 first bet and you'll get $150 in bonus bets if it wins. But if you're anywhere else, play a $5 first bet and you'll receive $150 in bonus bets regardless of how that first bet fares.
To maximize your chances to win your first bet — if you're in one of the states where it's necessary to get the bonus bets — look for a moneyline bet on a huge favorite. You're most likely to find such favorites by clicking on the college basketball tab on the DraftKings app. If that first bet wins, then you'll earn six $25 bonus bets and receive seven days to play them.
FanDuel
When you launch a FanDuel account with the FanDuel promo code, you'll earn $150 in bonus bets if you win your $5 first bet.
We suggest searching for a huge favorite and then placing a moneyline bet. In December, women's and men's college basketball frequently feature lopsided games, as an example. If you win your $5 first bet, you'll receive $150 in bonus-bet credit. FanDuel also gives you the option to chop up that $150 into as many bonus bets as you feel like making.
Hard Rock Bet
Set up a Hard Rock Bet account with the Hard Rock Bet promo code and play a $5 first bet. No matter how that first bet does, you'll get $100 in bonus bets. If you are located in AZ, TN or VA, you can get up to $100 in bonus bets back if your first bet does not win.
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Popular Bets to Make on the CFP Playoffs & CFP Championship
Moneyline: This is the easiest way to play. When you're betting on the moneyline, you're simply declaring which team you think will win the game. If you bet on a team at -100 on the moneyline, then your profit will be the same as what you wagered.
Spread: You're betting on which team will win — but also taking the final score into account. For example, Ohio State opened as a 7.5-point favorite over Tennessee. If you bet on the Buckeyes at this point spread, then they need to win by at least 8 points for you to win. If you bet on the Volunteers, they can lose by as much as 7 points and you'll still win.
Total: When you bet on the total, you're deciding whether the two teams' combined points will go OVER or UNDER the number. To use Ohio State-Tennessee as an example again, the total opened at 47.5 points. If you take the OVER, then you want the Buckeyes and Volunteers to combine for at least 48 points. If you go the other way, you want them to wind up with 47 points or fewer. Please note: If a game goes into overtime, those points count toward the total.
Parlays: Instead of making just one bet and awaiting its outcome, you can string multiple bets together to increase your chances for a large payout. For example, you could bet on the point spread AND the total AND a game prop (such as which team will score the first touchdown). If all three win, then you'll earn a higher profit than if you'd made those three bets separately. You can "parlay" as many bets together as you want.
Prop Bets: Prop bets are fun because they can be a little off the beaten path. One example: In one bet, you can predict which team will be winning at halftime AND which one will be winning at the end of regulation — or whether there will be a tie at either point. In the Ohio State/Tennessee example, you can get +4000 odds if you believe there will be a tie at the end of the second quarter AND the fourth quarter.
Another example: You can bet on whether QB Joe Cool will throw for more or less than a specific number of yards. Please note: Some states do not allow you to wager on individual players' performances when it comes to college football odds.
After 10 seasons of inviting just four teams to compete in the College Football Playoff, the field has been expanded to 12 teams and will be this way at least through the 2031 season.
In this year's format, the top four conference champions — as determined by the CFP selection committee — received first-round byes and advance straight to the quarterfinals on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The quarterfinals (and semifinals) will be held at traditional bowl sites such as the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and the Sugar Bowl at the New Orleans Superdome.
The other eight teams are playing first-round games Dec. 20-21 and the higher-seeded teams get to host the games at their home stadiums — the first time CFP games have been played on campus. The odds for all of these matchups can be found on all of the top college football betting sites mentioned in this guide.
Bet on CFP Playoffs and CFP Championship Odds Today
College football just might have hit on the perfect format to determine the national champion. With 12 teams getting to compete for the title in the month-long tournament, it generates more interest across the country while also maintaining the traditional bowl games. There's not quite the Cinderella aspect that makes March Madness such a phenomenon, but tell us the nation won't go crazy if Boise State (and Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty) makes a deep run.
Start betting on all the latest College Football Playoff action after signing up with top-rated sports betting apps shown below:
Several teams are considered prime candidates to win the 2025 CFP Championship. The consensus among the nation's top sports betting sites show top-ranked Oregon and fifth-seeded Texas as co-favorites with No. 2 seed Georgia right behind the Ducks and Longhorns. Ohio State's odds to win it all are a step behind the Bulldogs. Third-seeded Boise State is the longest shot.
Where can I bet on the CFP Playoffs?
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The nation's best online sportsbooks — BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, Fanatics Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel and Hard Rock Bet — have posted odds on every College Football Playoff game as well as the other bowl games. These sportsbooks offer opportunities to wager on staples such as moneyline, point spread and the total, but they also allow parlays and, in some states, game props.
When is the CFP Championship game?
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The 2025 CFP Championship game will be played Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. It's the first time the CFP Championship game will be played in Atlanta since 2018. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Who is playing in the CFP Championship?
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This year's 12-team College Football Playoffs consists of the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC conference champions — Oregon, Georgia, Arizona State and Clemson — along with the best Power 5 conference champion (Boise State) and seven at-large teams: Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, Indiana and SMU. The CFP begins with first-round games Dec. 20-21.
Who won the CFP title game last year?
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In a battle of unbeaten teams, Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines earned the Big Ten's first national championship in nine seasons by knocking off Washington 34-13 at NRG Stadium in Houston. Michigan senior running back Blake Corum rushed for 134 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns to turn a close game into a rout.
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@WillhiteLindsey