College Football Championship Odds: Four Value Bets for 2026

As the calendar turns from June to July, it’s hard not to start thinking that college football season is almost upon us.

July brings conference media days and, shortly after that, the start of preseason camps across the country.

Before we fully enter talking season, let’s look at some value picks for teams that could win it all this upcoming season.

Indiana (+800 on FanDuel)

I’m very much aware how it looks that I’m picking last year’s champ to repeat. But I think we kind of have to fully believe in Curt Cignetti until he gives us a reason not to after he won a national title in Year 2 at checks notes Indiana. He’s 27-2 in his first two seasons.

Sure, Indiana lost a lot off that national title team. It also reloaded pretty well with the likes of TCU QB transfer Josh Hoover, Boston College RB transfer Turbo Richard and Michigan State WR transfer Nick Marsh, plus a revamped defense to boot.

It’s possible this is when the other shoe drops for the Hoosiers. But I’m not ready to bet against them.

Texas (+750 on FanDuel)

Arch Manning did not remotely live up to the hype in his first full season as a starter at Texas. How could he have given how ridiculous the expectations were?

But it sure seemed like he found something down the stretch of the season, most notably in the Longhorns’ upset of rival Texas A&M. If he learned the right lessons from his debut season, he definitely has the supporting talent around him to thrive in 2026.

Cam Coleman made a tremendous impact as a receiver at Auburn despite some highly questionable quarterback play. Hollywood Smothers ran for nearly 1,000 yards last year at NC State. Both are now in Austin, paired with a number of other impact transfers and consistently top-tier high-school recruiting under Steve Sarkisian.

Oh, and Will Muschamp returns as defensive coordinator.

Could this be the breakthrough year for a team that has been slamming against the glass ceiling the last few years?

Miami (+1200 on FanDuel)

The 2025 season was the breakthrough for Mario Cristobal at his alma mater, coming one failed drive away from a national championship.

Freshman phenom receiver Malachi Toney is back, as is veteran RB Mark Fletcher Jr. Miami loses a lot of talent in the trenches, but few teams recruit there as well as Cristobal and his staff so they should replenish fairly well.

The Hurricanes also added Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, who led the ACC in regular-season passing yards, and his favorite target there in Cooper Barkate.

The Miami offense should be even better in 2026. It’ll come down to the defense.

USC (+4000 on FanDuel)

I feel obligated to throw a longer shot in here. It made sense to me to go with a coach who really needs a breakthrough.

After years of patience, Lincoln Riley needs to truly contend for a title this season. Like always, he has a quarterback in Jayden Maiava (3,711 yards in 2025). He added the No. 1 high-school recruiting class in the 2026 cycle.

If new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson (the longtime TCU head coach) can hold down that side of the ball, USC could make its first College Football Playoff appearance.