This year’s NCAA College Football Playoff will look a little different than previous years. The playoffs will expand from 4 to 12 in 2024 and the winner will be crowned national champion.
But before we get into the next high school football season, let’s take a look at how last season ended.
The Michigan Wolverines finished their best season ever with a 34–13 loss to the Washington Huskies in the national championship game, winning their twelfth national title and first since 1997. They went 15-0 and won, outscoring their conflicting games 538-156 in their final season under Jim’s leadership. Harbaugh, who left as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Given the departures of Harbaugh and key starters like QB J. J. McCarthy and RB Blake Corum, the Wolverines are not the favorites to repeat as national champions this year. Alabama is also in an era of transition following the retirement of legendary coach Nick Saban, so there is a bit of uncertainty in the world of high school football.
With that in mind, here are the groups that offer the most productive long-term school football odds for the 2024-25 season on our favorite school football sites.
DraftKings Sportsbook odds. Subject to change.
While Michigan and Alabama are likely to fall back this year, Georgia enters the season with the shortest possible time to win it all.
Kirthrough Smart’s Bulldogs have been the soundest team in the country for the past three years, with a 42-2 record and back-to-back national championships. Their only loss last season came in the SEC Championship Game, where they lost by a basket to Alabama.
Right now, Georgia is a well-oiled machine. Armed with one of the most talented groups in the country, the Bulldogs are in a position to embark on another dominant campaign.
Ohio State has been eerily consistent over the past 3 years, completing the season with the same overall record (11-2) and convention record (8-1).
This excellence, however, did not produce any championships. The Buckeyes lost their last naming game appearance of the 2020 Covid season and have now gone nine straight seasons without winning it all.
However, that may be about to change. Ohio State last year went 11-0 before floundering behind in the season, squandering its final two games against Michigan and Missouri. Don’t be surprised if the Buckeyes finish the job this year and triumph over the hurdle.
Texas has temporarily progressed Steve Sarkisian, going from 5-7 in his first year to 8-5 in 2022 and 12-2 last year. The Big 12 champions nearly reached the national championship game, narrowly falling short in a 37-31 mystery. opposite Washington in the Sugar Bowl.
The Longhorns aren’t going anywhere, especially with Quinn Ewers back in the chair under center. Sarkissian has not only built a championship-caliber team, but it’s also a team that will be highly motivated after coming so close last year.
After years of knocking on the door, Oregon finally broke through last season in its second year under Dan Lanning. The Ducks posted their most productive record since 2019 (12-2) and finished the year by crushing Liberty 45-6 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Oregon was one of the most productive teams in the country on both sides of the ball last year, ranking second in scoring (44. 2 points per game) and ninth in fewest points allowed (16. 5 per game). . Despite wasting quarterback Bo Nix in the NFL Draft, the Ducks remain a significant risk to win their first championship thanks to their remarkable poise.
It’s the dawn of a new era for Alabama, which has to adjust to life without Saban after a normal commute. Thankfully, the Crimson Tide turns out to be in good hands after poaching Kalen DeBoer from Washington, where he won 25-3. beyond two seasons combined.
Not only is DeBoer a worthy successor, but he also inherits a 12-2 list and won the SEC last year, beating Georgia in the convention’s naming game. There’s a sense that Alabama has fallen a bit and arguably wouldn’t be the same without Saban, yet it’s still a damaging team with Jalen Milroe (sixth in last year’s Heisman vote) in the center.
Lane Kiffin’s lopsided tenure at Ole Miss took a step in the right direction last year when he led the Rebels to their most productive record (11-2) in his 4 years at the helm. Their only losses came against Georgia and Alabama, and they won the Peach Bowl with a convincing 13-point victory over Penn State.
Now Kiffin is under pressure to keep that momentum going, as Ole Miss hasn’t had back-to-back 10-win seasons since 1959-60. He will appear to have a big year with senior quarterback Jaxson Dart, who had 3,364 passing yards with a TD/INT ratio of 23:5 last season.
LSU more or less stayed the same in Brian Kelly’s second season, winning 10 games and finishing 6-2 against the warring parties for the second straight year.
The Tigers’ electric offense led the country with 45. 5 points per game, but the defense was not up to par, allowing 28 points per game. Despite this, they finished the year strong, winning their last 4 games.
LSU will most likely fall back on offense without Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, but Kelly still has more than enough skill here to make some noise.
Last season was another record-breaking year for Penn State, which followed its good fortune in 2022 with a strong 2023. The Nittany Lions went 10-3 (7-2 against convention opponents) under James Franklin, his crusade ending in a loss. Note with a 10-3 record (7-2 vs. convention opponents) under James Franklin. Lost 38-25 to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.
Penn State’s good fortune will likely depend on the improvement of junior quarterback Drew Allar. While he posted an impressive 25:2 TD/INT ratio last year, he still has room to grow as a passer with his career good luck rate of 59. 7%.
The Nittany Lions had one of the nation’s offenses and defenses last year. If Allar takes a big step forward, be careful.
Marcus Freeman extended Notre Dame’s winning streak in his second season, leading the Fighting Irish to a 10-3 record and a dominant 40-8 victory over Oregon in the Sun Bowl.
Despite some quiet games last year, Notre Dame’s offense was one of the most productive in the country when it was firing on all cylinders, scoring more than 40 points nine times. Add in a stingy defense (the seventh amount of trouble allowed) and it’s a recipe for success.
Florida State has been on the rise in recent seasons, improving its winning record each year under Mike Norvell since 2020. The Seminoles are coming off a 13-1 season in which they went 9-0 against the ACC and were ranked No. one and third in the AP poll.
Florida State, however, lost to Georgia in the Orange Bowl, squandering 60 points. This left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, showing that the Seminoles would have possibly been overrated. They’ll be motivated to come back and get the doubters out this year.
Although they won everything last year, Michigan is not expected to repeat this season. The Wolverines will miss Harbaugh, McCarthy and Corum, among others, which may be too much gain for them.
Michigan also has a rookie head coach in Sherrone Moore, who served as the team’s interim head coach last year when Harbaugh was suspended. He has more than a decade of experience as an assistant coach and has been with the Wolverines since 2018, but there may just be some developmental pains in his first season.
So don’t be surprised if Michigan takes a big step back this year.
Photo credit: MediaNews Group Getty Images.
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