The 2025-26 College Football season kicks off in a little more than two months. Like last year, the College Football Playoff will feature a 12-team format. 

Ohio State celebrates after defeating Notre Dame in the 2025 CFP National Championship 

Seeds No. 1 through 4 will earn first-round byes, while Nos. 5 through 12 play each other in that first round. 

However, in 2025, the top four seeds in the 12-team field will be the top-four ranked teams instead of the four highest-ranked conference championship game winners. 

So with 12 spots up for grabs, bettors are diving into the odds for which teams they think will secure a berth and which ones will be on the outside looking in.

Remember, this market is all about who gets in — not who wins it all.

With that in mind, let’s check out some of those odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of June 20.

Kalen DeBoer & James Franklin in Klatt’s coaching pressure index

To Make the 2025-26 College Football Playoffs

Ohio State
Yes: -500 (bet $10 to win $12 total)
No: +340 (bet $10 to win $44 total)

Oregon
Yes: -300 (bet $10 to win $13.33 total)
No: +220 (bet $10 to win $32 total)

Texas
Yes: -350 (bet $10 to win $12.86 total)
No: +250 (bet $10 to win $35 total)

Penn State
Yes: -300 (bet $10 to win $13.33 total)
No: +220 (bet $10 to win $32 total)

Georgia
Yes:-250 (bet $10 to win $14 total)
No: +190 (bet $10 to win $29 total)

Alabama
Yes: -200 (bet $10 to win $15 total)
No: +155 (bet $10 to win $25.50 total)

Clemson
Yes: -175 (bet $10 to win $15.71 total)
No: +135 (bet $10 to win $23.50 total)

Notre Dame
Yes: -190 (bet $10 to win $15.26 total)
No: +145 (bet $10 to win $24.50 total)

Texas A&M
Yes: +190 (bet $10 to win $29 total)
No: -250 (bet $10 to win $14 total)

Boise State
Yes: +190 (bet $10 to win $29 total)
No: -250 (bet $10 to win $14 total)

Kansas State
Yes: +280 (bet $10 to win $38 total)
No: -400 (bet $10 to win $12.50 total)

Tennessee
Yes: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total)
No: -425 (bet $10 to win $12.35 total)

Baylor
Yes: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)
No: -600 (bet $10 to win $11.67 total)

Georgia Tech
Yes: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
No: -800 (bet $10 to win $11.25 total)

BYU
Yes: +425 (bet $10 to win $52.50 total)
No: -650 (bet $10 to win $11.54 total)

USC
Yes: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
No: -800 (bet $10 to win $11.25 total)

TCU
Yes: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
No: -1400 (bet $10 to win $10.71 total)

Iowa State
Yes: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
No: -1400 (bet $10 to win $10.71 total)

Missouri
Yes: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
No: -1600 (bet $10 to win $10.63 total)

Nebraska
Yes: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
No: -1800 (bet $10 to win $10.56 total)

Washington
Yes: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
No: -1800 (bet $10 to win $10.56 total)

Arch Manning & Cade Klubnik in Joel Klatt’s top three QBs for the 2025 season

Last season, the 12 teams that made the Playoff were Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, Arizona State, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, Indiana, SMU and Clemson.

And as the committee moves forward in 2025 with changes regarding how it seeds, FOX Sports Lead College Football Analyst Joel Klatt noted that the “wonky” process needed to improve.

“Boise State and Arizona State got first-round byes. Oregon, the only undefeated team entering the CFP, got a bum draw and had to play Ohio State in the quarterfinals,” Klatt wrote.

“That model wasn’t great and penalized the top-seeded team rather than rewarding them. We want to avoid that.”

And for bettors looking for expert analysis on which teams will finish in the top 10 next season, Klatt’s way-too-early projection includes Michigan, LSU, Miami Hurricanes, Clemson, Notre Dame, Oregon, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas and Penn State.

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NIL Contract Details for New USC Commit Revealed originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

USC is getting with the times of the new era of college football recruiting. That means opening up the account and handing recruits NIL money — all to help seal their commitment.

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Luke Wafle is the latest Trojans commit — who chose USC over Ohio State and Penn State Friday. Turns out USC flashed an NIL deal to help coax him into landing in the Los Angeles region for his college career.

Here’s the contract details involving Wafle via On3.

“The Trojans were tracking for Wafle’s commitment coming out of last weekend’s official visit to Los Angeles,” the outlet wrote. “Ohio State upped its NIL package and began to trend Wednesday morning. USC then made a counter-offer to that and ultimately got the pledge locked in. We’re hearing Wafle’s package is between $2.2 and $2.6 million dollars over two years.”

USC insider for On3 Scott Schrader later revealed that Wafle’s contract stretched to three years, not a cap of two seasons. Schrader adds how USC is taking more of an NIL initiative following landing a prized five-star commit for the 2025 class.

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“The trend of USC getting dunked on with NIL sort of ended with [USC freshman defensive lineman] Jahkeem Stewart in December, but USC getting Wafle as predicted, it’s kind of an exclamation point on where things currently stand with the USC football program,” Schrader said.

The recruiting outlet adds general manager Chad Bowen helped make the deal happen for Wafle and his family. All while head coach Lincoln Riley plus defensive line coach Eric Henderson recruited him heavily.

Related: USC Assistant Earns Prominent Honor After Securing Newest Commit

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.

FORT WORTH — On Friday, former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy explained his thoughts on the upcoming Longhorns season, the Dallas Cowboys, how NIL is changing college football and why he moved the event to Fort Worth.

“When I retired from the NFL last year, we settled here in Fort Worth,” he said at the 15th annual Colt McCoy Performance Camp at All Saints Episcopal School. “It’s been awesome planting our flag here. My family’s loved it. It’s been a really good move for us. Certainly miss Austin, but felt like since I was here, I wanted to go ahead and keep my football camp going, and so we’re having it here in Fort Worth. It’s really a chance for me to pour into some kids in the community, bring parents and families out here, and really just have two days of instruction, of teaching, of fun.”

McCoy’s alma mater, Texas, is a favorite to win the upcoming national championship according to oddsmakers, and despite the Longhorns’ recent success, the school hasn’t been to a national championship game since 2009 when McCoy was still starring in Austin.

Arch Manning will be behind center for the Longhorns this season, and McCoy, who’s known the quarterback since he was 3 years old, said it was the Louisiana native’s time.

“I think Arch is in a position to really go out there and play great. He’s obviously very talented. He’s a great kid,” said McCoy. “It’s nice that he got a few cracks at it last year, but he’s certainly waited his time. He’s been patient, and he’s paid his dues. I know he’s really excited to get out there.”

McCoy said he believed in the Longhorns, but acknowledged all the new faces on the team and the difficult schedule facing Texas.

“Lots of high expectations, as usual, last two years been in the college football playoff, but I think this is a new team. This is a lot of inexperience, a lot of really awesome players, but kind of first time getting out there,” said McCoy. “I’m excited to watch [head coach Steve Sarkisian] is an unbelievable coach. I know he’ll have him ready to go, think everybody’s excited to watch Arch Manning, but you got five new offensive linemen in front of him that hadn’t played a whole lot, right? You got a whole new secondary. There’s a lot of really talented players that don’t have a ton of experience that are going to have to kind of figure it out quick this year. Ohio State week one on the road, you go to Florida, you go to Georgia, play Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. I mean, it’s not an easy schedule. So they’re going to have their hands full. But I’m betting on them. I’m really excited to watch them play.”

One of the biggest changes from McCoy’s time in Austin has been the addition of NIL or name, image and likeness, which has drastically altered the college football landscape even more so with the most recent changes, the introduction of a salary cap for schools estimated at around $20.5 million.

McCoy acknowledged the benefits of NIL but said, as a fan of the sport, he wanted college football’s traditions to be a priority.

“I don’t think anybody has an answer on how college football is going to look in the next year, two years, three years, five years, right? But I know there’s a lot of smart people trying to figure it out and keep the sanctity of college football there. That’s what we all want. We want rivalries. We want good conferences, good competition. I think the NIL and the [revenue] sharing and the antitrust laws that are trying to be put in play, I think all that is a step in the right direction and for me, personally, I’m just a fan. I’m glad that the players can capitalize on their name, image and likeness. But at the same time, I want there to be the joy, the community and the sanctity of college football, I want to keep that alive,” said McCoy.

McCoy also spoke highly of former Longhorn and Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue, who he said was a good fit for the franchise.

“He’s a dynamic sort of out of the backfield, can run, can catch, can make people miss. He’s fast. He’s got a lot of what you want from a kind of a third-down back in the NFL, and those guys are very valuable. And I think Jaden blue can turn into that in the NFL, and he’s got a great quarterback in Dak [Prescott] and a great team,” said McCoy. “So I think he’s, he’s in a position to really make an impact early.”

Proceeds from HIS CAMP camp will benefit Cooks Children’s, which McCoy said was his way of giving back to the community.

©2025 Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Visit star-telegram.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Today in college football news, absolutely, I will try the Takis Fuego Wendy’s meal.

The Video Game: Flashy new stuff? Less micro-managing?

Quick Snaps

“I’ve been a celebrity in this state for over 30 years.” Extremely rare thing to hear from a MAC coach, but when 1995 Heisman Trophy winner and 2000 NFL All-Pro Eddie George says it, it’s undeniable. Hey, did you know Bowling Green’s new head coach is also an actor? Let Cameron Teague Robinson tell you all about it.

A College World Series finale fitting this chaotic baseball season: No. 6 LSU vs. No. 13 Coastal Carolina, beginning tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. It will be either the Tigers’ eighth title (still second behind USC, though the Trojans have won it just once since 1978) or the Chanticleers’ second (2016).

  Still have to remind yourself Dana Holgorsen is at Nebraska as OC? Well, he might actually be in Austria, Greece or Mexico right now, but you know what I mean.

Tennessee, Houston and Texas QB commits were among the stars at what Bruce Feldman calls one of the best Elite 11 crops he’s seen in decades.

“The Athletic spoke with more than a dozen people in charge of and around officiating. Almost all said officiating is better than it’s ever been, that the correct call percentage is somewhere around 98 percent, though some say it hasn’t improved enough or become consistent enough with technology. Coaches’ feelings are mixed.”

2025 Countdown: Hellos and goodbyes in the Mountain West

If the Boise State Broncos win the Mountain West again this year before leaving to turn the Pac-12 into Basically The Mountain West, they’ll leave with seven MWC titles in their 14 years as a member.

Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State are also leaving with the Broncos after this season. Since 2010, the only team outside this group to have won the MWC was San Jose State in 2020.

Odds are good that, this December, defending league champ Boise State will make like 2011 CM Punk (or 2023 SMU, Texas and Washington) and leave with the title. Despite the departure of Ashton Jeanty, one of history’s greatest Heisman runners-up, FPI grades the Broncos as FBS’ single biggest conference favorite, with 45.6 percent odds of repeating.

But how’s this for a tidy storyline: No. 5 on the list of the nation’s biggest conference favorites is Dan Mullen’s UNLV (37.7 percent) — the team that spurned the zombie Pac-12 to stick around as the neon star of next year’s zombie MWC. This season, UNLV-Boise (round one?) is on Oct. 18.

Now let’s turn to region expert Chris Kamrani with a couple Qs.

In your recent UNLV story, Mullen said, “I’ve always thought this could be a sleeping giant here.” The Rebels have always ranked right behind UNC at making people say that. After last year’s run and this big hire, is there reason to believe it’s finally happening?

“It boils down to how much you believe in Mullen as a program builder. He did it at Mississippi State at a level never seen before, but failed to do the same when the stakes were much higher at Florida. Mullen is taking over a winning culture cultivated by former head coach Barry Odom, but the Rebels lost a ton of talent to graduation, especially on the defensive side of the ball. If you remember, UNLV did as good of a job on Jeanty as anyone in the country last year, and did so twice.

“Mullen’s bread-and-butter will always be on offense. That’s what will ultimately determine if UNLV can win the Mountain West. He landed former Virginia starting QB Anthony Colandrea and former Michigan QB Alex Orji. He’s loaded up on receivers in the portal, because, duh. Players know Mullen’s offense can be symphonic. They have accumulated talent to help them compete with the alpha of their world, Boise State. Now it’s about waking that snoozing giant Mullen speaks of.”

All things considered, Bronco Mendenhall going .500-ish at Virginia and New Mexico is probably about as impressive as him going 8-4 or 9-3 at BYU. Do you imagine him sticking around at Utah State long enough to build something better than .500-ish?

“I can’t think of a more head-scratching move in the coaching carousel in recent years than Mendenhall returning to the state of Utah. I guess there have been others that made my scalp itch. And they all involve Mendenhall. I was stunned when he left BYU for Virginia and more stunned when he returned to coaching in Albuquerque. Bronco has always marched to the beat of his own drum.

“Building a winner in Logan will be a tall task. Utah State has been relevant in the MWC twice in the last decade. The talent on the roster had slipped in recent years. But one trait Mendenhall has is adaptability. He’s a defensive-minded coach who had high-octane offenses at BYU. Just last year, despite New Mexico’s average season, the Lobos ranked fourth in the country in total offense. I’m going to assume USU will be Mendenhall’s last stop as a college football head coach. If I were a betting person, which I am not, I would say he’ll have the Aggies in conference contention in a few years’ time.”

And now let’s lateral the ball to Stewart Mandel for some mailbag before we head out for the weekend:

Mandel’s Mailbag

Will the new CEO (Bryan Seeley) of the College Sports Commission publicize what the penalties will be moving forward for improper NIL or under-the-table recruiting enticements? — Nick K.

All we’ve gotten are some nebulous quotes from administrators assuring us the penalties will be “substantive,” “stiff,” and “severe.” Either this is the most leakproof endeavor in the history of college athletics, or, more likely, they’re not finished devising them.

While we’re at it, here’s a list of some other specifics notably missing so far about a body that we’re being told will get the NIL landscape fully under control and fundamentally change how the enterprise operates.

• How will CSC monitor tens of thousands of NIL transactions across every Division I sport to ensure the athletes and/or their agents are reporting all of them, and that they’re being paid the actual numbers it says in the contract?
• What are the inputs used to calculate fair-market value, and will you be transparent with the public in explaining exactly why a player got his deal rejected and is now opting to play for a different school?
• Let’s say a running back gets his deal rejected in August. Then, in Week 1, he runs for 250 yards and garners Heisman Trophy buzz. Can he get his fair-market value reassessed, and how quickly can that get done?
• Most contracts include a confidentiality clause. Does this mean you’re forcing the athlete to break it by submitting the deal to Deloitte? Will CSC cover the costs if they get sued?
• Along those same lines, an athlete who gets their deal rejected can appeal to an arbitrator who supposedly has “subpoena power” to produce documents. Can you really subpoena a third-party booster or company that is not bound by the House settlement and never agreed to this process?
• And what are the penalties, and will you announce them publicly?

I’ve got more, but I’ll hang up and listen for now.

(More Mandel mailbag here.)

The Niko Medved era of Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball is underway in Dinkytown. Ben Johnson is out, as is pretty much every player he had on roster last season, outside of two freshman, Isaac Asuma (Cherry, MN) and Grayson Grove (Alexandria, MN).

These days, however, patience is not a virtue in college athletics. The transfer portal, combined with the yearly distribution of $100s of millions in Name, Image and Likeness money allows the right coach, in the right situation to turn over a team and change the future faster than ever before.

That is especially true in basketball, where one or two big time talents can be the difference between dancing and sitting home in March. And there might not be a men’s college basketball program and fanbase more desperate to see a change in fortune than the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

So, how are the new head coach and his AD going to turn things around in Dinkytown? By infusing it with a bunch of cash to pay players, through (a) an increase in NIL funding, along with (b) new revshare money that is about to flip college sports upside down.

But the question remains… how much money will they really have to spend and will it be competitive in the Big Ten? Well, that picture continues to come more and more into focus.

Larger than normal revshare split for Minnesota Gophers MBB

On July 1, all power five universities will get the green light to allocate $20.5 million of their yearly athletic budget to pay their college athletes, however they see fit. Just like most major Universities, the largest split of Minnesota’s revshare allowance (75%) will go to football.

But part of luring Niko Medved back to his home state was a commitment from Mark Coyle that the University of Minnesota would allocate more of that revenue split to men’s basketball than most other power five schools.

Related: Gophers MBB Searching for Another High Caliber Opponent

According to Chip Scoggins (Star Tribune), that commitment means Golden Gophers men’s basketball is expected to get 15% of the total $20.5 million, or $3.075 million. That amount alone would be 3X more than the NIL budget Johnson had to spend last year (see below). What’s left will be dispersed between women’s basketball, men’s hockey and volleyball.

Revenue-sharing models with other Big Ten and SEC schools show football taking priority, with 75% or more of the $20.5 million going to football players, a likely percentage for the Gophers…which could mean a 15% allocation of revenue sharing (or $3.075 million) to that sport.

Of the remaining 10% — $2.5 million — 5% is expected to go to women’s basketball, while men’s hockey and volleyball would split the final 5%.

Chip Scoggins – Star Tribune

Niko Medved promises bigger commitment to raising NIL funds

Last year, we know that Ben Johnson’s Gophers doled out right around $1 million in total NIL dollars, possibly less, depending on which report you believe. Either way, that number was up substantially from 2023-24. In other words, NIL was a struggle for Johnson from the very beginning.

Immediately after he was hired, Niko hit the recruiting trail. Not just for talent, but for NIL dollars too. Unlike his predecessor, Niko Medved understands the importance of NIL fundraising. If you don’t have money to pay players, you won’t be able to bring in talent. It’s really that simple.

How much NIL money were Coyle and Medved hoping to raise? In that same Star Tribune article earlier this month, from what Scoggins was hearing via “Gopher officials”, it was in the $2-3 million range, depending on how fruitful their fundraising efforts were. The hope was to accumulate $5-6 million for their total player budget next season.

And, per longtime local columnist Patrick Reusse (Star Tribune) — who would 100% know, based on his many connections within the Gopher men’s program — Medved & Co’s NIL endeavors have been extremely successful, producing near the peak of projections, or about $3 million.

Minnesota Gophers new men’s basketball player budget revealed

In total, that puts the Minnesota’s men’s basketball player budget for the 2025-26 season at the high side of previous projections, “in the neighborhood of $6 million”, writes Reusse — or 6X more than what Ben Johnson had at his disposal last year.

Medved will turn 52 in August. He has 12 seasons as the coach in charge. He is starting off with those experience advantages over Johnson, and also a program in which the AD is fully invested.

The Gophers now have a marginally competitive amount of dollars to spend on talent — in the neighborhood of $6 million (not stated directly by Medved).

Patrick Reusse – Star Tribune

If Reusse is correct (which I trust he is) then after months of talking, it appears both Coyle and Medved have delivered on their promises to infuse Minnesota Gophers basketball with cash that Ben Johnson could never even dream of, just one year ago.

After four years of Big Ten basement dwelling, Coyle hand-picked Medved as the savior of this program. There was no long hiring process, no search firm. Coyle knew who he wanted and he did not hesitate. Now, he has doubled down on that hire with cold hard cash.

Related: Niko Medved, Gophers Add 4-Star UNC Transfer Commit

As long as the House settlement goes through, as expected on July 1, we should see (in theory) a roster that is 6X better than what we saw out of Gophers basketball teams in recent seasons.

With all that being said, Niko has no excuses at his disposal, even in his first year. He’s already been loaded up with far more advantages in today’s college sports landscape than the previous coach ever had. Because of that, being new isn’t a worthy excuse for failure.

Mentioned in this article: Ben Johnson house settlement Niko Medved NIL revenue sharing

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