2026 College Football Championship Odds and Predictions

College football fans, this is it! We’ve finally reached the conclusion of a thrilling College Football Playoff as the Miami Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers will play for the 2026 College Football Championship on Monday, January 19.

What makes this matchup so special is that neither team was expected to be here when the 2025-26 regular season first started. Then, with the controversy surrounding Miami making the CFP over Notre Dame, the Hurricanes were quickly dismissed and picked to lose in the Opening Round.

Instead, Miami (13-2) showed grit and versatility as they put together three impressive wins including an upset over the NCAAF Championship favorite, at the time, Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Hoosiers (15-0) have been amazing in their late-season push to earn the no.1 seed and capture the Big Ten title. However, they were still considered a fluky team and sat behind the Buckeyes as the favorites at the start of the CFP.

Since then, Indiana has demolished their two opponents by the combined score of 94 to 25. The Hoosiers proved that they’re on a different level this year and hope to punctuate this Hollywood-like season with a championship.

Currently, the Hoosiers are more than a touchdown favorite, according to the latest CFP Championship betting lines. With that said, let’s dive deeper into the NCAAF odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our NCAAF picks for the Miami Hurricanes vs. Indiana Hoosiers.

What Channel Is The CFP Championship Game On?

• College Football Championship Channel: ESPN
• College Football Championship Time: 7:30pm ET
• College Football Championship Announcers: Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit

The Miami Hurricanes vs. Indiana Hoosiers will kick off at 8:15pm ET live from the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens, FL.

College Football Championship Odds

Check out the latest College Football Championship odds, courtesy of Scores and Stats:

Keep an eye on the latest NCAAF odds for the CFP Championship game and monitor how the lines change up until kickoff.

The Indiana Hoosiers opened as a 7.5-point favorite along with being listed at -318 odds. That spread slowly rose within a few hours to 8.5 points, but the moneyline jumped up to -360 odds.

The Miami Hurricanes opened as a +243 Underdog before seeing their line steadily increase over the week. Currently, Miami’s moneyline sits between +265 and +280.

The Total opened at 48 points, and has bounced around in a range of 47.5 to 48.5 points. So, shop around to get the ideal Over-Under based on how you think the combined score will go.  

The first two rounds of the College Football Playoffs were shaky for our predictions due to the number of upsets to take place. However, we finished the Semifinals on a strong note – going 2-0. More importantly, we nailed our Semifinal parlay and won $357.51 per $100 wagered. Our parlay was as follows:

• Miami Hurricanes (-180)
• Indiana Hoosiers (-185)
• Indiana Hoosiers -4 (-110)

Speaking of nailing College Football predictions, the industry’s best handicapping membership features plenty of handicappers that have gone on a torrid Playoff run. Not only did these handicappers crush the College Football Playoffs, but they also hit big each week throughout the NCAAF season. 

And, the best part, if that wasn’t already enough of an incentive, is that you can claim your free trial on this membership today.

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College Football Championship Betting Trends

The following College Football Championship betting trends include data from last season:

Miami Hurricanes Betting Trends

• 7-0 SU in last seven games
• 5-1 SU in last six January games
• 5-1 ATS in last six games
• 1-6 ATS in last seven Big Ten games
• 1-4 ATS in last five Monday games
• Under is 8-4 in last 12 games

Indiana Hoosiers Betting Trends

• 15-0 SU in last 15 games
• 20-0 SU in last 20 games as the favorite
• 4-1 ATS in last five games
• 3-9 SU in last 12 ACC games
• Over is 6-3 in last nine games

College Football Championship Matchup

These two NCAAF Teams have played against each other two times and each program has one win apiece. Their first matchup took place in October 1964, and the Indiana Hoosiers won by the score of 28-14.

The second head-to-head meeting took place two years later, as the Hurricanes were victorious by the score of 14-7. Both games were played in Miami, Florida, just like this National Championship game.

College Football Championship Predictions

Let’s take a look at the participants in the College Football Championship game, and make our winning NCAAF picks: 

Miami Hurricanes CFP Championship Preview

The Miami Hurricanes entered the 2025-26 NCAAF season at +2500 odds to win the College Football Championship. On the first day of the CFP reveal, the Hurricanes were +10000 odds to win the title. That quickly came down to 25-1 before the first CFP games were played.

With that said, the Hurricanes have grown accustomed to being labeled the underdogs and are using that as fuel to defy the critics and opposition. Miami defensive lineman Reuben Bain Jr. summed that up perfectly with the following comments:

“I feel like that’s been our whole journey, our whole story the whole playoffs. We like when nobody believes in us.”

In the opening round, Miami took out Texas A&M who was favored at home. The Hurricanes rode their defense to a 10-3 win. Then, they pulled off the biggest upset in the Playoffs by taking down the Buckeyes 24-14. Once again, their defense led the way, along with a solid rushing attack.

Then, things opened up more in the Semifinals as Miami outscored Ole Miss 31-27 in a thrilling matchup at the Vrbo Fiest Bowl.

The Hurricanes come into this title game averaging 30.6 ppg (26^th) and have put together a balanced offensive attack with a solid running game and timely passing.

Defensively, this team has stepped it up a notch as they allow just 14.8 ppg (5^th), 299.9 total yards per game (11^th), and only 86.1 rushing yards per game (5^th).

Both sides of the ball will have a tough test against the Hoosiers. Furthermore, Miami’s coach Mario Cristobal will also have a difficult time in this “chess game” with Indiana’s coach Curt Cignetti.

Indiana Hoosiers CFP Championship Preview

As mentioned, the Hoosiers went undefeated during the regular season, then took out Ohio State in a low-scoring Big Ten Championship game. That win earned them the no.1 seed in College Football and first round bye during the Playoffs.

However, once they took the field, Indiana looked even more impressive than before. In fact, they’re on one of the most incredible runs in Big Ten football history.

Over their first two CFP games, the Hoosiers outscored Alabama and Oregon by the score of 94-25. It was a total domination by this program on both sides of the ball.

The offense wracked up numerous yards and touchdowns as their Heisman winning QB Fernando Mendoza led the charge. The Hoosiers will finish with one of the best offenses in all of College Football as they dominated their opponents all year long.

Indiana ranks 3^rd in scoring (40.4 ppg), 16^th in total yards (445.6 ypg), 11^th in rushing (212.7 ypg), and 60^th in passing (232.9 ypg). They’re first in the nation with a +1.5 turnover margin as the offense averages 0.6 turnovers per game (3^rd) and the defense forces 2.1 takeaways per game (7^th).

Defensively, this unit is one of the best in the country. They’re 2^nd in points (11.9 ppg), 4^th in yardage (274.1 ypg), 3^rd against the run (77.6 ypg) and 26^th against the pass (196.5 ypg). Additionally, they rank 16^th in sack rate (8.42%).

It’s clear to see, this Indiana team is great on both sides of the ball and the rightful betting favorite.

Who Is Winning The CFP Championship?

Against Ole Miss, Miami’s rugged defense took a step back from their first two games by allowing 398 total yards and 27 points. They had combined to allow only 17 points over their first two CFP games.

Indiana averaged 47 points per game over their first two CPF contests and allowed only 12.5 ppg.

I like the battle in the trenches to be a push on both sides, but I see the Hoosiers winning this game due to their playmakers on offense and Mendoza outdueling Beck.

Indiana’s RBs Hemby and Black averaged 3.3 ypc after first contact. That means these RBs are hard to bring down, pick up extra yards, and extend drives.

Mendoza also has a plethora of passing weapons in Sarratt, Cooper, Becker, and TE Nowakowski. These four players combined for 26 catches, 330 yards, and seven TDs in two CFP games.

While the Hurricanes have a strong secondary, Ole Miss showed that they can be overmatched by talented receivers. I expect that to happen in this matchup, as well.

On the flip side, Indiana’s defense has been phenomenal. They were up 35-7 at halftime of the Semifinal game against Oregon and cruised throughout the second half. Even so, holding one of the nation’s top offenses to just 22 points was impressive.

Miami’s offense doesn’t have the firepower that Oregon does. They average just 19.3 ppg in their three CFP matchups. That’s not going to be enough to beat this Indiana offense. And, I don’t see Miami putting up 31 points on this defense.

The Hurricanes need to establish the run in order to open up their offense, maintain possession and keep defenses off-balanced. That’s not going to happen against the Hoosiers who are third against the run.

Miami doesn’t have the receiving weapons that Indiana does. More than likely, they will be forced to dink-and-dunk down the field, which plays into the proverbial hands of this aggressive Indiana defense.

I can’t see any in-game matchup that gives Miami an advantage. From the coaches, to the players on both sides of the ball, the Hoosiers are clearly better! Take Indiana to win the Championship and cap off one of the most magical runs in recent NCAAF history.

Bet: Indiana Hoosiers (-360, Hoosiers -8.5 (-110), Total (pass)

Best Bets For The College Football Championship

Check out our best bets for the College Football Championship:

• Indiana Hoosiers (-360)
• Indiana Hoosiers -8.5 (-110)
• Indiana Hoosiers First Half -4.5 (-110)

Indiana is 13-0 SU as a favorite, 4-0 SU in non-conference games, 5-0 SU against ranked opponents, and 8-0 SU with equal rest this season. They have the better coach, offense, and defense. Not to mention, they also have the Heisman Trophy winner at QB.

The Hoosiers are 10-4 ATS after a win, 2-0 ATS in bowl games, 10-5 ATS in all games, 3-1 ATS in non-conference games this season.

As for the first half, the Hoosiers outscored their two CFP opponents by the score of 52 to 7 over the first two quarters of the game. In fact, the Crimson Tide didn’t even score in the first half against Indiana, while Oregon was blanked in the second quarter.

If you put these best College Football Championship bets into a parlay, then you will win $366 for every $100 wagered. That’s a 3.6x ROI for this parlay card. And, all it requires is for the Hoosier to play their brand of football and continue their incredible momentum as they’ve scorched their two previous opponents. If this interests you, then check out our best NFL parlays of the week.

College Football Championship Winners

The following is a list of the most recent College Football Championship winners: