2026-27 NCAA College Football Teams to Make the Playoff

Who's In?

That question has become the slogan for the College Football Playoff. This is now the third year of a 12-team College Football Playoff that has had twists and turns at every corner. Not only the teams that end of getting in, but also the upsets that ensue when the games begin.  Be sure to check out Nate Hornung's piece on who wins the National Championship as well.

Right now we have 8 teams that are minus money to make the playoff. That leaves 4 guaranteed spots where teams are getting in at plus money. In this article, I'm going to give out my three favorite plus money bets on teams to make the playoff.

Check out the best odds on the market and tons of picks for the NCAA Football Season.

Odds for Teams to Make the CFB Playoff

Odds to Make CFB Playoff 2026-27 at BetOnline

• Notre Dame -750
• Ohio State -350
• Indiana -350
• Oregon -325
• Miami Florida -300
• Georgia -250
• Texas -225
• Texas Tech -225
• Texas A&M +140
• LSU +150
• Alabama +150
• Mississippi +160

Team to make CFB Playoff #1: Alabama +150 – BetOnline

Kalen Deboer is now entering his 3rd year at Alabama replacing the GOAT, Nick Saban. His tenure has been an up and down one so far, but he did make the playoff last year and got extension this offseason. Coming into the upcoming year, Alabama is flying under-the-radar. All the talk about Arch and Texas, Kiffin and LSU, or even Chambliss and Ole Miss. It doesn't feel like a lot of people are talking about the Tide.

Alabama's season is pretty simple in my mind. It comes down to Quarterback play and offensive line play. Their defense should be elite and one of the best in the country. Their entire secondary returns which in today's college football as we all know is rare. The QB position however is a question mark and so are the boys up front.

All the top teams in college football this year have an experienced QB. Whether that player is transferring in to a new school or has been at his current school for at least a year, just about every top team in CFB has a QB with experience. Alabama does not. DeBoer has to decide if he's going to go with redshirt freshman, Keelon Russell or Junior QB, Austin Mack.

I think most are expecting it to be Russell. He is a former 5-star recruit and has been drawing comparisons to Bryce Young in camp. The offensive line is also young and inexperienced as well. They have to replace six lineman from last year and only have 30 combined starts amongst their current group.

I think you're getting value on Alabama though because of the unknown. As I mentioned, all these top teams have quarterbacks that we have seen before which is baked into the market. We have no idea what Russell or Mack could look like. That could be a good thing or a bad thing. We also have no idea how the offensive line will perform. What we do know is that defense is going to be awesome and the schedule on paper isn't as tough as it has been in the last few years. At +150 I think Bama is a good bet to make the playoff.

Team to make CFB Playoff #2: Louisville +450 – BetOnline

One of my favorite coaches in the sport is Jeff Brohm. He always gets the most out of his teams every year and they always play up to the level of their competition. That's what you want in a team trying to make the playoff, a team who can pull off upsets.

Compared to the BIG 10 and SEC, the ACC is once again down this year. Miami is easily the most talented team in the league and definitely should win the ACC. If they don't end up winning it or at the chance the ACC gets two teams in the playoff this year I think Louisville could be a team to watch.

One of the best backfields in the country.@CoachCBarclay talks about the dynamic running back room in Episode 2: The Backfield Standard

Watch the full episode ➡️ https://t.co/K8WgfpT30o #GoCards pic.twitter.com/azoCyajUQY

— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) July 20, 2026

First off, the schedule is favorable. They do play Ole Miss at the beginning of the year in Nashville, but avoid Miami and Clemson in league play and face SMU at home. Coming into the season most people will probably have those 3 teams as the top three in the ACC. The Cardinals only play one of those teams and they get them at home.

Secondly, the offense will always be good as long is Brohm is there. Lincoln Kienholz comes over from Ohio State to be the QB. He had to sit and wait his turn and now finally gets his shot. He can lean on a terrific RB duo in Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown.

Thirdly, Louisville is always competitive. In the last 2 years they have lost 8 games. Seven of those eight games have been decided by 7 points or less. They really don't ever get blown out and can usually hang with any team they play. I think there is a shot they could upset Ole Miss in Week 1. Even if that doesn't happen I still like the price for them to make the playoff at +450 because that ACC schedule is very doable.

Team to make CFB Playoff #3: Wisconsin +3300 – BetOnline

You guys want to get nuts? Lets get nuts. In the first two iterations of the CFB Playoff we have had some crazy stuff happen. Indiana made the playoff in Year 1 with Cignetti when not a soul had that and last year two Group of 5 teams made the playoff ( JMU and Tulane). There is going to be wild stuff that happens every year and a team or two that gets in that no one is talking about in the preseason. That team this year could be Wisconsin.

After having the toughest schedule in the BIG 10 last year, they have the easiest schedule in the league this year. They avoid the top 4 preseason teams ( Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, and Michigan). They do open up the season against Notre Dame in Lambeau, but after that the schedule is quite manageable.

I also love the Quarterback they got in the portal in Colton Joseph from Old Dominion. The Badgers have had horrendous QB luck for the last 4-5 years. It seems like every QB they have gotten has been hurt within the first 3-4 weeks of the season and then their season is completely lost. This year as long as Joseph stays healthy I think the Badgers have found a gem. I really was a big fan of his game at ODU and I think he has the potential to really elevate this offense.

A lot has to go right for the Badgers to make the playoff, there is a reason the price is 33-1. However, with the easiest schedule in league play and a lot of upside at QB, I'll take a shot with Wisconsin.

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