2026-27 college football betting preview: 5 best value bets to make the College Football Playoff
Looking to back a longer shot to make the College Football Playoff? Matt Jacob offers up five wagers he likes.
In the 2026-27 College Football Playoff preview, the focus is on five teams that offer solid value bets instead of the top preseason favorites. Texas A&M, with a +195 odds at FanDuel, had a strong season in 2025-26 with an 11-0 start and a final ranking of seventh. Nine players from their upset loss to Texas will return, including senior quarterback Marcel Reed and leading rusher Rueben Owens II.
Penn State, with a +375 odds at Caesars Sportsbook, replaced head coach James Franklin with Matt Campbell, who has eight winning seasons and seven bowl appearances in his career. The Nittany Lions return only five starters from last year's 7-6 squad but added nearly 40 transfers. Utah, at +500 odds at bet365, finished 11-2 last season and is coming off a bounce-back year.
They face a significant offseason overhaul with head coach Kyle Whittingham leaving for Michigan, but the transition should be smooth as new coach Morgan Scalley was Whittingham's understudy for two decades. Boise State, with a +550 odds at BetMGM, rejoins the Pac-12 after a two-year hiatus and faces no automatic CFP bid. Despite this, the conference still has a chance to secure a playoff berth.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
