2024 College Football Playoff odds: Ranking best national championship picks entering big Ohio State vs. Penn State showdown

SportsLine writer Gene Menez ranks his top five national championship winner picks by odds value

April 16, 2026 • 6:32 AM

The No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions host the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday in a showdown that will have major Big Ten and College Football Playoff implications. The Nittany Lions (7-0, 4-0 in Big Ten) and Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1) sit in third and fourth, respectively, in the conference title race behind both Oregon and Indiana (both 8-0, 5-0). Ohio State is +450 to win the national title in futures odds, behind only Georgia (+340). Meanwhile Penn State (+1300) is fifth.

Here are my College Football Playoff national championship value rankings entering Week 10. I will go through these rankings every two weeks to help bettors find value in the market.

Odds via DraftKings 

Which team grabs the No. 1 spot in Menez rankings? ... !