Who is favored to win the college football national championship?

The four programs that remain in the mix for the college football national championship are all noticeable brands. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas consider themselves among the sport's blue bloods — and one of them will have College Football Playoff national title hardware to add to their trophy case within the next few weeks.

Of the quartet, which team has the best chance to win the national championship this month?

Who is favored to win the college football national championship?

Ohio State Buckeyes

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Ohio State (12-2) is favored to win the College Football Playoff national title with -110 odds. Following the final week of the regular season, in which the Buckeyes bowed on their own turf to archrival Michigan, Ohio State’s trophy prospects were shaky.

The sixth-ranked Buckeyes have responded to that heartbreaking loss in the best way possible, probably better than most expected they could. Against seventh-ranked Tennessee in the first round, Ohio State rolled 42-17 after jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. In the Rose Bowl, the Buckeyes breezed to a 41-21 win after putting top-ranked Oregon in a 34-0 hole late in the first half.

With their high-powered attack and stifling defense, it's no surprise the Buckeyes are thought of so highly.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Third-ranked Notre Dame (13-1) follows behind Ohio State in FanDuel’s odds. The Fighting Irish are +390 to win out. Much like the Buckeyes, Notre Dame has had its trials, most notably being upset at home by a much smaller foe in Northern Illinois early in the schedule.

The Fighting Irish last won the national crown under Lou Holtz in 1988.

Texas Longhorns

Fourth-ranked Texas (13-2) is considered slightly behind Notre Dame in terms of its chances to win its first national title since 2005. The Longhorns have +410 odds.

Vince Young was quarterbacking Texas when it last won it all, back when the Bowl Championship Series format decided the victor (in 2005). The Longhorns reached the semifinal round last year, too, falling short against Washington.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Fifth-ranked Penn State (13-2) is the long shot to take the crown home, sporting +500 odds to do so.

After a first-round home win over SMU and a Fiesta Bowl triumph over Boise State, the test against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl is arguably the biggest in James Franklin's 11-season tenure in charge of Penn State.

Unexpectedly, thanks to Ohio State's setback against Michigan, the Nittany Lions found themselves in Indianapolis for the Big 10 Championship Game. It was Franklin's second trip to that platform, having won the game in 2016.

Can he make it to the national title game?

Who is calling the college football national championship?

As ESPN’s flagship broadcast duo, play-by-play man Chris Fowler and analyst Kirk Herbstreit will be on the call for the College Football Playoff national title game.

The longtime partnership has been in the booth for every national championship game since the CFP era began in 2014.

College football national championship tickets

According to Vivid Seats, College Football Playoff national championship tickets won't be all that easy to come by. Tickets for the game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium range from $1,164 to $8,588 each.

College football national championship last 5 years

Before Jim Harbaugh and Michigan took home the trophy last year, the Southeastern Conference had a stranglehold on the CFP title, winning the four before that.

Georgia repeated with championships in 2021 and 2022, Alabama was the top dog in 2020 and LSU dominated in 2019. With Texas listed with the third-best odds to win this season, things look a lot different.