College Football Playoff Futures to Bet: Week 2 of the 2026 Season

The first full week of the college football season delivered some exciting matchups. We saw some top-ranked teams deliver standout performances, while others didn't live up to expectations. Then we had teams that played much better than expected and could become playoff contenders.

Let’s consider these three teams for the College Football Playoff.

*All odds via DraftKings.

College Football Playoff Futures to Bet: Week 2

Ohio State Buckeyes (-500)

The Buckeyes went out and took care of business in their first game of the season with a 56-3 win over Ball State. The offense was sharp for the entire game, scoring two touchdowns in every quarter.

Quarterback Julian Sayin carried the momentum of his spectacular 2025 season into 2026, throwing for 325 yards and three touchdowns in just three quarters. More importantly, he was efficient, going 21-for-25 (84.0%). Last year, Sayin (77.0%) became just the third quarterback in college football history with a 77% or better completion rate, along with Bo Nix (77.4%) in 2023 and Mac Jones (77.4%) in 2020.

His top receiver had one of the weekend’s best performances. Jeremiah Smith went off for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

The defense also looked great, allowing just 165 total yards and one interception.

While their odds are long, it looks like they’ll make the College Football Playoff.

USC Trojans (+200)

Ever since Lincoln Riley arrived in SoCal, the college football world has been waiting for the Trojans to return to prominence, and this might be the year.

They are the only Big Ten team with two games under their belt, and they’ve looked strong in both. This offense looks especially dangerous, and quarterback Jayden Maiava could quickly enter the Heisman conversation.

In two games, he has 635 passing yards and five touchdowns, and that’s with him sitting out the entire fourth quarter in each game.

One of USC's biggest problems in previous years was its defense, but that may be changing. Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson is the Trojans’ new defensive coordinator, and he’s off to a great start. The 23 points USC allowed to San Jose State in Week 0 came against second- and third-stringers. The Trojans would then shut out Fresno State in Week 1.

USC has to run the gauntlet in conference play, facing Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana. If they play well and win at least two of those games, they could be in playoff contention.

Louisville Cardinals (+600)

Last season, the ACC was a forgotten conference because it had only one team in the playoff, and that team wasn’t even the conference champion. This year could be different; multiple teams might have the potential to make the playoff.

As long as Miami doesn’t have a major slip-up, they are likely in, but Louisville could make a case during the season.

Louisville made a huge case for the playoffs in Week 1 against No. 9 Ole Miss. The Rebels entered the matchup as 6.5-point favorites, but the Cardinals fought every step of the way. Ole Miss held a 14-point lead with 6:43 left, and Louisville responded to tie the game. Unfortunately, Ole Miss got the walk-off field goal to prevent the upset.

The Cardinals faced one of the SEC’s best teams, which reached the College Football Playoff semifinals, and showed they are ready to compete for their own run.

The quarterback transfer from Ohio State, Lincoln Keinholz, shined in his first game, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown.

They currently have only one more game against a ranked team on the schedule, facing No. 19 SMU in Week 3. However, if they run the table, reach the ACC Championship game, and include that game against Ole Miss on their resume, it might be enough for the committee.

Players Mentioned in this Article

BoNixQ
QBDEN
PPG
18.2
Proj
17.4
MacJones
QBSF
PPG
10.9

Published Sep 9, 2026, 4:00 AM ETUpdated Sep 9, 2026, 9:10 AM ET

College Football Playoff Futures to Bet: Week 2 of the 2026 Season