Time is flying by as we are just under 100 days away from the start of the college football season. FanDuel Sportsbook just recently released betting lines for non-Power Four Conference teams, including win totals and odds to win the conference.
With the recent news of a change to the College Football Playoff in 2025, the highest ranked Group of Five team will still earn a spot in the bracket. However, with the straight seeding format, it is highly unlikely that a Group of Five team will get a first round bye like we saw with Boise State last season.
Let’s take a look at who the odds favor to win each Group of Five conference and have a shot at making the playoff.
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
American - Tulane Green Wave (+250)
The Green Wave have appeared in the American Conference Championship Game the past three seasons and currently sit as the favorite right to win it in 2025. Jon Sumrall is entering his second season as head coach but will have to replace quarterback Darien Mensah who transferred to Duke.
Replacing him will likely be Brendan Sullivan who transferred in from Iowa during the spring portal window and has plenty experience as a starting QB. Just behind Tulane in the odds are Navy (+460) and Memphis (+500).
Conference USA - Liberty Flames (+150)
With the departure of Rich Rodriguez from Jacksonville State, Conference USA looks to be a two horse race between Liberty and Western Kentucky (+430). Despite a disappointing 2024 season, the Flames enter as the favorites to win the conference in 2025. Head coach Jamey Chadwell brought in a quarterback from his old stomping grounds of Coastal Carolina in Ethan Vasko who will likely be the Week 1 starter.
Also of note is the addition of two new programs in Delaware and Missouri State. Both teams will begin their transition from the FCS this season, making them ineligible for postseason play, which includes the CUSA Championship Game.
Mid-American - Toledo Rockets (+260)
It would be a shocker if a MAC team was the highest ranked G5 champion but we have seen it happen before with Northern Illinois in 2012 and Western Michigan in 2016. Toledo sits as the current favorite but the defending champion Ohio Bobcats are close behind at +280.
Longtime Rockets head coach Jason Candle is entering his 11th season at the helm and returns starting quarterback Tucker Gleason along with four All-Mac players from 2024. The Rockets are the favorite but the MAC is a conference where anything can happen and it is always up for grabs as there has not been a team to win it in back-to-back years since 2011-2012.
Mountain West - Boise State Broncos (-110)
Boise State is a heavy favorite to repeat as Mountain West champions. They return quarterback Maddux Madsen along with four starting offensive lineman who paved the way for Ashton Jeanty in his historic 2024 campaign. Defensively they return six starters, including edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan who earned First-Team All-MWC in 2024 with 10 sacks.
The Broncos are also the clear favorite to be the Group of Five representative in the playoff with the best odds to win the national championship of any G5 team at +33000. Similar to last year, their top competition in the conference will be UNLV (+550) with new head coach Dan Mullen.
Sun Belt - James Madison Dukes (+290)
In just their fourth season competing at the FBS level James Madison enters as the favorite to win the Sun Belt. Quarterback Alonza Barnett returns after an impressive first season as the starter in 2024, but his availability is in question due to an injury sustained in the season finale. Due to this they brought in Matthew Sluka who notoriously left UNLV in the middle of last season. Prior to UNLV, Sluka spent four years as the starter at Holy Cross under now JMU head coach Bob Chesney. Chesney is entering his second season at James Madison and could soon be a hot name in the head coaching market.
Sitting behind the Dukes in the Sun Belt are Texas State (+550) and Louisiana (+650). Last season Marshall became the first team other than Appalachian State or Coastal Carolina to win the SBC Championship Game, and this looks likely to happen again with both of these teams sitting in the bottom half of the odds.