What are Minnesota's odds to make the CFP in 2025?
With the 2025 college football season quickly growing closer and closer, sportsbooks and odds makers continue to put out odds for the upcoming season. On Monday, Circa Sports, one of the top sportsbooks in Las Vegas, released their odds for Big Ten teams to make the College Football Playoffs this season.
The teams at the top are no surprise. Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon are -300 favorites or more to make the College Football Playoffs. Ohio State leads the way at -400, Penn State at -310, and Oregon -300.
But where do other Big Ten teams rank including the Golden Gophers? Let’s take a look.
Notably, not all Big Ten teams are listed in the odds. Of the conference’s 18 teams only 11 made the cut. Schools not included are UCLA, Rutgers, Purdue, Maryland, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Michigan State.
Outside the top three, the program with the next best odds to do so this season is the Michigan Wolverines at +225. Two seasons removed from a national championship, the Wolverines are coming off an 8-5 season in the first season of the Sherrone Moore era.
USC is the only other Big Ten program with odds under +500 at +480. The Trojans were 7-6 in 2024, the fourth season in their last five full seasons in which they failed to win more than eight games. The historic program only has three 10+ win seasons in the last decade with the last being in 2022 at 11-3.
Illinois, Nebraska, and Indiana are closely jumbled between +575 and +600 while the Iowa Hawkeyes current odds sit at +650. The Washington Huskies like Michigan are two years removed from a deep College Football Playoff run, making the national championship game in 2022. Last year, the first year under Jedd Fisch, was a struggle going 6-7 with a Sun Bowl loss to Louisville. The Huskies chances of making the dance are currently +750.
That leaves us with the Golden Gophers, the biggest long shot listed by Circa Sports. Minnesota’s odds according to the book? +1800.
Despite being one of the more consistent teams in the Big Ten since 2019, the Gophers are not getting much love from sportsbooks coming into this season. The Golden Gophers were 8-5 in 2024 including 5-4 in Big Ten play. Under head coach P.J. Fleck, the Gophers have won eight more games in four of their last five full seasons. They have also made a bowl game in six straight full seasons dating back to 2018.
But in 2025, if the Gophers are going to make the College Football Playoffs, they would have to do so with a first-year starting quarterback in Drake Lindsey plus a revamped wide receiver room and offensive line. That being said, the Gophers this upcoming season should have one of the best running back duos in the nation in Darius Taylor and AJ Turner as well as one of the best defenses in the Big Ten led by players such as defensive lineman Anthony Smith and safety Koi Perich.
The Gophers schedule is also quite navigable. While there are plenty of quality opponents on the schedule, the only opponents that one could clearly put above Minnesota entering the season are Ohio State and Oregon.
