The verdict on Kalshi versus Polymarket for college football is that there is no single winner. Across the 12 national-title contracts priced on both venues, the cheapest available price splits 6-6: Kalshi holds the best number on six teams, Polymarket on the other six. The better venue is a team-by-team question, not a platform choice.
That even split cuts against the idea that one exchange is simply cheaper. The market prices the same board on both venues, but liquidity and order flow pool differently by contract, so the lowest price migrates from team to team. A trader optimizing entry cost has to read the board line by line.
Which teams are cheapest on Kalshi?
Kalshi holds the cheapest price on the three heaviest favorites: Georgia at 19c (17.1% fair value), Ohio State at 17c (15%) and Miami at 13c (12.1%). It also undercuts on three longshots: Ole Miss at 4c, Utah at 2c and Oklahoma at 1c.
The concentration at the top matters. The three largest fair values on the board all route to Kalshi for best execution, which means the venue owns the most capital-intensive end of the title market even though the raw contract count is tied.
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Which teams are cheapest on Polymarket?
Polymarket owns the cheapest price on Notre Dame at 14c (12.7% fair value), Texas at 9c (7.5%), Alabama at 8c (7%) and Indiana at 7c (6.8%), plus the longshots LSU at 2c and Oregon at 1c.
This is the middle of the board. Polymarket's edge sits across the second and third tiers of contenders rather than the very top, with Notre Dame the highest fair value in its column at 12.7%. Where Kalshi concentrates on the favorites, Polymarket's cheapest prices cluster through the 7% to 13% fair-value band.
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How close to fair value are the best prices?
Cheapest does not mean cheap relative to the model. Most best prices still carry a premium over fair value: Ohio State's 17c sits two points above its 15% fair value, Georgia's 19c runs 1.9 points over 17.1%, and Texas's 9c is 1.5 points above 7.5%.
Two contracts are priced almost exactly at the model. Indiana's 7c sits a fraction over 6.8%, and Oregon's 1c is barely above 0.9%, leaving little daylight between price and fair value on either.
One contract trades through fair value entirely. Oklahoma's best price of 1c on Kalshi is below the model's 1.6% fair value, the only title contract on the board where the cheapest available price undercuts the model's number.
So which venue should a trader use?
The practical read is that platform loyalty costs money. With the best price split 6-6, defaulting to one exchange means overpaying on half the board. The cheapest venue is Kalshi for the top favorites and the Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Utah longshots, and Polymarket for the Notre Dame through Indiana tier plus LSU and Oregon.
Prices and the model can both be wrong, and these figures are a single snapshot from October 17, 2026; best prices move with liquidity and news. The consensus fair value is a reference point, not a guarantee, and none of this is financial advice. The durable takeaway is mechanical: check both venues per contract, because the better price on college football is a team-level fact, not a platform-level one.
