This article is part of our College Baseball Picks series.
College Baseball Betting: Futures Bets for Conference Championships 2026
I'm at a point where I don't even know what to say. Like a dog that is so excited to finally catch the mailman and bite him that when I actually do, I'm not sure what's next. College Baseball is right around the bend for us. With the NFL season wrapped up, the College Diamond picks will slowly start being trickled out. We can't rush this process.
The first round of the new season's column highlights a market that's in its second year of bet-ability, regular season conference winners. Currently, these markets are up on DraftKings and Bet MGM, but I expect others to unveil as we inch closer to the Opening Day on Friday the 13th. Let's take a look in the goodie room.
Remember, this is for REGULAR season winners, not the conference tournament winners.
ACC Best Bets
One of the top power conferences in the entire sport, the ACC provides not only elite teams and talents, but tons of depth with second-year entries in Stanford and California joining in a post-PAC-12 world. It's a bit of a different look from last year, when there were about five or six teams that had a better than good chance to win. In the 2026 preseason, I would say more like three or four.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +600 (DK)
I already gave a brief highlight of G-Tech in my Golden Spikes article where I profiled Drew Burress. Aside from his legit candidacy as a winner and potential 1.1 pick this summer, it's a lineup that is LOADED. Yes, they won last year, which is a bit of a fly in the ointment, as there hasn't been a consecutive winner since 2010-2011 Virginia. There's a reason for that: these teams are just too good, and it's difficult to beat them all out two years in a row. Originally, the Yellow Jackets opened at 8/1, which I quickly sniped. As you can see, there's been a bit of a drop-off. Nevertheless, it's still a strong value.
What we can expect from this team again is an elite offense that probably finishes top-10 in the nation or better. Burress is 30-homer candidate that strikes fear in the hearts of opposing arms. While he elevates everybody else around him, you can say the other guys help him elevate as well. Two of those players are C Vahn Lackey (potential top-10 pick and first catcher off the board this summer), who mashed for a .347 average, .921 OPS, and six homers last season. The other is Cal transfer 2B Jarren Advincula (potential first rounder in '26), who batted .342 with six homers in '25.
We can't forget about OF Alex Hernandez and his 16 homers and .335 average either. As a matter of fact, G-Tech's projected lineup features seven bats who hit over .310 a season ago. The offense isn't and was never the question mark for this team. The real question is what the pitching will look like this year?
Well, I'm glad you asked. It likely won't be phenomenal, but it realistically just has to be good enough. Tate McKee should be slotting back in as the Friday night guy after a solid '25 campaign that saw him put up an 83:38 K:BB in 80 innings, accompanied by a 3.82 SIERA. The biggest X-Factor is grad student Mason Patel, who dealt a 64:18 K:BB in 70 innings along with a 3.41 SIERA. The Sunday spot will be a battle between him and Tennessee transfer Dylan Loy, a lefty with a 3.14 SIERA. There are a few other talented names in the mix like Caden Spivey, Carson Ballard and hyped-up freshman Charlie Willcox (Perfect Game's 14th-ranked right-handed pitcher).
I have questions about how effective the pitching will be in terms of a College World Series winner, but for the ACC, I believe they can be good enough. Because of how dangerous the offense will be, this team has a chance to flirt with 20 ACC wins again. After averaging 8.4 runs per game in 2025, there is a chance they can exceed that threshold in 2026.
Schedule-wise, it's relatively favorable, though there is a key back-to-back in mid-April where they host FSU before going to UNC. With both of those teams as the other conference favorites, that stretch could end up deciding the winner.
Even with the steam, 6/1 is too big of a number on this bunch. It should be closer to 4/1.
Other Team(s) to Look At
Florida State Seminoles +450 (DK)
No qualms about FSU being a good team this year. The number isn't bad either. The issue for me is the big hit they took in the draft, losing ace Jamie Arnold and stud Joey Volini. The vacated slots leave Wes Mendes needing to make a big jump, coming off a solid '25 season (78 IP, 90 K, 39 BB, 3.61 ERA) as the Sunday guy but needing to move to a Saturday or even Friday spot. And the other is stud FAU transfer, Trey Beard (86 IP, 2.19 SIERA, 118:32 K:BB).
I love Beard, but there could be some growing pains in leveling up to a much better conference from last season. Beard and Mendes should be a solid 1-2 punch, but it's not Arnold and Volini. Aside from that, there's some question marks with the rest of the pitching, especially in the bullpen. They brought in a lot of new faces, so perhaps it will improve from the last couple years.
Offensively, the Seminoles lost some juice from last season, but the lineup should still be good. It's led by a star in Myles Bailey, a legit 35-HR candidate. Hunter Carns and Cal Fisher were big pieces last year that return.
The reason I like FSU over UNC for a bet, odds aside, is because FSU's offense has a much higher floor — and ceiling — than the Heels. UNC has a top-five pitching staff, for sure, but there's a big question mark surrounding the lineup turnover. The Heels will of course be in the mix once again, though.
SEC Best Bets
The Holy Grail of college athletics. The conference everybody associated with football for so long is now a baseball conference, and for good reason. If we're talking depth and talent, then we're talking SEC ball. A place where the schedule is extremely difficult, especially with the recent arrivals of Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12. Teams need to be on their A-game every single weekend.
Texas Longhorns +750 (DK)
Like Georgia-Tech, the Horns were a wildly mispriced bunch when lines dropped. 10/1 was where I sniped them at, but the line quickly got cut to +750. Also like the Jackets, Texas won a title in the first year of being in their new conference. The last time an SEC team won back-to-back titles was Florida in 2017 and 2018, so obviously it's a tough hill to climb.
What really carried this team to 22 SEC wins last year was its pitching. Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle isn't the only a great baseball coach they have. Their pitching coach, Max Weiner, spearheaded a staff that was sixth in the country in ERA (3.71) and second among all Power 4 teams, only behind UNC (3.47 ERA). The great news is they only lost one true impact arm from last year, ace Jared Spencer. Of course, that's a big void to fill, but it's largely believed by the team and college baseball community that they found their guy.
6'7" southpaw Dylan Volantis was a star in the closer spot as a freshman in 2025. Truly lockdown. In 51 innings, he pitched to a 1.94 ERA with a 74:12 K:BB and 12 saves, while displaying some of the nastiest swing-and-miss stuff in the nation. IF he can make the jump from closer to Friday guy and perform like many think he's capable of, we're talking about one of the top arms in the country. Returning is lefty Luke Harrison, coming off a stellar campaign (3.06 ERA, 72:24 K:BB in 70.2 innings), as well as Ruger Riojas (3.76 SIERA, 62:21 K:BB in 69 innings).
With so much depth, it's hard to discern the Sunday spot, but there's a lot of reason to be confident, whether it's Riojas or Jason Flores, or even highly-touted freshman Brett Crossland. Yet again, expect the bullpen to be stocked like a fridge full of beer on game day.
The roster and coaching is in place for Texas to run back another 20-win season in the conference. The schedule is also not brutal. It all comes down to whether they stay healthy and execute, but this Horns team is a legit College World Series contender.
Other Teams to Look At
Arkansas Razorbacks +330 (DK)
I would be remiss to not include the favorite. Even after a heartbreaking departure in Omaha last year, this team is once again retooled to be a force in college baseball. Speaking of departures, they lost 12 players from last season, including Golden Spikes winner Wehiwa Aloy.
Regardless, it's going to be another great pitching staff, with heat-seeking missile Gabe Gaeckle projected to make a big junior-year leap. In terms of experience, Arkansas can only pencil Gaeckle in as a returning arm from last year that tallied a lot of innings. Based on the projected staff (and impact arms), he had 71.1 compared to the next highest, LHP Cole Gibler at 29.1. Nonetheless, the rotation that features Gibler (1.19 SIERA, 57:12 K:BB), LHP Colin Fisher (3.18 SIERA, 31:12 K:BB in 25.1 innings), and highly-touted redshirt sophomore, LHP Hunter Dietz (Perfect Game's seventh-ranked LHP) will be ready to go.
Offensively, things will look different after losing Aloy, Charles Davalan and Logan Maxwell, but the Razorbacks retained stud C Ryder Helfrick (.305 AVG, 15 homers), 2B Cam Kozeal (.333 AVG, 15 homers), and OF Kuhio Aloy (.317 AVG, 13 homers). Additionally, they brought in some strong transfers like Texas Tech's 3B TJ Pompey (.348 AVG, 1.021 OPS), Mashall's OF Maika Niu (.903 OPS, 15 home runs), and Lamar's OF Damian Ruiz (.388 AVG, 1.119 OPS) to name a few.
Aside from a great roster, Arkansas has one of the easier schedules I've seen out of all the SEC teams. With all that combined, I'm expecting the Hogs to be in the mix for 20 wins or so in-conference. It is difficult betting a +330 number in this deep of a conference, but there is some value on that number nonetheless.
Honorable Mentions
Florida Gators +2,000
I'm expecting a lot from them. The Gators have perhaps the best one-two punch in the country with Liam Peterson and Aidan King. It's a great price. However, their schedule is difficult, especially in the back half, and I think the team could take some time to gel with a lot of new pieces, despite having a lot of talent.
Kentucky Wildcats +2,000
One of my dark horses of 2026, Kentucky's current roster could be the same type of team as the 2024 group. The Wildcats' pitching should be very strong this year, and they have an absolute stud in SS Tyler Bell. There is a serious question about their ability to hit for power as a team, though. Their schedule will also be difficult, closing out against Tennessee, Florida and Arkansas in the final three weeks. Worth a sprinkle, though, because this might be a very, very good team.
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Big 12 Best Bets
The Big 12 was an interesting conference last year, especially with the largely changed landscape with several new teams in the mix. With all the hype around Arizona, TCU, ASU and Oklahoma State, it was West Virginia that snuck up on A LOT of people (myself included) to steal the regular season crown in a post-JJ Wetherholt era with 19 wins.
The Big 12 doesn't get the juice the SEC or ACC does, but there's some REAL star power in this conference. This should be a great race in 2026.
Kansas Jayhawks +1,100 (DK)
In my humble opinion, this is BY FAR the best bang-for-buck value bet to make right now. As a matter of fact, this might be the only bet you should make in this conference at the moment. I liked Kansas coming into last season, and they ended up being pretty good. And by pretty good, I of course mean having the most wins in the Big 12 with 20. WVU ended up playing 28 games instead of 30 with some cancellations, so they won based on win percentage, ever so slightly.
There are a lot of new faces on this team, but the key hitter and key pitcher return, so this 11/1 line is a little head-scratching. Starting with the offense, superstar OF/1B Brady Ballinger is back after a stellar .353 AVG, 16 homer, 1.164 OPS campaign. He's a legitimate Big 12 Player of the Year contender. Dariel Osoria (.324 AVG, nine homers, .961 OPS) returns as the only other meaningful bat from a season ago. The Jayhawks picked up a ton of JUCO bats in the offseason, and they expect to have five in the starting lineup. How those guys assimilate will be something to monitor.
The staff should be much better, too, after a team 5.04 ERA (69th in the nation). The ace, Dom Voegele, wasn't bad last year, but he definitely wasn't sharp. His 5.70 ERA was misleading, as his 3.86 SIERA paints a different picture. He tallied a 89:36 K:BB in 96.1 innings. Expecting a big jump from him. The Jayhawks brought in Mason Cook (JUCO), and retain Kannon Carr and Manning West. The bullpen has a lot of new faces, including a couple more JUCO arms in Daniel Lopez and two-way player Josh Dykhoff.
Ultimately, there are a lot of questions marks will all these new faces, especially from the JUCO world. But Dan Fitzgerald is a good coach, who should be able to find the formula. Scheduling-wise, it sets up favorable, especially early on where they hit a lot of the doldrums of the conference in Texas Tech, Houston and Utah.
It remains to be seen if this ends up being one of the more talented teams, but I can tell you they should be closer to 8/1.
Other Teams To Add
TCU Horned Frogs +400 (DK)
TCU is a co-favorite with Arizona, but the reason I would go with the Frogs is simple. They return more talent on both sides of the ball. Arizona is scheduled to have a stellar staff, with Owen Kramkowski (a Big 12 Pitcher of the Year contender) and Smith Bailey returning. Superstar closer Tony Pluta is back, too. But the offense lost all their boppers from last season in Mason White, Aaron Walton and Brendan Summerhill. The lineup is a huge question mark.
TCU, on the other hand, returns Big 12 Pitcher of the Year front-runner Tommy LaPour (3.09 ERA, 88:27 K:BB in 90.1 innings). Additionally, they bring back Mason Brassfield (3.34 SIERA), Trever Baumler (3.81 SIERA), along with a lot of their key bullpen guys.
The offense is the separator, with potential top-10 pick Sawyer Strosnider anchoring the lineup. The draft-elligible sophomore is poised for a monster leap after smashing 11 homers and batting .350 as a rookie. Returning as well are OF Chase Brunson (another potential first-rounder), who hit .317 with 12 homers, and two-way player Noah Franco and his 11 homers and .313 average. The Frogs also brought in Franco's little brother Lucas, Perfect Game's 21st-ranked shortstop. TCU has other contributors who will play key roles, but in terms of balance, this is the most talented team in the conference heading into 2026.
The schedule isn't necessarily a layup, but it's one where they have a good chance of being in the 20-win conversation if all goes according to plan. I personally don't love betting short favorites this early, but like Arkansas, the short number does have some value.
An awesome feature now is DraftKings allowing you to parlay conference winners, so that's another way to create a little more value.
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Big 10 Best Bets
UCLA Bruins +120 (DK)
There is one bet and one bet only to make in this conference. This also alludes to parlaying conference winners. It's the UCLA Bruins, currently the No.1-rated team in the nation. The Bruins fell short in Omaha last year, but because of their roster, conference, schedule and path, they are poised to run it back.
And when we talk about their roster, we of course are highlighting superstar SS Roch Cholowsky, the consensus 1.1 pick heading into the season. Cholowsky gained a lot of notoriety in the mainstream towards the end of last season, especially in the college world series. Now, pretty much everybody has heard of him. Looking much like the next Bobby Witt Jr., Roch has all the tools you would want. If UCLA wants to make a run again, he'll need to repeat that monster 2025 season.
In addition to the star shortstop, UCLA brings back some studs, including 1B Mulivai Levu (12 homers, .320 AVG) and 3B Roman Martin (.316 AVG, nine homers). They've added a big transfer from Texas, OF Will Gasparino (13 home runs). The offense should be pretty good again. My question this year, like last year, is the the rest of the offense. In terms of Big 10 play, it will definitely do, but they need to be more well-rounded this year for playoff purposes.
The pitching brought back most of their key guys like Michael Barnett (3.68 SIERA, 86 innings, 75:22 K:BB), Landon Stump (4.69 SIERA, 75.1 innings), and my personal favorite, stud Wylan Moss (2.98 ERA). Jake Swensen joins from a D3 school after a 94:30 K:BB ratio across 76.2 innings. UCLA also has other key bullpen arms returning, but the main prize is superstar freshman Angel Cervantes, Perfect Game's fifth-ranked RHP, who was drafted by the Pirates in the second round last summer. Cervantes is one of those players you will see as a very high pick in a few years, known for a 60-grade changeup and a 90-95 mph heater (at 18 years old by the way).
The fact that we're getting +120 for this team in this low-down conference is insane. The price should be closer to -200. We'll see UCLA play some fun pre-conference matchups in tournaments against Texas A&M, Tennessee, Mississippi State, TCU and others, but once Big 10 play starts, it should be a layup. They won 22 games last year, but they might win 24 or 25 this year, especially with Oregon likely taking a dip.
The path sets up for UCLA to win 45 or more games again and be in the national hosting conversation, where they would likely draw an easier Regional. Depending on the luck of the draw in the Super Regionals, it could be a straight path back to Omaha.
Stay tuned throughout the next week to get more of my preseason College Baseball Futures!
