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2026 NCAA Frozen Four Futures: Michigan State, Wisconsin Rise as Penn State, BU Slip

We're at the midpoint of the season, and teams have mostly shown us who they are at this point, but there's plenty of time for new challengers to enter the mix. Last season, Western Michigan started off mediocre but was red-hot down the stretch en route to its first-ever National Championship. 

Let's take a look at some of our foreshadowing from August's College Betting Futures article, where I predicted the top contenders for the 2026 Frozen Four in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

First, I told readers to shy away from Penn State because they were overvalued with the hype from CHL entry Gavin McKenna. While McKenna receives too much criticism for my liking, he has not transformed this team into an overnight powerhouse. Penn State's odds have fallen from +700 in August to +1,000 on FanDuel. Boston University was my favorite alternate at +800, but their odds have fallen to +1,600 on BetMGM after a tough start. Meanwhile, Michigan State was highlighted as a strong pick, and they're now the betting favorite at +450 on BetMGM. 

I liked Michigan at +1000, but their odds have shot up to +550 on FanDuel, which is far too high with the status of their goaltender in flux. I had some misses with UMass and Maine, but my best longshot pick was easily Wisconsin, whose price is now +1300 on DraftKings after starting the year at +6000. I still have some hope for Bowling Green to make it through the CCHA tournament on the back of Jacob Steinman, too. 

Now, let's look at this weekend's slate. 

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Wisconsin vs Michigan State Game Preview and Betting Odds

No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 4 Michigan State Spartans

Wisconsin has won eight of its last nine games, including a road sweep of Michigan State back in November, and its only loss was to No. 3 Western Michigan while two of its top defenseman (Luke Osburn and Logan Hensler) and leading goal scorer (Quinn Finley) were out of the lineup playing in international tournaments. This team is strong up and down the lineup, featuring 10 players with at least 10 points through 20 games, and freshman backstop Daniel Hauser has been superb with a .917 save percentage, a 2.02 GAA and a 13-2-2 record. However, the Spartans are equally as deep with even more firepower at the top, especially with the emergence of freshman phenom Porter Martone, who has stacked up four goals and two assists over the last three games. Martone was built for Big Ten hockey and is firmly in the Hobey Baker race. In addition, goaltender Trey Augustine leads the nation with a .938 save percentage and is second with a 1.72 GAA. 

In their first two meetings, the Badgers played sturdy defensive hockey and received fantastic goaltending from backup Eli Pulver. It looks like the Badgers will probably stick with Hauser, however, and he's capable of his own heroics. The Spartans have the clear edge on paper. But when the Badgers play within their system, they can tighten up defensively and convert on their chances with each of their lines. It's odd to see them as an underdog here, and they only need to win once to pay off your bet if you fire them up both nights. 

Wisconsin ML (+130 DraftKings)
Over 5.5 (-125 BetMGM)

College Hockey Weekend Matchups to Watch

No. 12 Boston College Eagles vs. No. 14 Providence Friars

This is a home-and-home series, with Boston College traveling to Providence for Saturday's game. The Eagles got off to a rocky start but have ripped off 10 wins over their last 12 games, averaging 4.3 goals per game in the process. However, they only had one win against a ranked team in that stretch (No. 16 Maine). The Eagles have been quite good overall this season, though, ranking seventh in the nation with a 56.1 Corsi For percentage (measuring high-percentage chances), and their goaltending has been adequate from freshman Louka Cloutier with a .913 save percentage and a 10-4-1 record. The Friars are coming off a sweep of Maine, where they outscored the Black Bears 9-1 over two games, although now senior goaltender Philip Svedeback is out long term. The Friars added former AHL and ECHL goaltender Michael Simpson to man the crease, and it's unclear if Simpson or Jack Parsons, who has a .917 save percentage over five games, will start this weekend. 

Regardless, these odds don't tell the story of how close this series should be. The Friars are getting a boost from Ducks' first-round pick Roger McQueen – who has four goals and three assists over five games – and they have multiple strong wins on their resume. There's no reason for them to be this far of an underdog. I'm happy to take the over with the goaltending uncertainty and both high-powered offenses on board. 

Providence ML (+140 DraftKings)
Over 5.5 Goals (-130 DraftKings)

No. 1 Michigan Wolverines at Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Wolverines will be without goaltender Jack Ivankovic indefinitely after he suffered an injury during last Saturday's win over Notre Dame. The Predators' second-round pick has started every game for the Wolverines this season as an 18-year-old freshman, performing excellently with a .927 save percentage, a 1.92 GAA and a 17-4-0 record. The Wolverines lead the nation by a wide margin with 4.9 goals per game, but Ivankovic has played a massive role in earning and maintaining the No. 1 spot in the rankings. Freshman goaltender Stephen Peck appears to be next up on the depth chart, but there's a chance we see sophomore Julian Molinaro -- a Northern Michigan transfer -- in the rotation, too. The two of them have appeared in a combined two NCAA games. 

Minnesota ranks 34th with 2.9 goals per game, but they have goal scorers like Brodie Ziemer and Brody Lamb who can stack up points when needed. Still, they're largely out-matched by Michigan's talent. While Michigan relied heavily on Ivankovic, they have proven they can play shutdown defense when needed, like when they shut out Michigan State on the road last month. I'm expecting Michigan to tighten things up and play a bit more conservatively without their safety net behind them, and that should lead to a lower-scoring game. The Golden Gophers don't have enough talent to break this game open in that scenario. 

Michigan ML (-200 DraftKings)
Under 6.5 Goals (+105 DraftKings)

No. 5 North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs. No. 9 Denver Pioneers

The Fighting Hawks are probably the team I most regret leaving off my preseason betting futures article. There were significant questions about their goaltending, but those have largely been extinguished with the emergence of freshman Jan Spunar, who has rattled off a .929 save percentage and 1.67 GAA through 12 games. He's supported well with 3.8 goals per game (sixth), and the Fighting Hawks are sixth in the nation with a 56.9 Corsi For percentage.

Denver's in a bit of a rut with four losses and a tie over their last five games, although four of those games were against No. 16 Maine and No. 3 Western Michigan. Still, this team is eighth with a 55.6 Corsi For percentage, and they're an extremely deep team that almost certainly has an edge at coaching with David Carle. Perhaps most importantly, they have a mature blue line that is backstopped by Quentin Miller, who has a .919 save percentage through 21 games. I'm expecting them to snap out of this in a hostile road environment, and I favor the under here based on the strong goaltending and defensive play on both sides. 

Denver ML (+100 DraftKings) 
Under 5.5 Goals (+100 BetMGM)