Let's take an early look at the 2027 college basketball National Championship futures market, analyzing where the value lies before preseason hype and polls move the numbers. We'll break down the favorites and highlight sleeper programs ahead of the release of preseason rankings.
Current 2027 National Championship Odds
Here are the best championship odds for the top-15 teams in college basketball heading into the 2026-27 season, courtesy of the college basketball national championship odds page on RotoWire.
| Rank | Team | Best Odds | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | theScore | Consensus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida Gators | +625 (Caesars) | +620 | +600 | +600 | +625 | +600 | +609 |
| 2 | Duke Blue Devils | +650 (BetMGM) | +620 | +600 | +650 | +625 | +650 | +629 |
| 3 | Connecticut Huskies | +1200 (FanDuel) | +1000 | +1200 | +1100 | +1100 | +1000 | +1080 |
| 4 | Illinois Fighting Illini | +1300 (DraftKings) | +1300 | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 | +1220 |
| 5 | Michigan Wolverines | +1500 (FanDuel) | +1300 | +1500 | +1200 | +1500 | +1500 | +1400 |
| 6 | Texas Longhorns | +1600 (DraftKings) | +1600 | +1500 | +1600 | +1500 | +1500 | +1540 |
| 7 | Michigan State Spartans | +2200 (FanDuel) | +1800 | +2200 | +1800 | +1800 | +2000 | +1920 |
| 8 | Louisville Cardinals | +2500 (FanDuel) | +2000 | +2500 | +2000 | +2000 | +2500 | +2200 |
| 9 | Houston Cougars | +2500 (DraftKings) | +2500 | +2500 | +2000 | +2000 | +2500 | +2300 |
| 10 | Arkansas Razorbacks | +2500 (FanDuel) | +1900 | +2500 | +2200 | +2500 | +2500 | +2320 |
| 11 | Tennessee Volunteers | +2500 (DraftKings) | +2500 | +2200 | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 | +2440 |
| 12 | Arizona Wildcats | +3000 (FanDuel) | +2000 | +3000 | +2200 | +2500 | +2800 | +2500 |
| 13 | Kansas Jayhawks | +4000 (FanDuel) | +2500 | +4000 | +2500 | +4000 | +3300 | +3260 |
| 14 | Virginia Cavaliers | +4000 (FanDuel) | +3500 | +4000 | +4000 | +2500 | +4000 | +3600 |
| 15 | St. John's Red Storm | +5500 (FanDuel) | +2500 | +5500 | +3000 | +5000 | +3300 | +3860 |
2027 College Basketball National Championship Favorites
Here are the top-5 teams most likely to win the title based on late-July NCAA Betting Futures.
Florida Gators (+625) - Caesar's
Florida had what many considered to be the best frontcourt in college basketball in 2025-26, and coach Todd Golden managed to keep the whole band together despite several options having strong NBA potential. Thomas Haugh (17.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg), Alex Condon (15.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Rueben Chinyelu (10.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg) are all back, as well as shooting guard Boogie Fland (11.6 ppg, 3.5 apg). The one question mark is Denzel Aberdeen, who returns to the Gators after a year at Kentucky, but will need to go the legal route to earn a waiver for his fifth season of eligibility. The recruiting class won't be a major factor, but it's incredibly rare in this day and age to have this type of roster retention.
Duke Blue Devils (+650) - BetMGM
Duke lost its top-two scorers in Cameron Boozer (22.5 ppg) and Isaiah Evans (15.0 ppg) to the NBA Draft, but John Scheyer is one of the best recruiters in the country. He'll bring in a pair of five-star prospects in point guard Deron Rippey Jr and small forward Bryson Howard to help fill the void. The Blue Devils also retain center Patrick Ngongba (10.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg), Cayden Boozer (7.7 ppg) and Dame Sarr (6.4 ppg), but the prized acquisition is John Blackwell, coming off a 19.1 ppg season with Wisconsin. There's plenty of firepower here for another run.
UConn Huskies (+1200) - FanDuel
Never count out Dan Hurley, who remains with the Huskies despite likely getting plenty of attention from NBA teams. He lost leading scorers Tarris Reed and Alex Karaban to the pro level, while Solo Ball is set to sit out with a wrist injury. However, Hurley retains Big East Player of the Year candidate Silas Demary (10.1 ppg, 5.9 apg, 4.5 rpg), as well as projected starters Braylon Mullins (12.0 ppg) and Jayden Ross. He also brings in Nikolas Khamenia (5.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg) from Duke. He'll need transfers Najai Hines and Oskar Giltay to form a good enough center tandem to complete the puzzle. Quality minutes from top-50 recruits Colben Landrew and Junior County would help UConn's case.
Illinois Fighting Illini (+1300) - DraftKings
Brad Underwood and the Illini are bringing back the seven-foot Ivisic twins to man the frontcourt, in addition to two of their top three scorers in Andrej Stojakovic (13.5 ppg) and David Mirkovic (13.3 ppg). Stefan Vaaks (15.8 ppg) also enters the mix from Providence, while four-star freshman Quentin Coleman and Lucas Morillo should contribute. The problem is the backcourt, with leading scorer Keaton Wagler (17.9 ppg) and experienced guard Kylan Boswell (12.3) gone to take the next steps in their careers. Can Stojakovic emerge as a point-forward? Is Coleman ready to take the reigns as a freshman? The ceiling of Illinois basketball will directly hinge on answering the point-guard question.
Michigan Wolverines (+1500) - FanDuel
The reigning National Champions will certainly get respect from the books and public -- enough here to squeak out one of the top-5 futures rankings. However, head coach Dusty May has left for the Dallas Mavericks, turning over the keys to existing staff member Mike Boynton in an effort to keep the roster together. That doesn't change the fact that the top three scorers -- Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson and Aday Mara -- have left for the NBA. Point guard and senior leader Elliot Cadeau (10.5 ppg, 5.9 apg) and breakout candidate Trey McKenney (9.9 ppg) are back, along with portal additions Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati), JP Estella (Tennessee) and Jalen Reed (LSU). All three are double-digit scorers, but they have big shoes to fill. Four freshmen in the ESPN top-100 will also compete for minutes.
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Why Bet National Championship Futures in the Offseason?
College basketball rosters are relatively set at this point despite the season being roughly four months away. The portal is closed, and the NBA Draft is in the past. Now is the time to evaluate teams before the preseason polls come out. Find out who are the contenders and who are the pretenders by staying up to date on the latest college basketball news, as well as college basketball projected depth charts on RotoWire.
CBB Teams to Fade at Their Current Number
Here are a few teams with odds that are likely a bit inflated. Wait for a better price, or fade altogether.
Duke Blue Devils (+650)
Duke always gets an inflated number as a blue blood with plenty of name recognition among the general public. If someone wants to make a bet for fun, the Blue Devils are often the recognizable team. Not to mention, they have one of the biggest nationwide fan bases. Instead of betting in the offseason, wait for an early-season skid to get a better number. They'll get it together and develop enough chemistry with the new pieces to become Final Four contenders, but betting now means you'll be paying top dollar.
Michigan Wolverines (+1500)
The Wolverines managed to keep the roster together after losing title-winning coach Dusty May to the NBA on June 22 -- two months after the transfer portal closed. May's returning stars and portal acquisitions likely didn't have many options, as most teams had already used their NIL budgets and solidified their rosters. These players are probably already looking to the next step in their careers, and even if they are all-in, the roster simply isn't as strong as the one that won the title. The Wolverines will need monster buy-in and output from their freshman, and I just can't see it coming together in 2026-27.
Sleeper Team to Watch
Here's a team outside the top-5 that might be worth a college basketball futures bet.
Michigan State Spartans (+2200) - FanDuel
Tom Izzo hasn't been to the final four since 2019 and was bounced by Dan Hurley and the Huskies in the Sweet Sixteen last year, but Izzo does one thing better than arguably any other coach in college hoops -- roster retention. Starting point guard and leading scorer Jeremy Fears (15.2 ppg, 9.4 apg) is back for his senior year, as are rotation pieces Coen Carr, Kur Teng, Cam Ward and Jordan Scott, with Scott representing a real breakout candidate (per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports). Izzo also addressed a big need in the portal by bringing in 7-2 center Anton Bonke, who averaged 10.6 points and 8.3 rebounds across only 25.6 mpg last year with Charlotte. On top of all that, Izzo has a top-3 recruiting class, according to both 247 Sports and ESPN, with four players in the ESPN top-100, led by 6-5 shooting guard Jasiah Jervis. That gives the Spartans plenty of depth, and we know Izzo's teams only get better as the season goes on.
The Big Ten title drought was broken by Michigan last year. The league has two top-five teams in terms of betting odds, so MSU will be battle-tested. The Spartans are real candidates to get Izzo his second National Championship at the age of 72.
2027 National Championship Futures: Final Pick
As things currently stand in late-July, here's my pick to cut down the nets in 2027.
Florida Gators (+625)
It's a boring pick, but the Gators are the favorite for a reason. They retain the best frontcourt in college hoops, with all three players carrying multiple years of high-level experience in this program. Any one of them could have went to the NBA, but all are back under coach Todd Golden. The odds will get even tighter if Denzel Aberdeen gets his waiver, but even if he doesn't, three-point sharpshooter Urban Klavzar is a starter-caliber player. Golden already won in 2026 and can absolutely do it again if his guards step up.
