College football is back, which means the futures markets are plentiful.
Our staff took a look at the board and came through with seven futures for the season, including National Championship picks, Heisman Trophy plays, College Football Playoff bets and more.
With so much to get to, let's dive into our favorite college football futures and NCAAF picks for the 2026 season.
College Football Futures, Picks
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Notre Dame to Win National Championship (+750)
Give me Notre Dame to finally get over the hump and win the National Championship this season.
For starters, the schedule is extremely manageable, which will put the Irish in a great position to be a top-four seed and earn a bye into the quarterfinals.
Miami is likely the only opponent that will not be a double-digit underdog.
A trip to Provo to play BYU is, on paper, the only tricky road game.
The Irish have a great chance to go undefeated, but even at 11-1, they'd be in the mix for the bye, which puts them just three wins away from winning the title.
On the field, this roster is absolutely loaded across the board. The Irish have studs at all three levels of the defense, including preseason All-American cornerback Leonard Moore, veteran linebacker Drayk Bowen and explosive EDGE rusher Boubacar Traore.
For my money, this will be the best defense in all of America.
On the other side of the ball, quarterback CJ Carr is poised to make a Year 2 jump, and I expect him to be a contender for the Heisman Trophy. Carr has total command of the offense and can make all the throws.
The wide receiver room is also significantly more talented than a year ago, which will give Carr that many more options to get the ball out to.
Lastly, I’m buying into the "Revenge Tour" narrative for the Irish after just missing out on the postseason a year ago. ND had the talent to make a run last year, and this group has trained all offseason with the pain of being the first team left out.
Notre Dame leaves no doubt this year and wins the whole darn thing for the first time since 1988.
Pick: Notre Dame to Win National Championship (+750 · Play to +700)
Notre Dame to Win National Championship (+750)
By Ryan Minion
I'll be taking a shot on Notre Dame to win the 2026-27 National Championship in what would be the program’s first title since 1988.
Despite losing some key offensive playmakers — namely running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to the NFL — I expect last year’s RB3, Aneyas Williams, to have a huge year after averaging more than nine yards per carry in 2025.
Quarterback CJ Carr returns for his junior season and remains a clear top contender to win the Heisman Trophy in 2026 following a remarkable season.
The Irish will be highly motivated after missing the College Football Playoff last season with early losses to both Miami and Texas A&M.
Head coach Marcus Freeman’s bunch should skate by its early-season schedule unblemished until it goes to Provo to play BYU, followed by Mario Cristobal’s Miami team in early November.
The Irish return the majority of last season’s defensive corps, with cornerback Leonard Moore leading the charge as arguably the best defensive player in the country.
Notre Dame boasts an absolutely loaded unit in both its front seven and secondary.
I bet the Fighting Irish to win the National Championship a couple of weeks ago at +750 at DraftKings and would play them at +700 or better.
Pick: Notre Dame to Win National Championship (+750 · Play to +700)
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Georgia to Win SEC (+280)
Even in a “down” year for Georgia’s defense, the Bulldogs still played at a high enough level to win the SEC.
UGA has reloaded on the back end, fielding a talented second level that will help it climb back to the top of the board in Pass Success Rate allowed and Havoc.
Any improvement on defense will help Georgia avoid highly volatile contests, increasing its chances of pulling away on the scoreboard on a weekly basis.
That's especially with quarterback Gunnar Stockton leading an offense that brings back a ton of talent. The Bulldogs finished last season ranked 18th in Success Rate and seventh in PPA.
To help rattle off another successful campaign, the Dawgs get the benefit of navigating a schedule that has them projected as favorites in all 12 games. Their toughest road games come against Alabama and Ole Miss, two contenders who are expected to regress a bit.
Texas, meanwhile, draws a much tougher schedule, potentially keeping it out of contention for an SEC Championship berth, which would help Georgia pull away from the field.
LSU is also littered with question marks as it integrates new pieces at key positions on both sides of the ball, making it a pass to win the conference.
Back Georgia to win the SEC now while keeping an eye on LSU and Texas as potential midseason wagers.
Pick: Georgia to Win SEC (+280 · Play to +250)
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Texas Tech to Win Big 12 (-110)
By Joshua Nunn
Despite the offseason saga regarding Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech remains in an excellent position to run the gauntlet once again in Big 12 play.
The losses on the defensive side are considerable, but Tech added Adam Trick, Trey White, Austin Romaine, Jamond Mathis, Corey Platt Jr. and others who are going to fit in and make this a top defensive unit in the Big 12.
Quarterback Will Hammond should be in full swing come Big 12 play, and Texas Tech just recently acquired Tommy Castellanos as a serviceable backup.
The offensive line was rebuilt through the portal, and J’Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey highlight a strong running back room. This offense will be strong once again, and Hammond is a capable quarterback who will do well with weapons around him.
The schedule is very favorable. In fact, Tech owns my second-easiest conference schedule in 2026.
The Red Raiders avoid BYU, Utah and Kansas State, so I have them favored in every game by at least 12 points with my current projections. The road schedule is manageable with away games at Colorado, Cincinnati, Baylor and Oklahoma State.
I can't envision Texas Tech not qualifying for the Big 12 Championship, where it will be a heavy favorite over anyone it would face.
This team had an excellent haul of talent coming in via the portal, and I fully expect the Red Raiders to win the Big 12 again this season.
Pick: Texas Tech to Win Big 12 (-110 · Play to -130)
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Memphis to Win American Conference (+750)
The American Conference is wide open this season and should be a ton of fun. Seven teams are priced lower than 10-1 to win the conference. The favorite, Navy, sits around 4-1, which is the longest odds for any conference favorite.
Like most teams, Memphis was almost completely rebuilt by new head coach Charles Huff. The Tigers return just one starter from both sides of the ball, with a defense entirely made up of transfers.
While these players will be in blue and white for the first time, many are familiar faces that Huff brought over with him from Southern Miss.
Memphis has the highest NIL budget of any team in the American, thanks to its FedEx money. That allowed it to put together the top-ranked transfer class in the conference.
A large portion of the Tigers' focus was on the lines, which is always my favorite starting point for teams with a lot of turnover. They returned a starter at guard and brought in replacements with starting experience at other schools, including Mississippi State, Colorado, Old Dominion and Colorado State.
On defense, Memphis has perhaps the best front seven in the conference.
First-team All-Sun Belt standout J’Mond Tapp followed Huff from Southern Miss and is an absolute game-wrecker on the defensive line.
Linebacker Mike Montgomery also followed Huff after leading Southern Miss in tackles last season. He now becomes the anchor of this Tigers defense.
Behind the guys up front is a secondary that has potential to be nasty. Watch out for this Tigers defense, because if all these new pieces gel together quickly, this unit will be very good.
The biggest question for Memphis comes at quarterback. The QB battle is still undecided between Air Noland and Marcus Stokes.
Noland is a former four-star recruit who spent time at Ohio State and South Carolina but has very little game experience.
Stokes comes up from Division II West Florida, where the dual-threat weapon lit it up for 30 touchdowns through the air and 10 on the ground.
Regardless of who wins this job, Memphis will have depth at the quarterback position, something most teams in this conference can't say. If Owen McCown goes down for UTSA, the Roadrunners are cooked. The Tigers might not be if they suffer an injury.
Memphis should go 6-0 at home this season. The schedule breaks nicely, as it gets two extra days to prepare for Army and Navy, plus a bye before a road trip to South Florida.
The Tigers avoid UTSA this season, and both Tulane and South Florida have questions after losing their head coaches.
The toughest test will come late in the season on a road trip to Navy that could decide who goes to the conference title game.
But with how good this Memphis defense could be if the pieces click, give me the Tigers to win the American for the first time since 2019 at +750.
Pick: Memphis to Win American Conference (+750 · Play to +600)
Michigan to Make College Football Playoff (+340)
By Alex Hinton
When looking at the College Football Playoff odds, you’ll notice there are eight teams with odds between -160 and -750 for 12 spots.
Last season, Indiana came from the No. 20 spot in the preseason poll to earn the No. 1 seed and eventually win the national title, while four of the top six teams in the initial rankings (Texas, Penn State, Clemson and Notre Dame) missed the playoff entirely.
Michigan is a team that checks a lot of those positive boxes.
The Wolverines made the CFP for the final three years of the four-team era but have yet to make it since the format expanded to 12 teams. They've won 17 games over the last two years despite poor coaching, drama and inadequate quarterback play.
Quarterback Bryce Underwood returns for his sophomore season after a freshman year that fell below what many expected from the former No. 1 recruit.
However, his freshman year was better than that of fellow Detroit native and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who's now a Heisman frontrunner and projected top-five NFL Draft pick.
Underwood’s talent should lead to a jump this season, but a better supporting cast will also help. Jordan Marshall, Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan are proven commodities, while newcomers Savion Hiter, Travis Johnson, Jaime Ffrench and Salesi Moa will make an impact.
The line of scrimmage should be a strength on both sides as well. New offensive line coach Jim Harding comes to Ann Arbor after having two tackles drafted in the first round at Utah, and he has plenty of talent to work with in Ann Arbor.
On the defensive side of the ball, Utah transfer John Henry Daley is healthy after an Achilles tear during an All-American season. He leads a deep group of pass rushers.
New head coach Kyle Whittingham won 10 games or more eight times at Utah and now has one of his most talented rosters at his disposal.
His team is young and has a difficult schedule, which is why I'm going the playoff route instead of the national title route.
However, with games against Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State, there's room for the Wolverines to lose two of them and get in the playoff at 10-2 on the strength of several quality wins.
Pick: Michigan to Make College Football Playoff (+340 · Play to +250)
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Sam Leavitt to Win Heisman Trophy (+2000)
By RoadToCFB
Sam Leavitt was the top transfer available in the portal, per 247Sports and On3, and he heads to Baton Rouge to pair with Lane Kiffin.
Last year, Kiffin produced a quarterback in Trinidad Chambliss who finished eighth in Heisman voting despite splitting work with a 1,500-yard rusher (Kewan Lacy) and not starting full-time until Week 3.
The 6-foot-2 Leavitt is a twitchy athlete with terrific escapability in the pocket and an uncanny ability to make defenders miss on the run.
He hunts highlight-reel throws outside the pocket and is at the center of college football media attention thanks to his move to LSU and taking a huge NIL check.
Media members had to learn the name Trinidad Chambliss, but Leavitt is already a known commodity.
Leavitt has games against other Heisman hopefuls, namely Chambliss and Ole Miss in Week 3. A win there should vault him up the odds board, with LSU being a slight moneyline underdog at the time of writing.
Since the NCAA allowed green-dot QB helmet communications, no coaches in the country have produced more points, yards and yards per play than Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.
They also stacked the roster around Leavitt with top-dollar talent, namely left tackle Jordan Seaton to protect him.
Leavitt checks all the boxes you want in a top Heisman contender: a high-octane offense, athleticism and willingness to extend plays. Plus, his name is already in the spotlight at preseason No. 11 LSU.
A College Football Playoff win stamps his trip to New York City.
Pick: Sam Leavitt to Win Heisman Trophy (+2000 · Play to +1000)
