College Football Playoff National Championship (Jan. 19)
Men’s and women’s NCAA basketball championship (April)
The College Football Playoff is set to crown the first champion of the 2026 calendar, making this the perfect time to ask our analysts to go on record with their picks for who will lift the various cups and trophies to be won through the end of the year. And just for fun, we asked them to reveal their favorite championship bet for the year and then to parlay their pick, be it a conservative pairing or a multileg ticket to dream on.
The Hoosiers win because defense travels, discipline compounds and variance shrinks in January. They force long drives, win red zones and avoid self-inflicted chaos. Oregon’s speed meets structure, and Miami brings volatility. Indiana brings answers, patience and late-game edges when games tighten and nerves finally matter most under pressure.
Current favorites: Seattle Seahawks (+330), Los Angeles Rams (+425), Denver Broncos (+650), New England Patriots (+900)
Current women’s favorites: UConn (-160), Texas (+800), South Carolina (+800), LSU (+850), UCLA (+850)
Current favorites: Arsenal (+400), Bayern Munich (+450), Paris Saint-Germain (+700), Manchester City (+700)
PSG won the Champions League last season, yet the bookies seem to have forgotten, and as a result the French side is an excellent value. PSG still have their brilliant exciting young squad with Luis Enrique in charge, and the chasing pack have issues galore.
Barcelona can’t defend. Man City’s back line is decimated. I don’t trust Bayern Munich out of Germany, and Real Madrid are just rubbish.
Current favorites: Colorado Avalanche (+280), Carolina Hurricanes (+600), Tampa Bay Lightning (+750), Vegas Golden Knights (+850)
Current favorites: Oklahoma City Thunder (+115), Denver Nuggets (+750), San Antonio Spurs (+1200), New York Knicks (+1200), Houston Rockets (+1300)
The Celtics are a long shot to win the championship, but they are currently the second seed in the Eastern Conference and have the fifth-best record in the NBA. And they have done that all with Jaylen Brown leading the way without Jayson Tatum, who has consistently said he hopes to return this season. If they enter the playoffs with a high seed and get Tatum back, they will have a strong chance to make a run at a second championship with this core.
France isn’t exactly a bold pick, after Les Blues won it all in 2018 and lost in the 2022 final to Argentina, but a sleeper isn’t winning it all. The France-Norway Group I match will be an early Cup highlight, but regardless of that result, France, with incredible star power led by Kylian Mbappe, should advance a long way. This might be an outstanding year for the country.
Current favorites: Los Angeles Dodgers (+330), New York Yankees (+750), Philadelphia Phillies (+1100), Houston Astros (+1300)
Current favorites: Minnesota Lynx (+300), Las Vegas Aces (+310), New York Liberty (+370), Indiana Fever (+425)
Norway (-160) is, for good reason, the odds-on favorite to win the most gold medals in this year’s Olympic Games. The Land of the Midnight Sun is the Games’ all-time leader in golds, largely due to the nation’s dominance in skiing and biathlon events. Germany, however, poses serious competition, having won an impressive 12 gold medals (second to Norway) at the 2022 games in Beijing. The Germans could be on the precipice of an upset this go-round, particularly with two of Norway’s most-distinguished competitors retiring from the Nordic combined. Additionally, with superstar contenders in the bobsledding and skeleton events as well as emerging hockey and biathlon talent, Germany is an underdog worth betting on.
The more I look at the playoffs, the more I see the seas parting for the Broncos: They have a bye in a conference that doesn’t have a single team in FPI’s top five. And while I’ve been skeptical of Bo Nix in the past, the Broncos’ offense has ranked eighth in EPA per drive since the team’s bye in Week 12. Plus, Denver doesn’t need Nix to be perfect because he’s surrounded by talent. The team has an excellent offensive line and a great defense. That’s the recipe for winning without an elite quarterback.
Considering the success Unai Emery’s side has enjoyed since late September, it’s almost difficult to remember the club’s desultory 0-3-2 start. Since beating Fulham on Sept. 28 — perhaps partially inspired by a gutsy victory over Bologna in UEFA Europa League competition three days earlier — Villa is riding a 13-1-2 record. If not for a recent loss to Arsenal, whom they beat earlier this season, Ollie Watkins & Co. would sit neck and neck alongside the league leaders. For value, with Manchester City stumbling of late and Villa riding hot, this play presents as an attractive wager on Arsenal to slip down the stretch.
The Blue Jays, two outs away from their third World Series championship and first in 32 years, have hardly been content to stand pat as runners-up. They’ve invested a collective $337 million on four free agents, with more additions potentially to come. (Kyle Tucker? Alex Bregman? A Bo Bichette reunion?) It wouldn’t be the first time a team got its first taste of the Fall Classic, then won it the following season: See the 2014-15 Kansas City Royals and 2021-22 Houston Astros (not to mention five additional teams this century that made it to back-to-back World Series). Maximizing championship windows is in vogue, and the Blue Jays’ odds are outstanding for a team with a very real shot at taking that next step.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and current as of time of publication.
Current favorites: Indiana Hoosiers (+125), Miami Hurricanes (+310), Oregon Ducks (+320)*
*Odds and wager placed prior to Thursday’s Miami-Ole Miss game
Current medal leaderboard favorites: Norway (-160), Germany (+450), USA (+500), Canada (+600)
Matt Bowen’s Super Bowl pick: Buffalo Bills (+1000)
Current men’s favorites: Michigan (+340), Arizona (+850), UConn (+950), Duke (11-1)
Current favorites: Arsenal (-500), Manchester City (+450), Aston Villa (+3500), Liverpool (100-1)
Victoria Matiash’s Premier League champion pick: Aston Villa +3500
Dan Thomas’ Champions League pick: Paris Saint-Germain (+700)
Sean Allen’s Stanley Cup pick: Colorado Avalanche to beat Florida Panthers (+3000)
André Snellings’ NBA championship pick: Boston Celtics (+2500)
Current favorites: Spain (+450), England (+550), France (+800), Brazil (+800), Argentina (+800)
Tristan H. Cockcroft’s World Series pick: Blue Jays (+1500)
Eric Moody’s WNBA champion: Golden State Valkyries (+2500)
This season is shaping up to be the perfect opportunity for my adopted favorite teams to clash in the final battle, so rather than take a winner, I’m going with one of DraftKings’ “exact result” bets. My longtime favorites from Denver — forged by a childhood love of Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic — are the heavy Cup favorites amid their runaway regular season. Meanwhile, my adopted recent favorites from south Florida — forged by backing them alone in 2022-23 — have been in the final three years running and hope to have Aleksander Barkov back in time to make it four. To juice the parlay, let’s go contrarian for the outcome of the Olympics; as in the Stanley Cup playoffs, anyone can have a huge game at the right moment to change this outcome.
MLB: San Diego Padres (they must reunite with journeyman 1B Ty France in July, of course) +2000