2026-27 college basketball predictions: National title odds, conference winners, sleeper picks — SkimNews
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- Duke moved back ahead of Florida as the 2027 title favorite after FanDuel Sportsbook odds flipped in recent days, even though Florida held a majority of votes in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.
- Florida was credited with the nation’s best frontcourt—Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon—and was placed alongside Duke as almost by consensus one of college basketball’s two best teams; they meet Dec. 1 in Gainesville.
- Texas Tech was a +2200 national-title long shot whose ceiling depends on the five-for-five eligibility cases of Donovan Atwell, Darrion Williams and Jamichael Stillwell and the return of JT Toppin.
- Arkansas was listed at +2500 and as having John Calipari’s deepest roster since he took over, with Billy Richmond III the lone returning starter and Jordan Smith Jr. projected to be another star freshman guard.
- Kansas was a +3000 long shot after adding Tre White, Melvin Council Jr. and Trey Kaufman-Renn; White and Council are seeking fifth-year eligibility, Kaufman-Renn a sixth year and Tyran Stokes is projected No. 1 in the 2027 NBA Draft.
- Thomas Haugh was selected as the National Player of the Year pick at +1400 after breaking out from a reserve role on Florida’s title team; 17-year-old Duke freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje was the value pick at +1900.
- Duke was picked to win the ACC regular-season title at -136, with Miami the value pick at +770; UConn led the Big East at +138, St. John’s +270, and Arizona the Big 12 at +215, with Texas Tech +840 as the value pick.
Why it matters: For title bettors, the key split is the AP electorate versus the sportsbook: Florida leads the preseason poll, yet Duke is the title favorite and the -136 ACC pick. Texas Tech’s +2200 candidacy and Kansas’s +3000 case hinge partly on eligibility rulings, making paperwork as material as roster talent.
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