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The college football season is more than two months away. You may not even own a single 2026 season preview magazine yet. I don’t, and this is supposedly my livelihood.
I will purchase my set of preview magazines as I head into the woods of Wisconsin to start July; that has always been my timing.
If not wanting to wait until you’re in a hammock in the shade to make your first college football picks, there are already college football odds available to lean into. I break down my favorites below.
Top college football futures predictions
| Team | Pick |  |
Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
 Utah |
Win Big 12 | 7% | <<+1329>> |
 Oklahoma State |
5+ wins: No | 39% | <<+156>> |
 Notre Dame |
Win National Championship | 11% | <<+809>> |
| Notre Dame |
Join conference before 27/28: No | 92% | <<-1150>> |
 Kansas |
Win vs. Missouri (Sep. 11) | 34% | <<+194>> |
Odds courtesy of Kalshi as of 3:15 p.m. ET on 6-15.
Utah to win Big 12 (7¢ at Kalshi)
The longer Texas Tech angers everyone in college football by leaning on a contract technicality to insist quarterback Brendan Sorsby can play in 2026 despite admitting to gambling on his own team in the past, the more murky the Big 12 conference race will be.
At best, the Red Raiders are creating a massive distraction around their program, all for a good but far-from-great quarterback. Not to be too blunt, but there is a reason the NFL declined to hold a supplemental draft for Sorsby when he was initially suspended from college football. The NFL didn’t deem him good enough to go through that process.
At worst, Texas Tech is compounding a quarterback problem by living in denial until it’s too late to properly adjust and prepare. Either end of the spectrum throws value onto the rest of the Big 12’s contenders
The Red Raiders will remain the conference’s best team per power ratings, likely followed by BYU, Utah, and Houston. The Utah Utes avoid Tech while getting both BYU and Houston in Salt Lake City, arguably the best homefield advantage in college football.
🏈📊2026 Market-Derived Power Rating Priors v0.1 pic.twitter.com/kiD1bDlIPA
— parker fleming (@statsowar) May 25, 2026
The scheduling matrix breaks even further in the Utes’ favor, not having to face Arizona State or Kansas State. The schedule alone presents value in trusting Utah. Texas Tech’s legal issues only further that thought process.
Oklahoma State 5+ wins: No (39¢ at Kalshi)
In other words, will the Oklahoma State Cowboys win more than four games? Let’s say no.
Let’s not forget, the Cowboys went 0-11 against FBS competition last year, finally ending Mike Gundy’s long tenure. Of their first eight games against Power Four competition, the closest loss was by 17 points to Kansas. It’s awfully bold to expect this same team to suddenly win five games in 2026, even if one of them should come in Week 3 against FCS-level Murray State.
For that matter, presume Oklahoma State exacts revenge at Tulsa to open the season. That is two wins, but from there?
The Cowboys may be favored against only two Power Four foes, the October home games against UCF and Colorado. For this conversation, presume Oklahoma State is about a 6-point favorite in each of those games; trusting it to win them carries the same logic as trusting it to lose at West Virginia, Iowa State, and Kansas, where similar spreads should see Oklahoma State as an underdog in each game.
Frankly, the Cowboys likely will lose a game they should win, at which point, they would need to win two that they are expected to lose in order to wreck this ambitious approach.
Notre Dame to win the National Championship (11¢ at Kalshi)
Who won the national championship the last time the Knicks won the NBA Finals in 1973? You guessed it, Notre Dame.
More sincerely: The Irish return more production than anyone else in the country, their schedule is tailor-made for a Top-4 seed in the College Football Playoff, and no one in the country is more motivated than Notre Dame after last year’s Playoff snub.
As long as this price stays below 20 cents, it carries value, even in a single-elimination tournament.
Notre Dame to join a conference before 2027/28: No (92¢ at Kalshi)
Speaking of the Irish, this is just foolish.
If willing to tie up your money for 15 months, this pays more than twice the interest you will find on any certificate of deposit currently. And there’s absolutely no reason to think Notre Dame is remotely considering joining a conference before the seismic shifts that will come around 2036.
Moves may be made in the couple of years before then, but not nine years ahead of time.
Kansas over Missouri, Sept. 11 (34¢ at Kalshi)
This is one of the truest rivalries in college football, even if the lazy talking heads or those preferring vanilla football do not recognize it. This one is based on true hate; the city of Lawrence was founded effectively in response to the state of Missouri’s violent preference for slavery and seeking blood for anyone opposed to it.
Rivalries like this should never be priced this widely when the underdog is the home team.
Neither the Jayhawks nor the Tigers will see a genuine test in Week 1, both playing FCS-level teams. Kansas returns 58% of its production, compared to 49% for Missouri, and while that’s a relatively small difference, it may ring loudly in a primetime game on a Friday night.
Lastly, Andy Kotelnicki’s return to Kansas as offensive coordinator and associate head coach should yield a return to his preferred chaos. James Franklin tried to open up his offense in Kotelnicki’s hands, but Franklin is too conservative at his core. Kotelnicki never truly cut loose.
A few plays of his usual spice should catch Missouri sleeping, suddenly boosting the home underdog in front of a particularly raucous crowd.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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