2026 Futures
2026 Futures
2026 Futures
2026 Futures
(1 Unit to win 1.5 Units - Draft Kings) - The value might not be great on this bet, but it doesn't have to be because it appears to be such a sure thing. My first reason for this pick is the roster that HC Kirby Smart will roll out this season. Led by QB Gunner Stockton, there are elite players all over the field on both sides of the ball. The only question may be at the WR position, but that is something such a loaded team should be able to work through. The Bulldogs are 12th in the nation in Phil Steele's returning experience rankings, meaning they are built from within the program. Two large factors in this bet are the schedule and history. This year Georgia misses Texas, LSU, and get Oklahoma at home. The only 2 games that they may have trouble with are 2 road games against Alabama and Ole Miss. This team is the back to back SEC champions and since covid the Bulldogs have won 11+ games each year. I expect more of the same from this team in 2026.
(1 unit to win 2.1 Units - Fan Duel) - This pick is based on one particular player, QB CJ Bailey. He has been the starting QB at NC State for 2 full years. He decided to come back this season after being courted by other P4 programs throughout the country. He is in his 3rd year in the same offense with the same OC. I expect him to thrive with new addition WR Victor Snow (UB), who I watched in person often last year. The schedule they will see misses Miami, Clemson, Pittsburgh, and SMU. Their west coast trip is to Stanford and non-conference games include Richmond, App State, and at Vanderbilt. They open up on the road against Virginia, which will determine how sweaty this future gets. If they win that game, then I expect them to cruise to 8 wins this season. Also, HC Dave Doern has had one season under 8 wins since 2021. So, if CJ Bailey is the QB I think he is and HC Dave Doern can produce another great defense as he does every year, I expect this over to hit.
(1 Unit to win 1.6 Units - Fanatics) - Look Iowa State has lost so much this offseason. they lost their HC (Matt Campbell to PSU) and large number of players who transferred out. Phil Steele has them as the 137th ranked team in returning experience. With all that out they bring in 56 new transfers, which not many started at their old school. The first 6 weeks include an FCS opponent, Bowling Green, and WVU which could be 3 wins. Also, in those first 6 weeks they travel to Iowa and BYU, with a home game against Utah. The 2nd half has Arizona and Kansas State but involves some winnable games. Overall, I expect a major re-building for HC Jimmy Rodgers.
(1 Unit to win 1.7 Units - Bet Rivers) - You knew there would be some G6 plays on the list and this is one of my favorite futures this season. This pick starts with the QB for FAU, Caden Veltkamp. This conference is loaded with QB talent in my opinion, and he is right at the top with likes of Owen McCown. Last year the 6'6 QB came over from Western Kentucky and had an up and down season with 24 TD's to 17 INT's. I expect the turnovers will be under control this season, plus he gets back his top WR, Easton Messer, who was 2nd team All AAC last season with over 1,000 yards. The schedule isn't the easiest with games at Florida, Army, ECU and Tulsa, who I expect to be feisty this year. On top of that they play UTSA and Navy at home. If they can go .500 in those six games, I believe HC Zach Kittey in his 2nd year can get this team bowling.
(1 Unit to win 2.2 Units - Draft Kings) HC Eli Drinkowitz has done a great job at Missouri over his 7 years at the helm. The past 3 years the Missouri Tigers have won at least 8 games each season. Right there that might give some apprehension about taking this bet. Also, the schedule starts with a possible 4-0 start. However, after their conference opener (@ Miss St) they have a tough SEC schedule. They play Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Texas, Georgia, and Oklahoma. Their other 3 games include Arkansas, Florida, and Kentucky. This under could get sweaty in the last couple weeks. Their 2 last games are Kentucky and Oklahoma both at home, so that Kentucky game could be the match-up that determines the bet hitting. My primary reason for making the bet is the roster/ injuries. They lost QB Beau Pribula to VA Tech and the Tigers replaced him with Austin Simmons from Ole Miss who lost his job last season to Trinidad Chambliss, that may be an upgrade but Pribula played very well last year. They have an All-American RB in Ahmad Hardy, however he is nursing a leg injury after being SHOT in the offseason! The other big injury is LT Cayden Green. He is still banged up and may not see the field until halfway through the season. Green is a 2nd team All-SEC tackle and will be very important to success of the offense. On the defensive side, out of their top 15 tacklers from last year 2 return. I think a bowl is possible and most likely for this team, however I don’t see any more than that.
(1 Unit to win 2.1 Units - Bet Rivers) The Sun Devils have had some great success with HC Kenny Dillingham. He has had back-to-back seasons with over 8 wins. This year I just don’t see it. The schedule is tough especially in the middle of the season. They play Texas A&M on the road as one of their non-conference games and start conference play in London, England against Kansas. The other 2 non-conference games are Hawaii and Morgan St. They have a 3-game stretch in the middle of the year which includes @ Texas Tech, Kansas St, and @ BYU. The month of November gives some reprieve, but who knows what team they have when facing Colorado, @ UCF, Oklahoma St, and @ Arizona. The roster is a question for me as well. They lost QB Sam Leavitt to LSU and bring in Kentucky QB Cutter Boley who didn’t really light the world on fire for the Wildcats. He does have a solid WR coming in, Omarion Miller from Colorado, to replace 1st round draft pick Jordan Tyson, so the receiving core should be competent, but I question the offensive line who have a total of 14 starts combined. The defense might have some issues as well with 9 starters departing from the team. HC Dillingham is a great coach, but I see this team limping to a bowl game if that.
(1 Unit to win 2.1 Units - Bet Rivers) This is a low total, but Southern Miss should be on the struggle bus this season. They are led by HC Blake Anderson in his first year at Southern Miss. He previously coached at Arkansas State and Utah State and led both teams out of the basement. The issue here is he doesn’t have the talent yet like he did at those other schools to start. He Has 1 returning starter and ranks 136th on Phil Steele’s experience chart. It will be tough to develop cohesion on a roster with so many new faces. The schedule is tough as well. Ther is only 1 guaranteed win which is against Alcorn State week 1 and after that they play Auburn, UConn, and Tulane in the following weeks. The conference schedule is rough as well with only 3 toss-ups against South Alabama and Arkansas St at home and on the road against ULM. They may not even grab a win out of those 3 games. Every other game on the schedule is against great Sun Belt teams (JMU, Troy, Louisiana, LA Tech, and ODU). It will be a long first season for HC Blake Anderson, so I will be betting under 3.5 wins.