2 Best Bets to Win the 2026 Men's College Basketball National Championship

The confetti may still be falling on Florida following their national championship win against Houston, but it's never too early to start thinking about next season.

The 2026 men's college basketball national championship odds are now live on FanDuel Sportsbook!

Let's check out the national championship odds and run through a few best bets to win the 2026 men's college basketball national championship.

2026 Men's College Basketball National Championship Odds

Here are the 2026 men's college basketball national championship odds, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

All men's college basketball futures can be found via the college basketball odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Best Bets to Win the 2026 National Championship

Houston (+1200)

We're just days removed from Houston's second-half collapse in the title game -- one which saw them squander a 12-point lead despite holding Florida's two leading scorers to a combined 18 points on 5-20 shooting. That came with the Cougars failing to score in the final two minutes of the game, and it ended with them failing to get a shot attempt off in the closing seconds.

Still, it's hard to ignore how close the Cougars were. They finished 2nd at KenPom for the fourth consecutive season and open with the second-shortest odds to win the national championship in 2026.

They're losing several key pieces -- namely LJ Cryer and J'wan Roberts -- but have the No. 2 freshman recruiting class according to 247Sports. In addition to adding three top-25 recruits, Houston picked up former Third Team All-Big 12 guard and career 14-point-per-game scorer Pop Isaacs in the portal.

We're still in wait-and-see mode with Milos Uzan and Joseph Tugler as both are considered NBA prospects. If they return, they'd join Emmanuel Sharp and Terrance Arceneaux in what would still be one of the more experienced teams in the country.

Combine that with the coaching pedigree of Kelvin Sampson and the star power of this freshman class, and Houston is an intriguing future for the 2026 men's college basketball national championship.

Purdue (+1400)

The trickiest part about locking in college basketball futures this far in advance is that -- in the age of NIL and the transfer portal -- we don't have much of an idea who's playing where. The Rothstein 45 can help with that, but Jon's record-keeping won't expedite the transfer process. We'll still be deciphering rosters deep into the summer.

That is, unless you're Purdue. The Boilermakers are expected to return four of five starters from this past season, including First Team All-American Braden Smith and Honorable Mention Trey Kaufman-Renn. Fletcher Loyer and CJ Cox are also expected to be back, so this will largely be the same team which threatened Houston during the Round of 16 in 2025.

Of course, the Boilermakers aren't a team I'm targeting in the futures market just because they're running it back.

Unlike last season, Purdue has already hit the portal. They added former South Dakota State big man Oscar Cluff -- a 17.6 point-per-game scorer who finished second in the country in rebounding last season. Cluff is an immediate upgrade for the Boilermakers down low.

Cluff won't walk into the starting 5-spot, however. 7-foot-4 center Daniel Jacobsen should be back for his sophomore season, forming a terrifying interior duo with the SDSU transfer. Jacobsen started the first game of the season for Purdue, scoring 13 points and blocking 3 shots before breaking his tibia in their second game.

With more roster continuity than anyone -- and reinforcements underneath -- Purdue has the formula to finally breakthrough in 2026.

Which college basketball future bets stand out to you across the nation? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.