ESPN analysts reveal 2026 title picks and long-shot parlays across major sports
espn-analysts-2026-title-picks-parlays
ESPN’s betting desk published its annual futures roundup on Jan. 6, detailing which teams and athletes its analysts expect to hoist the biggest trophies of 2026—and how those selections merge into a variety of high-risk parlays. All odds were supplied by DraftKings Sportsbook and were current at the time of publication.
College Football Playoff National Championship – Jan. 19
Favorites: Indiana Hoosiers (+125), Miami Hurricanes (+310), Oregon Ducks (+320)
Pam Maldonado’s pick: Indiana Hoosiers (+125). Her two-leg parlay pairs Indiana with Carlos Alcaraz to win the Australian Open (+160), returning +485 on a $10 stake.
Olympic Winter Games – Feb. 6-22
Medal table favorites: Norway (-160), Germany (+450), USA (+500), Canada (+600)
Liz Loza’s pick: Germany (+450). Loza combines Germany with the Buffalo Bills to win Super Bowl LX (+1000) and the Philadelphia Phillies to claim the World Series (+1100). The three-leg ticket pays +72,500 on a $10 wager.
Super Bowl LX – Feb. 8
Favorites: Seattle Seahawks (+330), Los Angeles Rams (+425), Denver Broncos (+650), New England Patriots (+900)
Seth Walder’s pick: Denver Broncos (+650). Walder links the Broncos with Arsenal to win the Premier League (-500) and the New York Liberty to capture the WNBA title (+370), producing +4,130 odds on $10.
Matt Bowen’s pick: Buffalo Bills (+1000). Bowen attaches the Bills to five additional futures—Canada in men’s Olympic hockey (+130), Houston in the men’s NCAA tournament (+1500), Denver Nuggets to repeat in the NBA (+700), Philadelphia Phillies to take the World Series (+1100) and Scottie Scheffler to win the Masters (+300). A $1 ticket pays +15,544,220.
NCAA Basketball Championships – April
Men’s favorites: Michigan (+340), Arizona (+850), UConn (+950), Duke (11-1)
Women’s favorites: UConn (-160), Texas (+800), South Carolina (+800), LSU (+850), UCLA (+850)
Mark Zinno’s men’s pick: Arizona (+850). His parlay layers Arizona with the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup (+1100), Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA title (+115) and Barcelona to top LaLiga (-170), paying +38,827 on $10.
Premier League Champion – May
Favorites: Arsenal (-500), Manchester City (+450), Aston Villa (+3500), Liverpool (100-1)
Victoria Matiash’s pick: Aston Villa (+3500). Her three-leg parlay adds the Buffalo Bills (+1000) and Colorado Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup (+280), priced at +150,380 on a $10 stake.
UEFA Champions League Final – May 30
Favorites: Arsenal (+400), Bayern Munich (+450), Paris Saint-Germain (+700), Manchester City (+700)
Dan Thomas’ pick: Paris Saint-Germain (+700). Thomas teams PSG with Arsenal to secure the Premier League (-500) and Spain to win the FIFA World Cup (+450), yielding +5,180 on $10.
Stanley Cup Final – June
Favorites: Colorado Avalanche (+280), Carolina Hurricanes (+600), Tampa Bay Lightning (+750), Vegas Golden Knights (+850)
Sean Allen’s exact-result wager: Colorado Avalanche to defeat the Florida Panthers (+3000). Allen’s two-leg parlay adds Sweden to win men’s Olympic hockey (+500), paying +18,500 on a $10 ticket.
NBA Finals – June
Favorites: Oklahoma City Thunder (+115), Denver Nuggets (+750), San Antonio Spurs (+1200), New York Knicks (+1200), Houston Rockets (+1300)
André Snellings’ pick: Boston Celtics (+2500). Snellings links Boston with the Los Angeles Rams to win Super Bowl LX (+450), Jannik Sinner to take the Australian Open (-125) and Iga Swiatek to win the French Open (+225). The four-leg parlay returns +79,752 on a $10 wager.
FIFA World Cup – June-July
Favorites: Spain (+450), England (+550), France (+800), Brazil (+800), Argentina (+800)
Eric Karabell’s pick: France (+800). His parlay adds the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA championship (+1200) and the San Diego Padres to win the World Series (+2000), priced at +245,600 on $10.
World Series – October
Favorites: Los Angeles Dodgers (+330), New York Yankees (+750), Philadelphia Phillies (+1100), Houston Astros (+1300)
Tristan H. Cockcroft’s pick: Toronto Blue Jays (+1500). Cockcroft pairs the Blue Jays with the Denver Broncos (+650) and Jack Draper to win Wimbledon (+1800), producing +227,900 odds on a $10 bet.
WNBA Finals – October
Favorites: Minnesota Lynx (+300), Las Vegas Aces (+310), New York Liberty (+370), Indiana Fever (+425)
Eric Moody’s pick: Golden State Valkyries (+2500). Moody’s three-team parlay combines the Valkyries with the Jacksonville Jaguars to win Super Bowl LX (+1300) and the Detroit Pistons to take the NBA title (+2000); a $10 wager pays +764,300.
The analysts acknowledge that most multi-leg tickets are unlikely to cash, but the published slips preserve their projections—and the potential payouts—through the 2026 sports calendar.
Source: ESPN
