College Baseball Picks: 2025 Conference Champion Futures

This article is part of our College Baseball Picks series.

College Baseball Betting: Futures Bets for Conference Championships 2025

I'm at a point where I don't even know what to say. Like a dog that is so excited to finally catch the mailman and bite him that when I actually do, I'm not sure what's next. College Baseball is right around the bend for us -- seven days out exactly. While I still have one more NFL article to deliver you for the '24 campaign, the College Diamond picks will slowly start being trickled out. We can't rush this. 

The first round of the new season's column highlights a market that's in its second year of bet-ability, regular season conference winners. Currently, these markets are up on DraftKings, Bet MGM, and BetRivers, and maybe a couple more as we inch closer to the Opening Day on Valentine's Day. Let's take a look.

Get ahead of the game for college baseball season with the BetMGM bonus code for a first-bet offer worth up to $1,500.

ACC Best Bets

One of the top power conferences in the entire sport, the ACC provides not only elite teams and talents, but tons of depth with newcomers Stanford and California joining in a post-PAC-12 world. What makes selecting a winner so difficult is the fact there are legitimately five or six perennial threats. 

Virginia Cavaliers +380 2u (DK)

If you've followed any of my preseason podcasts or tweets, you'll have seen me talk a lot about UVA. It's very simple when it comes to these Cavaliers. This team can RAKE. Last season, their .333 team average was third in the nation (best among P5 schools). In 2023, it was a .332 average, and a .309 in 2022. You can basically count on them to be one of the top three lineups in the country every season, this year is no exception. The 2025 team is so loaded that they may not have a hitter bat below .300 in this offense.

Despite the losses of Griff O'Ferrall and Ethan Anderson, the star-studded offense will make significant production jumps with draft-eligible sophomore, Henry Ford anchoring the the middle (one of my favorite Golden Spikes bets), as well as Jacob Ference, Henry Godbout, and two-way transfer Chris Arroyo. With the amount of power/hit/speed tools these guys have, expect this lineup to be top 10 or better in all major offensive categories in '25. 

The big knock on this team was always pitching, but HC Brian O'Connor recently said in an interview that he believes he has the best pitching talent he's had in a long time. And if that's even half way true, this is a club that should surpass at least 20 conference wins (out of 30 total games). They'll be bringing back LHP Evan Blanco as the Friday guy, who played a huge role down to the Omaha stretch last season. Jack O'Connor is also expected to resume work in the rotation after missing most of 2024. 

The schedule is relatively winnable for such a deep conference. They'll have Boston College to start, @ Cal, Duke, Stanford, @ NC ST, Pitt, @ FSU, @ Georgia Tech, Miami, @ Virginia Tech. In their first 18 games (prior to FSU series), UVA could reasonably be sitting with 14 wins before they're ready to make that second-half push.

A few weeks ago, I gave this team out as a two-unit play at 5/1, but +380 is still a decent shot considering it's the best odds out there. I firmly expect this group to be in the mix for a College World Series title.

UNC Tarheels +700 2u (BetRivers)

Talent-wise, they may not be at the same level as UVA, but UNC is right there. A team that's forced to absorb so many big losses like superstar CF Vance Honeycutt, OF Anthony Donofrio, OF Casey Cook etc. is tough to replace, but HC Scott Forbes has already found a lot of talent to fill that void of losing his entire outfield. 

Returning is C Luke Stevenson (.284 average/14 HR), the potential top backstop off the board this summer. The trio of new OF arrivals also come highly recommended are Tyson Bass (D3 transfer), who slugged 22 bops with a .358 average last season, and 31 stolen bags. Kane Kepley, a stalwart at Liberty), who batted .330 with nine homers and 25 stolen bases. And Rom Kellis from Juco, who raked in 16 blasts, 14 doubles, 20 bags, and a .404 average. That also doesn't include 3B Gavin Gallaher's .314 average and eight homers. This being the meat and potatoes of what should be a dangerous lineup catapults the Tarheels in prime shape to repeat as the regular season champs.

On the mound is where it really gets fun. Headlined by sophomore RHP, Jason DeCaro - a potential top arm off the board in 2026 - this UNC pitching has a ton of juice. They welcome back Jake Knapp as a big weekend rotation piece after missing the entire season with Tommy John surgery. The bullpen suffered some big losses like Dalton Pence and Matt Poston, but have capable arms like Matthew Matthjs and Kyle Percival etc.

The Heels schedule is also favorable. They'll get Stanford, @ Louisville, @ Boston College, Miami, Duke, Wake Forest, @ Virginia Tech, @ Pitt, NC ST, and close @ FSU. This lines up for UNC to win at least nine of their first 12 conference games.

Given how the market hasn't shown enough respect to UNC, I also like this as a two-unit play considering the talent and depth on both sides of the ball plus a winnable schedule. Winning 22 games again is a tall task, but Forbes bunch is a group that knows how to win. For my money, UVA and UNC are the clear-cut competition in the ACC.

The BetRivers bonus code gets college baseball fans a $500 2nd chance promo at signup this season.

SEC Best Bets

The Holy Grail of college athletics. The conference everybody associated with football for so long is now a baseball conference, and for good reason. If we're talking depth and talent, then we're talking SEC ball. A place where the schedule is extremely difficult, especially with the new arrivals of Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12. Teams need to be on their A-game every single weekend. 

Texas A&M Aggies +450 2u (DK)

Another example of a team I gave out at a much better price weeks ago (check out on the bottom of the page). This group is expected to be the Avengers of College Baseball this season. After they lost a heartbreaker to Tennessee in the CWS Final, their HC Jim Schlossnagle bolted to Texas. When that happened, the whole program was seconds away from being burned to the ground as every big name was about to leave. But new-HC Michael Earley managed to not only stop that from happening, he brought in some big names. 

For the Aggies, it all starts with the Golden Boy, and likely 1.1 pick this summer, Jace LaViolette, or my version of the college Matt Olson. His immense power, hit tool, speed, and field general approach in CF provides the stability of this offense. Lava is not only a Golden Spikes favorite, but he's a candidate for 35 homers this year. 

Another potential top-five pick for next year is 3B Gavin Grahovac (23 homers as a freshman last season). To combat the loss of Braden Montgomery, TAMU brought in OF Gavin Kash from Texas Tech (.300/15 HR's) and Wyatt Henseler from UPenn (All-time HR leader in the Ivy League). The lineup is littered with stars at every turn, ensuring opposing pitchers won't have a break against may be the top offense in the nation. 

Pitching-wise, they brought back their ace LHP Ryan Prager (3rd round pick to the Angels), one of the best arms in 2024. Justin Lamkin is slotted to go as the Saturday guy (88K's in 65.2 IP). Since Shane Sdao is out for the year with Tommy John, Long Beach State transfer, Myles Patton, looks to get the first crack for the Sunday role. As it stands right now, the Aggies would be rolling out the rare all-lefty weekend rotation.

To win this conference, you need to have at least 21 wins. Scheduling-wise, it'll be Alabama, @ Vandy, Kentucky, @ Tennessee, South Carolina, @ Arkansas, @ Texas, LSU, Mizzou, @ UGA. A true gauntlet of a path. 

When you put your finger on this team, it virtually has no weaknesses on paper. The only question is how a first-year manager may do in critical game moments without the experience, but I have faith that the Aggies will sport themselves as the class of the SEC en route to a deep Omaha run in 2025. 

LSU Tigers +500 2u (BetRivers)

A team I love almost as much as the Aggies this season, would be the LSU Tigers. 

The amount of firepower HC Jay Johnson brought in is straight up sickening. He nabbed three of the top 10 freshmen in the 2027 class in OF Derek Curiel, C Cade Arrambide, and RHP William Schmidt, all are expected to make major impacts right away. In addition to recruiting stud C Luis Hernandez (and his .359 avg/23 HR's) from Indiana State. As well as 2B Daniel Dickinson from Utah Valley (.367 avg/18 HR's/32 SB).

The two returning stars are 1B Jared "Bear" Jones who slugged the quietest 28 homers you'll ever see. And Steven "Monster" Milam who was a huge piece for the team down the stretch last season. The truth is the offense has so much firepower that there won't be too many teams that are able to outhit or outslug the Tigers, even with the loss of Tommy "Tanks" White. The one question could be how quickly do all the newcomers gel in this lineup. 

The pitching staff is even scarier. The dude I'm most excited for is the 6'8" 250 lb HOSS, Chase Shores, who missed the second half of the '23 season with Tommy John and hasn't pitched since. Working with a triple-digit heater and a quality mix of off-speed, Shores is somebody I expect to make a huge jump this spring and potentially work his way as the first arm off the board in July, especially if he can dial in on the command issues he had as a freshman.

Transfers Anthony Eyanson and Zac Cowan are also both expected to get weekend work. Both pitched to SIERA's 3.00 or better last season. 

The Tigers open up with Mizzou, @ Texas, Miss State, @ Oklahoma, @ Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, @ TAMU, Arkansas, @ South Carolina.

I could talk forever about how high I am on this team. While there's so much juice in the SEC, I got LSU and the Aggies as my two favorites. I would also consider sprinkling a UGA ticket since 13/1 on them is way too high.

The Big 12

Like the other conferences, there's been a lot of push-pull action on teams coming and going. They lost Texas and Oklahoma, two of the best, but an influx of PAC-12 has swept through with Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah. Now more than ever, there's certainly a lot of availability for somebody else to come and grab this conference.

Arizona State Sun Devils +600 (DK)

The team that has gotten the most lift with Texas and Oklahoma out of the way is OK State. But truthfully, I don't think it'll be all that easy for them when it's said and done. I've drawn towards ASU making a powerful return to College Baseball in what's HC Willie Bloomquist's fourth season to finally poop or get off the pot. The boys from Tempe should be bringing the Devil's wrath back to their baseball program.

Offensively, they're loaded even after the losses of Nick McLain, Ethan Mendoza, and Ryan Campos, three of their best hitters from a year ago. OF Kien Vu was one of the best hitters in the nation in '24 with his .413 average, 14 homers, and absurd .497 OBP. Rejoining him is Brandon Compton (.354 avg/14 HR's), Jacob Tobias (18 HR's), and Isaiah Jackson (eight HR/eight 2B's). That's only a handful of studs this offense has to offer, so it would not be shocking to see this be one of the top three lineups in the entire conference.

The pitching has something most other teams in the Big 12 don't have: A Friday Night Ace. LHP Ben Jacobs is a strikeout demon (102 K's in 66.1 IP). In a draft year, Jacobs has the demonstrative stuff to catapult himself into the first-round discussion this summer. They've also added Jack Martinez from Louisiana and Lucas Kelly from Mclennan CC. The staff overall is a bit unproven, but it's loaded with enough talent that if they're even above average, ASU will be in serious contention in the Big 12.

The schedule isn't a gimmie, but considering it's front-loaded, all ASU has to do is weather the tough stretch. They'll get @ TCU, Kansas, @ Utah, Arizona, @ Cincinnati, Texas Tech, BYU, @ Baylor, Houston, @ OK State.

Considering the price, it's definitely worth a buy. The other team I really like in this conference, especially at the number, is UCF at 20/1 (BetRivers). That's a team I think will shock a lot of people as well. 

Stay tuned throughout the next week to get more of my preseason College Baseball Futures!