Sports Future Values | Futures Bets, Outside-the-Box Parlays & Value Picks

Here are some fun pairings of college basketball futures and college football futures, which gives extreme payouts with compounded odds.

The newest AP Top 25 football rankings are out, with some programs that also have contending basketball rosters in the mix. That includes Missouri, Ole Miss, and Indiana, to name a few. However, those programs don’t yet make our cut of the best combined values.

Which universities have a legitimate shot at making both the College Football Playoff (CFP) and College Basketball’s Sweet 16 or Elite 8? If you are looking for long-shot value, these dual-sport powerhouses offer some fascinating futures and parlay opportunities.

College Football match-ups look like March Madness previews

A pivotal set of gridiron matchups on September 19 reshaped the narrative for three major programs, as SMU and Louisville clashed in an ACC thriller, and BYU traveled to Colorado State to validate their playoff aspirations. For sports bettors and college fans looking at the bigger picture, these early outcomes provide critical data points for the dual-sport puzzle.

Is BYU a two-sport contender?

BYU Cougars: The ultimate high-value sleeper?

The BYU Cougars entered the weekend flirting with a top-10 football ranking and looking like legitimate playoff contenders on the gridiron. They firmly validated that status by overpowering Colorado State 41-23 in Fort Collins. Powered by a spectacular first half, senior running back LJ Martin exploded for 176 yards and three touchdowns, keeping the Cougars perfect at 3-0.

But don’t sleep on their basketball program. Even after navigating massive roster shifts in the modern NIL era, the Cougars return dynamic playmaker Robert Wright III to run the point. Compounded odds for BYU to win a national championship in both football and basketball sit at a staggering 666-1. Their dominant performance on the turf proves they have the football half of the equation locked down—making that massive payout look increasingly tempting.

ACC offers football plus basketball betting value

Louisville vs. SMU: A tale of two parlays

Louisville and SMU squared off in a highly anticipated, top-25 ACC opener that absolutely lived up to the hype, featuring seven lead changes before No. 23 Louisville outlasted No. 16 SMU 41-31. [1]

The Cardinals relied on a dynamic ground game, as Keyjuan Brown ripped off two massive second-half touchdown runs to finish with 163 yards, securing a statement victory for head coach Jeff Brohm’s squad. SMU wasted a historic performance from running back Kendrick Raphael, who racked up 197 rushing yards and three touchdowns, but three crucial turnovers doomed the Mustangs’ efforts.

Despite the loss, both teams proved they possess elite explosiveness, and their paths to the postseason remain highly visible. In addition to their gridiron prowess, these two ACC powers also have a solid shot at making noise in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Coach Pat Kelsey has turned Louisville basketball into a certified track meet, and oddsmakers have noticed—listing the Cardinals at 22-1 to win the college basketball championship. If you build a two-leg parlay backing Louisville to win both the football and basketball national titles, their gridiron statement makes that combined 400-1 ticket look like a premium ticket.

Want to get truly wild? Betting on SMU to bounce back and crash both tournaments still holds tremendous long-shot value, especially given Rhett Lashlee’s proven track record of rallying his teams after early-season stumbles.

Longhorns not longshots

We conclude this article with perhaps the most obvious pairing of a football-plus-basketball contender. The Texas Longhorns are not really longshots in either sport.

Texas is about 20-1 or 25-1 to win a basketball title, depending on the book where you look.

Following their 30-6 victory over UTSA, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns saw their national championship odds at FanDuel shift from +600 to +550. For more details on these exact odds, and to consider a parlay with the basketball team, visit FanDuel Sportsbook.