College Baseball · 4 hours ago

LSU and Texas Commanding the Market: 2026 D1 College Baseball Betting Trends

Joe Cervenka

Host · Writer

As the college baseball season begins to heat up, the betting market is already showing clear favorites for the 2026 National Championship. According to the latest data from BetMGM, two traditional powerhouses—LSU and Texas—are not just leading the pack in terms of odds, but they are also dominating the betting handle and ticket counts.

D1 College Baseball Betting Trends: LSU and Texas Lead National Championship Odds

The “blue bloods" of the sport continue to draw the most interest from the public, but shifting odds for programs like Georgia Tech and UCLA suggest that the mid-tier of the market is where the real movement is happening.

Market Leaders: The Handle vs. The Tickets

When looking at where the money is going, LSU remains the gold standard for bettors. The Tigers currently hold 15.8% of all tickets and a commanding 18.9% of the total handle. This suggests that not only is the public backing them in volume, but also that the larger, “sharper" wagers are landing in Baton Rouge.

Texas follows closely behind, accounting for 11.2% of tickets and 16.9% of the handle. Interestingly, while Texas has fewer total tickets than LSU, their higher handle-to-ticket ratio indicates significant confidence from high-stakes bettors.

National Championship Odds & Betting Data

Team	Opening Odds	Current Odds	Ticket %	Handle %
LSU	+700	+550	15.8%	18.9%
Texas	+2000	+1400	11.2%	16.9%
Georgia Tech	+5000	+1400	5.3%	6.6%
UCLA	+1300	+1000	5.2%	12.5%
Georgia	+1000	+1600	2.5%	1.6%
Arkansas	+1500	+1200	4.9%	6.4%

The “Biggest Liabilities" for BetMGM

For the oddsmakers at BetMGM, the biggest threats to the house are clear. If one of these three teams lifts the trophy in Omaha, the books will be looking at a significant payout:

1) Texas
2) LSU
3) East Carolina

East Carolina stands out as a fascinating “longshot" liability. Despite opening at +20000, their odds have since sharpened to +15000, showing that early believers are holding high-value tickets on the Pirates.

Trends to Watch: Momentum Shifts

Georgia Tech’s Meteoric Rise: No team has seen a more dramatic shift than the Yellow Jackets. Opening at +5000, they have surged all the way to +1400. They now represent 5.3% of all tickets, nearly tying UCLA for the third-most backed team in the country.
The Georgia Fade: While many teams are seeing their odds shorten, the Georgia Bulldogs are moving in the opposite direction. After opening at +1000, they have drifted to +1600 as the market seemingly loses confidence in their early-season identity.
Sharp Interest in UCLA: While only holding 5.2% of tickets, UCLA has a massive 12.5% of the handle. This discrepancy is a classic “sharp" indicator, suggesting that professional bettors are heavily backing the Bruins to improve upon their +1000 current odds.