Despite being the defending champions and preseason number one, Western Michigan is a major value at +2000 odds as a proven team overlooked in a market focused on hype over results.

As the 2025-26 NCAA hockey season prepares to get underway, there’s a growing consensus among analysts and oddsmakers alike: Western Michigan may be the best value bet on the board. Despite entering the season as the No. 1 team in both the USCHO Poll and the Everything College Hockey preseason rankings, the defending national champions are flying under the radar in the betting markets and could be bet that college hockey fans shouldn't avoid.

Western Michigan is coming off a historic 34-7-1 campaign, capped off by a nearly unstoppable 15-1-2 run to end the regular season and their first-ever National Championship. Unlike some of their rivals, the Broncos return much of their core and more importantly, they return with championship experience.

Yet even with that pedigree, the Broncos are being priced at +2000 to repeat. That places them behind at least eight other programs in current championship futures, despite being the consensus preseason favorite and this could offer a massive value for bettors.

History has shown that college hockey is no stranger to repeat champions. Minnesota Duluth’s back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019 and Denver’s run of three championships in the last seven years prove that programs with established winning cultures can sustain success. Western Michigan now finds itself in that elite company and yet the market hasn't fully caught up.

Much of the national attention is focused on Michigan and Michigan State, thanks to their headline-making recruiting classes. Puck Prep ranked Michigan’s incoming class as the best in the country, led by five-star Canadian junior stars Malcolm Spence and Jack Ivankovic. Michigan State followed closely behind, adding NHL-drafted blue-chippers Porter Martone and Cayden Lindstrom. Both programs are set up for big futures, but neither reached the Frozen Four last season, and Michigan didn’t survive the Big Ten quarterfinals.

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Still, oddsmakers are favoring potential over proven results. Michigan State is listed at +600, Michigan at +1000, and Boston University, a perennial blue blood, holds a +700 line. Even Penn State, who has never reached a Frozen Four, sits atop the board at just +475, raising eyebrows across the college hockey world.

As the season gets underway, Western Michigan remains the defending national champion, the top-ranked team in the country, and the most undervalued team on the board. With history on their side and a team that knows how to win when it matters most, Western Michigan is more than just a preseason favorite, they’re the most overlooked powerhouse in the country. And if they repeat, the bettors who believed early will be the ones cashing in big. 

NCAA 2025-26 National Championship Odds:

Penn State +475  

Boston University +700  

Michigan +1000  

Michigan State +600  

Boston College +1400  

Denver +1500  

Minnesota +1300  

North Dakota +1600  

Western Michigan +2000  

Maine +1300  

Arizona State +3500  

Quinnipiac +3500  

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