Joe Lunardi Nov 4, 2026, 07:25 AM ET

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Resident college basketball bracketologist for ESPN

Contributor to SportsCenter, ESPN Insider

Published first public bracket in 1995

When it comes to ranking the major conferences, especially in the preseason or early season, we're going to stick with what worked. Last November, we based the countdown on a single question: Which league was most likely to produce the national champion?

Thanks to the Michigan Wolverines , the Big Ten finally broke its endless NCAA title drought and made us look quite smart. But a new season means it's time for a new forecast.

We'll do the other tracking first, projecting total NCAA bids and average seeding. But our eyes are on the ultimate prize. For every high major program and its respective conference, it's about cutting down the nets in April. Who has the best odds as the 2026-27 campaign begins?

The headline?…