Cal basketball has 20/1 odds to win the national championship

Sometimes you see something so ridiculous, so utterly preposterous, that you swear you read it wrong. You blink. You blink again. You refresh the page.

Nope. This is a real thing. Cal--our Cal, not Calipari, California--is being touted with 20/1 odds to be national champions. They've shrunk from 50/1 pre-Jaylen Brown commitment to 20-1. (HT r/CollegeBasketball).

Pinch me.

For those who don't want to read the whole thing, here's the list of teams that have lower odds or are right around our range.

Duke: 5/1
Kentucky: 7/1
Maryland: 8/1
North Carolina 8/1
Kansas: 12/1
Michigan State: 18/1
Virginia: 20/1

That's it. That's the entire list of teams ahead or at the same betting level. We're drawing even odds with the defending ACC champs (who we're playing in December by the way)! That's insane.

Among our West Coast brethren, Gonzaga is listed at 25/1, Arizona at 30/1, UCLA & Utah at 100/1, and Oregon at 150/1. So we're leading the West Coast and Pac-12 contenders. Guess we're pretty much being pencilled in as conference title contenders.

Now as cool as it is to get that high status this early, it's hard to feel like I can recommend this being a good bet. Cal at 40 to 1 or 50 to 1 would be nice value for you, but 20? I love Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb as much as the next guy, but I'm not about to say that two recruits lifts us from NO postseason to WINNING the entire postseason in one year. As solid as we looked in Australia, this is still a team with a lot of work to do.

On the other hand...

I have a genuine love for every single one of my teammates and coaches here. And a bond that'll never be broken. #togetherweattack

— Sam Singer (@samsinger123) September 2, 2015

As the Fall semester begins, here's an important reminder for all students. pic.twitter.com/a76r511DEx

— Cuonzo Martin (@CuonzoMartin) August 27, 2015

***VIDEO*** Watch this series by @CalMensBBall & Jaylen Brown.. Wow! (Great steal by Jabari Bird) pic.twitter.com/aYtYu1EYH7

— Fallon Smith (@FallonSmithCSN) August 21, 2015

This does feel like something special is brewing in Haas, right?

Would you make this bet?