2023 Big 12 Football Championship Odds: Departing Teams Favored
Newcomers Among Conference Longshots
Texas and Oklahoma will be leaving the Big 12 Conference after this season. But both are hoping to make their mark in the Big 12 one last time before heading to the SEC. Brigham Young, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston are playing their first season in the conference. All four will be in for a bit of rude awakening regarding what Big 12 Conference football is all about. But it should be one last hurrah for the Longhorns this season. The 2023 Big 12 football championship odds have Texas as solid favorites to win the conference in their final try.
Texas Longhorns (Even)
Texas is one of the more storied teams in college football. The Longhorns have won six bowl games since 2010 and have been named in the NCAA football rankings in 11 of the last 13 seasons. The one thing Texas hasn’t done lately is win the Big 12 Conference. The Longhorns last won the conference title in 2009. But Texas has the pieces in place to make 2023 a special season.
Offensively, the Longhorns should be very good. Quarterback Quinn Ewers reportedly put in a lot of work in the offseason. He’ll need to if he hopes to fend off Arch Manning this season. Either way, the Longhorns are very good in the quarterback position. The receivers got a boost with the arrival of AD Mitchell from Georgia. He missed most of last season, but had three TD receptions in just nine catches. He and Xavier Worthy are a solid 1-2 punch. Texas saw its top three running backs all get drafted by NFL teams. But with all five starters back on the offensive line, running the ball won’t be a problem for Texas.
The defense should be pretty good this year. The Longhorns lost some talent, but added heralded freshman linebacker Anthony Hill and added defensive backs Jalen Catalon and Gavin Holmes through the transfer portal. If those three can make solid contributions, the Longhorns will be tough to beat.
Oklahoma Sooners (+350)
The Sooners are coming off a disappointing 6-7 season under new coach Brent Venables. Surprisingly, it was the Oklahoma defense that was the primary culprit for the former Clemson defensive coordinator’s struggles as a first-year head coach. The Sooners added quite a few players from the transfer portal on defense. The linebacking unit looks to be the strong suit for the defense right now. But the unit as whole should be a lot better.
The offense wasn’t bad and Dillon Gabriel returns at quarterback after throwing for 25 TDs and six interceptions. A couple of the key skill players have moved on, but between returning players and incoming transfers, Oklahoma will be decent at running back and wide receiver. The same can be said for the offensive line, where a couple of transfers, Miami’s Caleb Shaffer and Stanford tackle Walter Rouse could have a quick impact.
Kansas State Wildcats (+500)
Last year’s Big 12 Conference champions are the third choice in the 2023 Big 12 football championship odd sand will be a strong team once again. Deuce Vaughn has moved on, but Kansas State should still be set at running back with returner DJ Giddens and Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward. Quarterback Will Howard will have to have a strong season. The Kansas State defense took a few hits, but has some decent players coming in. Wildcats coach Chris Klieman is a good one.
Texas Tech Red Raiders (+1000)
It was an impressive debut for coach Joey McGuire, as the Red Raiders defeated both Texas and Oklahoma in overtime. Texas Tech finished 8-5 after knocking off Ole Miss in the Texas Bowl. Quarterback Tyler Slough should be the main man this year after the Red Raiders split time between three QBs last year. The defense could hold the Red Raiders back a little bit. But the same thing is said almost every year about Texas Tech.
TCU Horned Frogs (+1600)
What can Sonny Dykes do for an encore? One thing he probably can’t do is lead the Horned Frogs back to the college football playoffs. TCU suffered some big losses on both sides of the football, so it will be an uphill climb for the Horned Frogs. Chandler Morris takes over at quarterback and has talent, but TCU has some tough shoes to fill at running back and wide receiver. The defense should be decent and has a couple of big-time talents in Johnny Hodges and Josh Newton. The Horned Frogs were a solid 10-4-1 against the college football betting lines last season.
Baylor Bears (+1800)
The Baylor Bears took a slight step backwards in 2022 and the 2023 Big 12 football championship odds reflect that. The Bears’ defense fell off the most and allowed 26.8 points per game. Baylor is looking to the transfer portal to fill the secondary positions. The Bears have some talent at the skill positions on offense. But the offense line lost four starts. Baylor picked-up brothers Clark and Campbell Barrington from BYU and will look to other newcomers to get the job done this year.
Kansas Jayhawks (+3500)
Normally a 6-6 record is nothing to get excited about. But for the Kansas Jayhawks, it was a big deal. The team played in its first bowl game since 2008 and now look to build on last season. Kansas has 10 returning starters back on offense. But it’s the defense that causes concern for the Jayhawks. Kansas has to replace the entire defensive line, but has seven starters back at linebacker and in the secondary. If the defense shows some improvement, Kansas will be a decent team.
UCF Knights (+3500)
The Knights have the lowest odds of any of the newcomers. But UCF also has some serious question marks on the defensive side of the ball. That’s not the case for the offense, which is led by quarterback John Rhys Plumlee and running back RJ Harvey. The offense will be just fine. It’s a question of how many points they’re asked to score to win football games.
Oklahoma State Cowboys (+4000)
Oklahoma State finished 7-6 last season and it’s not going to be easy to duplicate that record this season. A lot of players are gone, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Only two starters return and Mike Gundy brought in Bryan Nardo to run the defense, which will use a 3-3-5. Offensively, the Cowboys need a big season from Michigan transfer Alan Bowman at quarterback.
Iowa State Cyclones (+6000)
The Cyclones are having all sorts of off-the-field issues surrounding illegal gambling. Quarterback Hunter Dekkers won’t be with the team, which is a big blow to the Cyclones. Other players have also been named as having taken part in the gambling ordeal. It’s going to be a huge distraction for Iowa State and also take its toll on the team.
BYU Cougars (+8000)
The Cougars move back to playing in a conference after spending the last dozen years as an independent. This probably isn’t the ideal roster to be bringing into the Big 12 Conference. But the move to a major conference will help BYU in recruiting in the future. Transfers will make up a lot of the offense, with quarterback Kedon Slovis coming over from Pitt and Aidan Robbins making the move from UNLV. The defense isn’t bad but will be tested.
Cincinnati Bearcats (+8000)
After advancing to the college football playoffs in 2021, the Bearcats dropped in the NCAA football standings last season, ending with a 9-4 record. The defense isn’t bad and is ahead of the offense. Coach Scott Satterfield moves over Louisville and Arizona State transfer Emory Jones will be the team’s quarterback. The schedule will be much tougher than the Bearcats are used to seeing.
West Virginia Mountaineers (+8000)
When the offensive line is the best position unit on your football team, you know it could well be a long season. The West Virginia Mountaineers were 5-7 last year and have questions at the skill positions offensively. The defense allowed 32.9 points per game last season and has to get better.
Houston Cougars (+10000)
The Cougars struggled defensively last season and now face more potent offenses than they did a year ago. The schedule is brutal and it’s going to be tough for the Cougars to return to a bowl game. The offense has some talent, but it’s doubtful Houston will be able to score enough points to record a winning season.
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