Big 12 championship odds 2019: Should Texas or Oklahoma be the favorite?

Big 12 championship odds are out and the Oklahoma Sooners are the favorites, but the Texas Longhorns might have something to say about it.

The year is 2014. The Big 12 is on the outside looking into the college football playoff because the Baylor Bears and TCU Horned Frogs are forced to share the Big 12 title. Both teams were on the outside looking in while Ohio State was given the go to play for champions of the college football world. That was the last time the Oklahoma Sooners were not the champions of the Big 12.

For the past four years, the Oklahoma Sooners have been dominant in the conference. They’ve lost a total of three conference games over the past four years, while the other powerhouses of the conference have destroyed each other playing for second place.

Last season, things looked bleak when the Sooners lost to their rivals the Texas Longhorns. The Red River Rivalry actually meant something, and it looked like Texas punched their ticket to a title for the first time since 2009. Then, Will Grier and the West Virginia Mountaineers put the horns down on a game-winning two-point conversion, and it was anyone’s conference again.

That’s why it makes perfect sense that Las Vegas is putting all their chips in the Sooners’ basket. They just lost the first-overall pick in the NFL Draft in Kyler Murray, and somehow will replace him with Jalen Hurts, who left Alabama when they chose Tua Tagovailoa to play over him. That gives them a huge advantage.

However, Texas is a team to reckon with. Tom Herman made major strides in season two, coaching them to their first 10-win season in a long time, and they are expected to be ranked in the preseason top 10. Still, Oklahoma still deserves to be the favorite, and FanDuel has them as the favorite over Texas, and then it’s a big drop.

Big 12 championship odds

• Oklahoma: -125
• Texas: +250
• Iowa State: +1200
• West Virginia: +1200
• Oklahoma State: +1800
• TCU: +1800
• Baylor: +2300
• Texas Tech: +2300
• Kansas State: +3000
• Kansas: +10000

Those are some hefty odds for Texas and Oklahoma. To be honest, there’s no point in betting minus money on a team to win the division. It seems like oddsmakers are begging betters to put money on other teams besides Oklahoma, by giving huge odds.

To compare, nobody in the Pac 12 or Big 10 are at minus odds. Clemson is the biggest favorite to win their conference in college football at -650, so clearly were not there, but that’s still a big number to bet against for an Oklahoma team that isn’t exactly perfect.

Best Bet: Oklahoma State +1800

The Big 12 is very, very interesting this season. The odds don’t say that, but it’s true. With so many teams still in flux, it’s anyone’s conference.

That’s what makes Oklahoma State so intriguing. The biggest issue with Oklahoma State and the main driver of college football odds is they don’t know who their starting quarterback is. They have the young upstart in Spencer Sanders and the redshirt senior Dru Brown. Add in a very intriguing hire at offensive coordinator in Sean Gleason, this could lead Oklahoma State to be the surprise team of the season.

Just a few weeks ago, the Cowboys were at +1400 at some overseas sportsbooks. Here, you get an extra $400 for your troubles. Sure, they are a long shot, but it’s not a great bet to have a favorite at minus money with a new quarterback (Jalen Hurts) and a second favorite who has a ton of question marks themselves.

Worst Bet: West Virginia +1200

The West Virginia Mountaineers lost their quarterback, their best two receivers, two of their defensive leaders and their head coach and most of his staff this offseason. Their offense was unleashed under Will Grier, and despite the issues with Dana Holgerson’s system, he was still safe for a 9-10 win season in most years.

Now, they go forth with Neal Brown as head coach and former Oklahoma QB Austin Kendall at QB. If the Mountaineers are even going to make a bowl game, they will need Kendall to show a herculean effort. It’s just a bad bet to make on WVU. The future is bright in Morgantown, but they basically have a brand new roster with a brand new coach in his first stint in the FCS.

Long Shot Pick: Baylor +2300

Kevin Malone from The Office once said if someone gives you 10,000:1 odds, you take those odds. Well, Kevin clearly wasn’t aware of what it was like to watch Kansas football.

Meanwhile, the Baylor Bears are a very intriguing team. Head coach Matt Rhule decided to stay with the Bears over going to the New York Jets, which usually sets a fire under the locker room. The Bears added six wins from the dismal first year where Rhule won just one game. Now, they are on the up and up.

When Rhule was with Temple, he won a conference championship in his third season. Could he repeat that success? The recipe is right in front of you. Baylor has a pretty simple start, so they should be perfect through their first three games. They play Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa State and West Virginia at home. Their hardest road game of the year is Oklahoma State. They also bring back most of their roster from a bowl-winning team last year, on top of Rhule’s first recruiting classes making strides toward playing time.

Championship Prediction: Oklahoma

Jalen Hurts is the difference here. Oklahoma may not be a good bet, but that’s because football is fickle, especially in college. If Hurts gets injured and misses two games, and they lose, that is it for them in the conference. However, when looking at everyone in this conference, Oklahoma still has the most talent and the best coach in Lincoln Riley. You can’t bet against that this early in the offseason.