2019 Big 12 win totals are out. Here are all the gambling advice and football analysis you need to know in order to cash in this college football season.
With college football and betting going hand in hand, future bets are becoming the go-to for people who love to try and make the season more interesting. The over/under bets are great because rookie bettors can do a little research and feel like they can make an educated decision.
The Big 12 is anyone’s guess this season. Oklahoma lost Kyler Murray to the NFL. The Texas Longhorns look like they are primed to take over as the leaders, that is until the Sooners got former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts as a replacement. Iowa State should be really good under head coach Matt Campbell, but there’s a handful of teams below them that are interchangeable.
Betting on the Big 12 may look hard on paper, but if you know where to go there are some really good bets to make. Some of the numbers are skewed because of the indecisiveness with these teams. It’s time to take advantage.
All win totals come from FanDuel.
2019 Big 12 win totals
Oklahoma — 10.5: Over
We already talked about the Sooners losing Heisman-Trophy winner Kyler Murray to the NFL Draft, but they might have a dark-horse candidate for the award this year again in Jalen Hurts. If Hurts can continue to run as well as he did at Alabama and continues to make significant developments as a passer under Riley(the best coach in the Big 12 by far), this could be one of the most potent offenses for another year.
Texas — 9.5: Under
Texas has a ton of hype, and for good reason. They return quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who is poised to have a monster season as a runner and passer. However, there are some really big red flags with this team. The offensive line is young and inexperienced, and the loss of tackle Calvin Anderson will really hurt. Ehlinger could really miss receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey who left early for the NFL but he’ll have Collin Johnson who elected to bypass the NFL Draft for another year. The game with Oklahoma is always the big one, but a Week 2 matchup with LSU could be a pivotal one. If Texas wins, they’ll be a safe pick to hit the over. But losing to LSU could put doubt into the heads of the Longhorns after a year’s worth of hype, and there’s no way to know how they might react.
Iowa State — 8: Over
Brock Purdy is coming off a very good true freshman season after he was thrust into early playing time under center. Matt Campbell’s team continues to build on their recent successes. However, they did lose star running back David Montgomery. Still, they have a pretty easy schedule, and their hardest game on the road is against Oklahoma who they’d likely lose to anyway. They could be a dark horse to make some noise in the Big 12.
TCU — 7.5: Under
Gary Patterson has his hands full this season. TCU has six true road games this season, and they’re done with bye weeks in early October. Expecting this team to win eight or more is asking for trouble. Many preseason polls have them in fourth in the Big 12, the same place they are here, but one of the three teams stuck at 6.5 wins will surpass them this season.
Oklahoma State — 6.5: Over
Oklahoma State has a schedule that starts off extremely hard but ends incredibly easy. They play four of their last six games at home in Mike Gundy’s 15th season atop their most popular sport. It’s come with middling results, including a ninth-place finish in the Big 12 last year. We’ll likely see somewhat of a return to what we’ve seen from the Pokes during the bulk of Gundy’s tenure in Stillwater.
Baylor — 6.5: Over
Matt Rhule has a team he can be proud of after winning one game in his first season, then bouncing back with six wins last year and a bowl win last year. Baylor once again has a weak non-conference schedule, which should get them to three wins before even starting conference play. That means they have to go 4-5 in the Big 12 to get to their necessary win total. They have a lot of returning starters from a team that is only getting better.
Texas Tech — 6.5: Under
Former Utah State coach Matt Wells comes to Lubbock as the reigning Mountain West Coach of the Year as he tries to take the Red Raiders past where Kliff Kingsbury could take them. He could have a rough first year as he remakes the roster. Plus, an early road test vs. Oklahoma doesn’t do much for establishing some early confidence. It will take Wells the year to figure out the Big 12, but watch out for him in 2020.
Kansas State — 5.5: Under
It’s a new era of Kansas State football with Bill Snyder out and Chris Klieman in. The former North Dakota State won big at the FCS level and hopes that’ll translate to the Little Apple. The Wildcats are a middle of the pack team who will play hard and stay in games they shouldn’t, but it’s tough to imagine them making a bowl game. If the Wildcats can upset Mississippi State early in the season, there’s a chance they can hit six, but with I’m pessimistic.
West Virginia — 5: Over
The West Virginia Mountaineers are another team replacing their head coach (Dana Holgorsen) and their best player (Will Grier) on offense. With Grier in the NFL and Holgorsen at Houston, Neal Brown is tasked with keeping the Mountaineers afloat in the middle class of the Big 12. Oklahoma transfer Austin Kendall steps in to replace Grier but he’s a blank slate. I’m a believer in Brown and think they will find a way to be bowl-eligible.
Kansas — 3.5: Under
Les Miles turns the Kansas team into one to watch in 2019, but it’s just his first year and the Jayhawks did not give him much to get excited about last season. They play Indiana State and Coastal Carolina to start the season, which should get them halfway to hitting the over. It’s hard to write this team down for more than one Big 12 win, however. Kansas should be better with time, but this year is too soon to envision Miles turning this perennial loser into even a four-win team.