Big 12 football odds still have Oklahoma as a favorite, but the Texas Longhorns could be closing in on the Sooners in 2020.
It’s been six years since any team not named Oklahoma won the Big 12 Championship. The oddsmakers say it’ll be a sixth-straight title for the Sooners.
That is unless Texas comes around to spoil the party.
Brett McMurphy tweeted Super Book Sports’ odds on Monday with Oklahoma at 5/4 and Texas at 8/5.
Texas is Oklahoma’s biggest threat for the Big 12 football title.
The Sooners have been the class of the conference and there’s little reason to expect them to take a step back. Even though they lost quarterback Jalen Hurts, his replacement is former five-star prospect Spencer Rattler.
The redshirt freshman may have to get used to the pace of the college game, but he’ll have Lincoln Riley calling the shots. Riley produced exceptional quarterback play since he took over as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator in 2015. Since 2016, no Oklahoma quarterback has had a passer rating below 190.
If Oklahoma doesn’t top the Big 12, chances are it will be Texas instead.
The Longhorns have been on the brink of being “back” for a while now, but head coach Tom Herman is hoping 2020 is the year it happens. He has a veteran quarterback in Sam Ehlinger leading the way.
Texas’ contention for the Big 12 won’t hinge on Ehlinger and the offense though. It’ll come down to what new defensive coordinator Chris Ash can get out of a defense which allowed 27.5 points per game in 2019.
If the Longhorns can’t live up to expectations, other teams with a chance of sticking down Oklahoma include Oklahoma State and Iowa State. The Cowboys have 7/1 odds for the title while the Cyclones trail at 16/1. TCU, with 25/1 odds, and Baylor, with 30/1 odds, could also make it interesting.
Longshots for the title include Kansas State, Texas Tech and West Virginia, all at 100/1. Kansas would be a shocking title winner with 500/1 odds.