Big 12 Conference Championship Odds: Oklahoma Favored? 5/29/17
Will there be any competition for the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 this year? Oddsmakers suggest the answer is ‘no.’
The Favorite: Oklahoma Sooners
According to oddsmakers, no team has comparable odds to win the Big 12 Conference Championship than OU. The Sooners have 11/10 odds to win the conference next season, making them the clear favorites.
Oklahoma is coming off a successful 2017 campaign, albeit without a repeat playoff appearance. The season started with a 33-23 loss to Houston and two weeks later, the Sooners were routed 45-24 by Ohio State.
That said, OU turned things around in a hurry, finishing the season on a 10-game winning streak. That included a 35-19 thrashing of No. 14 Auburn in the All-State Sugar Bowl on January 2.
The Challengers: Oklahoma State Cowboys & Texas Longhorns
Neither the Cowboys nor the Longhorns have odds remotely comparable to the Sooners, but the two teams that have the best chance to dethrone OU. OK State is listed at 4/1 to win the Big 12 next season, followed by Texas at 17/4.
The Cowboys finished their 2016 campaign with a 10-3 record, or 11-2 if you ask Mike Gundy. The coach refused to count a 30-27 loss to Central Michigan back on September 10 because the Chippewas were erroneously afforded an un-timed down and thus completed a “Hail Mary” pass to beat OK State. It was a mistake by the officiating staff, but why an average MAC program was even in a game against the Cowboys at home is question Gundy refuses to answer.
As for Texas, the Longhorns finished a disappointing 5-7 and fired coach Charlie Strong following the season. The program replaced Strong with former Houston coach Tom Herman, who will attempt to do something Strong couldn’t: Restore a once proud program to the elite level of college football.
The Rest of the Field
Kansas State is 11/2 to win the Big 12 next season, followed by West Virginia at 15/2. TCU is 10/1, Baylor is 25/1, and Iowa State and Texas Tech are both 100/1, respectively. Kansas has the longest odds to win the conference next year at 200/1.
