The 2024 college football season is officially less than a month away, as the first games of the year are scheduled for August 24. If you’re into sports wagering, now is the time to get your bets in on America’s favorite game.
College football is one of the toughest sports to bet on, and perhaps no conference in America is more unpredictable than the Big 12.
Thanks to its volatility, the Big 12 will be one of the most entertaining leagues to bet on this fall. If you are confident in one team to win the league, you won’t find better value money than you will in the Big 12.
BetMGM released its Big 12 Championship odds on Wednesday, with Utah and Kansas State checking in as co-favorites at +350 to win it all. Those are the longest odds for a favorite of any conference in college football.
I am not shocked to see the Wildcats and Utes at the top of the list, as those two seem to be the clear-cut favorites to win the Big 12.
However, I do find Oklahoma State, which is listed at +700, an interesting line. For my money, Mike Gundy and the Cowboys are the obvious value pick in this book.
Kansas isn’t bad either at +800, but after that, we have our first surprise on the list: UCF.
The Knights were picked to finish eighth in the preseason media poll, while I had them finishing one spot higher at No. 7. However, Vegas has UCF (+900) with the fifth-best odds to win the Big 12, which tells me that they know something we don’t. The Knights are a popular dark horse team this season, too, so they might be onto something there.
Iowa State and Texas Tech having the same odds (+1000) is kind of odd to me. The Cyclones are probably around where they should be, but Texas Tech is tied for having the sixth-best odds to win the conference — which is certainly a hot take. No offense to the Red Raiders, but I would have a hard time putting them in the top six.
Further down the list, we have a couple of sleeper picks. Arizona at +1400 seems wild to me. I know they are the new guy in town, but putting them behind Texas Tech and UCF? No way. The Wildcats have the talent to compete in this conference.
West Virginia checks in at +2000 to win the league and returns way too many starters for them to be sitting there tied for the ninth-best odds. I’ve seen the schedule, and I know it’s tough — but that is just baffling to me. If you want to throw a $20 bill down on someone, West Virginia isn’t a bad team to take a low-risk flyer on.
For the 30% of people who spent money on Colorado to win — you might as well have taken your money, put it in a pile, and lit it on fire because there’s no shot you’re seeing a return on that.
I know the +3000 is tempting, but they just aren’t even close to being a contender in Deion’s second year.
The other teams not mentioned in the list are Baylor, BYU, Houston, Cincinnati, and Arizona State — don’t even bother wasting your money.
I am no gambling expert by any means, but I hope this can help you win some money. Remember, if you do win some money after taking my advice, don’t be afraid to send me a nice little tip with your winnings.
If you lose, just remember that it’s all your fault, not mine. Either way, if you are willing to gamble on this conference, you may want to be prepared to lose it. From top to bottom, the Big 12 is the deepest conference in college football and certainly the hardest to predict.
You’ve heard of March Madness, but this is Fall Madness, and anything can happen.
