The campus tour continues to the Midwest and beyond as we visit the stretched out Big 12. This conference is represented in Florida, West Virginia and Ohio, all the way over across several fly-over states, extending out west to Colorado, Utah and Arizona. That’s a lot of ground to cover for some of these teams, and we’ll break all of it down here. Behold, the official Betting News 2025 Big 12 Football Preview, full of picks and predictions for the entire conference.
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Let’s start by digging in to the past champions and how the conference shapes up this season.
Can Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils repeat as Big 12 Champions?
Past 10 Big 12 Conference Champions
- 2024: Arizona State Sun Devils
- 2023: Texas Longhorns
- 2022: Kansas State Wildcats
- 2021: Baylor Bears
- 2020: Oklahoma Sooners
- 2019: Oklahoma Sooners
- 2018: Oklahoma Sooners
- 2017: Oklahoma Sooners
- 2016: N/A (No Title Game)
- 2015: N/A (No Title Game)
The Big 12 conference did not hold a championship game from 2011-2016, but Oklahoma claimed four straight when they brought it back. However, Texas and Oklahoma left the conference last year for the SEC, so the conference title is certainly up for grabs.
Last season the Arizona State Sun Devils surprised everyone by winning the conference championship and making the College Football Playoff. Will there be another surprise team in the CFP this season from the Big 12?
Avery Johnson leads the Kansas State Wildcats into the 2025 NCAA Football season
2025 Big 12 Football Betting Odds
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Odds to Win the CFP (Big 12 Schools)
- Kansas State Wildcats +10000
- Utah Utes +10000
- Texas Tech Red Raiders +10000
- Arizona State Sun Devils +12500
- TCU Horned Frogs +15000
- Baylor Bears +20000
- Iowa State Cyclones +20000
That’s as far as I’ll go, but clearly the sportsbooks have zero love for the Big 12. And why should they? They are mediocre at best in a sport that is run by the SEC and the Big Ten, but having the best teams in your Power Four conference be priced at 100-1 to win the National Championship is a slap in the face.
Regardless, I don’t think they have a National Champion, but is there anyway more than one team sneaks into the CFP this season? Based on the odds, it’s looking doubtful.
Odds to Make College Football Playoff (Big 12 Schools)
- Kansas State +375
- Arizona State +400
- Utah +425
- Texas Tech +450
- Baylor +525
- Iowa State +750
- TCU +775
Again, no love for this conference. My advice? If you are thinking one of these schools makes the CFP, just bet them to win the Big 12. You’ll get better odds with every team, as we see below, and again, I do not see more than one team sneaking into the playoff when conferences like the SEC and Big Ten likely take as many bids as possible.
Devon Dampier and the Utah Utes are the favorite to win the conference this season
Odds to Win Big 12 Championship
- Utah +475
- Texas Tech +550
- Kansas State +600
- Arizona State +650
- Baylor +700
- TCU +900
- Iowa State +1100
- Kansas +1400
- BYU +1600
Of course the list goes on with 16 teams in the Big 12, with those left off this list priced at 25-1 or longer.
If the odds tell you anything about this conference, it’s the fact that nobody knows who might end up on top. There is no clear cut favorite, as K-State, Utah and Texas Tech all have the same odds to win it all, yet Arizona State has better odds to just make the College Football Playoff than those latter two teams. The Wildcats are the conference favorite to end up in the CFP, yet they are No. 3 on the odds board to win the Big 12 Championship.
Let’s get to know some of these teams worth mentioning and see if we can find any picks for the conference.
2025 Big 12 Football Team Breakdown
Can Brendan Sorsby revamp the Cincinnati Bearcats football program?
We’ll leave the bottom of the conference alone, and talk about who might end up in the top 10 of the Big 12.
No. 10 Cincinnati Bearcats
Despite starting 5-2 last season, the Bearcats lost five straight to end the season and missed a bowl game. Brendan Sorsby returns at QB with a brand new supporting cast. Tawee Walker takes over as the lead running back after running for 864 yards and 10 touchdowns for Wisconsin last year.
Jeff Caldwell from Lindenwood (D-II), Caleb Goodie from Colorado State and Cyrus Allen of Texas A&M give him a new set of pass catchers. That trio totaled over 1,600 yards and 15 TDs last season in their respective schools.
Nose tackle Dontay Corleone headlines the defensive unit, that replaces both corners and their strong safety in the secondary. Cincinnati will avoid a good portion of the top of the Big 12, only facing Iowa State and Baylor at home while traveling to Utah.
Deion Sanders leads the Buffaloes without Travis Hunter
No. 9 Colorado Buffaloes
Deion Sanders coaches the Buffs without his son or Travis Hunter leading both sides of the ball. Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter is set to lead the offense after throwing for nearly 4,000 yards with a 47-12 TD-INT Ratio, while also adding over 1,600 yards on the ground and 19 rushing TDs over the past two seasons. If he doesn’t succeed, highly touted freshman Julian Lewis is ready to roll.
There will be three new interior linemen guarding whomever plays quarterback, all with tons of experience, which might help their sack issues from last season.
There is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding this team going into this season, and with a couple of tough non-conference games, going over 5.5 wins might be asking a lot of this group.
No. 8 TCU Horned Frogs
Josh Hoover reloads as the TCU quarterback with 9/11 offensive starters returning. His two new pass catchers include wideouts Jordan Dwyer (Idaho) and Joseph Manjack IV (Houston). Dwyer caught 78 passes for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, leading the Vandals.
The defense returns plenty as well, and made strong strides last season. If things go as planned and pieces click sooner rather than later, TCU could surprise some teams in the Big 12. They do have to play a couple of toss ups against ACC opponents on their non-conference schedule, and have to face some of the tougher opponents within their own league.
Does anyone trust the Baylor Bears with Dave Aranda at the helm?
No. 7 Baylor Bears
Does anyone trust a Dave Aranda-led Baylor Bears team? They ended last year on a six game winning streak, giving QB Sawyer Robertson plenty of confidence after having over 3,000 passing yards and 28 TDs last season. Baylor returns every offensive starter besides WR Kobe Prentice who spent the last three years at Alabama.
While there is more faith in the Bears in the market than I have, the defense could hold this team back. I see lots of shootouts in the Bears’ future, and I’m not sure they have all the tools to keep up.
Schedule-wise, you host Auburn of the SEC and then go to SMU in back to back weeks to start the season. Sure you can get a cheap one against Samford (hopefully), but then it’s go time in the Big 12. You have to host Arizona State, Kansas State and Utah, which makes those games easier, but not guaranteed, and then have to go to TCU and Cincinnati which could be coin flips as well.
I’ll be on the Baylor Bears Under 7.5 Wins (-115) because of my minimal faith in Aranda.
Jalon Daniels is once again the QB for the Jayhawks to start the year
No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks
I debated putting them at No. 5, but decided to be more realistic. Jalon Daniels is back at QB, but one of the oldest players in the NCAA has his injury concerns. A team of transfers makes up the bulk of the skill players, as well as new coordinators on that side of the ball.
New running back Leshon Williams ran for 821 yards in 2023 with the Iowa Hawkeyes before Kaleb Johnson took over last season. Bryson Canty led Colombia with 46 receptions for 760 yards and 9 TDs last year, Emmanuel Henderson comes over from Alabama, and Cam Pickett led the Ball State receivers with 49 catches for 528 yards last season. If Daniels stays healthy, I like the Jayhawks who have a revamped defense, especially their secondary.
They have to go to Mizzou an reignite the Border War in Week 2, but have the benefit of hosting Cincinnati, Kansas State and Utah, while traveling to face Texas Tech and Iowa State, who could definitely give them some trouble on the road.
Becht and the Cyclones are looking to get back to the conference championship
No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones
Matt Campbell leads the Cyclones again with QB Rocco Becht locked and loaded. He lost his favorite pass catchers to the NFL, but Iowa State returns 14 starters on both sides of the ball and are coming off their first 10-win season in school history.
They get things started in Week 0 in Dublin, Ireland, taking on the Kansas State Wildcats in Farmageddon overseas. Wideouts Chase Sowell (East Carolina) and Xavier Townsend (UCF) look to fill in for Becht. Sowell has gone for 600+ receiving yards in two straight seasons, and looks to take over as the Cyclones top option.
While one could argue Iowa State has an “easier” schedule, they’ll still have to host Iowa, and Arizona State while going to Cincinnati. But, if they handle business, they could be in the hunt for the conference.
No. 4 Utah Utes
Utah will likely go as far as their defense can take them. Kyle Whittingham snagged QB Devon Dampier from the transfer portal in order to revamp the offense, but how well can he do?
He threw for 2,700 yards and ran for another 1,100 last season, totaling 31 TDs. However, the man had as many interceptions as he did passing touchdowns (12). That could be trouble, but again, the Utes do have an experienced offensive line and tons of new skill players around him.
Their two non-conference road games could be questionable at UCLA and Wyoming. They also play plenty of the “tougher” teams in the Big 12, but most of those are at home. The Utes host Texas Tech, Arizona State, Cincinnati and Kansas State. Defense will be the Utes best friend if the offensive makeover doesn’t workout.
Morton leads the Red Raiders who are looking to surprise some people
No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders bring in the No. 2 transfer class in the nation, and they are ready to make some noise in the Big 12. Running back Quentin Joyner backed Woody Marks at USC last season, but still rushed for 478 yards and 3 TDs, while adding 12 catches for 89 yards and tuddy as well. Wideout Reggie Virgil caught 41 passes for 816 yards and 9 TDs for the Miami (OH) Redhawks last year, pairing nice with Caleb Douglas and Coy Eakin.
Texas Tech has three new transfers on the offensive line, but all are upperclassmen with plenty of veteran experience. Defensively they have a new front four which should be a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12.
The Red Raiders are secret contenders in the conference this season if QB Behren Morton can elevate his game. However, their three toughest games (Utah, Arizona State and Kansas State) are all on the road.
Sam Leavitt and the Sun Devils won the Big 12 last year, will they repeat as conference champions?
No. 2 Arizona State Sun Devils
No more Cam Skattebo, but Sam Leavitt returns for the defending Big 12 Champion Sun Devils. Army transfer Kanye Udoh is ready to assume the RB role after going for 1,117 yards and 10 TDs last season. However he is not the pass catcher that Skattebo was. Regardless, Arizona State returns 17 starters, more than any other Power Four team.
The Sun Devils have to play Utah and Iowa State on the road, as well as heading to Mississippi State in Week 2, even though that one in Starkville shouldn’t be a problem. This team should easily get back to the conference championship, but I think there is one team that might stand in their way of repeating, thus causing them to miss the College Football Playoff.
No. 1 Kansas State Wildcats
Let the “EMAW” screams reign down from Manhappiness because I think the Kitty Cats could get back to the top of the Big 12. Avery Johnson tag teams with RB Dylan Edwards as a dangerous pair of runners. Wideout Jayce Brown and TE Garrett Oakley return, along with a pair of transfers to wrap up the pass catchers.
As I am editing this, my K-State Alumni little brother informed me to also be aware of true freshman TE Lincoln Cure, who was touted as the top prospect in his position for the class of 2025 according to 247Sports, and the No. 2 TE candidate on ESPN.
Jaron Tibbs caught 25 passes for 305 yards and 2 TDs for Purdue last year, and Jerand Bradley went for 1,100 yards and 10 TDs in two seasons for Texas Tech and is a huge red zone threat, but he will be coming off an injury. Kansas State returns 4/5 offensive linemen and 9/11 defensive starters.
Defensively, they should be fine, and they have a great schedule as well.
Sure they start off against Iowa State in Week 0 in Ireland, but as far as tough teams in the Big 12, they only travel to Utah and host Texas Tech. They’ll have the play Baylor, TCU, and Kansas, but all should be wins if the Cats handle business.
Ultimately, this conference is wide open, and as you can find +650 for the Wildcats to win the Big 12, I do think that number is worth a sprinkle.
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