Who's Best Bet To Win 2023 Big 12 Championship?
The 2023-24 college football campaign is finally approaching. The Kansas State Wildcats shocked the nation by winning the Big 12 Championship Game in 2022. The Wildcats executed an unexpected upset by defeating No. 3 ranked TCU. It represented a quality victory over a Horned Frogs squad that qualified for the College Football Playoff.
The Big 12 is an unpredictable conference, but the oddsmakers see an odds-on favorite entering the season. BetOnline recently updated their odds for the Big 12 Championship winner. The competitors shake out as follows:
- Texas (-110)
- Oklahoma (+425)
- Kansas State (+700)
- Texas Tech (+1000)
- TCU (+1100)
- Baylor (+2000)
- UCF (+2000)
- Oklahoma State (+2800)
- Iowa State (+4000)
- Kansas (+4000)
THE FAVORITE AND MY PICK: TEXAS
Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian has been laying down the groundwork for Texas’ triumphant return since 2021. Growth has been frustratingly slow, but another campaign under Sarkisian’s tutelage should help the Longhorns inch closer to restoring the glory years. Texas enters the season as rightful Big 12 favorites.
The Longhorns return 15 starters, including starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. Ewers possesses the talent necessary to be a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He’ll be surrounded by one of the nation’s top offensive lines and receiving corps. The receiver room is especially deep, featuring talents like junior Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington. Georgia transfer Adonai Mitchell is a candidate to be an underrated contributor.
Replacing Bijan Robinson is borderline impossible, but Texas is littered with future NFL talent at every offensive position. Ewers should lead Texas to their first Big 12 Championship since 2009. Texas’ ultimate goal transcends past the constraints of the conference, however. Sarkisian and Co. are focused on qualifying for the four-team College Football Playoff. They’ll need to be better to meet those expectations.
THE NO. 1 CONTENDER: OKLAHOMA
The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to end a two-year drought of failing to qualify for the Big 12 Championship Game. The shocking exit of former head coach Lincoln Riley still lingers. Brent Venables saw his Sooners crawl to a 6-7 record in 2022. There’s reason to believe Oklahoma will be considerably better in 2023.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel returns to spearhead an explosive offense that averaged more than 30 points per contest last season. The defensive-minded Venables was expected to improve Oklahoma’s defense, but they surprisingly surrendered 30 points per outing. That will pain Venables, who is eyeing much-needed improvement. Several transfers could help, including former Indiana Hoosier linebacker Dasan McCullough.
DON’T SLEEP ON: KANSAS STATE
The Wildcats are viewed as BetOnline’s third-ranked favorites despite winning last season’s Big 12 Championship. They’re currently available at +700, trailing conference favorites Texas and Oklahoma by a considerable margin. That’s borderline disrespectful to the defending champions. However, we can understand BetOnline’s hesitancy.
Head coach Chris Klieman is tasked with navigating through some overturn. Will Howard returns at quarterback, which provides the program with some much-needed continuation. Howard’s outputs will be crucial to Kansas State’s efforts to repeat as champions because sweeping changes occurred elsewhere.
Replacing star running back Deuce Vaughn is the biggest challenge. Vaughn accounted for an astounding 1,936 yards from scrimmage in 2022. Other departures from the 2023 NFL Draft include Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Julius Brents. Replacing such talent is never easy for a non-blueblood program. Kansas State will lean on its head coach and quarterback to help usher in the next era.
