2012 Big 12 Conference Odds & Preview
NCAA Football 2012 Conference Betting Previews – Big 12- Oklahoma opens at even money to win the Big 12
The new-look Big 12 enters the 2012 football season with a total of 10 teams in the conference, but Missouri and Texas A&M are out after leaving to join the SEC, while West Virginia and TCU are in as the newest members of the conference. The following is a betting preview for a few of the top contenders in the Big 12 this season along with each team’s current odds to win the conference as provided by Bovada.
The Oklahoma Sooners are not only the odds-on-favorite to win the Big 12 this season at even money 1/1 odds, Bob Stoops’ team is expected to be one of the top teams in the country and the fourth-favorite at 10/1 to win this year’s BCS title. The Sooners return 15 starters from last year’s squad that went 10-3 and 6-3 in conference play. The offense will be led by senior quarterback Landry Jones, who threw for 4,302 yards and 28 touchdowns last season. The defense remains stacked especially in the secondary will all four starters returning including All-Conference cornerback Demontre Hurst.
The second-favorite to win the Big 12 is the Texas Longhorns at 4/1. They are coming off an 8-5 record in 2011, but a disappointing 4-5 record in the conference. The good news is that Texas returns nine starters on offense and seven starters on defense. It looks like sophomore David Ash will get the start at quarterback, but expect the Longhorns to emphasize their running game this season behind sophomore running back Malcolm Brown, who is poised for a huge year after rushing for 707 yards as a freshman. The defense will be anchored by All-Conference players Jackson Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor on the line and Carrington Byndom in the secondary.
The Texas Christian Horned Frogs make their debut in the Big 12 as 11/2 third-favorites to win the conference title. They wrapped-up their final season in the Mountain West with an overall record of 11-2 and a perfect 7-0 record in conference play. TCU will return just six starters on offense and seven on defense, but it still has enough overall talent to make an immediate impact in its new surroundings. Junior Casey Pachall is back as the Horned Frogs starter at quarterback and Josh Boyce returns as his favorite target at wide receiver. Defensively, All-Conference lineman Stansly Maponga is back as is linebacker Kenny Cain, who was also an All-MWC player last season.
The other newcomer to the Big 12, the West Virginia Mountaineers, are poised to make an immediate impact as well as the fourth-favorite to win the conference at 6/1 odds. They won the Big East title last season with a 5-2 conference record and were 10-3 overall. The Mountaineers remain loaded on offense with quarterback Geno Smith and wide receivers Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin. This trio is set to put-up some huge numbers this season after leading West Virginia to the sixth-ranked passing offense in the nation in 2011. The Mountaineers return seven starters on defense, but they are going to have to tighten things up on a unit that ended last season ranked 61st in the country in points allowed.
The odds to win the conference for the remaining six teams in the Big 12 are Kansas State at 12/1, Oklahoma State at 18/1, Texas Tech at 30/1, Baylor at 40/1, Iowa State at 65/1, and Kansas at 100/1.
Dave Schwab
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