Big 12 2016 Betting Preview: Sooners Odds Favorites to Win Weaker Conference

Still playing without a conference championship game, the Oklahoma Sooners head into the 2016 season looking to build off their first College Football Playoff appearance in school history.

The Sooners will do so as strong -140 betting favorites (bet $140 to win $100) to win the Big 12 again at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark, while some of the conference’s top title contenders from the recent past are expected to take a step back.

Led by one of the Heisman Trophy odds favorites in quarterback Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma should be primed for another strong year, especially with teams like the TCU Horned Frogs and Baylor Bears losing key personnel from a year ago.

While he was not a Heisman finalist last season, Mayfield still finished fourth in the voting after throwing for 3,700 yards with 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his first year at the school. Mayfield started his college career as a freshman with the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are tied as the +500 second choice to win the Big 12 on the college football futures and tied TCU for second place in the conference last season. The Cowboys started last year at 10-0 before losing their last three games by double digits to the Bears and Sooners in Big 12 play, then to the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sugar Bowl to close out the campaign.

The Horned Frogs are also +500 and no longer have electric quarterback Trevone Boykin under center, leaving head coach Gary Patterson with a tough decision to make before their season opener. Either transfer Kenny Hill from the Texas A&M Aggies or sophomore Foster Sawyer is expected to take over for the departed Boykin.

The Texas Longhorns (+750) are a team to watch in head coach Charlie Strong’s third year at the helm. Strong has yet to post a winning record in his first two years in Austin, but the talent aggregated from his recent recruiting classes should be as good as any team in the conference.

Meanwhile, Baylor (+800) has gone through some major turmoil this offseason following the firing of head coach Art Briles due to player misconduct. The Bears would likely be among the favorites to win the Big 12 this year if not for the scandal that also saw school president Ken Starr and athletics director Ian McCaw lose their jobs.