2025 Big 12 Football Odds: Ranking conference contenders from top to bottom

It won’t be long before Big 12 football is here, with two months remaining before the start of the 2025 season. The anticipation is already building with people making their early predictions for which teams stand the best chance to win the conference.

FanDuel has some early odds out for the Big 12 Championship winner, with some surprises along the way. Kansas State enters with the best odds at taking home a trophy, while reigning champion Arizona State is right behind them. You can view the full odds for the 2025 Big 12 Champion, according to FanDuel, below.

Kansas State Wildcats — +550

The Wildcats got off to a 7-1 start in 2024 but went 1-3 in their final four games to miss out on making the Big 12 Championship. But according to FanDuel, their odds of rectifying that to finish as conference champs this year are the best of any team.

K-State returns 11 total starters from last year, including dual-threat quarterback Avery Johnson and leading receiver Jayce Brown. That experience combined with a transfer portal class that ranks third in the Big 12 is what makes them the favorite.

Utah Utes — +600

Utah finished just 5-7 in its first season in the Big 12 despite being picked to win the conference in the preseason media poll. The Utes again find themselves among the preseason favorites this year after an agressive approach in the transfer portal.

Among their 21 signees is former New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 19 touchdowns a season ago. Coach Kyle Whittingham has been one of the most consistent winners over the past two decades, as last year was just his third losing record in a 21-year tenure with the team. It appears there if faith in him to turn things around again after a down season.

Arizona State Sun Devils — +600

Last year’s Big 12 champion, Arizona State returns 17 starters, including all but one on the defensive side. However, they lose arguably their best overall player in running back Cam Skattebo, who led the conference with 1,711 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns.

The Sun Devils brought in Kanye Udoh, the No. 27 running back in the transfer portal according to On3, and return last year’s third-leading rusher Kyson Brown. They also bring back quarterback Sam Leavitt and four of five offensive linemen, so certainly have a chance to repeat as champs.

Texas Tech Red Raiders — +650

Texas Tech has often been listed as a darkhorse contender but never finished with more than eight wins in three seasons under coach Joey McGuire. People are once again high on the Red Raiders entering McGuire’s fourth year at the helm, and Vegas gives them just as good as odds as Utah to win the Big 12.

They brought in the top-ranked transfer portal class in the conference, headlined by edge rusher David Bailey, the No. 2 overall transfer according to On3. Not only that, but Texas Tech also returns 12 starters including quarterback Behren Morton. Looking at the returning production combined with incoming talent, it’s not hard to see why expectations are high in Lubbock.

Baylor Bears — +650

Baylor brings back a lot of offensive production from a team that won six straight games to close the regular season and ranked second in the Big 12 in points per game. That includes quarterback Sawyer Robertson as well as 1,000-yard rusher Bryson Washington, so it could be another year of the Bears lighting up the scoreboard.

The real question is whether the defense can improve after ranking in the bottom half of the league in 2024. Baylor brought in 22 players through the portal this offseason and defense was a major emphasis, so if it can get better on that side it has a chance to make some noise.

TCU Horned Frogs — +800

TCU is just three seasons removed from playing in the national championship game but has gone 14-11 over the past two years. The Horned Frogs have been successful on the recruiting trail in that span, however, bringing in No. 2 class in the Big 12 in 2024 and No. 3 in 2023.

TCU had the conference’s No. 1 class in this past cycle, and the hope is that the talent that has been developing the past few seasons under Sonny Dykes will finally break out. Starting quarterback Josh Hoover is also back as well as three of five starters on the offensive line to give the team some experience and stability.

Iowa State Cyclones — +1000

The Cyclones reached double digit wins for the first time in program history this past season, capping it off with a victory against Miami in the Pop Tart Bowl. They also finished in a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12, winning a tiebreaker to reach the conference championship, where they lost against Arizona State.

Iowa State is tied for the lead among Power 4 teams in returning starters on offense with nine, including quarterback Rocco Becht. The defense gets back linebacker Caleb Bacon, who missed all but one game last year due to injury. All that points to this being another big season in Ames, at least on paper.

Kansas Jayhawks — +1700

Jalon Daniels is back for his sixth season of college football and will look to lead Kansas to its first Big 12 Championship in program history. The quarterback avoided injuries to appear in 12 games (the most of his career) and his health will once again be imperative to the Jayhawks’ chances.

KU still only finished 5-7 this past season despite a healthy Daniels and just one year after it went 9-4. That in mind, he’ll need help from his teammates for the team to have a chance, especially on defense where Kansas finished 12th in the Big 12 in yards allowed per game in 2024.

BYU Cougars — +1800

BYU had an impressive run in just its second year as a Big 12 member this past season. The Cougars finished with a 7-2 conference record to put them in a four-way tie for first place, but lost out on the tiebreaker and therefore didn’t get to compete in the title game.

The offense brings back seven starters on offense (10 total), headlined by quarterback Jake Retzlaff and running back LJ Martin. There are still questions to answer on the defensive side with so much production lost, which way be why these odds arent higher.

Cincinnati Bearcats — +2600

The Bearcats didn’t make the jump that BYU did in their second year as a Power 4 conference member. They did slightly improve, going from one league win to three, but have a long way to go to be competitive in the Big 12.

They still brought in the No. 4 transfer class in the conference, and perhaps some of those players can help Cincinnati finally get over the hump for a winning season. But with the recent trends we’ve seen so far, it’s not surprising that they fall this low on the list.

Houston Cougars — +2800

Houston finished 4-8 in the inaugural season of Willie Fritz, but often times teams don’t truly take shape until their second or third year with a coach. Cougars fans will hope that is the case this year, but these odds don’t show much confidence from the outside.

Houston was last in the Big 12 in both points per game and yards per game this past season. That in mind, even with players like quarterback Zeon Chriss and receiver Stephon Johnson Jr. back, it’s hard to predict much, at least this early.

Colorado Buffaloes — +3200

Colorado is coming off of a year in which it tied for first place in the Big 12 standings in just the second season under coach Deion Sanders. However, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter — the team’s two best players — are now gone to the NFL.

The Buffaloes at least return four of five starters on the offensive line, but that’s still a group that ranked 125th in the country in sacks allowed per game. Deion Sanders was once again aggressive in attacking the portal, bringing in a transfer class of 31 players. It’s a strategy that’s paid off for him in the past, but it will be a tall task to replace what they lost.

West Virginia Mountaineers — +4700

Rich Rodriguez is back in Morgantown nearly two decades after his previous tenure ended. He led the Mountaineers to three straight seasons of 10 or more wins, including a Sugar Bowl victory in 2005.

WVU will hope for similar success the second time around, but have an uphill battle after finishing 4-8 in 2024. They return the second-fewest starters in the Power 4 at just three, and perhaps a fresh start will be just what they need.

Arizona Wildcats — +5000

Arizona failed to live up to the hype in its first season as a Big 12 member last year, going 4-8. The Wildcats will try again with quarterback Noah Fifita back for another go, though they will be without leading receiver Tetairoa McMillan, a first-round pick in the NFL Draft.

Arizona still struggled mightily on offense despite having a player like McMillan, and brought in a new offensive coordinator in Seth Doege. Perhaps he can be the spark needed to get things moving in Tuscon for a bounce back year.

UCF Knights — +5500

UCF was the top rushing attack in the Big 12 last season behind 1,000-yard rusher RJ Harvey. However, with both Harvey and four of five starters on the offensive line gone, the Knights will lose almost all of the players that helped them achieve that status.

They also have a new coach, bringing back Scott Frost after he led them to an undefeated record in 2017. That could get some fans excited about a turnaround, but there’s far too many unknowns from a team coming off of a 4-8 record.

Oklahoma State Cowboys — +5500

The Cowboys are coming off of their worst season in 20 years under coach Mike Gundy, failing to win a single Big 12 game in 2024. That resulted in OSU restructuring Gundy’s contract and firing both the offensive and defensive coordinators for the first time since he took over in 2005.

Oklahoma State also made a much bigger splash in the transfer portal this offseason than in past years, bringing in the second-most players of any team in the conference (39). We’ll see if that retooled roster can pay off as the Cowboys will look to get back to their winning ways and surprise some people this year.