2013 Big 12 Conference: NCAA Football Gambling Predictions | Futures – Cappers Picks Blog

2013 Big 12 Season Football Preview

The Big 12 should be one of the most competitive conferences in the nation this season. Usually a conference has one or maybe two legit contenders but this year in the B12 there are 4 programs that could reasonably walk away with the title.

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The best part, since the league has a true round robin schedule, they will all play each other. Where and when may wind up determining who the eventual champ will be as much as talent on the field or experience on the sideline.

None of these teams are in the top 10 preseason so it should be interesting to see if one emerges as a BCS threat or if they cannibalize each other throughout the season.

Here is a look at the top 4 teams and their odds to win the B12 in 2013 (odds courtesy of Bovada):

Oklahoma State +265

Is it possible the Cowboys are the favourites on the strength of their defense this season? They have 5 starters return on that side of the ball which was in the middle of the pack in the conference and the nation. On offense they have lots of experience returning too.

Even though their QB/RB combo is a little untested they are both seniors in QB Clint Chelf and RB Jeremy Smith. In fact they are projected to start 7 seniors on offense this season so they are likely to not skip a beat in terms of being one of the most prolific offenses in the country. Also in the Pokes favour is that they host 2 of the 3 other top contenders this season (plus they host Baylor too – who could be a monster).

The Bedlam game is in Stillwater the last week of the season and it will likely influence who calls themselves champ.

Texas +280

For me the Longhorns are not the second best bet in the Big 12. They still recruit as well as anyone in the conference except for at the most important position – quarterback – where things have been iffy since Colt McCoy. If you don’t have the right guy there it is hard to beat the really good teams even if you have 8 starters back on offense and 6 on defense.

QB David Ash does nothing for me but maybe he doesn’t have to for them to win – we will see. We will know if the Longhorns are for real before the end of the October though as they have the Red River Rivalry (lame name change) and a visit to TCU before we even get to Halloween.

Win both and they will be the team to be reckoned with. Lose both and last year’s 9-3 will be tough to reach. There is value with this team at +280 but I don’t like the way things set up for Texas.

TCU + 360

It would have been too Cinderella for the Horned Frogs to walk into the B12 and dominate from the word go. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

They finished just 4-5 in the conference in what was a roller coaster season during which starting QB Casey Pachall checked into rehab which improved their depth for this season but made it harder to win last year. This year Pachall is expected to be back in the fold which should help TCU crank the offense back up as he might be the best QB in the conference.

Their defense has been so good that you probably didn’t notice how many points this team puts up when they are really clicking, just look at their numbers from their Rose Bowl season.

Speaking of defense it did not desert them when they switched leagues, in fact they led the league in total defense, which was impressive when you look at who they played. Look out B12 because the defense could be even better in 2013 with 9 starters returning including their entire secondary.

TCU should have a great season and at +360 is a fantastic futures play. They will have to earn it though with trips to Norman and Stillwater in October.

Oklahoma +375

Its possible the Sooners are rated so high just on name recognition this season. Sure this team has talent but even more so than Texas they are not sure what they are going to get at the quarterback position. The assumption is the “Belldozer” – Blake Bell – can be effective executing the offense but none of us have really seen it.

If he is shaky they could have success with a plodding running attack led by their line of 4 returning starters but that is hard to imagine given the way they have slung it around of late. On defense only 4 starters return from a defense that was just average in 2013. No players really stands out either. Odds are this team will probably be better at the end of the season than they are right now.

There is value on OU but they are more a shot in the dark than they have been for some time.

Complete Big 12 Conference Odds

Oklahoma State +265
Texas +280
TCU +360
Oklahoma +375
Baylor +1400
Kansas State +1500
Texas Tech +2000
West Virginia +2000
Iowa State +3500
Kansas +8500

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Use the College football previews for the 2012 NCAA football season to help you with your college football handicapping at our top sportsbooks online this season.

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