- The Oklahoma Sooners are -175 favorites to win the Big 12.
- The Sooners have won the Big 12 for six years in a row.
- They are returning QB Spencer Rattler along with several defensive standouts.
NORMAN, Okla. - The Big 12 has been remarkably successful in terms of sending teams to the College Football Playoff and quarterbacks to the NFL, but the internal intrigue of the conference has been lacking in recent years. The Oklahoma Sooners have won the conference for the last six years, and have not lost more than two games in that entire run.
In fact, 2020 was the worst year the Sooners have had during this span, with an overall record of 8-2 and a conference record of 6-2.
The Sooners have made the College Football Playoff in three of the last four years under head coach Lincoln Riley, only missing out in 2020.
The question for fans of online gambling that have an interest in wagering on the outcome of the Big 12 is whether there’s a compelling reason to not wager on the Sooners once again.
Big 12 Conference Winner 21/22
- Oklahoma -175
- Iowa State +300
- Texas +450
- TCU +1400
- Oklahoma State +1600
- Kansas State +2800
- Baylor +3000
- West Virginia +5000
- Texas Tech +8000
- Kansas +15000
The Sooners have -175 odds to win the Big 12 in 2021-2022 on the online sportsbooks, and they’ve had little trouble accomplishing this feat in recent years. -175 carries an implied percentage change of 63.6%, so bettors would be wise to take the action on Oklahoma if they believe that their chances to win the Big 12 are greater than that number.
After all, why would Oklahoma not be favored to win the Big 12? They have elite talent, a great coach, and a reputation for putting their quarterbacks into Heisman consideration.
Oklahoma’s quarterback, Spencer Rattler, completed 214 of 317 passes in 2021 for 3,112 yards as a redshirt freshman.
Rattler was responsible for 28 passing touchdowns and only 9 interceptions. It should be noted that Rattler last year was easily the worst QB Lincoln Riley has had at Oklahoma, and they still won the Big 12.
With another year of experience under his belt, Rattler should be a much-improved player in his redshirt sophomore season. He’s one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy in 2021-2022, with odds that have hovered around +650 since the markets opened.
Oklahoma saw five players taken in the NFL draft, which is not as notable a loss as other conference champions such as the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Ohio State Buckeyes, who each lost 10 players, including their starting quarterbacks.
Much of the team is returning, not just Rattler. Defensive leaders Nik Bonitto (8.5 sacks) and Isaiah Thomas (8 sacks) are returning as well. Both of them are on the watch list for the Bednarik Award, presented to the best defensive player in college football.
Come through #SpeedD 😤 @nikkkkbonitto and @Isaiah_t55 named to the Bednarik Award watch list. #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/dhsgDl12oo
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) July 19, 2021
Three offensive line starters are back in Norman, as are several players who did not participate in the 2020-2021 season due to COVID-19 concerns.
So what all this adds up to is a worrying proposition for anyone who would want to wager on teams other than Oklahoma with these odds.
Oklahoma won the Big 12 in 2020-2021 with a redshirt freshman quarterback, while having one of their worst seasons in years (that still ended with a conference championship and a domination of the Florida Gators in the Cotton Bowl) and didn’t lose as much elite talent as other conference champions.
In 2021-2022, that redshirt freshman is a Heisman favorite, they’re returning many of their players from last year, and adding high end talent that didn’t compete due to COVID-19. The Big 12 might be a foregone conclusion in the upcoming college football season.