The Big 12 Conference displayed its depth in the 2024 season, with eight teams having winning records last year. Three of those teams finished 2024 with 11-win seasons, including the Arizona State Sun Devils, who reached the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.
Expect the race for the 2025 Big 12 Championship to be tightly contested again this year, with Kansas State, Arizona State, and Utah among the favorites to win the conference title. The road to the championship won’t be easy for them, though, as other Big 12 teams have also improved their squads for the upcoming season. Here are the top five teams that can surprise fans in the 2025 Big 12 football season.
2025 Big 12 Championship Odds: Top 5 Teams That Can Surprise This Coming Season
1. Colorado Buffaloes (+2500)
The Colorado Buffaloes head into the 2025 season with plenty of question marks. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are no longer with the squad, having joined the NFL after their stellar careers with the Buffaloes. Deion Sanders’ health also has been a major talking point, with the Colorado head coach revealing that he recently battled bladder cancer.
“You have no idea how good God has been to me.”
Deion Sanders got emotional after revealing he is cured from cancer. pic.twitter.com/3VDTX0HMFH
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 28, 2025
Sanders assured fans in a press conference that he is cured of the dreaded illness and he is fit and ready to go for the upcoming season. Sanders’ return is a major boost for the Buffaloes, who have Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis battling for the starting quarterback position this season.
Colorado is pegged at +2500 to win the 2025 Big 12 Championship.
2. Kansas Jayhawks (+1600)
The Kansas Jayhawks headed into the 2024 season with momentum on their side after finishing the 2023 campaign with a 9-4 record, including a victory in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. The Jayhawks got off to a slow start last season, though, losing five of their first six games as they finished with a 5-7 slate.
Only six starters have returned to the Jayhawks from last season’s roster. However, one of those players is Jalon Daniels, giving head coach Lance Leipold a key piece of his offense back. Daniels was one of the few bright spots for Kansas, throwing for 2,454 yards and 14 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. If he manages to limit his picks this coming season, the Jayhawks have a chance to contend for the Big 12 title.
Kansas is priced at +1600 to win the 2025 Big 12 Championship.
3. Cincinnati Bearcats (+3000)
Life in the Big 12 has been tough for Cincinnati thus far. The Bearcats have posted losing records in their first two seasons in the power conference, going 3-9 in 2023 and finishing 2024 with a 5-7 slate, including a five-game losing streak to end the year.
Head coach Scott Satterfield went to work this offseason, adding several wide receivers through the transfer portal to help quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s offense this year. The Bearcats signed Jeff Caldwell, Cyrus Allen, and Caleb Goodie to be the main downfield targets of Sorsby, who recorded 2,813 passing yards and 18 touchdowns with seven interceptions last season.
The Bearcats’ odds of winning the Big 12 Championship are priced at +3000.
4. Houston Cougars (+3500)
Willie Fritz got a rude awakening in his first year as Houston’s head coach, finishing the 2024 season with a 4-8 record. The Cougars struggled mightily on the offensive end, averaging just 14.0 points per contest.
Fritz and his staff addressed that particular weakness this offseason, adding quarterback Conner Weigman through the transfer portal. He threw for 2,694 yards and 19 touchdowns during his three seasons with the Texas A&M Aggies. Weigman’s arrival will help a Houston team that averaged just 152.7 passing yards per game in 2024.
Houston is pegged at +3500 to capture the Big 12 Championship.
5. UCF Knights (+5000)
The UCF Knights decided to shake things up after finishing the 2024 season with a 4-8 record. They hired Scott Frost to be their new head coach, replacing Gus Malzahn. Frost had coached UCF before, leading the Knights to a 13-0 record in 2017 before moving to Nebraska to join the Cornhuskers.
The Knights also overhauled their roster, adding 69 new players to their lineup. Only four starters have returned from last year’s lineup, including defensive back Braeden Marshall and offensive tackle Paul Rubelt. Frost has worked his magic at UCF before, though, and a huge turnaround isn’t far-fetched as some would think.
The UCF Knights’ odds of winning the Big 12 Championship are listed at +5000.
KEEP READING: 2025 ACC Championship Odds: Top 5 Sleeper Teams That Can Make Playoff Runs Ft. Georgia Tech
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