Big 12 odds, picks, predictions and key games for 2024 college football season

The Big 12 underwent one of the most substantial realignments in college football history this year, with Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Arizona State all getting added to the conference.

The Sporting News will get you reacquainted with the Big 12, listing DraftKings' projected odds to win and revealing the best bets and top picks. 

The odds-on favorite? Utah, one of the four newcomers to the conference. The Utes earned 906 points (including 20 first-place votes) in this year's media poll, and should be a force all season.

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Kansas State (19 first-place votes) and Oklahoma State (14 first-place votes) finished second and third in the poll. Kansas and Arizona, the latter of whom is new to the Big 12 this year, rounded out the media poll's top five teams. The Jayhawks earned five first-place votes, while the Wildcats finished with three. 

Let's get to DraftKings' full futures board for the 2024 odds to win the Big 12, and unveil our best bet to win this new-look powerhouse conference. 

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Big 12 Championship Game Winner 2024: Odds

Here's a look at the updated odds to win the Big 12 in 2024. With 2023 champion Texas moving to the SEC, the early leader is Utah followed by Kansas State and Oklahoma State.

Big 12 Championship Game Winner 2024: Best bet

Utah Utes (+320)
Projected record: 11-1
Key games: @ Oklahoma St., @ UCF, vs. Arizona, vs. BYU

Kyle Whittingham enters his 20th season as the Utes' head coach, and his first year in the Big 12 could be a massive campaign for his legacy. Many analysts already list Utah as a dark horse to win the NCAA national championship game, so +320 conference odds should surprise nobody. 

There's plenty for Utes fans to be optimistic about this season. QB Cameron Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe should be back from their respective injuries, and wideout Dorian Singer joins an elite stable of pass-catchers. This should be a very fun team to watch and bet on. 

Considering the Big 12 now has a whopping 16 teams, the Utes' schedule actually worked out quite nicely for them. It's entirely possible Utah runs the table this season, but it's difficult to see Whittingham's squad mounting wins in OK State and UCF. As far as the conference title is concerned, though, this is easily the best bet.

MORE: Will Big 12 sell naming rights to Allstate?

Big 12 Championship Game Winner 2024: Top value bet

Arizona Wildcats (+1000)
Projected record: 10-2
Key games; @ UCF, @ Kansas St., @ Utah, @ TCU

Arizonas lost head coach Jedd Fisch to the University of Washington this offseason, but the Wildcats will still have stud QB Noah Fifita and elite receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

Four incredibly challenging road games will put serious pressure on new coach Brent Brennan, but this team has enough talent to consider +1000 a superb value play. 

Big 12 Championship Game Winner 2024: Biggest fade

Colorado Buffaloes (+3000)
Projected record: 4-8
Key games: @ Nebraska, @ UCF, vs. Kansas State, @ Arizona, @ Texas Tech, vs. Utah, @ Kansas

Look at that barrage of key games, and then reconsider your long-shot bet on Deion Sanders' Buffaloes. Everyone gets it — Colorado is one of the most entertaining teams to watch on and off the field. But cool stories and larger-than-life coaches don't always make for good futures bets.

QB Shadeur Sanders is awesome, and the Buffaloes improved their d-line and secondary this offseason. However, this offense has a lot of growing to do in a realigned conference, and Colorado probably doesn't have enough stability to overcome a daunting road schedule and battle for the conference.