Fanduel recently released new College Football Playoff odds, and there are some fascinating Big 12 takeaways. 

Keep in mind, sportsbooks are not necessarily trying to be right. They’re trying to make money. So this is not a purely predictive list, but it does give us a good gauge of public perception. Numbers in parentheses are where Texas Tech, BYU, and Utah rank nationally.

Texas Tech has the second-best odds to make the College Football Playoff of any team in the country, behind Notre Dame. The Red Raiders are also the most likely team to finish undefeated, according to the prediction market Kalshi.

This tells us a couple of things. Tech has clearly earned a ton of respect over the last year. It is not just that the Red Raiders mostly mowed through the Big 12 last season. They have also put together back-to-back top-five transfer portal classes and continue to land high-profile high school recruits.

They’re viewed as the obvious class of the Big 12 because of talent acquisition. 

But those odds are also a nod to Tech’s schedule. The Red Raiders miss BYU in the regular season and play a non-conference schedule of Abilene Christian, Sam Houston State, and Oregon State. 

It is entirely possible that the Big 12 portion of the schedule will look much tougher by the end of the season. But right now, on paper, it is certainly favorable.

No matter what you think of Texas Tech’s schedule, take a step back and think about how much the perception of the Red Raiders has changed in one calendar year. 

There was cautious optimism about the talent infusion on last year’s Tech roster, but neither of the unofficial preseason Big 12 polls from the coaches and media picked the Red Raiders to even make the Big 12 championship game. 

Nine months after those polls were conducted, Tech is the overwhelming favorite and a team expected to cruise to the College Football Playoff. 

It’s not only a reflection of the job done by head coach Joey McGuire, GM James Blanchard, and The Matador Club, but it also shows how quickly a program can change in the NIL/transfer portal era. It can be a blessing and a curse, and Texas Tech is living a highly blessed life at the moment. 

Here are some other thoughts on the Fanduel Big 12 odds:

• It was jarring to see Arizona State with only the ninth-best playoff odds in the conference. Kenny Dillingham is the best coach in the league and has won 19 games over the last two seasons. These odds are largely schedule-driven. The Sun Devils have road trips to Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and BYU this season. That creates some major opportunities, but it is a lot to ask of a roster replacing Sam Leavitt, Jordyn Tyson, Raleek Brown, and Josh Atkins.

• The best value in the Big 12 is Oklahoma State. I am not a betting man, but if I were, I would love to take a flyer on the Cowboys. Yes, OSU won just one game last season, but the Cowboys jump-started their program with a top-10 portal class filled with North Texas transfers who already know head coach Eric Morris’ system. There is a growing sentiment this offseason that Oklahoma State is a Big 12 dark horse. Can they play enough defense under Morris in year one to make it happen? We will see. But with high-profile offensive transfers Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins, and Wyatt Young, they might be able to outscore everyone anyway.

• Utah and K-State got a lot of respect here after losing widely respected head coaches. I have to think a lot of that is residual respect for two rock-solid programs that have been consistent winners in recent years. The Utes lost seven staffers who followed Kyle Whittingham to Michigan and a handful of impact players, but quarterbacks Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin, along with new head coach Morgan Scalley’s defensive prowess, are a strong nucleus to build around. The Wildcats lost transfers to Indiana, Texas Tech, and LSU, but new head coach Collin Klein retained QB Avery Johnson and bolstered the defense through the portal.

• Did you see who is at the very bottom of the Big 12 odds list? Life comes at you fast. Coach Prime went 3-9 last year at Colorado, and now the Buffs have the worst playoff odds in the Big 12. In their defense, they do have a top 30 transfer portal class coming in and former blue-chip recruit Julian Lewis taking over at quarterback. On paper, there is more than enough talent to avoid the league cellar and make a bowl game.

  What You Need to Know

• Bill Self just landed the best mid-major guard in the transfer portal for Kansas. 

• Texas Tech made a splash with its latest two basketball transfer portal additions. 

• Houston star guard Kingston Flemmings made his NBA draft decision late last week.  

• Another Power Four football program is too scared to play Texas Tech and pulled out of a scheduled non-conference game. 

• Kyle Whittingham told Sirius XM a story about his post-Utah plans that might raise an eyebrow or two around Salt Lake City.

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