The Big 12 enters the 2025-26 season coming off a dominant 2024-25 campaign that saw Houston secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The league's depth was on full display as it earned eight bids to March Madness, third-best in the country.
Highlighting it all, Houston delivered a masterful run — including one of the tournament's most memorable comebacks in a Final Four victory over Duke — before falling in the championship game to Florida.
Though matching eight tournament squads again will be a tall order, the Big 12's blend of returning stars, transfers and ultra-talented newcomers positions it to vie once more as the country's premier conference. So, here are my Big 12 college basketball predictions and futures below.
2025-26 Big 12 Regular Season Title Odds
| Team | Odds (bet365) |
|---|---|
| Houston | +150 |
| BYU | +450 |
| Texas Tech | +550 |
| Kansas | +750 |
| Iowa State | +800 |
| Arizona | +900 |
| Baylor | +2500 |
| Cincinnati | +4000 |
| Kansas State | +5000 |
| West Virginia | +6000 |
| Arizona State | +10000 |
| UCF | +10000 |
| Colorado | +10000 |
| Oklahoma State | +10000 |
| TCU | +10000 |
| Utah | +10000 |
Big 12 Favorites
Houston Cougars (+150)
The Houston Cougars are the heavy favorites to win the Big 12. It should come as no surprise that they return three starters, including the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Joseph Tugler and boast two potential first-round NBA draft picks in Isiah Harwell and Chris Cenac Jr.
The Cougars aren't only the best team in the Big 12, but they're poised to be arguably the best team in the country this season.
Bart Torvik has them projected as a No. 1 seed come March and making another run to the national title game is in the cards.
BYU Cougars (+450)
Next on the list is the BYU Cougars.
The Cougars are a team with tremendous upside, as they showed last season. They can light it up offensively, and they've only improved further this season by adding the No. 2 overall draft prospect, AJ Dybantsa.
Dybantsa could very well end up being the top pick in the upcoming NBA draft, and his upside — combined with the return of leading scorer Richie Saunders and the addition of Robert Wright III from Baylor — makes the Cougars a team to reckon with in 2025.
Texas Tech Red Raiders (+550)
Third on the list is the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
The Red Raiders were a team I was high on last March, as they were undervalued to make a deep run. It still pains me to recall their blown double-digit lead to Florida in the Elite Eight with just minutes on the clock, but I digress.
This year, there are plenty of reasons to join the Red Raiders' bandwagon, as JT Toppin is returning and they have a supporting cast full of two-way studs.
Bart Torvik has them slated to be a No. 3 seed in March, which may cause them to fly under the radar once again come tourney time.
Big 12 Best Futures Bets
BYU Cougars
If there's a team to dethrone Houston in the regular season, it's BYU. The Cougars have immense scoring upside and are 19th in Bart Torvik's adjusted defensive efficiency ratings.
BYU is projected to be a slight favorite at home in the only regular-season meeting with Houston.
If all else goes as planned, that matchup could decide this market.
Arizona Wildcats
The Wildcats aren't a team to overlook in this conference, as they're set to boast a very talented backcourt led by senior Jaden Bradley and the No. 9- and No. 11-rated prospects alongside him.
However, that's not all. With Motiejus Krivas fully healthy, Arizona has a dominant presence in the paint.
Arizona is projected to hang tight with the likes of Florida, UCLA and BYU, three teams that are inside Bart Torvik's top 10.
Best Big 12 Value Bet
BYU Cougars to Win the National Championship (+1800)
Clearly, I'm all in on BYU this season, and the Cougars being tied for the seventh-best odds to cut down the nets in March is a sign of their upside.
BYU having a lottery pick on its roster shows that this program has reached a peak, and its lack of blue blood recognition has created value in the form of a chance to win it all.
Big 12 Player to Target for Props
Darryn Peterson (Kansas)
We can't do a Big 12 preview without mentioning the No. 1 overall draft prospect Darryn Peterson. Peterson will be the guy for Kansas, and he'll need to carry the Jayhawks this season if they're going to have more success than the past two campaigns.
However, he's already shown that he can do so in a preseason exhibition against No. 11 Louisville. Peterson put up 24 points while going 6-of-9 from downtown in the first half alone.
Look for him to make his presence known in early-season matchups against North Carolina and Duke, so target his undervalued player props.
