Sports betting enthusiasts are almost at that point in the year when they can start making projections for the next college football season. Spring ball is over, and for the moment, the nation's Football Bowl Subdivision clubs are waiting for August training camp. What's in store for the Big 12, you ask? Let's take a look at teams that might be able to surprise some people in the fall.
NCAA football betting diehards are aware that Colt McCoy is no longer a Texas Longhorn. The quarterback, drafted by the Cleveland Browns, leaves behind a towering legacy in Austin that new quarterback Garrett Gilbert will be hard pressed to match. Gilbert has the advantage of knowing that he played in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game against Alabama, following an injury McCoy suffered in the first quarter of that contest. Gilbert should prevent Texas from suffering too much of a drop-off in 2010, but the fact still remains that he's a relatively untested signal caller who will have to endure his share of growing pains this season.
Texas's loss should be Oklahoma's gain. The Sooners got knocked around last year on a repeated basis, and were forced to settle for the Sun Bowl as their postseason destination. One of the big reasons why coach Bob Stoops' team fell so far, though, was that OU could not stay healthy. Quarterback Sam Bradford, tight end Jermaine Gresham, and multiple offensive linemen didn't last very long in 2009, and that's why fill-in quarterback Landry Jones had such a tough time piloting the Sooners under center. Jones, a freshman, confronted the speed and complexity of the college game, giving Garrett Gilbert a taste of what's in store for him this year. Since Jones is back as the opening-day starter, OU should have a quarterback who is ready to lead the Sooners back to prominence, provided they stay healthy.
Elsewhere in the conference, Nebraska should waltz to the North Division crown. Even though the Cornhuskers are without Heisman Trophy finalist Ndamukong Suh, they'll still boast a fire-breathing defense in a division with generally poor offenses. The one team with a shot at knocking off Nebraska from its North Division perch is Missouri, and the Tigers must travel to Lincoln this season for that all-important battle.
Texas A&M has a lot of issues on defense, which any UFC 116 Betting player knows wins match's, but a quarterback in Jerrod Johnson who will light up the scoreboard. The Aggies have a puncher's chance at the South Division flag. Texas Tech - so reliable for so many years under Mike Leach - should struggle in a year of transition under new head coach Tommy Tuberville. Kansas, in the North, will face hard times now that quarterback Todd Reesing is gone. Take Oklahoma and Nebraska to win their divisions (South and North), and take the Sooners to regain the Big 12 crown they lost in 2009.
After an improbable season in which the Miami Hurricanes won nine 