Updated Big 12 College Football playoff odds: Utah emerges as betting favorite

Utes' odds to make 12-team playoff stand at +270 heading into Week 3

The Utah Utes boast the best odds to make the College Football Playoff among the 16 teams in the Big 12 conference. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Utah football team couldn't have asked for a much better start to the 2025 campaign than consecutive wire-to-wire victories in its first two games.

The Utes controlled both sides of the ball in their season opener, crushing UCLA at the Rose Bowl by 33 points, then followed up with a 63-9 victory over Cal Poly in another dominant performance for the defense, all while the offense continued to click with junior quarterback and Heisman Trophy contender Devon Dampier leading the charge.

Heading into Utah's final nonleague game before Big 12 play, FanDuel Sportsbook took notice of the Utes' back-to-back victories out of the gate by upping their odds to make the College Football Playoff.

Utah boasted +270 odds to make the 12-team playoff in the lead-up to its Week 3 matchup at Wyoming, giving Kyle Whittingham's squad the best odds of any Big 12 program to make the College Football Playoff.

Based on their preseason odds, the Utes were viewed by oddsmakers as a legitimate contender to win the Big 12 and subsequently qualify for the playoff after finishing the 2024 campaign with a 5-7 record, despite being picked in the league's coaches poll to come in first.

Sep 6, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Byrd Ficklin (15) runs for a touchdown against Cal Poly Mustangs linebacker Troy Bean (2) during the second half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

In July, Utah checked in as the betting favorite to win the conference with +500 odds; slightly ahead of Kansas State (+600), Arizona State (+600) and Texas Tech (+650). But with the Wildcats losing to Iowa State in Ireland and the Sun Devils' recent trip-up in Starkville, Mississippi, the odds to win perhaps the most wide-open conference championship race among the Power Four leagues were shaken up two weeks into September.

The Red Raiders, who'll visit Salt Lake City on Sept. 20 for their Big 12 opener against the Utes, boasted the second-best odds to win the league through two games at +320 odds. Texas Tech didn't look challenged in either of its wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (67-7) or Kent State (62-14), leading up to its matchup against Oregon State.

Kansas State, meanwhile, didn't have any odds listed to make the College Football Playoff following its 1-1 start to the season. FanDuel didn't list playoff odds for West Virginia or Oklahoma State, either.

Going along with the sportsbooks, ESPN's Football Power Index updated its playoff probabilities for every Big 12 team ahead of Week 3. FPI had Utah at the top with a 27.8% chance to make the playoff — an increase of nearly 25% from where the Utes stood in the preseason rankings.

Here's a look at where each Big 12 team's playoff odds stand as of Sept. 12.

Odds to make College Football Playoff for Big 12 teams

• Utah: +270
• Texas Tech: +320
• TCU: +420
• Iowa State: +470
• Baylor: +680
• Arizona State: +820
• Kansas: +1120
• BYU: +1200
• Houston: +1600
• Arizona: +1800
• Cincinnati: +2800
• Colorado: +3000
• UCF: +5000
• Oklahoma State: N/A
• West Virginia: N/A
• Kansas State: N/A

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Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.