Longhorns Early Favorites for 2023 Big 12 Champions

The 2022 season did not go as planned for each team with the Longhorns struggling to a third-place finish with an 8-5 overall record and a 6-3 conference mark.

The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners enter their final year as members of the Big 12, and no doubt would like to go out on top.

The 2022 season did not go as planned for each team with the Longhorns struggling to a third-place finish with an 8-5 overall record and a 6-3 conference mark.

Oklahoma fared even worse under first-year head coach Brent Venables, finishing 6-7 overall and a 3-6 Big 12 record for an eighth-place finish.

USA Today gave its early predictions for the 2023 season, and while Oklahoma isn't expected to be in the mix, the Longhorns are the early favorites.

Big 12

Favorite: Texas

Dark horse: Texas Tech

"Adding Brigham Young, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston into the mix makes it very difficult to get a read on the Big 12 heading into the final season for flagship conference members Texas and Oklahoma. While the Sooners should make a big move under Brent Venables after his disappointing debut, the Longhorns are poised to capture the program's first conference championship since 2009 behind quarterback Quinn Ewers. 

"A deeper roster buoyed by another strong recruiting class should help Texas avoid the dips and lulls that have plagued every season for more than a decade. While any one of the newcomers could make an immediate splash, Texas Tech has the strongest case for rising from the league's second tier and cracking the New Year's Six under coach Joey McGuire."

A second season as starter for Quinn Ewers should help offensive consistency during the Longhorns' farewell tour of the Big 12.

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