With college football season on the horizon, ESPN Chalk's college football experts -- Phil Steele, "Stanford Steve" Coughlin and Chris Fallica -- combine to give you betting previews of the top 25 teams, according to the ESPN College Football Rankings. They break down each team's strengths and weaknesses, along with season win total bets and national title odds.
Odds from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of Aug. 22.
Baylor Bears
National title odds: 50-1 (opened 12-1)
Season win total: 8.5
FPI win total projection: 8.3
Phil Steele
Strengths: Quarterback Seth Russell is back from his midseason injury, and the Bears were 7-0 with him as the starter, averaging an astonishing 61.1 points per game. Running backs Shock Linwood and Johnny Jefferson make up my No. 7-rated unit, while wide receiver KD Cannon leads my No. 16 set of receivers. The offensive line, linebackers and defensive backs all rank in my top units.
Weaknesses: Baylor lost nine of its 2016 recruits
Over/under (8.5): The total is 8.5 and I don't see Baylor going from a preseason top-10 team, like they were in March, to one that struggles to get to a bowl game. I still would side with the under, since the Bears have a tough final six games. With their lack of depth, I could see them taking some lumps late.
National title odds (50-1): They opened up at 12-1 to win it all and are now 50-1. With their lack of depth, offseason chaos and late-season schedule, I am surprised the number is so low at 50-1. I'm passing here.
"Stanford Steve" Coughlin
Where do we start with the Bears? No one had an offseason like they did. They bring in a new head coach in former Wake Forest head man Jim Grobe. What I see when I try to project Baylor this season is the lack of depth, due to transfers after the program's off-the-field issues in the offseason. They also go into the season with only Seth Russell having experience at the QB position, which really scares me.
The other question is how much will the offense change with Grobe taking over as head coach? Will they install new pass protection schemes, seeing how they struggled to keep their QBs upright last year? What should we expect from Shock Linwood, who rushed for more than 1,300 yards last year and will now run behind a line that returns one starter.
At least this season we will know a lot earlier than recent ones if Baylor is a contender as it hosts Oklahoma State on Sept. 24. I'll take the under.
Chris Fallica
O/U: This much is certain: Baylor has three automatic nonconference wins and a guaranteed win over Kansas. It's also a stretch to think the Bears would lose at Iowa State; so, that's five wins. I also can't see Kansas State winning in Waco, so that's six. Are there three more wins among home games with Oklahoma State and TCU, road games with Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia and a neutral-site game with Texas Tech? I say yes. A 9-3 record looks about right for Baylor this year, as nearly all of the offensive skill is back. I'll take the over.
CFB Playoff odds: I don't see it. I don't think Baylor will go undefeated, and the Bears wouldn't have any notable nonconference win to boost their case as a one-loss team if they were to finish 11-1. Pass.