With the NBA on hiatus, and now resolve to their collective bargaining agreement in sight, basketball fans will be turning to the college ranks to give them their fix. The Big 12 is back for another season and with a ton of parity should keep sports betting fans excited until the madness gets underway in March, with perhaps a little change at the top.

The Kansas Jayhawks dominated the conference a year ago before being upset in the NCAA national title tournament, and will be hungry to do even better this season. Standing in their way is a talented Baylor Bears’ team that return six of their top seven leading scorers from a year ago, including Perry Jones III. That’s a lot better of a score than the Jayhawks registered this past offseason, as Kansas has lost seven players from last year’s team. Head coach Bill Self always has his teams prepared so the drop off shouldn’t be too drastic, but nonetheless it will be a tough fishing battle for the Jayhawks to keep pace with Baylor.

A little further down the line are Texas A&M and the Missouri Tigers, two teams with several quality returning players and the talent to make a run. Both clearly have an edge over the Texas Longhorns, which don’t return a single starter, with A&M perhaps having the best chance to compete against Baylor and Kansas at the top of the conference thanks to Khris Middleton and a new and enthusiastic sports betting bonus coaching staff.

As the MLB betting season continues to wind down, there is no reason to think that the two favorites to win the World Series won’t be the teams that play for baseball’s ultimate prize. The Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox are listed at 8-5 and 3-1 respectively, and neither team has shown any signs of why they should not be picked to represent their league in the championship series. While a case can be made for both sides as World Series champions, the Red Sox get the edge based on how complete their team is both offensively and defensively.

While the Phillies boast the best pitching staff in the majors, any sports betting rotation will struggle with the likes of Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, and the rest of the highest scoring team in baseball. The Red Sox have all of the weapons of a championship team, and with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester leading a potential three-man rotation in the playoffs, Boston will have options on who to seed as the third arm. Reigning National League Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay will lead a staff that will likely be shortened to himself, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels in the World Series, but the problem is that if any of those pitchers struggles, the Phillies don’t have the offensive firepower to make up for it when it matters the most.

While the New England Patriots and New York Jets were engaged in an arms race that seemed to steal the NFL free agency spotlight, it was the Philadelphia Eagles that broke through with the biggest splashes during the quick turnover period. Not only did the reigning NFC East champions sign the biggest name on the open market in cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, they also brought in defensive end Cullen Jenkins and backup quarterback Vince Young. Is there a possibility for both Young and Michael Vick on the field in wildcat formations where each can throw? Probably not, but nonetheless the Eagles have all the NFL betting lines tools to be a Super Bowl champion in 2011-12.

Consider that last season was Vick’s second year back in the NFL, and first year when he got exclusive time as the No. 1 guy. Vick will enter this season with the confidence and experience in the offense as the unquestioned leader, and with a ton of weapons around him the offense is simply dangerous. Defensively, the Eagles answered questions on the line with the addition of Cullen Jenkins, and that should help both against the pass and run. With Asomugha now in the sports betting fold, Philadelphia can send more blitzes and feel confident that he has his said locked down. The Eagles also traded for Domenique Rodgers-Cromartie from the Arizona Cardinals in a move that sent Kevin Kolb to the desert, and while they could move either him or Asante Samuel, the secondary could be downright scary with the trio of Asomugha, Samuel, and Rodgers-Cromartie patrolling the back.