The Big XII Preview
By Adam Barone The hype this season in the Big 12 will be all about the quarterbacks. Chase
Daniel headlines a group that includes Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, Kansas’
Todd Reesing, Texas’ Colt McCoy, and Kansas State’s rising star
Josh Freeman. Iowa State is the only team with a lousy QB situation. They might
have to just quit playing football.
Last season Missouri and Kansas had breakout campaigns, beating up on a typically
weak north division. Look for the Tigers and Jayhawks to lead that pack again,
but temper your expectations, as they set the bar high in 2007. The Orange Bowl
was Kansas’s first New Year’s Day bowl in almost four decades and
Missouri has to play at Texas, where it hasn’t won since 1896. No joke.
Seriously—1896.
Sam Bradford and the Sooners will be the cream of this year’s Large Dozen
crop.
With a load of quality offenses and a slew of teams with issues on defense,
the Big 12 will surely produce plenty of high scoring games.
Sports handicapping requires research and preparation, so here’s an idea
of how Ace sees the Big 12 shaking out for your NCAA football betting in 2008:
Rising: Colorado, Texas Tech
Falling: Kansas
North
1. Missouri: Gary Pinkel’s Tigers repeating 2007 will
be very difficult, but with 17 starters returning and a relatively soft schedule
it’s not out of the question.
Quarterback Chase Daniel returns for his senior season and will be a Heisman
Trophy favorite. Sophomore Jeremy Maclin leads an explosive group of receivers
at Daniel’s disposal. Running back will probably be by committee.
Free safety William Moore leads a defense with just one new starter—nose
tackle Jaron Baston. Baston got plenty of experience in the rotation last year,
so the Tigers shouldn’t miss a beat.
Missouri is likely headed for a Big 12 title game rematch with Oklahoma, the
only team to beat them last year. The Sooners beat the Tigers in the regular
season and in the championship game, but don’t appear on the Missouri’s
regular season schedule this year.
2. Kansas: Mark Mangino’s Jayhawks could be overrated
after last season’s breakout.
Mangino has 15 starters coming back, but his recruiting class this off-season
ranked in the lower half of the conference. Nine returning starters for the
defense will help keep the Jayhawks in contention.
Quarterback Todd Reesing is entering his junior year after a breakout season.
He’ll be missing some key playmakers on offense. Junior running back Jake
Sharp will lead a committee out of the backfield. Newcomer Jocques Crawford
is a breakout candidate.
The loss of cornerback Aqib Talib will no doubt hurt the defense.
3. Nebraska: Bo Pelini takes over as the Huskers’ new
head coach and brings a ton of excitement. Only 14 starters return for what
could be a tough season in Lincoln.
Joe Ganz takes over at quarterback for Nebraska and brings big expectations.
Ganz threw for 1,399 yards and 15 touchdowns in one three-game stretch last
season after taking over for injured Sam Keller.
The offensive line is deep and experienced in front of explosive senior running
back Marlon Lucky. Lucky is the Big 12’s top returning rusher and a Heisman
Trophy candidate.
There are a lot of question marks on defense, especially at linebacker where
the Huskers top four contributors are gone. They do get cornerback Anthony Blue
back from injury, and return all four starting d-linemen.
4. Colorado: Head coach Dan Hawkins is doing a respectable
job bringing the Buffalo back to prominence. Fourteen starters return, but quality
recruiting will allow a number of sophomores, including Hawkins’ son Cody,
to shoulder some of the load.
Cody Hawkins has a nice collection of playmakers, but more notably a talented
and improving offensive line to block for him.
Running against Colorado will be tough with tackles George Hypolite and Brandon
Nicolas clogging the middle in front of a deep group of linebackers. Colorado’s
problem will be defending the pass in what is an air-happy conference. There’s
a lack of experience in the secondary to match up against a lot of spread offenses.
5. Kansas State: Wildcat junior quarterback Josh Freeman is
one of the best players on an otherwise mediocre team in the country. Mediocre
might be giving Kansas State too much credit.
Coach Ron Prince recruited 19 junior college players in the off-season to add
to his 13 returning starters in an attempt to bring depth and maturity to a
team with a lot of question marks.
The running game was bad last season behind a line that did more standing in
front of defenders than blocking them. There was also some falling down. Junior
runner Leon Patton will try to find a whole or two in what boils down to distracting
the defense for Freeman.
A ton of question marks muddy the front four, though there is some talent behind
them. Linebacker Reggie Walker has a ton of potential.
6. Iowa State: Quarterback Bret Meyer is gone for Gene Chizik
and the Cyclones, among others. Fifteen starters return.
Sophomore Austen Arnaud will get a shot at replacing Meyer behind center, with
legitimate talent in the backfield. Sophomore Alexander Robinson and senior
Jason Scales should both get a substantial number of carries. There’s
more experience on the line than a year ago.
The defense got roasted, marinated, basted, sprinkled with Mrs. Dash, thrown
in the fridge and then reheated in the microwave last season. It lost its top
three players.
Get some silverware.
South
1. Oklahoma: Sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford should be able
to build on his standout freshman season and lead Bob Stoops and the Sooners
to a shot at the national title. Seventeen starters return for the favorite
to win the Big 12.
Five seniors return on the offensive line. That will be a huge advantage for
the extremely accurate Bradford. Sophomore running back DeMarco Murray is a
rising star.
The only issues for Oklahoma should be on the defensive side of the football.
The front line will be the conference’s best, but there’s not much
experience at cornerback. Sophomore Dominique Franks and junior Brian Jackson
will have their hands full with a conference full of pass-first offenses.
2. Texas: Mack Brown’s Longhorns will be expected to
bounce back from a three loss season with junior passer Colt McCoy and 13 other
starters returning.
The offensive line returns four starters with sophomore Kyle Hix taking over
at right tackle. Sophomore Vondrell McGee takes over for Jamaal Charles at running
back and brings a hard-hitting, physical punch to the offense.
Like Oklahoma, the weakness will be on defense. Also like Oklahoma, the front
four will be solid, but the secondary is inexperienced. Freshman Earl Thomas
should get a shot at safety and will have to learn on the fly.
3. Texas Tech: A whopping 19 starters return for Mike Leach’s
Red Raiders, bringing some high expectations. The only new starter on offense
will be a fourth wide receiver. Quarterback Graham Harrell will lead one of
the nation’s elite offenses against a conference full of young secondaries.
The defense is experienced and improving, but will need to show more consistency
than it has in past years. Defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill is starting
his first full season as defensive coordinator after taking over on Sept. 22.
If he can have the unit playing as well as he did last season this could be
a top 10 team.
4. Texas A&M: Former Green Bay Packers’ head coach
Mike Sherman makes his debut as head man for the Aggies this season with just
12 of last season’s starters back. Don’t be surprised if A&M
pulls multiple upsets with Sherman coaching senior quarterback Stephen McGee.
Even with Sherman the Aggies could have some trouble due to their inexperience
on the offensive line and at receiver.
There are a number of holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball as well.
The only group with significant experience is the secondary.
5. Oklahoma St.: Junior quarterback Zac Robinson set a school
record for offense in a single season with 3,671 yards last season. Coach Mike
Gundy will look to him and the 14 other returning starters to improve on the
Cowboys’ 7-6 record from a season ago.
The offense features a bunch of playmakers and a more-than-capable offensive
line.
The defense is the same old Big 12 story—problems on defense. Only one
starter returns on the line. Fortunately three starters return in the secondary
and all four members are seniors.
Mike Gundy is a man.
6. Baylor: Art Briles’ Bears have the Baylor version
of the high-powered Big 12 offense. Sixteen starters return to try to improve
on a 3-9 record.
Three quarterbacks will compete for the starting job in Briles’ new system.
Linebacker Joe Pawelek and safety Jordan Lake lead a defense that needs to take
a big step forward. Lots of points will be scored in not a lot of time on the
Bears because they’re Baylor.
Read up on the other conferences that Ace has previewed for 2008!
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