Conference Preview 2010 - Big 12

Conference Preview – Big 12


Projections

Big 12 South

1. Oklahoma

2. Texas

3. Texas A&M

4. Texas Tech

5. Baylor

6. Oklahoma St


Big 12 North

1. Nebraska

2. Missouri

3. Colorado

4. Kansas

5. Kansas State

6. Iowa State



Conference Champions: Oklahoma Sooners



Team Previews

The Best

Oklahoma Sooners

After having 3 players selected in the top 4 in April’s NFL draft, one would think the 2010 version of Bob Stoops Sooners could experience somewhat of a backslide. Even I warned of this situation in an earlier post this offseason. However, after some more in depth studying, I am changing my tune. I see Oklahoma as one of the nation’s elite teams, and they could very easily find themselves playing for the National Championship should either Alabama or Iowa slip.

After watching the Rams choose Bradford 1st overall, the Sooners are already re-stocked at QB. Landry Jones is the sophomore QB who will now be the man in Norman. He got some playing time last year in Bradford’s absence, and with that experience under his belt, he should be ready to compete right out of the gate. Senior tailback, Demarco Murray, is a very dangerous runner, and he could put up Adrian Peterson type numbers in this offense. A healthy Ryan Broyles could break his own team record of 15 receiving TDs in this offense, especially with DeJuan Miller starting across the field from him. Despite watching Trent Williams get drafted early, the o-line will be more experienced overall, and possibly better as a unit. This offense has the potential to put up 40+ points per game in 2010, and that is not good news for the rest of the Big 12.

When you place 40 on the board, you are going to win a lot of football games, but when you don’t give up points, you don’t need 40 to win, and that is exactly the situation the Sooners are in. This defense is amongst the nation’s best, so the high scoring offense is really a luxury for this team. The defensive front saw Gerald McCoy get selected by the Buccaneers third overall in April, and despite this loss, the unit should still be very good. Jeremy Beal is a top NFL prospect this season, and as long as Adrian Taylor can occupy linemen in the middle, Beal should again torture opposing QBs. Travis Lewis will lead a linebacking corp that although has a lack of experience, makes up for it with some serious technically sound, athletes. The secondary is young and they are going to be playing with something to prove. Again, they may lack some game time, but there is no shortage of playmakers amongst this bunch.

The schedule also works in the Oklahoma’s favor this year too. Although the early season schedule features Florida State, Cincinnati, and then Texas, I think the Sooners will be just fine. Both the Seminoles and the Bearcats have new head coaches in place, and both teams will not be the forces they have been in the recent past. Texas will still be good, but I think Oklahoma will take care of business when they meet up on October 2nd. Their toughest two games after the Red River Shootout will be at Mizzou, and at Texas A&M, but again, Stoops troops shouldn’t be able to handle. As of now, I look for Oklahoma to run the table and keep the pressure on both Alabama and Iowa all season long.



The Surprise

Colorado Buffaloes

Entering his fifth season as the HC in Boulder, Dan Hawkins has a lot of pressure on him to push Colorado to the next level. With their impending move to the PAC-10, Colorado wants to get into the recruiting mix, and a strong showing in the Big 12 this year will help them do just that. After a 3-9 record last year, the Buffs could find themselves back in a Bowl game for the first time since 07, as I predict them hanging 7 wins on the back of only 5 losses.

At quarterback, Colorado is in good shape. They return their all-time leading TD passer in Cody Hawkins, and they also have Tyler Hansen who has of this writing supplanted Hawkins on the depth chart. Rodney Stewart will take over as the primary ball carrier this year, and despite losing Darrell Scott, I think this team could be more productive on the ground in 2010. Scotty McKnight is one of the country’s most underrated receivers, and with Michigan transfer Toney Clemons and returning starter Markques Simas on board, this will be one of the nation’s best receiving corps. The Hogs up front are going to be lead by Ryan Miller. With all of the top 10 players on the line from last season returning, this will be a big strength for Colorado. Quarterbacks will have time to exploit defenses, and the runners should have some nice hole to run through.

On defense, this team lacks any superstars who can take over a game, but that does not mean this will be a bad unit. MLB Michael Sipili will be the defensive leader for Colorado, and he will lead this group by example. A sure tackler, and good leader, Sipili will have some talent around him. LB BJ Beatty, and CBs Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown are all going to be key to the success of Colorado in 2010. Each of the units is slightly more game ready than the 2009 versions, and this additional field time should convert to allowing fewer YPG and fewer points against too.

As I mentioned earlier, I can see 5 losses for this Colorado team, and they should be at California, at Missouri, at Oklahoma, at Nebraska, and home against Georgia. The rest of their games should be victories. The Texas Tech game on Oct 23rd in Boulder could prove to be the pivotal game on the Buffs schedule this year, but with them having a new coach in place, and a subsequently lower powered offense, I see this game as winnable for Colorado.




The Slip

Oklahoma State Cowboys

If the Stillwater faithful are expecting the same team that posted a 9-4 record last year to take the field on September 4th , they are going to be very disappointed. Gone are Dez Bryant, Parrish Cox, and Zac Robinson. In fact 21 other lettermen are also gone from last year’s team. This team could be in for a very long season.

I know that the Cowboys are installing an offense more in the mold of the high flying Texas Tech aerial attack, but I do not think they have the talent on the current roster to make it work in 2010. The starting QB will likely be Brandon Weeden, who has very little expierence under center after sitting behind Zac Robinson. RB Kendall Hunter will be the bright spot on this offense, and he will have to be a workhorse if this team is to succeed. The receivers could be successful, but much of that will be dependant on if the QB can get them the ball. The system should be able to make these guys more dangerous than they were last year, and they are already used to playing without Dez Bryant who only saw action in three games last year before being suspended. The o-line is a definite area of concern for this group, and with question marks under center this is a formula for bad things to happen. Last year the unit underperformed, and that was with having to ten draft pick Russell Okung in the mix. Now he is gone, and the group lacks any real bright spots at this point in time. Unless one of these guys up front step it up this season, I see inconsistency for the offense all season.

The defense is in the exact opposite position of the Buffalo defense which I reviewed earlier. They too lack any real star power on that side of the ball, but unlike Colorado, this group has much less experience in each defensive unit. The defensive front return 7 of the ten men who were in rotation last season, however, there are no true standouts in this group. All of these guys are average talents, and that could result in some pedestrian numbers. The backers lost Donald Booker, Patrick Lavine, and Andre Sexton, who all started all 13 games for the Cowboys last season. The guys who are stepping in are as a group much less game ready than their predecessors, and that is not good news. In the secondary, superstar Parrish Cox is now playing on Sundays, and the guys who have returned are not to his level. This means that although they may have more expierence, they have much less talent. Unless safety Markelle Martin can hoist this team on his shoulders, this will be a below average defense this year.

Although the schedule features some winnable games, it also features some difficult matchups too. They play Washington State at home to open the season, and they also have to play host to Texas A&M, Nebraska, and Oklahoma throughout the season. They have some tough road challenges too, with games at Texas Tech and Texas on the docket. An early season battle at home against Troy, and road fights agains Kansas and Kansas State will go a long way to determine just how badly the Cowboys slide in 2010.



Don’t Forget About

Nebraska Cornhuskers

When writing this section, I had a difficult time deciding between the Longhorns and the Cornhuskers. I ultimately chose Nebraska because under Bo Pelini this team has gotten much better each year, and now that they are going into the third year in his system, I think they will really hit their stride this year.

Zac Lee was injured for most of last season, but her returns to the team this year, and with last year’s QB Cody Green also back, the Huskers have some real talent under center. Roy Helu was also banged up last season, and he is also returning to Lincoln in 2010. He should put up some good numbers in this offense. With Rex Burkhead on the depth chart behind him, this unit will be very solid too. The receivers also boast the return of their top player from last season as Niles Paul is back. With the move to WR from TE, Mike McNeil makes this a sizable group with some nice upside. Rickey Henry is going to lead the big fellas up front in 2010. Considering the group that Va Tech head coach, Frank beamer called “exceptional” is returning 4 of their five starters from last year, I expect this to be another strength for this Husker team.

The defense should also be a force in 2010. Sure they lose Suh, the second overall pick in last years draft from their defensive front, but Baker Steinkuhler is ready to step in and prove his worth. While he may not fully replace Suh, if he can offset some of the loss, this will stillbe a very good unit this year. DT Jared Crick is on the verge of becoming an excellent player, and I think this front will make some waves this year. The starting two linebackers are both sophomores, and having both played as freshmen, they should begin to elevate their games this year. The Peso spot (a S/LB hybrid) will be manned by Eric Hagg, who has had a fabulous spring, and is looking like he could make a lot of plays for this group in the fall. Prince Amukamara is one of the country’s top corners. His ability to shut down opposing wide outs will mean a lot of passes will be going to the other side of the field. Alfonzo Dennard is expecting this too, and he is ready to emerge this year. With Amukamara at corner and DeJon Gomes at safety, the Huskers secondary could be the best in the country.

Nebraska will have ample opportunity to prove they belong amongst the nation’s elite this year, as they have a manageable schedule this season. They should open up the season 5-0, and take their undefeated record into their October 16 showdown with the Texas Longhorns. This will be their opportunity to prove they belong. Another home game two weeks later against Missouri should seal them the Big 12 North, and then they have to travel to play Texas A&M near the end of the season. Is it possible for the Huskers to be undefeated when they meet Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game? I think it could be.