The Big 12 is a conference in a bit of upheaval still from the defections over the past several years. No team has a clear cut advantage over any of the others, with almost every school looking at a different signal caller this year than was set last year, and most of the talent on the defensive side of the ball will be getting overturned throughout the conference. The only thing that really hasnt changed are the head coaches, where every school but Tech will return their head man from last year, and even then Kingsbury is easily recognizable in Lubbock. Its going to be an exciting season, with a majority of the biggest conference games coming in the last month.
Conference Winner: OK State
The Cowboys feature one of the best QB battles in college football this season, and with both Clint Chelf and JW Walsh completing better than 60% of their passes and more than 8 yards per attempt last year, the Pokes will have excellent depth at the position. Walsh will also likely see some playing time because of his great mobility, something new offensive coordinator Mike Yurich values in his high powered attack. The passing game should march on with Josh Stewart likely to be the main target again after the now Junior recorded 101 receptions and averaged nearly 12 yards per. The top wideouts also are still intact with the exception of Isahaiah Anderson who graduated, bringing back nearly 80% of the targeted passes from last year. The run game should stay on track as well despite losing the vastly underrated Joseph Randle to the draft, they do feature a pair of backs that have seen extensive time in Jeremy Smith and Desmond Roland. The pair combined for 15 TDs last season, andf both averaged over 5 yards per carry. The offensive line could have some struggles after losing most of the interior starting group to graduation, but all the front runners to replace them have started at least 1 game in their careers. On the defensive side of the ball, there is also a coordinator change as Glenn Spencer moves up from being the linebackers coach. Spencer will get back most of his linebacking corps as well, lead by Shaun Lewis who had 7.5 tackles for loss last year, and 4 pass break ups. The defensive line will need some help, after losing the top 3 DE to graduation. But DT Calvin Barnett and James Castleman are stout against the run, and DE Tyler Johnson had 4 sacks in just 11 games last year as part of the rotation. The secondary is lead by top Senior Daytawion Lowe, who had 4 pass break ups, and 66.5 tackles last year. The group is also bolstered by the transfer of Tyler Patmon from Kansas who defended 8 passes and had 55 tackles for the Jayhawks.
The Cowboys have built a very strong foundation, and the schedule favors them since they dont meet other Big 12 favorites Texas and Oklahoma until the last 3 weeks of the season giving them a chance to be 9-0 heading into those games, and in firm psoition to win the Big 12 outright.
Texas
The Longhorns capped last year's 9-4 campaign with an exciting win against Oregon State in their bowl appearance, but a drubbing at the hands of Oklahoma and K-State made the talk in Austin again center on whether or not Mack Brown should be moving on. This season though should begin to set things right, especially if David Ash can become a little more consistent. Ash completed of 2/3s of his passes and had a better than 2:1 TD to Int ratio, while averaging 8 yards per attempt. Ash's downside was his disastrous outing against Oklahoma and TCU, where he threw half of his ints with no TDs. Ash will benefit greatly form an increased running game, which returns all of hits top runners (Johnathan Gray, Joe Bergeron and Malcolm Brown combined for 23 TDs and all averaged at least 4.5 yards per carry), and an offensive line that returns 124 combined starts. Ash's top receivers in Mike Davis and Jaxon Shipley both had catch rates better than 66%, and averaged 109 and 9.8 yards per target respectively. With Marquise Goodwin departed, Sophomore Daje Johnson will step into the deep threat role after snagging 82.6% of his targets for over 12 yards per. The defense though has a long way to go after allowing 29 points per game and nearly 6 yards per play but it should be a much more experienced group. They lose Alex Okafor to graduation after he had a team high 12.5 sacks. They'll luckily get back Jackson Jeffcoat who had 4 sacks and 5 hurries in 6 games. DE Cedric Reed should also see a jump in his sack total after garnering 11 hurries and 5.5 tackles for loss in his rotational role last year. The LB Corps will have a lot of experience after 7 players rotated through the three spots, and they get back Jordan Hicks who had 55 tackles, 4 for loss and 4 pass break ups as a sophomore. The secondary should also see some improvement from returning every key contributor sans Kenny Vaccaro. Quandre Diggs and Carrington Bymdom make up one of the better CB tandems in the nation, after picking off 7 passes and defending 13 more with 92 tackles.
Oklahoma
The Sooners move into a new era without Landry Jones starting at QB,and with Kendal Thompson fracturing his foot on the first day of practice, it will fall to Blake Bell to take up the mantle. Bell leaves a lot of questions about his ability to be a passer, after he's attempted just 20 passes in his previous two seasons. The offense might have been more run oriented regardless of the QB situation, because the receiving corps is a little lackluster. Jalen Saunders is the top returning target, and averaged 10.9 yards per target last year. The team will also likely rely on the work of Jaz Reynolds, who had missed all of last season with a suspension. The Sooners also have a pair of potential breakout backs in Damien Williams and Brennan Clay, who both averaged over 5.5 yards per carry and combined for 17 TDs. The defensive front is a big question mark moving forward, with just Chuka Ndulue (who lead the team with 5 sacks) as a returning starter that played in every game last year. No other lineman has more than 9 tackles in their career. The LB corps returns a group that is lead by Corey Nelson, a Senior who had 35 tackles last year. The secondary is also a question mark, with Aaron Colving being the most talented corner on the roster after intercepting 4 passes and knocking down 11 more last year.
TCU
Last season Casey Pachall was brilliant through 3 games for the Frogs, but had an inexplicable collapse against SMU where he completed just 12 of his 29 passes for just over 100 yards. By the next week, Pachall was arrested and in rehab for the rest of the season. He returns this year to try and find that magic after an excellent 2011 campaign in which he completed 66.5% of his passes for 8.5 yards per attempt with 25 TDs. The receiving corps will return about half of its targets from last season, the group being lead by Brandon Carter (36 catches, 590 yards, 9.8 yards per target). The running game should be improved with the return of Waymond James from an ACL injury, and the development of BJ Catalon(121 carries, 4.8 yards per carry) along with an offensive line that this year has starting experience at every position. The defense could experience some early hiccups with the suspension of Devonte Fields. But the defense will likely handle it well, and Chucky Hunter and Davion Peirson form a solid middle on the line. The LB corp is lead by MLB Joel Hasley, who has 62 tackles, 8.5 for loss last year. In the secondary, Jason Verrett and Sam Carter combined for 26 pass break ups and 10 picks last year, and they should be watched this year.
Baylor
The Baylor offense is once again poised to be one of the best in the country, despite losing its QB and top Wide out for the second year in a row. Bryce Petty will at least have two top tier receivers in Tevin Reese and Levi Norwood (957 and 487 yard, 62.4% and 75.5% cat rates respectively) to look for. He also has one of the more exciting RBs in the nation in Lache Seastrunk, who piled up over 800 yards in the last 6 games last season, and the now overlooked Glasco Martin, who piled up 893 yards on 179 carries. The only real worry is the offensive line depth, with only the three returning starters from last season ever having started a game. The defense is another matter, as everyone tries to figure out which defense from 2012 will reappear: The one that surrendered more than 40 points 6 times, or the one that limited UCLA and K State to just 26 and 24 points respectively. Top DEs Terrance Lloyd and Chris McAllister had 10 sacks and 17 tackles for loss last year. The 3 starting LBs from last year also return, after combining for 26 tackles for loss amongst 206.5 tackles last year. Joe Williams is the most active defender in the secondary, with 12 pass break ups, 3 Ints, and 46.5 tackles last season.
Texas Tech
When Tommy Tuberville bolted for the Cincinatti job this off season, the Red Raiders scored themselves one of the better offensive minds in college football, and a beloved alumnus in Kliff Kingsbury. KIngsbury will likely try to bring the magic he had with Texas A&M to Lubbock, but he'll be behind the 8 ball from the get go. His offensive line will need to replace 3 starters froma year ago, leaving only 27 combined starts from the remaining group. He must also replace Seth Doege, who had 39 TDs and a 70% completion rate last year. Sophomore Michael Brewer though was recruited to play in the sort of wide open attack A&M ran, nd in his limited action he performed well last season(70.8% completion rate, 4 TDs and no Ints). The receiving corps took a hit due to graduations as well, but one of the most underrated targets that Brewer will get back is TE Jace Amaro. Amaro averaged over 11 yards per target, and had a solid 67.6% catch rate. Seniors wideout Javon Bell will likely see some more work after showing some real explosion with a 77.3% catch rate and 12.2 yards per target mark. The running game will likely suffer some regression after losing so many linemen, but Kenny Williams and SaDale Foster both averaged 5 yards or better per carry last year. On defense, almost the entire front seven from last year will return. This might be a mixed blessing after Tech struggled through the second half of the season after posting such great numbers the first 6 weeks. DEs Kerry Hyder and Dartwan Bush will form the majority of the pass rush after combining for 12 sacks and 26 tackles for loss last year, but also watch NT Dennell Wesley who had 5.5 tackles for loss and moves into the starting role. The LB corps is less impressive, with retuning leading tacklers Sam Eguaveon and Will Smitth combing for just 3 TFL. The secondary lost a majority of its seasoned starters, leaving Bruce Jones, a 5'7 corner as the most dangerous of the group after he defended 7 passes last year.
WVU
West Virginia enters this season with a lot of question marks on both sides of the ball, but the defense needing to take big steps is the biggest story. The defense last year allowed in 10 games more than 30 points to get scored, and in 6 of those more than 40. The major reason was an inability to generate pass rush, since the defensive line generated just 3.5 sacks last year, and Terence Gavin and Josh Francis who had 10.5 from their LB positions The line will be more experienced with only Jorge Wright not returning. Isaiah Bruce lead the LBs with 72.5 tackles, and JUCO transfers Brandon Golson and d'Vante Henry will be expected to play a big role in generating a pass rush. The secondary is more intriguing, with safeties Darwin Cook and Karl Joseph combining for 145.5 tackles (10 for loss) with 3 Ints and 9 pass break ups. Sophomore Terrell Chestnut was the highest regarded recruit of the group, and could have a break out year in his second season. The offense is counting on Dana Holgerson's magic touch to keep plugging along despite losing so much NFL ready talent. The Mountaineers lucked out by getting Clint Trickett in as a transfer from FSU, as a QB who has some big game starting experience and performed well in mop up duty. For his career, he has 62.2% completion rate, with 947 yards and 7 TDs with just 4 Ints. WVU again has a bevvy of JUCO players at reciever, but the most likely target will be Jordan Thompson who had just 13 catches last year but excelled in the spring game. The running game will rely mostly on Aaron Buie, who has good hands as a receiver as well, averaging 9.6 yards per target.
K State
The Wildcats like a lot of the Big 12 are missing a lot of their play makers from last season, including superman QB Colin Klein. Replacing him is either Daniel Sams or Jake Waters, who were both 3 star recruits but have not seen much game action. Either one will at least have a solid run game with John Hubert returning after averaging 5 yards per carry, and the offensive line returns all but one starter and the reserves are all Juniors. The reciving corps will aslo return a pair of explosive targets in Tyler Lockett and Tramaine Thompson, who had 10.7 and 9.4 yards per target respectively. The defense might be in some real trouble though after losing the top 5 defensive linemen, and 3 of the top 4 LBs froma group that smothered opponents to just 22 points per game. The most intriguing player in the front seven is DE Ryan Mueller, who had 6 passes defended, 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. The secondary does have Junior CB Randall Evans, who defended 6 passes and Senior FS Ty Zimmerman, who had 5 Ints a season ago.
Iowa State
This season will be a true test of Paul Rhoads ability to turn 2 star recruits into a talented enough team to reach a bowl game again. The offense loses 3 of its top 4 receivers from last year, with Junior Jarvis West providing the stability of a 31 catch season last year. The most intriguing receiver though is TE Ernsr Brun Jr who had a 72.2% catch rate, and had a 9.2 yards per target rate last year. Throwing to them is Sam Richardson, a sophomore that in some extended play time last year didnt make mistakes (1 Int, just a 3.7% sack rate with 8 TDs), but was not very efficient (58.2% completion rate, 6.4 yards per attempt). Richardson could play more of a read option style of offense though, with his superior athletic ability (6.5 yards per carry last season on 38 carries), and the speed of Shontrelle Johnsons and James White. Johnson averaged 4.4 yards per carry, and white was at the 5.1 mark, with both scoring a pair of TDs. They also have a nice power back in Jeff Woody, who averaged 4.8 yards per pop last year. The defense though could be a major concern after a majority of the front seven were lost to graduation. Willie Scott was second on the line with 29 tackles, but he had just 2 of them for loss and a single sack. The LB Corps also lost 4 of its top 6 players, but does return the solid Jeremiah George, who was third on the team with 68.5 tackles. Jacques Washington will lead the secondary from his FS position, after posting 71.5 tackles, 3 Ints and 3 passes defended last year.
Kansas
The Jayhawks will almost entirely be dependent on the JUCO and transfer ranks to fuel their hopes of turning around a disastorous 2012 season. The new starting QB will be one of the transfers, Jake Heaps. Heaps last played oin 2011, completing 67.1% of his passes for 5.5 yards per attempt with 9 Tds and 8 Ints for BYU. His top receivers will also almost certainly be transfers or JUCO players, starting with former Miami of Ohio player Nick Harwell, who posted a 61.8% catch rate and 7.9 yards per target. They'll be hoping Oklahoma transfer Justin McCay can fill out some potential as a former 4 star recruit, and that JUCO players Rodriguez Coleman and Mark Thomas can post solid catch rates and yards per catch. The running game is a little more stable with Senior James Sims and Junior Tony Pierson returning after Sims averaged 4.6 yards per carry and scored 9 TDs, while Pierson was more explosive in his 117 carries, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. The offensive line though did lose over 100 combined starts, but 4 of the 5 projected starters have some starting experience, and they nabbed 3 JUCO players to help fill the depth chart. Even with several JUCO transfers the defensive line will likely still be bad. They generated just 5.5 sacks last year, and only NT Kevin Young returns with more than a single sack last year. MLB Ben Heeney is the only standout in the LB corp, racking up 89 tackles, 12 for loss with a pair of passes defended last year. The secondary has no notable players, but does have 4 more JUCO players competing for spots.
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