Big 12 Conference Preview
The Big 12 might be the toughest conference to predict in 2013. With most schools losing their top quarterback there is a lot of uncertainty to who will be crowned Big 12 Champion. There are strong points to be made for Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas, TCU, Kansas State, and Baylor. Check out a quick snap shot of each teams schedule, returning starters, and team previews of the top six teams. Come back soon for the rest of the Big 12 teams previews.
Texas Longhorns
Record: 9-4 (5-4 in Big 12)
Head Coach: Mack Brown (16th Season; 150-43)
Returning Starters: 10 Offense – 9 Defense
Schedule
Vs. New Mexico St. (Aug. 31st)
@ BYU (Sept. 7th)
Vs. Mississippi (Sept. 14th)
Vs. Kansas St. (Sept. 21st)
@ Iowa St. (Oct. 3rd)
Vs. Oklahoma (Oct. 12th)
@ TCU (Oct 26th)
Vs. Kansas (Nov. 2nd)
@ West Virginia (Nov. 9th)
Vs. Oklahoma St. (Nov. 16th)
Vs. Texas Tech (Nov. 28th)
@ Baylor (Dec. 7th)
Offensive Preview
Where do you start when talking about one of the best teams in the nation? It all starts up front. Texas has one of the top offensive lines in the country, if not the best. This makes junior quarterback David Ash primed for a breakout year following his solid 2012 campaign. Ash is entering his second-full year as the starter but even if he were to go down the Longhorns have the luxury of having the experienced Case McCoy and spring sensation Tyrone Swoops waiting in the wings.
They also have “thunder and lightning” on the ground with the tailback tandem of Jonathan Gray who put up 720 yards and Joe Bergeron who scored 16 touchdowns and their receivers are big and fast for the cherry on top. Starters Mike Davis and Jaxon Shipley caught over 100 balls for 1,600 yards and 13 scores between the two of them. A balanced attack for new offensive coordinator Major Applewhite who is walking into a perfect position for his up-tempo offense.
Defensive Preview
The Longhorns get their two best defensive starters back who both happened to miss half the season with injury linebacker Jordan Hicks and defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat. Offenses however, have much more to worry about than just those two. Ashton Dorsey, Cedric Reed, and Steve Edmund all add up to make the best front seven in the Big 12.
These returning starters need to play more with more confidence this year and there’s no reason they shouldn’t. This is one of the best teams on paper talent wise and if they play up top their potential with their schedule they should expect nothing less than 10 wins and finish among the top two in the conference.
Key Games
1. Oklahoma- UT has lost this matchup three times in a row and two years ago they allowed 55 points. Mack Brown won’t let them forget about that.
2. Baylor- The Season finale rest assured many implications will be on the line. Last year Texas was tied 24-24 in the third quarter before they gave up 24 unanswered points due to three straight interceptions
Top Newcomer: Tyrone Swoopes, Quarterback- David Ash has the job all locked up however, Swoopes will be used a versatile weapon who will be used in the right situations as he learns behind Ash.
Season Prediction: 11-1 BCS Bowl Eligible
Oklahoma St. Cowboys
Record: 8-5 (5-4 in Big 12)
Head Coach: Mike Gundy (9th Season; 67-35)
Returning Starters: 8 Offense – 7 Defense
Schedule
Vs. Mississippi St (Aug. 31st)
@ UTSA (Sept. 7th)
Vs. Lamar (Sept. 14th)
@ West Virginia (Sept. 28th)
Vs. Kansas St. (Oct. 5th)
Vs. TCU (Oct 19th)
@ Iowa St. (Oct. 26th)
@ Texas Tech (Nov. 2nd)
Vs. Kansas (Nov. 9th)
@ Texas (Nov. 16th)
Vs. Baylor (Nov 23rd)
Vs. Oklahoma (Dec. 7th)
Offensive Preview
The first thing the Cowboys need to do is pick a starting quarterback from the trio of Clint Chelf, J.W. Walsh, and Wes Lunt. Whoever they pick is going to be set up to put up some monster numbers. Between handing the ball off to tailback Jeremy Smith who is being projected to rush for over a thousand yards and throwing to stud possession receiver Josh Stewart who caught over 100 balls last season the quarterback in this offense is set up to light off some fireworks in 2013.
Defensive Preview
Seven returning starters and even more depth on the second level the Cowboys defense is out to make a name for themselves after being second fiddle to the offense for a couple years now. Calvin Barnett (DT), Shaun Lewis (LB), and Daytawion Lowe(S) are the three leaders for their respected levels of defense whose name you should hear early and often during the season.
Key Games
1. TCU- The Cowboys are 2-3 vs. TCU but have won the last two meetings. They get TCU at home this year and it just happens to be homecoming so expect a loud and proud crowd to help give them an edge.
2. Oklahoma- OSU closes their season against this intense in state rival. Last year’s meeting between the two went into overtime were Oklahoma went on to score the game winning touchdown so the Cowboys will be anxious to get their revenge.
Top Newcomer: Ben Grogan Kicker- All American Quinn Sharp is gone so Grogan who is a top recruit has big shoes to fill and will get plenty of opportunities in this high octane offense.
Season Prediction: 8-4 Bowl Eligible
Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 10-3 (8-1 in Big 12)
Head Coach: Bob Stoops (15th Season 149-37)
Returning Starters: 7 Offense – 4 Defense
Schedule
Vs. ULM (Aug. 31st)
Vs. West Virginia (Sept. 7th)
Vs. Tulsa (Sept. 14th)
@ Notre Dame (Sept. 28th)
Vs. TCU (Oct. 5th)
@ Texas (Oct. 12th)
@ Kansas (Oct. 9th)
Vs. Texas Tech (Oct. 26th)
@ Baylor (Nov. 7th)
Vs. Iowa St. (Nov. 16th)
@ Kansas St. (Nov. 23rd)
@ Oklahoma St. (Dec. 7th)
Offensive Outlook
Landry Jones is off to the NFL so the reigns of the offense have been handed over to junior Blake Bell. The 6’6” 263 pounder is a dual threat who can beat defenses with his arm and feet. His athletic ability is a breath of fresh air compared to the former QB Jones and should add a new wrinkle in the Sooners offense.
Bell will give defenses fits when teamed up with tailback Damien Williams who rushed for over a thousand yards last season. Both players also benefit from FB/TE Trey Millard who is one of the best overall blocking and catching tight ends in the Big 12. The only question mark is the interior off the offensive line which struggled against powerful defensive tackles consistently in 2012.
Defensive Outlook
Much like the offense the Sooners biggest flaw on defense is the interior of their line. Oklahoma had a tough time stopping teams with power running games and it wore down the rest of the defense as the season went on. They were 89th against the run last year giving up 192.2 yards per game on the ground. If Coach Bob Stoops can fix this problem his team will be very tough to beat.
Key Games
1. Baylor- Oklahoma had gone 20 straight games without a loss to Baylor until last year. Tied 38-38 with 51 seconds left the Bears went 80 yards and scored the game winning touchdown with 8 seconds. Think the sooners have forgotten about that one?
2. Notre Dame- Sooners are 1-9 vs. the Irish with their only win coming way back in 1956.
Top Newcomer: Quincy Russell Defensive Tackle- There isn’t a position of more dire need than the DT spot for the sooners. So getting the junior college transfer quickly acclimated to the defense scheme is a top priority.
Season Prediction: 9-3 Bowl Eligible
TCU Horned Frogs
Record: 7-6 (4-5 in Big 12)
Head Coach: Gary Patterson (13th Season 116-36)
Returning Starters: 7 Offense – 9 Defense
Schedule
@ LSU (Aug. 31st)
Vs. SE Louisiana (Sept. 7th)
@ Texas Tech (Sept. 12th)
Vs. SMU (Sept. 28th)
@ Oklahoma (Oct. 5th)
Vs. Kansas (Oct 12th)
@ Oklahoma St. (Oct 19th)
Vs. Texas (Oct. 16th)
Vs. West Virginia (Nov. 2nd)
@ Iowa State (Nov. 9th)
@ Kansas State (Nov. 16th)
Vs. Baylor (Nov. 30th)
Offensive Outlook
The Frogs are a much better team than the one that took the field last year. After losing their quarterback in the fourth game they now have two veteran quarterbacks and 7 returning starters on offense. Casey Pachall and BJ Catalon offer a nice one-two punch on the ground and receiver Brandon Carter will look to build off his six touchdown performance.
The Frogs offense real job is actually to maintain games limit turnovers and be efficient as their top ranked defense much like last year should do the dirty work to win most of their games.
Defensive Outlook
TCU had the best defense in the Big 12 last year and with 9 returning starters could very well have that title once again. Defensive end Devonte Fields is an animal at getting to the quarterback and All American cornerback Jason Verrett can shut down any opposition’s number one wide out. Having a true shut down like Verrett allows the Frogs to be aggressive with their front seven on passing downs and is a main reason why TCU should repeat as top defense in the conference.
Key Games
1. Oklahoma- The visitor is 5-1 in this matchup which bodes well for TCU although in their last meeting they lost 35-10
2. LSU- A bang to start out the season TCU has dropped five straight to LSU but have 9 of their last 13 against ranked opponents.
Top Newcomer: Josh Doctson WR- A transfer from Wyoming Doctson and his big play ability are ready to fill the missing link for TCU’s lackluster offense.
Season Prediction: 10-2 Bowl Eligible
Baylor Bears
Record: 8-5 (4-5 in Big 12)
Head Coach: Art Briles (6th Season 33-30)
Returning Starters: 5 Offense – 7 Defense
Schedule
Vs. Wofford (Aug. 31st)
Vs. Buffalo (Sept. 7th)
Vs. ULM (Sept. 21st)
Vs. West Virginia (Oct. 5th)
@ Kansas State (Oct. 12th)
Vs. Iowa State (Oct. 19th)
@ Kansas (Oct. 26th)
Vs. Oklahoma (Nov 7th)
Vs. Texas Tech (Nov. 16th)
@ Oklahoma State (Nov. 23rd)
@ TCU (Nov. 30th)
Vs. Texas (Dec. 7th)
Offensive Outlook
Head coach Art Briles is doing a phenomenal job. Last year they had to replace RG3 and his replacement re-broke the schools passing record. This year’s replacement, Bryce Petty, could do the same. Petty has a great offensive line led by standout Cyril Richardson and behind him is running back Lache Seastrunk who had over a thousand yards on the ground with a whopping 7.7 yards per carry.
Receiver Tevin Reese is now the new go to with Terrance Williams now in the NFL. This unit shouldn’t lose a step from last year and continue to light up the scoreboard.
Defensive Outlook
With seven returning starters including Bryce Hager and Eddie Lackey this defensive unit should continue to progress. The Bears have a good front seven however with their high potent offense most teams get down early and pass often. The bears need to shore up their secondary just enough to let their offense win games. Look for cornerback Joe Williams to have a good season with the spotlight on him.
Key Games
1. Oklahoma- The Bears could easily be 7-0 at this point in the year with a soft early schedule. So its first test comes on the road where Baylor has struggled the past two years going just 1-7.
2. Texas- A tough way to end the season but at least the Longhorns is the away team. Last year these two combined for 106 points which is sure to be another shoot out this year.
Top Newcomer Andrew Billings DT- Billings is a freak in the weight room showing off tremendous strength. The bears are hoping to plug him in the middle of their defensive line to wreak havoc and eat up blockers.
Season Prediction- 9-3 Bowl Eligible
Kansas State Wildcats
Record: 11-2 (8-1 in Big 12)
Head Coach: Bill Snyder (22nd year 170-85-1)
Returning Starters: 8 Offense – 2 Defense
Schedule
Vs. North Dakota State (Aug. 30th)
Vs. Louisiana (Sept. 7th)
Vs. Massachusetts (Sept. 14th)
@ Texas (Sept. 21st)
@ Oklahoma St. (Oct. 5th)
Vs. Baylor (Oct. 12th)
Vs. West Virginia (Oct. 26th)
Vs. Iowa State (Nov. 2nd)
@ Texas Tech (Nov. 9th)
Vs. TCU (Nov. 16th)
Vs. Oklahoma (Nov. 23rd)
@ Kansas (Nov. 30th)
Offensive Outlook
The Wildcats lost their top quarterback and top receiver and will have to have to lean on senior running back John Hubbert who average 5.0 yards per carry and plunged in the end zone 15 times last year. Their offensive line is solid which will help the offense get back to the basics led by center BJ Finney and tackle Cornelious Lucas. Kansas St brought in quarterback Jake Waters from Penn St. in hopes to fill the void left by Collin Klein who left for the NFL however with all their losses another 11 win season would be more than just over achieving it would be shocking.
Defensive Outlook
The theme on defense is the same on offense. After overachieving in 2012 can they repeat that while having only two returning starters on defense? Losing six of their top seven tacklers will be almost impossible to replace. But they do have stud captain safety Ty Zimmerman who now inherits an enormous leadership role. He will look to make sure Kansas State’s mentality of toughness and error free football doesn’t change.
Key Games
1. Kansas State is just 4-7 in their last 11 road openers however they have won an impressive five straight against the Longhorns
2. Baylor- Last year’s only conference loss came against Baylor which inevitably knocked them out of the National Championship game. This year they look to get their revenge at home in another pivotal conference match up.
Top Newcomer Jake Waters QB- Waters, as stated earlier, was stolen away from Penn State in hopes to replace Collin Klein. He has all the tools to succeed in this offense so there will be pressure on him to produce right away and show he can be the guy.
Season Prediction- 7-5 Bowl Eligible