Part One of our Big 12 Preview can be found here.

Image Credit: Gary Denham

The South

Oklahoma Sooners
2008: 12-2

Gee, I wonder if these guys will be any good? They crushed Missouri 62-21 in the Big XII Title game, and then lost to Florida in the National Title game. Don’t expect much difference this year. Sure, OU plays BYU and Miami in non-conference, but there’s really only one game on the schedule: October 17 vs. Texas in the Red River Shootout. This game has been the biggest in the country the last few years, and I get chills just writing about it. The winner (or in last year’s case, the loser) is on the inside track to play for the National Championship. Oklahoma does need to be careful, because there are let-down games looming at Kansas the week after, and against Oklahoma State to end the year. Heisman winner Sam Bradford (4720 yds, 50 TD) is back. The backfield is loaded with RB’s Demarco Murray (1002 yds, 14 TD) and Chris Brown (1220 yds 20 TD). Jermaine Gresham (66 rec, 950 yds, 14 TD) is a weapon at TE. The offensive line may struggle, but there is talent across the board. Unlike other Big XII teams, the Sooners actually stop people on defense sometimes.

Prediction: 11-1

Texas Longhorns
2008: 12-1

Another juggernaut. They were left out of the Big XII and National Title games after beating OU and losing to Texas Tech last year, and they are primed for revenge. I could almost cut and paste the schedule section from above. It all comes down to Texas vs. Oklahoma, October 17. Texas has fewer trap games, since they have fared better against OSU, and they get Kansas at home. Heisman finalist Colt McCoy (3859 yds, 34 TD) returns. There are some questions at tailback, where Vontrell McGee should start, and WR, where Quan Cosby’s loss will be felt. Returning WR Jordan Shipley (89 rec, 1060 yds, 11 TD) will play a big role. On the other hand, they return a defense that was best in the league last year (which is not saying much). Still, this is Texas. They just reload talent year after year. If they get past OU, they could go all the way.

Prediction: 11-1

Oklahoma State Cowboys
2008: 9-4

This is a team to watch out for. They would be favored to win many conferences in the country (Big East, ACC, maybe Big Ten), but they are stuck behind two of the most dominant teams in the country in Texas and OU. It’s unlikely they will beat both of them, but they could pull off an upset and force a 3-way tie, as Texas Tech did last year. The Cowboys start the year at home against Georgia in a huge early-season game. A win will set the tone for the whole year, and a loss will disappoint Boone Pickens. From the North, OSU draws Missouri, Iowa St and Colorado, none of whom should be a threat. They face Texas October 31, two weeks after OU-UT, and they play OU at the end of the year. The team returns incredible scoring capability. QB Zac Robinson (3064 yds, 25 TD), RB Kendall Hunter (1555 yds 16 TD) and WR Dez Bryant (87 rec, 1480 yds, 19 TD) rack up yardage and points almost at will. The defense has been the week point in recent years, so they brought in Bill Young, the defensive coordinator during Kansas’s Orange Bowl run in 2007.

Prediction: 10-2

Texas Tech Red Raiders
2008: 11-2

The Red Raiders were oh-so-close last year, but they ended up losing the tie-breaker to OU, and then the bowl game to Ole Miss. They probably won’t be as dangerous this year, but you know Mike Leach’s offense is going to put up points through the air. The non-conference schedule features ridiculous shoot-outs with Rice and Houston, both of whom love to throw. The draw from the North could be tough, with visits from KState and Kansas, and a trip to Nebraska. OU and Texas both loom. QB Graham Harrell is gone, and he took his 5000 yards and 45 touchdown with him. QB Taylor Potts will try to replace him, and recent history suggests he won’t have any problems filling the stat sheet. WR Michael Crabtree is also gone, and it falls to Detron Lewis (76 rec, 913 yds, 3 TD) to replace him. Texas Tech will continue their high-scoring ways. They probably won’t match the 11-1 regular season record of 2008, but they will still win their share.

Prediction: 8-4

Baylor Bears
2008: 4-8

First, the Baylor Bears are actually not that bad. After years of hopelessness, there are positive signs. Whether those improvements are enough to warrant a trip to a bowl game remains to be seen. Baylor elected not to pad its win total with patsies in the non-conference schedule. They open at Wake Forest, a solid ACC team, and then host UConn the next week. From the North, they visit Iowa St and Missouri, and host Nebraska. Even with an improved team, it will be hard to find 6 wins on a schedule that includes the teams of the Big XII South. Dynamic QB Robert Griffin (2091 yds, 15 TD) returns. He threw only 3 interceptions in ’08, and led the team with 13 rushing TD’s. He won’t be all by himself either, as RB Jay Finley (865 yds, 7 TD) and WR Kendall Wright (50 rec, 649 yds, 5 TD) return to help the offense. Baylor is better. They’re probably not quite good enough to make a bowl. Prediction: 5-7

Texas A&M Aggies
2008: 4-8

This is a proud program with a long tradition of winning. Unfortunately, they have not added to those wins in a while. The departure of Dennis Franchione in 2007 was acrimonious, and current coach Mike Sherman has his work cut out for him. The schedule features three winnable games, and a neutral site game against Arkansas that would have been a lot of fun a few years ago. They draw Kansas St, Iowa St and Colorado from the North, which is good, because those are the only teams they have a chance of beating. QB Jerrod Johnson (2435 yds, 21 TD) returns, but it is a measure of their lack of confidence in him that leading WR Ryan Tannehill (55 rec, 844 yds, 5 TD) was moved to the #2 QB slot on the depth chart. RB’s Mike Goodson and Javorskie Lane are gone, and Cyrus Gray (363 yds, 1 TD) and freshman Christine Michael will fight to replace them. The leading receiver was Tannehill, but with him moving, the load falls to Jeff Fuller (50 rec, 630 yds, 9 TD). Texas A&M is at the bottom of the South, and that’s pretty bad when Baylor is in your league.

Prediction: 4-8

Thoughts on the Upcoming Season

Teams in college football usually change slowly. A team might go from 5-7 to 7-5, but it’s rare to see a team go from mediocrity to greatness, or from greatness to mediocrity, in just one year. But it does happen, and that what makes predicting the results of a season both fun and futile. Kansas went from 6-6 in 2006 to 12-1 in 2007. Michigan managed to go 3-9 in ‘08. At least one team we expect to be good (Nebraska?) will probably stink, either as a result of injuries, trouble in the locker room, or just plain bad football. Another team that we’ve consigned to the junk heap (Baylor?) will rise up and surprise people. There will be upsets across the country, fields stormed, and goalposts torn down. Let the season begin!

This article also appears at Manzine.