2009-2010 Big Twelve Football Conference Prediction and Preview

The Big 12 rose to be the best conference in the country last year passing up the SEC. The North division pales in comparison to the South division but as a whole the Big 12 is the tops. With returning superstars and great rivalries it looks like it is going to be another great year for fans of the Big 12.

North Division

Kansas Jayhawks--Mark Mangino put the Jayhawks on the map and made them a force to be reckoned with. Year in and year out they are the favorites to win the North and this year will be no different. This offense will be the best in the North and will be able to play with the big boys from the South. Todd Reesing brings experience to the QB position as a quality passer and he is bringing his targets with him. Dezmon Briscoe racked up over 1,400 yards receiving last year and will be the go to guy this year. The problem lies on the defensive side of the ball where Kansas has to replace almost the entire linebacker core. The schedule is filled with tough opponents in Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech and that could cost them the north division in the end.
Nebraska Cornhuskers--Bo Pelini has the Nebraska faithful talking about the black shirts again. His impact on the defense was seen immediately as the Huskers swarmed to the ball on every snap. The defense is back and barely lost anyone and will be a force to be reckoned with once again. The same thing cannot be said for the offense. Joe Ganz is gone and there will be a battle to play Quarterback in the spring. All of his targets are gone and Nebraska will need young players to step up on offense if they want to have an impact on the race in the North division.
Missouri Tigers—what a disappointing 2008 for the Tigers. With Chase Daniels at quarterback, the talk was about Heisman and BCS, but instead they did not live up to the expectations. Now Chase Daniels and most of the talent have departed and the talk surrounding Missouri football is rebuilding. The one unit that is returning some quality payers is the offensive line. With the line back, Missouri will not be as pass happy as they were last year and instead will look to run. Derrick Washington is a suitable runner and will be able to put up some yards behind the experienced front line. Blaine Gabbert has to try and fill the big shoes of Chase Daniels and that will be nearly impossible to do. Missouri takes a step back this year.
Colorado Buffaloes--Dan Hawkins had higher expectations for his team last year than five wins. Injuries played a huge role in the outcome and if not for that it is almost certain that Colorado would have been bowl bound. They return a good chunk of the starters from last year and look for the Buffaloes to implement a two quarterback system. Tyler Hansen and Cody Hawkins will work together to put points on the board. The entire offensive line is back and that will give them the protection they need. On defense the entire front line needs to be replaced and this may cause some problems for this unit. Colorado will not fight for the championship this year but you can expect to see them in a bowl game.
Kansas St. Wildcats—Bill Snyder was called in to work his magic with the Wildcats again. Bill Snyder knows how to score points and should be able to do it with the unit he has in place. They are very deep on the offensive line and return four starters from last year. Brandon Banks is the most talented player on the field and if he can find someone to throw to him than this offense could surprise. The defense is decent and has some talented youngsters that can keep the Cats in any game. The real question will be who will run the offense. Carson Koffman will get the call but he is unproven and may have some growing pains. The Wildcats will be good again under Bill Snyder, just not this year.
Iowa St. Cyclones—Paul Rhoads takes over as head coach for this team and he might rethink his decision when he sees what he is working with. As a defensive coach Rhoads will tackle a defense that was the worst in the conference. DE Christopher Lyle will give him some flexibility with the pass rush, but this is a work in progress. Austen Arnaud returns to play quarterback but this team will be adjusting to a new spread offense. Iowa St will be the doormat of this division again this year with better things to come in the future.

South Division

Texas Longhorns—what a tough year for Texas and their following. One loss basically erased the chances for a national title and to make matters worse, their rival played for the crown even though Texas beat them! Colt McCoy decided to come back and try to make it to the big game this year much to the delight of head coach Mack Brown and the Texas fans. The Longhorns need to replace the font line of the defense but other than that they return the entire defense and that will make life easier on the offense. The pass defense was spectacular from last year and they are back to do it again. Colt McCoy has four returning starters on his line and he will be the key factor for this team as they only go as far as he can take them. With a chip on their shoulder from last year Texas will win the Big 12.
Oklahoma Sooners—Bob Stoops must have been jumping for joy when he heard that Sam Bradford was coming back to play quarterback at Oklahoma. He wasn’t the only one as defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, offensive tackle Trent Williams and tight end Jermaine Gresham all joined him for another season with the Sooners. Bradford will have his backfield intact and this offense should be explosive once again. The offensive line has some holes but Oklahoma never has a problem with finding talent. The defense may steal some headlines as well as every starter is back for another season. The Sooners will settle for nothing less than a championship.
Oklahoma St. Cowboys—Oklahoma St proved to have one of the best offenses in the Big 12 and could put up points against any defensive unit. The problem is in the Big 12, every team can do that. The Cowboys return eight starters on offense so they should dazzle again. QB Zac Robinson is back to lead his team onto the field every Saturday. Kendall Hunter joins him in the backfield after rushing for over 1500 yards last year. The problem for the Cowboys is the defense. They lose almost the entire secondary from last year and the pass rush is absent. The only way the Cowboys are going to do well this year is by winning with offense and making up for a porous defense.
Baylor Bears--Baylor won just four games last year and that was a good year for the Bears. This year they get a healthy dose of experience back as they get nine starters back on both sides of the ball. Don’t underestimate this team or this offense. Robert Griffin returns at QB and he had 28 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions as a first year player. The backfield and his top receiving targets are back and Baylor is ready to make some noise. The defensive front could be a problem since they failed to pressure any opposing QB’s and in this conference that could be their downfall.
Texas Tech Red Raiders—what a difference a year makes for the Red Raiders of Texas Tech. They only had one loss last year and had a shot at the Big 12 title and the National Championship. They had a heisman caliber QB and the best wide receiver in the game and now all of that is gone. Texas Tech will be in rebuilding mode this year. Mike Leach will try to recreate the offense he had last year just with different pieces. The defense has to be replaced and the younger players will be a victim of the talented offense in the division. Texas Tech will be able to score and move the ball but they will give up a ton of points at the same time.
Texas A&M Aggies—the good news for the Aggies is that they return plenty of players from last year’s team. The bad news is that team was dreadful last year. The offensive line returns four starters and Jerrod Johnson is back at quarterback so the offense may show some signs of life. The real trouble sets in on the defensive side of the football. They have to replace the front four and the inexperienced group with get manhandled by the experienced huge offensive lines in this league. That will lead to the secondary getting beat all year long and A&M will stay at the bottom of this division.

North Winner: Kansas Jayhawks

South Winner: Texas Longhorns

Big 12 Winner: Texas Longhorns