Big 12
North
Colorado
|
Iowa St
|
Kansas
|
Kansas State
|
Missouri
|
Nebraska
South
Baylor
|
Oklahoma
|
Oklahoma State
|
Texas
|
Texas A&M
|
Texas Tech
Big
12 Week One Fearless Predictions
Big 12 Game of
the Week
Toledo
at
Iowa State
8 pm EST
Thursday, August 31st
Why to watch:
Doesn't this have the feel of a minor
bowl game? Toledo might turn out to be
the MAC's best team and is more than
capable of catching Iowa State in a
shocker. The Rockets won three of their
final four games last year including a
45-13 pasting of UTEP in the GMAC Bowl,
while the Cyclones are looking for a big
start after losing their last two games
of 2005, including a 27-24 loss to TCU
in the Houston Bowl, by a total of six
points. With a nasty schedule ahead,
Iowa State needs all the wins it can get
early on. Toledo is hoping to start of
the season on the right foot before
jumping into MAC play next week against
Western Michigan.
Why Toledo might win: While Iowa
State has a strong enough team to
challenge for the Big 12 North title,
it'll take a little while for everything
to come together. The defense has some
massive holes to fill at linebacker and
in the secondary, so if UT can get off
to a hot start and establish its ground
game in the second half, it has a shot
at pulling off the road upset. The
Rocket running backs and experienced
line are more than good enough to
control the tempo.
Why Iowa State might win:
Toledo starting quarterback Clint
Cochran is hardly an inexperienced
rookie, but this he didn't do much in
his only real test last season losing to
Fresno State 44-14. The Cyclone crowd
will be jacked up and should make things
tough on the sophomore.
Who to watch: Toledo starting
quarterback Clint Cochran is hardly an
inexperienced rookie, but this he didn't
do much in his only real test last
season losing to Fresno State 44-14. The
Cyclone crowd will be jacked up and
should make things tough on the
sophomore in the first game after the
strong Bruce Gradkowski era. ... Iowa
State running back Stevie Hicks is the
difference maker in the attack. When
he's healthy and productive, the
Cyclones have the offensive balance to
take the heat off QB Bret Meyer. Since
he likely won't be given the ball 30+
times, a second back has to establish
himself right off the bat with Jason
Scales nursing a knee injury and Josh
Johnson a true freshman.
What will happen: It'll be a
battle for three quarters, but the Iowa
State offense has too much experience
(with ten starters returning) to not be
far sharper than Toledo out of the gate.
CFN Prediction:
Iowa
State 38 ... Toledo 24
... Line: Iowa State -7.5
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Pants Off, Dance Off) ...
3
Final Score:
North Texas
at
Texas
12 pm EST
Saturday, September 2nd
Why to watch:
The defending national champions take
the field for a light scrimmage before
the showdown with Ohio State next week.
All eyes will be on Texas in game one of
the post-Vince Young era, and panic
sirens will go off if this isn't a
big-time blowout by midway through the
second quarter. North Texas is coming
off a horrendous 2-9 season and will
have to wait a little longer before
trying to turn things around. Obviously
the Mean Green doesn't have a shot at
winning, but SMU will look like it's
going half speed next week after seeing
a team as good as UT. If UNT can do
anything with some success, it'll carry
over in a big way.
Why North Texas might win:
Jamario Thomas will regain his 2004 form
and tear off over 200 yards helping the
Mean Green control the clock and tempo
while the veteran defense will confuse
and confound new Texas quarterback Colt
McCoy and Jevan Sneed and ... and then
the off-ramp comes up to exit
fantasyland. UNT will be trying well
into the fourth quarter once the Texas
second and third stringers are getting
playing time, so there's a chance for a
few late scores to make things look
cosmetically better. There's enough
experience on both sides of the ball to
avoid a total disaster for a few drives,
however ...
Why Texas might win:
... the Texas second and third stringers
are good enough to beat North Texas
54-3. The Mean Green offense did
absolutely squat last season against any
defense with a pulse, and things don't
look to be appreciably better right
away. The UNT quarterback situation is
still unsettled and there isn't nearly
enough overall firepower, especially
with wide receiver Johnny Quinn
returning from surgery on his hand, to
hope for more than a few oh-by-the-way
points.
Who to watch: Everyone will be
focusing on the quarterbacks. North
Texas is looking for some consistency
under center and is almost certain to
play both Woody Wilson and Matt Phillips
after 2005 starter Daniel Meager
suffered problems from a concussion late
in fall practice. Wilson, a JUCO
transfer, is the one to watch. The Texas
situation is a bit more settled with
Colt McCoy getting the starting nod, but
freshman Jevan Snead will get plenty of
meaningful work. These two don't have to
be Vince, but they have to prove they
can get the offense moving.
What will happen: You don't think
Texas is a wee bit miffed over being
passed over by Ohio State and Notre Dame
in the first round of rankings? You
don't think Texas is a wee bit tired
about hearing how it was all Vince Young
last year? Expect a bit of an early
statement.
CFN Prediction:
Texas 54 ... North Texas
6
... Line: Texas -41
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Pants Off, Dance Off) ...
1.5
Final Score:
Montana
State
at
Colorado
3:30 pm
September 2, 2006
Why to Watch: The Dan
Hawkins era kicks off in in Boulder in
what's expected to be a bit of a
transitional year. Despite coming off a
Big 12 North title-winning season,
Colorado is most remembered for the ugly
end of the year with four straight
losses lowlighted by a 70-3 loss in the
conference title game against Texas.
With the always nasty showdown with
Colorado State coming up, this has to be
the game that all the demons become
quickly exorcised. While this is Montana
State and not the great Montana D-IAA
program, the Bobcats are still a solid
team coming off a 7-4 season.
Why Montana State Might Win:
The Bobcat offense got better and better
as summer practices went on and appears
to be peaking at just the right time.
While there isn't enough firepower to
pull off the upset, there are some good
playmakers who could come up with some
big plays to keep the chains moving and
the score from getting out of hand. On
the flip side, the CU offense is still a
work in progress and might not be fully
up to speed the was Hawkins might want
it to be.
Why Colorado Might Win:
Defense. Lost in meltdown at the end of
last year was a great performance by the
Buffs throughout most of the season. The
back seven should be a strength early on
with enough experienced playmakers to
take the MSU offense and make it look
like the beginning of spring ball again.
If CU can get up by two touchdowns
early, this could get ugly with MSU
almost certain to press with its passing
game meaning some big mistakes will
follow.
Who to Watch: Can MSU QB
Cory Carpenter handle the pressure? He's
rock-solid when he has time, but he was
off when there was a steady pass rush in
practices. For Colorado, James Cox gets
the starting nod at quarterback after
some uneventful appearances over the
last few years. He has to settle down
and not try to make every play a big
one. The more he can make the quick
reads and the easy plays, the faster the
passing game will take off.
What Will Happen: Expect CU
to come out with a bit of a chip on its
shoulder. MSU is good enough to keep
this from being a total embarrassment,
but it'll be over by halftime.
CFN Prediction:
Colorado 45 ... Montana State 14 ...
Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Pants Off, Dance Off) ...
1
Final Score:
Louisiana
Tech
at
Nebraska
3:30 pm
September 2, 2006
Why to Watch:
Husker faithful haven’t
been as excited about the opening of a
season since, well, the days of former
head coach Frank Solich and the option
and before anything called a spread made
its way to middle America. Well, the
option isn’t going to be part of this
Husker offense, but QB Zac Taylor will
be with the pressure of having to carry
the attack to an expected Big 12 North
title. The last time Louisiana Tech
came to town, WR Troy Edwards caught
more balls in one game, 21 for 405
yards, in a 56-27 loss. The Bulldog
receivers likely won’t combine for that
output this year, but this is a good WAC
program used to playing on the road.
Why Louisiana Tech Might Win: The
Tech defense returns only two starters
from last year, but one of them is
talented FS Dez Abrams. His experience
and leadership might be enough to get
the right guys in the right spots
against the Nebraska passing game, while
the front seven is decent enough to keep
the Husker ground attack from doing
anything more than it was able to last
season.
Why Nebraska Might Win:
Mark it down. Nebraska DE Adam Carriker
will be a finalist for the Lombardi
Award, be a first team All-American and
be a top fifteen draft pick in April.
At 6-6 and 294 pounds, Carriker is
similar in size to last year’s first
round pick Mario Williams with a bit
more polish and a faster moving motor.
The Husker defensive line will dominate
making it impossible for the Tech
backfield to get on track.
Who to Watch: If Nebraska TE
Matt Herian plays like he did before
injuring his leg a few years ago, there
might not be any stopping the passing
game. Part receiver, part tight end and
full force offensive threat, Herian
should be a pass catching demon in 2006
seeing plenty of single coverage with
attention needing to be paid to the
other targets. Louisiana Tech WRs
Johnathan Holland and Eric Newman could
put some pressure on the Nebraska
corners, but it might be for naught if
QB Zac Champion can’t get the ball off.
What Will Happen: Taylor will
spread the ball around to his plethora
of pass catchers, but the key will be
what the running game does on Saturday.
The closer to balanced that this offense
gets, the scarier it will be when it
goes off to face USC n two weeks.
Champion will be visited by Carriker
throughout the game and the Tech offense
won’t be able to move the ball on the
run against this tough, stout defense.
CFN Prediction:
Nebraska 38 ... Louisiana Tech 13
... Line: Nebraska -20.5
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Pants Off, Dance Off) ...
2.5
Final Score:
Murray State
at
Missouri
7 pm
September 2, 2006
Why to Watch: And who says
there's no preseason in college
football? Missouri gets a chance to
stretch its legs against a Murray State
team that went 2-9 last year and showed
no defense whatsoever. The Racers have
gone 10-24 in the three seasons under
head coach Matt Griffin, but he has a
better team coming into this season.
That doesn't mean this won't be a chance
to see all the Mizzou backups.
Why Murray State Might Win:
Missouri has to implode to keep this
from being a four -plus touchdown win.
The Racers have a little bit of size on
the offensive line and has a couple of
decent offensive pieces in senior RB
Chad Cook and junior QB Ryne Salyer to
put a little bit of pressure on the
Tigers for a half.
Why Missouri Might Win: The Tiger
offensive line will steamroll over the
Racer front four. MSU's D line averages
around 235 pounds per man on the two
deep with only one player over 280.
Consider it a major upset of the
Missouri running game doesn't crank out
at least 300 yards. MSU allowed 221 per
game last year. On the other side of the
ball, the Tiger defensive line will have
a field day with the backups good enough
to dominate the MSU line.
Who to Watch: It's the
first game after Brad Smith for the
Tiger offense, but there might not be a
drop-off in overall production if he can
utilize all his weapons. He has a little
bit of mobility and is as tough as
nails, but he has to try not to go for
the big play on every play and has to
make sure that he spreads the ball
around like he did when he came off the
bench.
What Will Happen: Tiger fans had
better be in their seats right after
kickoff or they might miss the
meaningful part of the game.
CFN Prediction:
Missouri 54 ... Murray State 3
... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Pants Off, Dance Off) ...
1
Final Score:
Missouri
State
at
Oklahoma State
7 pm
September 2, 2006
Why to Watch: Just when you
thought the Oklahoma State
non-conference schedule couldn't get any
softer after playing Montana State,
Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State last
year, here comes a Missouri State team
that went 4-6 in 2005. Even so, OSU
struggled way too much in those cupcake
games last year and might still be
trying to figure out how the Mike Gundy
offense works. These two met in 2003
with the Cowboys winning a 42-3
squeaker.
Why Missouri State Might Win: Can
the OSU spread offense finally get
rolling? It struggled throughout last
year to find any sort of consistency,
and if it starts to sputter and cough
early on, the best defense against the
Cowboys might be the Cowboys themselves.
While there's plenty of returning
experience, this is still an extremely
young OSU team with only ten seniors
listed on the depth chart.
Why Oklahoma State Might Win: The
MSU run defense doesn't appear to be
appreciably better than last year when
it allowed 212 yards per game and gave
up 432 yards of total offense. Even if
the Cowboy passing game breaks down,
Mike Hamilton and the rest of the strong
running back corps should be able to
take over behind a solid offensive line.
Corey Hilliard and the interior of the
OSU line will open up mile-wide holes.
Who to Watch: As star recruit a
few years ago, OSU QB Bobby Reid has yet
to stay healthy and hasn't shown the
slightest bit of consistency when he has
gotten his chance. The talent is
undeniable, but he has to put it all
together and prove he can keep the
offense moving. Razor sharp in late
summer practices, he appears to have a
better grasp of the offense and is
better at taking what the defense gives
him. Now he has to show he can do it in
live action.
What Will Happen: Reid will be
fantastic showing great mobility and an
accurate arm. Missouri State won't hold
up against the OSU ground game and will
get pounded on for close to 400 yards.
CFN Prediction:
Oklahoma State 38 ... Murray State 17..
... Line:
No Line
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Pants Off, Dance Off) ...
1
Final Score:
Big
12 Week One Fearless Predictions