North
Colorado
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Iowa St
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Kansas
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Kansas
State
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Missouri
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Nebraska
South
Baylor
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Oklahoma
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Oklahoma
St
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Texas
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Texas A&M
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Texas Tech
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2008 CFN All-Big
12 Team
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2008 CFN Preseason All-Big
12 Team
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2007 Big 12 Lookback/Recaps |
2008 Big 12 Lookaheads
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2008 Big 12 Lookbacks/Recaps
Baylor
CFN Preseason Prediction: 1-11 Final
Record: 4-8
Why to get excited: The four
biggest pieces of the puzzle are back in
Griffin, LB Joe Pawelek, FS Jordan Lake,
and RB Jay Finley. There are just enough
playmakers to count on against the
mediocre teams, and now, with experience
in several key spots, the team should be
ready to pull off a few wins it wasn’t
able to come up with last year.
Why to be grouchy: Part of the reason Baylor was able to look so good at times, and why
Griffin became such an instant success,
was the offensive line. Left tackle
might be a top ten pick in the 2009 NFL
Draft, while right tackle Dan Gay was
rock-solid. And then there’s the
schedule. Baylor isn’t leaving the Big
12 South with Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford,
Zac Robinson and Jerrod Johnson still to
deal with.
The number one thing to work on is:
Generating pressure into the backfield.
With so many great quarterbacks to deal
with, the Baylor defensive front has to
be far better when it comes to making
plays behind the line and coming up with
sacks. The secondary could be the team’s
strength, but it’s not good enough to
handle all the high-octane passing games
of the Big 12 without more help. Getting
more out of an abysmal punt return game
would also be a plus.
Biggest offensive loss:
OT Jason Smith
Biggest defensive loss: DT Vincent Rhodes
Best returning offensive player:
QB Robert Griffin, Soph.
Best returning defensive player:
LB Joe Pawelek, Sr.
Colorado
CFN Preseason Prediction: 6-6 Final
Record: 5-7
Why to get excited: The
desperately young offensive line gets
everyone back but the anchor, centre
Daniel Sanders. Pass protection was a
big problem for the group, and there
wasn’t much to count on from the running
game, but with experience should come
more production. Sanders and WR Patrick
Williams are the only two losses on
offense.
Why to be grouchy: Three-fourths of the line is gone off a defensive front that didn’t
exactly dominate. While there’s a ton of
experience coming back on offense, is
there any firepower? QB Cody Hawkins is
only a junior, but he has two years of
experience and hasn’t set the world on
fire. The schedule isn’t a plus with
trips to Texas, Oklahoma State and West
Virginia as part the six road games.
The number one thing to work on is:
Scoring. You can’t win in the Big 12 if
you don’t score, and Colorado’s defense
isn’t good enough to carry the day
against teams like Texas, Missouri,
Oklahoma State and Nebraska next year.
There will have to be times when the
Buffs win a firefight, and while the
potential is there for a good running
game, more is needed from the passing
attack.
Biggest offensive loss:
C Daniel Sanders
Biggest defensive loss: DT George Hypolite
Best returning offensive player:
QB Cody Hawkins, Jr.
Best returning defensive player:
CB Cha’Pelle Brown, Sr.
Iowa State
CFN Preseason Prediction: 6-6 Final
Record: 2-10
Why to get excited: Arnaud is a good
all-around playmaker, while RB Alexander
Robinson and WR Darius Darks are good
prospects. Seven starters return on
defense, while Leonard Johnson and Devin
McDowell are two good kick returners to
spark the special teams. As always, the
non-conference schedule is light and
breezy with North Dakota State, Kent
State and Army to go along with the
annual showdown against Army, while ISU
missed Texas and Oklahoma from the
South.
Why to be grouchy: The overall talent level still isn’t there to challenge the big boys in
the Big 12. Going on the road to play
Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri will all
but end any pie-in-the-sky dreams of
challenging for the North title. Leading
receiver, R.J. Sumrall, is gone along
with key defensive backs Chris Singleton
and Brandon Hunley need to be replaced.
The number one thing to work on is:
Finding one thing defensively the team
can do well. The one big issue against
the high-octane Big 12 offenses was the
inability to take anybody out of their
game plans. Rhoads will try to generate
a pass rush first and hope the secondary
can get a little bit of help. Too many
passing games were able to throw the
ball at will, and while that was a
problem for everyone in the Big 12, it
was a bigger issue for the Cyclones.
Biggest offensive loss:
WR R.J. Sumrall
Biggest defensive loss: DE Kurtis Taylor
Best returning offensive player:
OG Reggie Stephens, Sr.
Best returning defensive player:
FS James Smith, Sr.
Kansas
CFN Preseason Prediction: 9-3 Final Record: 8-5
Why to get excited: Eight starters, depending on the formation, are back on an offense that
finished eighth in passing. With Todd
Reesing back at the helm, and with most
of his key targets returning, the attack
should be even crisper. The entire
secondary returns.
Why to be grouchy: The fantastic
linebacking corps is gone. The strength
of the team, the linebackers were rocks
against the run and did a great job even
though the overall stats and points
allowed might not show it. And then
there’s the schedule. KU shouldn’t have
a problem for the first five weeks, and
then come five games away from Lawrence
in the final seven. The two home games?
Oklahoma, likely the best team in the
South, and Nebraska, likely the best
team in the North. Yeesh.
The number one thing to work on is:
Kickoff returns. The offense can move
the ball from everywhere, but for a team
that did everything right in 2007, and
for a coaching staff that emphasized
being able to do all the little things
right, getting more out of the kickoff
return team would be a start. KU was
second-to-last in 2008 averaging 17.54
yards per return.
Biggest offensive loss:
OG Adrian Mayes
Biggest defensive loss: LBs Joe Mortensen, Mike Rivera & James Holt
Best returning offensive player:
QB Todd Reesing, Sr.
Best returning defensive player:
SS Darrell Stuckey, Sr.
Kansas State
CFN Preseason Prediction: 7-5 Final
Record: 5-7
Why to get excited: Outside of the
loss of QB Josh Freeman, and a few
starters on the line, the offense
doesn’t take a huge hit. Most of the key
skill players are back, there’s speed to
burn at receiver, and there are several
interesting options at running back. If
the coaching staff is willing to get
creative, there’s a lot to work with.
Yeah, Oklahoma is on the schedule, but
it’s in Norman as one of three true Big
12 road games. There are enough home
dates to demand at least six wins.
Why to be grouchy: Freeman was
everything to the offense and he won’t
be instantly replaced. The defense has
to find someone to step up and replace
Ian Campbell at the end, while the
secondary could use more help to go
along with corner Joshua Moore. The four
true road games (the fifth is in Kansas
City against Iowa State) are against
UCLA, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
There will be little margin for error
with the rest of the slate considering
the road trips are all likely losses.
The number one thing to work on is:
The defensive line. Not only did the
defensive front struggle to get into the
backfield, but it also did next to
nothing against the run. Kansas State
allowed a whopping 218 rushing yards per
game, which is worse than it appears
considering the lack of top-end running
games in the Big 12. It was a trickle
down effect. There wasn’t much pressure
into the backfield, the secondary
struggled, and the linebackers had to
work to pick up the slack.
Biggest offensive loss: QB
Josh Freeman
Biggest defensive loss: DE Ian
Campbell
Best returning offensive player:
WR Brandon Banks, Sr.
Best returning defensive player:
CB Joshua Moore, Sr.
Missouri
CFN Preseason Prediction: 11-1 Final
Record: 9-4
Why to get excited: Most of the big
boys have to come to Columbia, or to a
neutral site. Oklahoma State should be a
power, so the trip to Stillwater should
be tough, but the other three road
games, Nevada, Colorado and Kansas
State, are more than manageable.
Illinois and Kansas are neutral site
games, while Nebraska and Texas are at
home. Three good starters return to the
offensive line to pave the way for
junior-to-be RB Derrick Washington.
Why to be grouchy: Everyone’s
gone … almost. The defensive front will
undergo a facelift, the secondary loses
three starters including all-star FS
William Moore, all the skill stars,
outside of RB Derrick Washington, have
to be replaced, and ultra-accurate PK
Jeff Wolfert is also gone. 2008 was
supposed to be the big year when the
team exploded, and now it’s time to
rebuild.
The number one thing to work on is:
Pass defense, pass defense, pass
defense. That’ll be hard to do with so
many new players, but there’s no way the
2009 Tigers can compete for the North
title without major improvements in the
secondary. When Iowa State is throwing
for 326 yards on you, and when teams
like Northwestern (304 yards, three
scores), and Illinois (451 yards and
five touchdowns) are lighting you up
like a Christmas tree, there are issues.
Biggest offensive loss:
QB Chase Daniel
Biggest defensive loss: FS William Moore
Best returning offensive player:
RB Derrick Washington, Jr.
Best returning defensive player:
LB Sean Weatherspoon, Sr.
Nebraska
CFN Preseason Prediction: 7-5 Final
Record: 9-4
Why to get excited: Most of the key
parts of the defensive back seven
return, led by SS Larry Asante, while
the schedule is as decent as could be
asked for. There might be a road trip to
Virginia Tech, but the rest of the
non-conference slate is relatively
breezy with home dates against three Sun
Belt teams, Florida Atlantic, Arkansas
State and UL Lafayette. In Big 12 play,
there are dates at Missouri and Kansas,
but the Tigers are rebuilding. Getting
Baylor from the South is a break, while
Oklahoma and Texas Tech have to come to
Lincoln.
Why to be grouchy: Joe Ganz was better than you think. The former Husker quarterback never
got any respect in a league full of
superstar quarterbacks, but he more than
held his own game after game even though
he never had the star receiver that
players like Chase Daniel, Colt McCoy,
Sam Bradford, or Graham Harrell might
have enjoyed. He’s gone, along receivers
Nate Swift and Todd Peterson, who might
not have been stars, but they weren’t
bad. Key defensive linemen Zach Potter
and Ty Steinkuhler are also gone.
The number one thing to work on is:
Turnover margin. The Huskers were 107th
in the nation, and last in the Big 12,
in turnover margin. While the 28
giveaways weren’t all that bad, while
the 17 takeaways weren’t nearly enough
for a Bo Pelini defense that lives on
its aggressiveness and swarming. Once
the forced mistakes start coming, the
results overall should be even better.
Biggest offensive loss:
QB Joe Ganz
Biggest defensive loss: DE Zach Potter
Best returning offensive player:
RB Roy Helu, Jr.
Best returning defensive player:
DT Ndamukong Suh, Sr.
Oklahoma
CFN Preseason Prediction: 10-2 Final
Record: 12-2
Why to get excited: QB Sam Bradford,
DT Gerald McCoy, OT Trent Williams and
TE Jermaine Gresham should all be
getting paid to play football (feel free
to insert your own snarky comment here)
instead of back at OU. Bradford, McCoy
and Gresham might have been the first
players taken in the 2009 NFL Draft at
their respective positions. Nine
starters return to a defense that was
far better than it ever got credit for.
Why to be grouchy: The offensive
line is all but starting from scratch.
Trent Williams will be on everyone’s
All-America list, and Oklahoma always
reloads, but you don’t get better by
losing Phil Loadholt, Duke Robinson, Jon
Cooper and Brandon Walker. The schedule
isn’t awful, but OU has to go on the
road to face an athletic Miami team that
should have a great defense, to Lincoln
to face Nebraska, who should be the best
team in the North, with Kansas and Texas
Tech the other two road games.
The number one thing to work on is:
The psyche. With three national title
losses and two Fiesta Bowl defeats in
the last six years, it’s hard not to
think that the program doesn’t have
it when it comes to figuring out the
bowl season. Throw into the mix that a
good segment of the population that
still thinks Texas was wronged after
winning the Red River showdown, and OU
has to prove it can finish the drill.
The talent is there, the confidence
hasn’t been a problem, but now the team
just has to do it.
Biggest offensive loss:
OT Phil Loadholt
Biggest defensive loss: SS Nic Harris
Best returning offensive player:
QB Sam Bradford, Jr.
Best returning defensive player:
DT Gerald McCoy, Jr.
Oklahoma
State
CFN Preseason Prediction: 7-5 Final
Record: 9-4
Why to get excited: Want to talk
about firepower? OSU finished sixth in
the nation in total offense, ninth in
scoring, eighth in rushing and fifth in
passing efficiency and it’ll get all the
key parts back except for TE Brandon
Pettigrew. QB Zac Robinson, WR Dez
Bryant, RB Kendall Hunter, RB Keith
Toston, and WRs Damian Davis and
DeMarcus Conner all return, while even
more help comes from the stunning return
of first-round talent Russell Okung at
tackle.
Why to be grouchy: The secondary
loses three starters from a group that
wasn’t exactly a brick wall to begin
with. Center David Washington was an
excellent quarterback up front and guard
Steve Denning was a good one. Punter
Matt Fodge was one of the best in
America and will be sorely missed. For
good or bad, depending on what kind of a
statement the team is looking to make,
the season starts out against Georgia.
The number one thing to work on is:
A pass rush. There was just enough
pressure generated throughout the season
to take quarterbacks out of their
comfort zones, but the team was last in
the Big 12 in sacks and the rest of the
defense suffered. With Colt McCoy, Sam
Bradford, and the Texas Tech passing
game to deal with, getting to the
quarterback will be vital.
Biggest offensive loss:
TE Brandon Pettigrew
Biggest defensive loss: CB Jacob
Lacey
Best returning offensive player:
WR Dez Bryant, Jr.
Best returning defensive player:
LB Andre Sexton, Sr.
Texas
CFN Preseason Prediction: 8-4 Final
Record: 12-1
Why to get excited: Four starters
are back on the offensive line, WR
Jordan Shipley got a sixth year of
eligibility, Fozzy Whittaker, Cody
Johnson and Vondrell McGee are returning
in the backfield, and five players in
the defensive back seven, led by LB
Sergio Kindle, are back. Oh yeah, and
the guy who finished second in the
Heisman voting returns, too. The
non-conference schedule is nice and
cushy.
Why to be grouchy: The defensive
line has to find four new starters, and
a new Brian Orakpo has to emerge to be
the pass rusher to build the front
around. There are always going to be
tough road games in the Big 12, but
Texas has a brutal stretch of the
Oklahoma game in Dallas followed up by a
road trip to Missouri followed up by a
trip to Oklahoma State. And then Texas
Tech comes to town. Even if the
Longhorns can get through all that
unscathed, they’ll still have to deal
with the regular-season ending date with
Texas A&M in College Station.
The number one thing to work on is:
Getting the running backs even more
involved. Colt McCoy being mobile is one
thing, but he’s not supposed to lead the
team in rushing. For good and bad he
takes a big beating, and while no one
questions his toughness, getting 136
carries, 48 more than the No. 2 back,
isn’t a positive. The running back by
committee approach worked, with four
backs combining for close to 1,300 yards
and 20 scores, and now they have to do
even more.
Biggest offensive loss:
OG Cedric Dockery
Biggest defensive loss: DE Brian Orakpo
Best returning offensive player:
QB Colt McCoy, Sr.
Best returning defensive player:
LB Sergio Kindle, Sr.
Texas A&M
CFN Preseason Prediction: 6-6 Final
Record: 4-8
Why to get excited: The experience
is there. Nine starters return to the
offense and six are back on defense. The
offense should be more potent with
Jerrod Johnson getting his trial by fire
last year. The receivers should be
solid and the running game can’t be any
worse even with Mike Goodson taking off
early for the NFL. The lines certainly can’t be
worse.
Why to be grouchy: The schedule
is potentially painful. October kicks
off with a neutral site date against an
improved Arkansas, while the Big 12
schedule gives A&M four road games in
five weeks including dates at Texas Tech
and Oklahoma. On the plus side, two of
the league’s best teams, Oklahoma State
and Texas, have to go to College
Station, but it’s asking a lot of a team
trying to improve to win both of those
games. If the Aggies don’t sweep at
home, they might not be going bowling.
The number one thing to work on is:
The offensive line. The defensive line
didn’t generate any pressure last year
and didn’t do anything against the run.
Obviously, that’s an issue, but the
offensive line was an even bigger
problem giving nothing for the running
backs to work with while getting the
quarterbacks killed. A&M needs to be
more physical on both sides.
Biggest offensive loss: OT
Travis Schneider
Biggest defensive loss: SS Alton Dixon
Best returning offensive player:
QB
Jerrod Johnson, Sr.
Best returning defensive player:
FS Trent Hunter, Soph
Texas
Tech
CFN Preseason Prediction: 11-1 Final
Record: 11-2
Why to get excited: Despite the loss
of star pass rusher Brandon Williams to
the NFL a year early, the defense comes
back relatively intact. It’s not going
to be a strong enough D to carry the
team through the South if the offense
isn’t humming, but it’ll come up with
some big games and will be a plus. It’s
Texas Tech, so the non-conference
schedule is relatively easy outside of
the trip to Houston.
Why to be grouchy: Not only do
the Red Raiders have to go to Nebraska,
the likely top team in the North, but
they have to travel to Texas and
Oklahoma State in back-to-back weeks
before hosting Oklahoma. Tech might be a
factory for great college passers and
strong receivers, but Graham Harrell was
special and Michael Crabtree was the
greatest receiver the program has ever
had by far. They’re not going to be
easily replaced.
The number one thing to work on is:
Finding the new starting quarterback.
While Taylor Potts appears to be the
next man up in the progression, Seth
Doege, who has had knee problems and
hasn’t played since his sophomore year
of high school, is an interesting option
who’ll be in the mix along with Stefan
Loucks. It usually takes a year for a
Texas Tech quarterback to figure things
out, but Mike Leach is going to demand
Graham Harrell-like production right
away..
Biggest offensive loss:
QB Graham Harrell
Biggest defensive loss: DE Brandon Williams
Best returning offensive player:
OT Marlon Winn, Sr.
Best returning defensive player:
CB Jamar Wall, Sr.
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