2009 CFN Big 12 Preview
CFN
Team Capsules & Picks
North
- Colorado |
Iowa
State |
Kansas |
Kansas State |
Missouri |
Nebraska
South
- Baylor |
Oklahoma |
Oklahoma State |
Texas |
Texas A&M |
Texas Tech
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2009
CFN Big 12 Preview
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2009
CFN All-Big 12 Team & Top 30 Players
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2009
CFN Big 12 Team Capsules
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2009
Big 12 Schedules & CFN Picks
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2009
Big 12 Unit Rankings
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2008
CFN Big 12 Preview
CFN 2009 Big 12 Championship Prediction:
Oklahoma over Missouri
North
1. Missouri |
Offense
| Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 10-2
Conf. Record: 7-1
Best Offensive Player: RB Derrick
Washington, Jr.
Best Defensive Player: LB Sean
Weatherspoon,, Sr.
Offense: It
might seem like new offensive coordinator David Yost was handed an empty bag
with the loss of Chase Daniel, receivers Jeremy Maclin and Tommy Saunders, and
Mackey Award tight end Chase Coffman. As tough as it might be to lose the stars,
the passing game has the potential to be more dangerous, in time, with new
quarterback Blaine Gabbert having a far better deep arm than Daniel to push the
ball deeper. Derrick Washington and De'Vion Moore are special backs who should
be fantastic behind one of the Big 12's best lines Three starters return up
front, and one of the new ones, tackle Dan Hoch, could turn out to be the best
of the lot. The receiving corps needs to get healthy, but there's plenty of
speed, size, and upside. No, the O isn't going to finish fourth in the nation,
sixth in scoring and eighth in yards, but it's going to be awfully good.
Defense: After a rough year, allowing
412 yards per game, with most of them coming through the air, the defense has to
hope that all the good athleticism and speed recruited over the last few years
will pay off with big season. Only four starters return, but the cupboard is
hardly bare with Sean Weatherspoon one of the nation's best linebackers to work
around, and tackle Jaron Baston a good leader who should dominate at times. The
secondary did a whole bunch of nothing last season, so replacing three starters
isn't that big a deal. There is an upgrade at corner with Kevin Rutland
appearing to be ready to become fantastic, while Kenji Jackson could turn out to
have a better free safety than the much-heralded William Moore did. The
line has to find pass rushers, but there are plenty of good options to choose
from with Aldon Smith, Brian Coulter, and Jacquies Smith all appearing to be
ready to shine.
T2. Kansas |
Offense
| Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 9-3
Conf. Record: 5-3
Best Offensive Player: QB Todd
Reesing, Sr.
Best Defensive Player: SS Darrell
Stuckey, Sr.
Offense: The offense wasn’t as consistent, efficient, or as effective as it
was in 2008, but it still finished 21st in the nation averaging 432
yards per game thanks to Todd Reesing and a passing game that averaged 306 yards
per game. Reesing returns and should put up even better numbers than last year
when he set school records in completion percentage (67%) and yards 3,888 yards
thanks to his receivers. Dezmon Briscoe is becoming a special talent while Kerry
Meier is a NFL caliber H-Back who’ll catch 90 passes. The problem is the O line
that struggled last year and now has to replace the interior. The tackles will
be fine, but there has to be a push for the running game and better overall pass
protection. It’ll be running back by committee with Jake Sharp getting the first
look, but with Jocques Crawford looking to be the main man early on.
Defense: The defense got picked clean
by the good offenses, and was fine against the mediocre ones. Unfortunately, KU
had to take the best shots from all the top Big 12 offenses and struggled
against the pass. Even so, compared to the rest of the league, the D wasn’t all
that bad. Now the defense will have promise up front, issues at linebacker, and
good potential in the secondary. Darrell Stuckey is an all-star safety to build
around and Daymond Patterson is a good-looking young corner, but there will be a
battle for the other two spots. Jake Lapted is an elite pass rusher who’ll need
the rest of the line to take some of the heat off by getting into the backfield.
At the very least the defensive front, led by Caleb Blakesley, should be good
against the run. And then there’s the linebacking corps that loses 288 tackles
of production with James Holt, Joe Mortensen, and Mike Rivera gone. There’s
excellent athleticism and quickness stepping in, but there’s nowhere near the
size of last year’s trio.
T2. Nebraska |
Offense
| Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 8-4
Conf. Record: 5-3
Best Offensive Player: TE Mike
McNeill, Jr.
Best Defensive Player: DT Ndamukong
Suh, Sr.
Offense: The
offense finished 15th in the country with a good group of players, but there
weren't many superstars and they are replaceable. At least that's the hope for
the Huskers. The line will undergo some shuffling, but there's plenty of talent
and plenty of versatile blockers to create a decent front that should be solid
after a few games of work. Zac Lee appears to be a more than capable of
replacing Joe Ganz and be a quarterback to work around for the next few years,
but he needs receivers. The one big problem area is the loss of Nate Swift and
Todd Peterson, who combined for 125 of the team's catches, but Lee will have a
tremendous group of tight ends to throw to, led by Mike McNeill. Roy Helu and
Quentin Castille form a nice 1-2 rushing punch that should be serviceable. There
might not be a slew of All-Big 12 performers across the board, but the numbers
should be impressive once again.
Defense: The defense improved by
leaps and bounds allowing 350 yards per game, after giving up 477 yards per game
in 2007, and was far, far more physical and far better. It wasn't a brick wall
of a defense thanks to playing in the Big 12, but it was good enough to finish
second in the league and now should be even better. The line is the strength by
far with tackle Ndamukong Suh and end Pierre Allen sure to be on All-Big 12
teams. The veteran linebackers are mediocre, but there's young talent waiting to
play big roles and upgrade the corps. The secondary will get plenty of help from
a line that should hit quarterbacks early and often, and now there needs to be
more production. The corners have to come up with more big plays while the
safeties have to do more than just tackle. The Pelini brothers, head coach Bo
and defensive coordinator Carl, will have this group flying around and being
disruptive again, and their D will only keep getting better.
4. Colorado |
Offense
| Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 7-5
Conf. Record: 4-4
Best Offensive Player: RB Darrell
Scott, Soph.
Best Defensive Player: CB Jimmy
Smith, Jr.
Offense: There was a fun offensive party going on in the Big 12 last season and Colorado
didn't get the invite. While it was generally acknowledged that the O needed a
year of seasoning, finishing last in the league in total offense and scoring
offense still stunk. Worst of all, the Buffs were last in passing efficiency.
There won't be too much of an improvement in the passing game unless a slew of
new recruits can shine right away, but QB Cody Hawkins is a promising veteran
who should be more consistent. The running game should be far better with an
improved, deep line that should pound away for, arguably, the Big 12's best
stable of backs. Darrell Scott appears to be ready to be the superstar everyone
was hoping he'd be as the team's top recruit last year, while Rodney Stewart,
Demetrius Sumler, and Brian Lockridge can all carry the load. For the passing
game to improve, the line has to be far better keeping the quarterbacks upright
and the receivers have to be far more explosive.
Defense: There will be plenty of switching around in styles as the season goes on with
the D starting out running a 4-3 but likely playing mostly a 3-4. The strength
of the defense is at linebacker with six good options to go along with a
nice-looking secondary. The Buffs gave up 215 passing yards per game, but that
was good enough to finish first in the Big 12. The line has potential with
Marquez Herrod a strong pass-rushing option, but the tackles aren't big and will
need to be a part of a constant rotation. Overall, the defense won't be bad by
any stretch, the back seven, or eight, will make sure of that. However, this
isn't a big-play group and it'll have problems with its consistency.
5. Kansas State |
Offense
| Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 5-7
Conf. Record: 2-6
Best Offensive Player: WR Brandon
Banks, Sr.
Best Defensive Player: CB
Josh Moore, Jr.
Offense: It might not be the old days
of Michael Bishop or Darren Sproles and Ell Roberson, but Kansas State will be
looking to throw less and run more. The pieces might not be there to do exactly
what Bill Snyder would like, but the old coaching staff left a ton of very fast
receivers, quick running backs, and a not-that-bad line. The problem is the
departure of Josh Freeman, who left early to make millions in the NFL. The
offense relied on his talents a bit too much, and now it'll be up to Carson
Coffman to hold down the starting quarterback job and be a steadying force.
There are big bombers waiting in the wings, and JUCO transfer Daniel Thomas to
run like Snyder would like, but Coffman will get the early call ... maybe. The
depth chart is written in pencil with lots of tinkering to be done on the line
and with the starting spots in the backfield up for grabs.
Defense: The switch to the 3-4
alignment didn't work, and the addition of a bazillion JUCO transfers didn't
help. Co-defensive coordinators Vic Koenning and Chris Cosh will switch things
up to a 4-2-5 alignment to combat the spread and the high-octane Big 12 passing
attacks. There are some positive stars to get excited about like Brandon Harold
at one end and Virginia transfer at tackle, while Josh Moore is one of the best
tackling, best all-around corners in the Big 12. However, the run defense was
lousy last year and needs far more production out of the linebackers, who put up
stats but didn't do enough to make big plays. The secondary has lots of live
bodies, but there will be an open casting call for defenders to play next to
Moore and Tysyn Hartman.
6. Iowa
State |
Offense
| Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 3-9
Conf. Record: 0-8
Best Offensive Player: QB Austen Arnaud, Jr.
Best Defensive Player: CB Leonard Johnson, Soph.
Offense: New offensive coordinator Tom Herman will bring in the spread attack that helped
make Rice an offensive juggernaut over the last few years. That means the tight
ends should shine, and there are two good ones in Collin Franklin and Derrick
Catlett, and it means the quarterbacks will do some bombing away. Austen Arnaud
is a promising passer, who got better as last year went on, but speedy Jerome
Tiller will get his chances. The receiving corps returns everyone of note but R.
J. Sumrall, who led the team last year, while the running backs are better with
Florida transfer Bo Williams and Jeremiah Schwartz bringing more power to the
equation. And then there's the line. It's full of veterans and there are several
options to play around with, but going from a man to a zone blocking scheme is
going to take a little while. Staying healthy up front, something that didn't
happen last year, will be the key.
Defense: Last year's
defense took its lumps in a big way throwing several young players to the
wolves. On the plus side, this is now a veteran group with good depth all across
the board and with the potential to do far more index the new coaching staff.
Step one for the nation's 112th ranked defense is to find some semblance of a
pass rush. There might not be a ton of talent on the front seven, but there will
be more shooting of the gaps and lots more aggressiveness across the board. The
secondary might be the team's most talented area, and after getting bombed on
last season, it should be better now that there should be more help from the
front four.
South
T1. Oklahoma |
Offense
| Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 11-1
Conf. Record: 7-1
Best Offensive Player: QB Sam Bradford, Jr.
Best Defensive Player: DT Gerald McCoy, Jr.
Offense: The numbers were too good to
be for real. Once the machine started to roll, it was unstoppable with four
games with 600 yards or more of total offense, ten games with 500 or more, and
five straight games with 60 points or more to close out the regular season. Lost
in the national title loss to Florida, and the loss to Texas, was that the
offense moved the ball well and the attack actually worked. There's not going to
be a whole bunch of tinkering to the formula in Kevin Wilson's attack with
Heisman winner Sam Bradford returning as the triggerman and with speed and
talent to burn both in the backfield and the receiving corps. The return of
tight end Jermaine Gresham gives Bradford a go-to guy, while the receivers will
be more than fine with Ryan Broyles leading the way and with the expected
emergence of Adron Tennell. The rushing tandem of Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray
is among the best in the country, and they'll have a big line to work behind.
Trent Williams is the only starter up front, but the line has decent potential.
No, the numbers might not be as strong as they were last year, mainly because
the line won't be as strong, but this should still be a statistical juggernaut.
Defense: The defense will never get
the spotlight like the high-octane offense, but there are areas that are just as
strong as anything on the other side of the ball. The defensive line might be
the strength of the team with too many great pass rushers to get on the field at
the same time, and they're all going to work around tackle Gerald McCoy, who
could start in the NFL right now. With the return of Ryan Reynolds in the
middle, the linebacking corps is loaded helped by Travis Lewis, who made 144
tackles, and Keenan Clayton on the outside. The secondary isn't going to be a
rock, but it'll get a ton of help from one of the nation's best pass rushes and
has great potential with corners Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson good ones to
rely on. The depth is lacking in the back seven, but there are great athletes
across the board. On the flip side, the line is loaded with a second team good
enough to start almost anywhere else.
T1. Oklahoma State |
Offense
| Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 10-2
Conf. Record: 7-1
Best Offensive Player: WR Dez Bryant, Jr.
Best Defensive Player: FB Andre Sexton, Sr.
Offense: After
finishing seventh in the nation in total offense two years ago, the OSU
offensive machine was even better finishing sixth in the country averaging 488
yards and 41 points per game. Possibly the nation's most balanced and efficient
attack, there are four superstars to build around in QB Zac Robinson, WR Dez
Bryant, OT Russell Okung, and RB Kendall Hunter, with Bryant and Hunter likely
to be among the top ten players taken in the 2010 NFL Draft. There's a little
work to be done on a line that was dominant throughout last year, but there are
good options at guard. A No. 2 receiver has to emerge and the dream season would
likely go kaput if Robinson got hurt, but there's depth across the board and the
talent is in place for the offense to be even more special.
Defense: With defensive
coordinator taking off to take over the Toledo job, it'll be up to Bill Young to
take all the athleticism and all the potential and improve on the situation. The
first step is to generate some sort of a pass rush, especially from the ends,
and while there are some good options to work with, it remains to be seen if
there's any one play for quarterbacks to worry about. The linebackers will be
the strength of the defense by far with starters Andre Sexton, Orie Lemon, and
Patrick Lavine forming a sure-tackling trio that should be able to do more if
the line is a bit better. The secondary can hit but coverage is a problem. The
return of safety Lucien Antoine from a knee injury will be a plus, but the
corners have to be more consistent.
3. Texas |
Offense
| Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 9-3
Conf. Record: 5-3
Best Offensive Player: QB Colt McCoy, Sr.
Best Defensive Player: DE/LB Sergio Kindle, Sr.
Offense: The offense wasn’t very
flashy, and the running production wasn’t always there, but the attack was
ruthlessly efficient and very, very productive finishing ninth in the nation in
yards and fifth in offense. The Longhorns only scored fewer than 30 points
twice, against Oklahoma State and Ohio State. Colt McCoy returns after a
tremendous season; he should be able to make everyone around him better. That’s
not to say there isn’t talent all across the board, but the key is the
all-around depth and steadiness. The line returns four starters, and now it
needs to do more for an underwhelming corps of running backs that didn’t do
enough. The receiving corps has the potential to be fantastic with Jordan
Shipley back to be the steady leader of a fantastic group of young targets. And
then there’s McCoy. The Heisman finalist did a little of everything for the
offense last year, and now he has a more experienced, more talented group around
him.
Defense: With defensive coordinator
Will Muschamp sticking around and secured for the future, signed up to take over
for Mack Brown as the head coach in the succession plan, the defense should
continue to be fantastic after finishing third in the nation against the run,
first in sacks, and fifth in scoring D. However, there are a few issues. The
defensive tackles are a bit questionable, even with Lamarr Houston moving to the
nose, and the secondary doesn’t make enough big plays. However, the production
will be there thanks to the aggressive scheme, a great pass rush, and tremendous
athleticism and speed all across the board. The lighter schedule will help the
overall stats, and it’ll give the defense time to fill in the holes and figure
out the right fits for the right spots. Is Sergio Kindle really going to take
over for Brian Orakpo on the end, or is he going to spend most of his time back
at linebacker? Who will emerge as the starters at corner in a four-man race for
two positions? Most teams could only dream about having the “problems” Texas is
facing.
4.
Texas Tech |
Offense
| Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 7-5
Conf. Record: 3-5
Best Offensive Player: QB Taylor Potts, Jr.
Best Defensive Player: LB Brian Duncan, Jr.
Offense: There will be the inevitable
drop-off after losing a quarterback the caliber of Graham Harrell and an
all-timer of a receiver in Michael Crabtree, but Tech will still have one of the
nation's top passing offenses, it'll still put up a bazillion points, and it'll
still be good enough to rise up and beat anyone on a given day. Taylor Potts is
a more talented quarterback than Harrell with a bigger arm and better pro
upside, but he has to be far, far better than he was this offseason. Head coach
Mike Leach praised Potts throughout spring ball, but the consistency wasn't
always there. The receiving corps will be more than fine despite the loss of
Crabtree, and the backfield is loaded, by Texas Tech rushing standards, with
three very quick, very good backs in Baron Batch, Harrison Jeffers, and Aaron
Crawford. There will be question marks on the line with several new starters in
the mix, but it's a big line that should be solid with a little bit of time. It
won't be as good as last year's line, but it'll be fine.
Defense: It's all relative. The
overall defensive numbers might have stunk, but no one in the Big 12 could play
any defense and opposing offenses had to up their firepower and their overall
game in a desperate attempt to keep up with the Red Raider offense. This year's
defense won't fall off the map, but it won't be as good hurt mostly by the
problems on the end. McKinner Dixon is out of the mix because he didn't get to
class, while Brandon Williams took off early for the NFL. The line will struggle
against the run and could have problems generating a steady pass rush, but the
linebacking corps should help pick up the slack with a great trio in Brian
Duncan, Marlon Williams, and Bront Bird to work around. Safety is a big problem
after losing Darcel McBath and Daniel Charbonnet, but this is a lightning fast
secondary with Jamar Wall leading a promising group of corners.
5. Texas A&M |
Offense
|
Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 5-7
Conf. Record: 2-6
Best Offensive Player: WR Jeff Fuller, Soph.
Best Defensive Player: DE Von Miller, Jr.
Offense: The passing game bombed away
because it had to, but last year might have been a positive step forward to get
the passing game on track sooner. It was trial by fire, and QB Jerrod Johnson
wasn't bad thanks to the emergence of first-year stars Ryan Tannehill and Jeff
Fuller. Tannehill will push for the starting quarterback job, he's that good,
but could end up back at receiver, while Fuller has the talent to be every bit
as good as the rest of the star Big 12 wideouts. The running backs are quick and
talented, helped by the addition of superstar recruit, Christine Michael. But it
all comes down to the line that was arguably the worst among the BCS teams,
needs to get healthy in a hurry and needs to find the right combination.
Defense: Defensive coordinator Joe Kines wanted to generate more pressure, come up with
more sacks, and create a more aggressive defense. However, with no talent to
work with, the Aggie defense was awful, even by Big 12 standards, finishing last
in the league in scoring D, allowing 37.4 points per game, and 114th in the
nation in total defense. The big problem was a line that did absolutely nothing,
but that should change with the move of linebacker Von Miller to a hybrid end
position called the Jack. The line needs the backup tackles to shine to provide
a bit of beef to a front four that was shoved around all over the place. The
linebackers are suspect and need several true freshmen to play key roles, but
the secondary will help the cause with safeties Jordan Pugh and Trent Hunter
strong enough to clean up a lot of messes.
6. Baylor |
Offense
| Defense |
Depth
Chart
Predicted Record: 4-8
Conf. Record: 1-7
Best Offensive Player: QB Robert Griffin, Soph.
Best Defensive Player: LB Joe Pawelek, Sr.
Offense: Robert Griffin, Robert Griffin, Robert Griffin. Not since Michael Vick took Virginia Tech from good to special has one player completely changed a program around. Griffin, one of the fastest players to ever play quarterback, will get to throw more, will still run, and will still be the smart leader who’ll be the focal point of the offense. He has a ton of speed and athleticism around him with Kendall Wright leading a fast, experienced receiving corps and Jay Finley a good back who averaged 5.8 yards per carry. The line will be fine, but it will hardly be special after losing tackles Jason Smith and Dan Gay. With Griffin a year older, and smart enough to handle anything thrown his way, the offense will open it up a bit more with more emphasis on the passing game to go along with the speedy running attack. Griffin will make more mistakes and he’ll throw more picks, after throwing three last year, but he’ll also come up with more big passing plays.
Defense: The change to the 4-3 alignment from the 4-2-5 proved
to be a major positive, even if it didn’t seem that way on the stat sheet.
Considering how good the Big 12 offenses were last year, especially in the
South, finishing seventh in the league against the run and sixth against the
pass, even if the Bears were 103rd in the
nation in pass defense, showed how much things really did change. This year
there should be an even bigger jump in production with nine starters returning
including two of the Big 12’s best defensive players in LB Joe Pawelek and FS
Jordan Lake. Throw in the addition of Penn State transfer Phil Taylor at tackle
and the Bears are rock-solid up the middle. Even though there are some major
positives, especially at linebacker, there are some big holes and huge concerns.
There needs to be more of a pass rush and more plays in the backfield, and the
cornerback play has to be far more consistent. However, even with the issues,
the defense should be better than it’s been in years.
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2009
CFN Big 12 Preview
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2009
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2009
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2008
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