2008 Big 12 Football Preview

The Sooners have been the Big 12's best team for much of the past decade, and yet they enter the 2008 season as somewhat of an afterthought. Which is curious, since they seem destined to win the league yet again and possibly challenge for the national title. Quarterback Sam Bradford doesn’t get the press that Missouri’s Chase Daniel does, but he might end up being just as good. Tailback DeMarco Murray, meanwhile, has a chance to become an All-American if he can just stay healthy. The defense may be young, but they’re certainly talented. If the Sooners can hang tough early, all of that talent should pay dividends by November. Another BCS bowl seems likely for coach Bob Stoops. Maybe he can win this one.

Prediction: 11-1 (1st, Big 12 South)

Tailback Tony Temple is gone. So is tight end Martin Rucker. But Missouri returns quarterback Chase Daniel, maybe the nation's best passer, and a slew of dangerous weapons on the flank, including the spectacular Jeremy Maclin. Tight end Chase Coffman won’t be as good as Rucker, but he'll be good enough, and the offensive line should be strong again, too. Without question, Missouri is going to score. Whether or not the defense will be good enough to challenge Oklahoma, however, isn't clear. The linebacking corps is a bit thin and the rest of the defense is merely good, not great. Another 10-win season looks doable. But a Big 12 championship? Might be a stretch.

Prediction: 10-2 (1st, Big 12 North)

It’s worth noting that Texas, though a media darling, hasn’t done a whole lot since Vince Young left town. Which is more than a little surprising, given how consistently well coach Mack Brown performs on the recruiting trail. Once again in 2008, there is talent all over this roster—quarterback Colt McCoy, some forget, was once considered a Heisman candidate—and the only question is whether Brown will put it to use. Texas fans are getting tired of the Holiday Bowl. It would be interesting to see what might happen in Austin if the 'Horns were to put together an 8-4 kind of season (not entirely out of the question). Fortunately for Brown, I don't see that happening.

Prediction: 9-3 (2nd, South)

Can Texas Tech finally get over the hump? According to many so-called experts, the answer is yes. Certainly, there are no worries on offense this season, where Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree comprise the most feared quarterback-wide receiver tandem in the country. Crabtree is likely to get serious Heisman consideration and he deserves it: The kid is phenomenal, and very likely the best wideout in the country. The defense, meanwhile, might be the Red Raiders’ best unit in years, and it will have to be just that if this team is going to overcome Oklahoma in the Big 12 South. It might happen. Many expect it to happen. I don’t.

Prediction 9-3 (3rd, South)

Todd Reesing is to Kansas what Chase Daniel is to Missouri—the leader, the quarterback, the guy who makes everything work. Unfortunately for Reesing, he doesn’t have the same kind of weapons coming back that Daniel does, and so the Jayhawks shouldn't expect to challenge Mizzou for the Big 12 North title. Which is not to say coach Mark Mangino's squad won't be any good. There's still plenty of talent here, especially on defense, where linebacker Joe Mortensen leads a group of nine returning starters. This group will keep Kansas in most every game on the schedule. But whether the Jayhawks win 10 games or just eight will depend on the offense—and, more specifically, Reesing.

Prediction: 9-3 (2nd, North)

The maddening Oklahoma State Cowboys come into the 2008 campaign looking like a team that will be as maddening as ever. Quarterback Zac Robinson, tight end Brandon Pettigrew and wideout Dez Bryant are all talented and dangerous, and a strong offensive front should allow those guys the time and space to make plays. In short, this offense should score quite a bit. As for that defense? Well, there’s the problem. Coach Mike Gundy sought to bring in junior-college talent to fill some major holes, and while there’s speed all over the place here, this unit just might not have the experience to make big plays, and big stops, when it counts. The Cowboys could win eight games. Or they could lose eight.

Prediction: 7-5 (4th, South)

The Buffs are possibly the toughest team in the Big 12 to figure out in 2008. Colorado showed glimpses of both good and bad during a 6-6 campaign in 2007, and the 2008 team could either improve or, well, remain typically mediocre. Cody Hawkins is a good quarterback who gets lost amid all of the other big-name signal callers in the conference, and he might get some much-needed backfield help with the arrival of super-recruit Darrell Scott, the top prep tailback in the nation last year. Star linebacker Jordan Dizon is gone, though, and the defense may be cause for concern. There's a lack of star power here, especially along the defensive line.

Prediction: 7-5 (3rd, North)

The 2007 season was a nightmare that won’t soon be forgotten in Lincoln. But the Big Red Nation has reason to believe once again with the arrival of new coach Bo Pelini, who seems intent on making Nebraska what it once was: A program to be feared. Tailback Marlon Lucky, a classic Nebraska-style runner, will be the focus on offense, though quarterback Joe Ganz isn’t bad. As for the defense? Well, the unit probably won’t give up nearly 500 per game, as they did last year, but Nebraska fans shouldn’t expect this group to remind them of 1995. Give Pelini a couple years, though, and the famed Blackshirts might finally return.

Prediction: 6-6 (4th, North)

Kansas State coach Ron Prince’s junior-college experiment gets put to the test this year. If the gamble pays off, Prince is a genius. If it doesn’t, well, there’s always next year. Prince took the unprecedented step of recruiting 19 junior college players in his most recent class, with the intent of adding a quick infusion of talent to a squad that clearly lacked pizazz in 2007. Quarterback Josh Freeman has both skill and experience; the only question is whether any of those juco transfers are going to give him any help. On defense, defensive end Ian Campbell and corner Joshua Moore should be steadying influences for a unit that might improve slightly from last year, thanks in part, of course, to the jucos.

Prediction: 5-7 (5th, North)

In fullback Jorvorskie Lane, tailback Mike Goodson and quarterback Stephen McGee, the Aggies boast what may be the Big 12’s best offensive backfield. The line is good and the receivers are serviceable. The defense, however, might be every bit as miserable as the 2007 unit, which ranked among the worst in the nation in a couple key categories. The Aggies couldn’t get a stop when they needed one, and that cost them big. Look for more of the same in 2008. Lane, Goodson and McGee will give the Ags every opportunity to win. But there won’t be anything they can do about that defense. Unless they want to line up at linebacker, of course.

Prediction: 5-7 (5th, South)

Iowa State’s offense was bad in 2007. Now that quarterback Bret Meyer and wideout Todd Blythe have graduated, it doesn’t figure to get much better in 2008. Then again, there’s at least some hope for the Cyclones’ attack: Specifically, the offensive line returns all of its top contributors from last season and the running backs aren’t bad, either. So while the Cyclones won’t light anyone up, maybe, just maybe, they’ll be able to wear somebody down. There’s experience on defense, though not a whole lot of top-level talent. Iowa State isn’t a bad team. It’s just that, in a suddenly very tough Big 12 North, they aren’t quite good enough.

Prediction: 4-8 (6th, North)

In a Big 12 that has been turned upside down in recent years, Baylor remains, as always, in the basement. There seems to be some hope at quarterback, where former Miami backup Kirby Freeman and freshman Robert Griffin might push Blake Szymanski for playing time, but the receivers are a glaring weak spot. The defense was a disaster in 2007 and needs a complete overhaul. But until Baylor starts competing on the recruiting trail—and maybe trying the juco route like K-State—it doesn’t seem very likely that they’ll be able to compete on the field on Saturdays.

Prediction: 2-10 (6th, South)