2010 Big 12 Football Predictions

June 9th, 2010 by Brian Kaldenberg Tags: big 12, ncaa football 11, predictions

It is easy to see who the top three teams in the conference are, but beyond that each team has some major holes. The Big 12 will again have big offenses, but it is the teams with stellar defenses that will rise to the top. Though Nebraska seems like a no-brainer in the North and Oklahoma and Texas will battle for the South, the rest of the conference is wide open.

Champion: Oklahoma – The Sooners defeat Nebraska in a hard-fought Big 12 Championship game.

South Division
1. Oklahoma (7-1): Don’t get used to the Sooners finishing in the middle of the division; Coach Bob Stoops will have this team back at the top of the Big 12 as early as this season. QB Landry Jones showed last year that he is good enough to lead the team to big things. Super-talented RB DeMarco Murray and WR Ryan Broyles will help Jones carry the load. The only real question on offense is along the offensive line, which received some heat for Sam Bradford going down last year and loses first round pick Trent Williams. The defense loses star DT Gerald McCoy but returns a total of 7 starters and will again be stout. The Sooners avoid Nebraska but will have tough games against Texas and Texas A&M. Oklahoma could end up in the Big 12 Championship this year as long as they can win the close games they failed to win last year; the Sooners lost 4 games by a touchdown or less.
2. Texas (6-2): The Longhorns had an undefeated regular season last year and played for the National Championship, but we think they will take a step back this year, albeit a small one. QB Garrett Gilbert showed some toughness and moxie in the loss to Alabama, and was highly touted coming out of high school, but will likely struggle a bit as a first-time starter this fall. The running game hasn’t been very reliable for the Longhorns the last few years, but Colt McCoy was good enough to overcome that. Tre’ Newton, Fozzy Whittaker, Vondrell McGee and TD machine Cody Johnson will all be back in the backfield, so this may be the year the Longhorns can establish a reliable running game. WR Jordan Shipley was unquestionably the top target last year and will be missed, but Malcolm Williams and James Kirkendoll are capable of filling that lost production. The defense will again be the key for Texas, and Sam Acho will lead a unit that will again have the potential to be great under coordinator Will Muschamp. A great defense can take a team far, but a tough schedule and a QB that will no doubt take some lumps means Texas likely won’t repeat as Big 12 Champs.
3. Texas Tech (5-3): New Coach Tommy Tuberville has shown an early commitment to stick with Tech’s air-raid offensive style, so this offense should again be deadly. The team has been averaging about 8 wins per year for a long time now, and put a whooping on both Nebraska and Oklahoma last season. All the key skill guys are back, as are BOTH QB’s from last year: Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield. Both showed last year that they can run the offense, but Sheffield was fantastic at times. If he is given the keys to the offense and plays like he did last year, look out. The D-line will have to patch itself up a bit, but the LB’s will be solid and the secondary could be great. Expect the Red Raiders to again put up 8-9 wins, with the potential to beat anyone at anytime and maybe even push for the South title.
4. Texas A&M (3-5): How’s this for a scary thought: the Aggies return stud QB Jerrod Johnson, both running backs, and the top 3 WR’s from a top 5 offense. Johnson alone accounted for over 4,000 yards of offense and 38 TD’s last season. This offense has the potential to be the best in the nation and will tear through Big 12 defenses. The bad news for A&M is that the defense was downright awful last year. DE Von Miller is a sack machine, but the D was last in the conference in yards allowed and points allowed. One would think the defense would get better from practicing against such a phenomenal offense each week, but the sad truth for Aggie fans is the D will hold A&M back yet again. The Aggies schedule sets up so that they could potentially start as good as 7-0, but the last 5 games will all be brutal and A&M will likely suffer through a rough second half of the season. We don’t think the defense will be good enough to get them more than 3 conference wins or 4 at most, but if there is one team that can shake up the entire conference, it’s Texas A&M.
5. Baylor (3-5): The Bears struggled to a 4-8 season last year, but that was without their electric QB, Robert Griffin. He will have some weapons around him with RB Jay Finley and WR Kendall Wright. A young offensive line gained some valuable experience last year and should be improved. The thing that will hold Baylor back is the defense. The D was bad last year and loses its two best players in LB Joe Pawelek and safety Jordan Lake. The good news is the Bears were 3-1 last season before Griffin went down, so there is potential for a possible bowl season. With the exception of the season finale against Oklahoma, the home schedule is very favorable and should get the Bears 3 conference wins.
6. Oklahoma State (2-6): This is the one team in the South that may take the biggest step back. Nearly the entire offensive line is gone, including star OT Russell Okung. Also graduated is QB Zac Robinson. The return of a healthy Kendall Hunter will make up for the loss RB Keith Tosten, though the addition of a new OC (former Houston OC Dana Holgerson) could make for some slip-ups as well. The defense loses a ton, returning just two starters. QB Brandon Weeden may be able to guide the offense well enough to make the team competitive, but it is hard to place the Cowboys with so many key guys needing replaced. The schedule is somewhat manageable, but facing the clear-cut top 3 teams in the conference is never a good thing.