Big XII
NORTH
1. K-State
2. Nebraska
3. Mizzou
4. Kansas
5. Colorado
6. Iowa St

SOUTH
1. Oklahoma*
2. Texas
3. Texas A&M
4. Texas Tech
5. Oklahoma St
6. Baylor

Big 12 preview

Texas can't beat Oklahoma, but who can? Heck, Kansas State spent years unable to beat Nebraska and once they got over that hump, it didn't matter anymore. Once again, the Longhorns and the Sooners enter the season as overwhelming favorites to win the conference, and once again, you'll read twenty million stories on how Mack Brown has never won a conference title.

Which isn't to say there aren't some neat storylines in the conference. Nebraska is moving its offense into the 1980s, while Mizzou is moving theirs back to the 1950s. Both hope the change brings radically different results. Darren Sproles eyes the Heisman and maybe a repeat conference title for K-State. Colorado will try to rebound from the worst offseason in recent memory. And Baylor still sucks! OK, who are we kidding? It's all about the Red River Rivalry. Again.

BAYLOR. How did they beat Colorado? They have no business being in the conference, but they are dreaming of a two-win Big 12 season. Don’t laugh, they’ve never done it before.

COLORADO. I can’t believe they let Barnett keep his job. I can’t believe these players get off scot free. This is a disgusting turn of events and I can’t even bring myself to talk about the team’s football chances. I hope they go 0-11.

IOWA ST. They were awful last year. And not just a little bad, we’re talking epically terrible. Their closest conference game was a 21-point loss to Texas. Only once did they hold a conference foe to under 30 points. We’re talking they’ll-write-books-about-it bad. The good news is, it can’t get worse. And Baylor’s on the schedule this year.

KANSAS. Yes, they made a bowl last year, but once Whittemore went down, the Jayhawks won one game. He’s gone now, and it’s back to the dregs of the conference with Kansas.

KANSAS ST. For a defending conference champs, the Cats get no respect. They were a top ten team in both scoring defense and offense last year, but no one thinks of them as truly superlative. The offense will take a step backwards without Roberson, though Sproles will contend for the Heisman. But the defense will just reload with JUCO’s. Like always.

MISSOURI. Brad Smith is a great player, maybe even the best player in the country, but let’s try and contain our excitement on a team that lost five games last year. One of them to Kansas. The defense has proven itself to be incapable of stopping the run, and with the backs they’ll square up against that’s a scary thing. Smith with carry them to a bowl, maybe even January 1st, but I’m not sold on this team.

NEBRASKA. Hello, West Coast offense! It’s going to be tough to suddenly become a passing team overnight, but it worked for Oklahoma, right? Look, this defense was second in the nation, so it’s not like the offense has to be great. It just needs to be good, and they can win the conference. Really.

OKLAHOMA. It’s like the same team coming back. If they were good enough to play for the national title last year, considering minimal losses, they should compete again this year. However, LSU and KSU gave everyone a blueprint on how to stop White (blitz like mad). And the loss of Strait is huge. This is still a great team, but they are not the slam dunk people think they are.

OKLAHOMA ST. They are going to be breaking in a new QB, RB, and WR. You just can’t lose guys like Bell, Woods, and Fields and not feel the effects. They’ve got a good program in place, but they are taking a hit.

TEXAS. Vincent Young or Chance Mock? Yet again, the Horns have a QB controversy, either the supremely talented but erratic youngster or the steady and unspectacular senior. Once again, this team is loaded at every position and have just one roadblock to a Big 12 and then a national title: Oklahoma.

TEXAS A&M. Uncharacteristically, the defense was awful last year. Every year, I adopt some hard-hitting safety as my favorite player in the country and this year is no different: Jaxson Appel is machine. The defense will dramatically improve, but a truly brutal schedule will keep them out of the conference’s upper echelon. But a return to the bowls would be nice.

TEXAS TECH. As usual, there will be lots of points scored in Lubbock, by both teams. This is very much a system team, so don’t expect too much of a drop off without Symons at QB. But the defense just can’t stop anyone. The average Texas Tech game has over 75 points scored. So it’ll be fun to watch.

GIOIA'S TWO CENTS I agree with most of your synopsis of these teams. I can add that despite the greatness of Darren Sproles, who is a real frontrunner for the Heisman, KSU had real problems a year ago when Ell Roberson was out. It’s not as though they had a credible backup, and so I’m wondering if they’ll find one. Even so, I see Nebraska challenging them, but not winning the conference. In the South, we have another Heisman contender in Cedric Benson of Texas. The Longhorns got no respect last year because OU beat the snot out of them, but they are a very deadly team. I’m tempted to pick them to win the conference, but since they have a problem staying within 30 points of the Sooners, I simply don’t have that much faith in them.