The Big 12 is not as big as it use to be with the defection of Nebraska to the Big 10 and Colorado to the expanded PAC-12. Also gone is the conference championship game between the North and South Divisions as the 10 remaining teams now form just one single group.
The following is a brief preview of each team in the Big 12 along with their current odds to win the conference as provided by SportsInteraction.com
Oklahoma -250
Given the loss of Nebraska it is little wonder that Oklahoma, the consensus No.1 team in the nation in most preseason polls, is the prohibitive favorite to win the Big 12 this year. Bob Stoops’ team comes into this season loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. The Sooners return nine starters on offense including QB Landry Jones and WR Ryan Broyles. Defensively, there are seven starters back led by All-Conference LB Travis Lewis. Oklahoma has a good chance to run the table in the conference but faces a potential trap game on the schedule in its regular season finale at Oklahoma State.
Texas A&M +300
The Aggies come into this season with 18 starters back from last year’s 9-4 squad. They will have RB Cyrus Gray, who led the team in rushing last season with 1,133 yards and WR Jeff Fuller, who pulled down 72 receptions for 1,066 yards as their two primary weapons on offense. Texas A&M’s entire defensive secondary returns including CB Coryell Judie, who was an All-Conference selection last year. This team’s shot at glory comes on Nov. 5 with a trip to Norman to tangle with the Sooners.
Texas +500
The Longhorns decision to stay in the Big 12 cemented the conference’s ability to remain a viable Major, but they may actually take a step backwards this season with serious questions concerning exactly who will be passing and running the ball. QB Case McCoy, Colt’s younger brother, has the fan support as the starter, but it looks like it will still be a three-way race heading into summer camp. It also appears it will be a running back-by-committee this year as no one has stepped forward to fill the starting role.
Oklahoma State +800
The Cowboys will basically have their entire 2010 offense intact with the exception of RB Kendall Hunter, which is bad news for the rest of the teams in the conference. The only thing stopping Oklahoma State from being more of a favorite to win the Big 12 is a defense that was ranked 61st in the nation in 2010 in points allowed. If they can get a few underclassmen to step up and fill some holes especially in the secondary, the Cowboys have a chance to seriously contend for the title.
Baylor +1200
The Bears should be okay on the offensive side of the ball with the return of QB Robert Griffin and WR Kendall Wright, but they have more than a few holes to fill on a defense that lost seven starters from last year’s squad. This unit was already suspect, giving up over 30 points a game last year and could be what keeps Baylor from recording enough wins to get to a bowl game this season.
Missouri +1200
The prospect that the Tigers improve upon last season’s 10-3 record could be hindered by a defense that will have three new faces in its secondary. They also have to hope that sophomore QB James Franklin can limit the fall off in production from the departure of Blaine Gabbert. Missouri does return nine other starters on offense, but it will still struggle to match the 30 points a game it averaged last year.
Texas Tech +1800
The Red Raiders finished the year with a winning record overall at 8-5, but went just 3-5 in the conference. All Conference RB Eric Stephens is back as is OG Lonnie Williams and OT Mickey Okafor which bodes well for a solid ground attack, but there are some serious question marks in the passing game with Seth Doege penciled in as the starter. Defensively, Texas Tech should be in good shape with eight starters back from last year.
Kansas State +2500
The Wildcats were another team that turned in a winning record overall at 7-6, but only managed to win three games against conference opponents last season. They lost five starters on offense including QB Carson Coffman and will turn to Collin Klein to step up to fill his shoes. Also gone is RB Daniel Thomas, who rushed for close to 1,600 yards last year. It remains to be seen which of the other backs will be able to fill this void as no one on the roster ran for more than 100 yards last year.
Iowa State +7500
Cyclones lost a good part of their offensive production with departure of six starters including QB Austen Arnaud and RB Alexander Robinson. Look for Steele Jantz to get the nod as Iowa State’s new signal caller, but the situation remains fluid heading into summer camp. The defense returns seven starters from last year and will be counted on to keep the Cyclones from getting blown out of the water by some of the heavyweights in the conference.
Kansas +10000
The Jayhawks bring up the rear and for good reason. They finished the 2010 season with just three wins in 12 games and lost by an average of 17 points. Their lone victory in the Big 12 was a 52-45 victory over Colorado, which is no longer in the conference. The prospect for an upswing in 2011 is not completely off-base as experience is on Kansas’s side with the return of 15 starters, but second year Head Coach Turner Gill has to hope that some of his early recruiting efforts pay some early dividends. Right now on paper, this team does not have the talent to beat any of the other teams that are still in the Big 12.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.