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The Big 12 has already been through a whirlwind offseason, with both Colorado and Nebraska taking their services elsewhere. The Buffaloes will be joining the Pac-10 in 2011, while the Cornhuskers have hooked up with the Big Ten. But Texas decided to stay and not join with Pac-10,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], which prompted the rest of the schools in this conference who were thinking about leaving to also stay. There will only be 10 teams in '11, and no longer a conference championship game. But for now, we get to see one last season with a title game and the North is will be challenging the South for Big 12 supremacy.
Can the Huskers get back and revenge their last-second 12-13 loss to the Longhorns in the title game? Or will the South win their seventh straight conference championship? Find out with my 2010 Big 12 football predictions below.
Big 12 South Predictions:
1.) Texas Longhorns - The reigning Big 12 champs are in line to win the South again this season, but they won't do it unless new QB Garrett Gilbert plays as well as he did in spring ball. He has big shoes to fill with the most successful QB in college football history headed to the NFL in Colt McCoy,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but he has the raw talent to get the job done. Texas will need to find a few playmakers to step up on defense,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but they have a solid secondary to build around in this pass-happy league. Head coach Mack Brown has proven he knows how to reload as the Longhorns have averaged more than 11 wins over the past 9 years.
2.) Oklahoma Sooners - QB Landry Jones gained valuable experience in replacing the injured Sam Bradford last year. This team comes in with some momentum after beating Oklahoma State 27-0 and following that up with a 31-27 victory over a solid Stanford team in the Sun Bowl. Losing the NFL's No. 1,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], 3 and 4 picks to the draft certainly hurts, and the offensive line remains a concern. Expectations are still high in Sooner country, and they'll give Texas all they can handle this season in the South.
3.) Texas A&M Aggies - LB Von Miller and QB Jerrod Johnson are serious candidates for Defensive and Offensive Player of the Year honors this season. Miller led the nation with 17 sacks and should benefit from the switch to a 3-4 defense. Johnson led an offense that put up 32.9 PPG and 465.8 YPG last year and this unit should be as potent in 2010. The defense remains shaky as a whole, and inexperience along the offense line could negate the talent the Aggies have at their skill positions.
4.) Texas Tech Red Raiders - The transition from Leach to Tuberville shouldn't be too rough, as the latter has proven he can win in the SEC,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], so he should be just fine in the Big 12. He has two proven QB's to choose from in Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield, each of who threw 7 touchdowns in different games last year. The focus this season is improving the defense so the Red Raiders aren't forced to try and win shootouts every time they take the field.
5.) Oklahoma State Cowboys - QB Zac Robinson will be miss, but promising Brandon Weeden showed well in the spring. He'll have RB Kendall Hunter to hand the ball off to and WR Hubert Anyiam to make plays for him in the passing game, but the defense returns just 3 starts and this unit will keep the Cowboys from contending in the South in 2010.
6.) Baylor Bears - QB Robert Griffin suffered a torn ACL last year, and how he returns from knee surgery will go a long way in determining how the Bears finish. Baylor's 15-year bowl drought will likely reach 16 because the defense is unlikely to improve on the 405.6 YPG they yielded last year.
Big 12 North Predictions:
1.) Nebraska Cornhuskers - The Huskers should have the best rushing attack and the best defense in the Big 12 this season, and those two factors will have them winning not only the North, but also the Big 12 Championship. If they can get stable play at the QB position, the sky is the limit for this team.
2.) Missouri Tigers - The offense should be fine in Missouri with QB Blaine Gabbert running the show and RB Derrick Washington making plays in the running game. The offense will keep the Tigers competitive, but defensively they lose their heart and soul in LB Sean Witherspoon. They cannot replace him, and if they are to challenge Nebraska then they'll need their stop unit to perform much better than they appear on paper.
3.) Iowa State Cyclones - Paul Rhoads has already instilled a winning attitude in Cyclone country, and took this team to a bowl game which they won for a 7-6 season. The offense will be solid behind 9 returning starters including QB Austen Arnaud and RB Alexander Robinson. Rhoads' biggest accomplishment was improving their defense a year ago, as ISU surrendered just 21.9 PPG. They'll have to replace 5 starters from that stop unit, but the Cyclones shouldn't suffer too much of a drop-off here. The main problem is a schedule that includes road games at Texas and Oklahoma.
4.) Kansas State Wildcats - RB Daniel Thomas was the leading rusher in the Big 12 last season, yet not too many folks know it. He's back along with 4 returning starters on the offensive line, so head coach Bill Snyder will have a reliable running game to fall back on. But he'll have to find a new quarterback, and replace six starters on defense. His recruiting has been in question, and we'll have to wait and see how it pans out. But I don't see this team finishing anywhere in the top half of the Big 12 this season.
5.) Kansas Jayhawks - You don't replace playmakers like QB Todd Reesing and WR's Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier. That's the task ahead for the Jayhawks in a rebuilding year for new head coach Turner Gill. He will turn this offense into a run-first unit, as he has potentially the best offensive line in the Big 12 returning. No candidate to replace Reesing stood out in the spring, so there will be some headaches with whoever is under center. The Jayhawks also lose five starters along the front seven of their defense, the stop unit could be a potential problem as well.
6.) Colorado Buffaloes - The Buffaloes could potentially have a much-improved offense with 9 returning starters,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], including RB Rodney Stewart, WR Scotty McKnight and all 5 along the offensive line. They'll need much more consistent QB play if they are to take the next step offensively. Dan Hawkins hasn't gotten it done in Colorado, and another losing season could lead to his firing. He is just 16-33 in four seasons with the Buffaloes, and a bowl berth is unlikely. They do return 17 starters in all, so this team could be the sleeper in the North, but I'm just not seeing it.
Big 12 Champion: Nebraska - The Cornhuskers will have their revenge with a win over the Texas Longhorns in the Big12 title game.
Also be sure to check out my overall 2010 college football predictions article to find out which team wins the national championship.