The Sports Fist

Big XII Preview- The Big XII Conference is the second best conference in all the land, behind the SEC. They have (like the SEC) 5 teams in the preseason top 25. It will be a very competitive conference, in both the North and South leagues. It seems like offense is the way to go around the Big XII with Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Texas and the always pass happy Red Raiders of Texas Tech, all of them are extremely triumphant in reaching the pylons. So, without further adieu, let’s look at both the class of the Big XII and the bottom feeders.

North-

1-Missouri Tigers- 2007 record: (12-2 overall) (7-1 conference) Cotton Bowl: vs. Arkansas W 38-7

Opening Game: August 30^th @ 8:30 vs. Illinois

Heisman hopeful Chase Daniel is back to lead the Tigers out of Columbia to return his team to another incredible year. One big difference this year is that we expect something out of the Tigers, so now we will have to see how they respond when the heat is on. Missouri is not without weapons, on both sides of the ball, this year they have 14 starters returning. Amongst those starters is Chase Daniels favorite target Jeremy Maclin. Out of Daniel’s 4,306 yards last year, Maclin racked up 1, 055 of them.

(-) Cons- Mizzou has an issue at tail back. Tony Temple graduated, and replacing him is a big task. They have Jimmy Jackson, sophomore Derrick Washington and freshman De’Vion Moore competing for the spot. Usually when there is open competition in camps, it builds the characters of the guys, and I don’t expect anything different out of this situation. Whoever steps into the role for them, I expect they will fit nicely into the equation. One last con…they open up hosting a very improved Ron Zook team, in Illinois, that is a hard way to open up a year, however, it could strengthen the team in the end.

(+) Pros- Jeremy Maclin is the lead wide out amongst other very skilled receivers like Danario Alexander, Tommy Saunders and TE Chase Coffman. The Tigers defense is also a big part of this teams game, granted the offense retained most of the lore from last season. However, in the Big XII to only give up 23 points per game is something to brag about. The D has all of their linebackers returning and the secondary has players stepping into roles they are no strangers to.

2- Kansas Jayhawks- 2007 record: (12-1 overall) (7-1 conference) Orange Bowl: vs Virginia Tech W 24-21

Opening Game: August 30^th @ 7:00 vs. Florida International

Another Cinderella story from a year ago. The Kansas Jayhawks. The main difference between Kansas and Missouri was the argument amongst skeptics, that Kansas had a cake walk schedule. That argument may hold some water due to the fact that they did not play Oklahoma or Texas and when they went on the road within the Big XII, they seemed to struggle. They may have “struggled” but last I checked, if you win the game, your not lucky, your good. Kansas looks to feed off of that big Orange Bowl win against Virginia Tech and surprise people again.

(-) Cons- The offensive line took a hit loosing the bookends. Tackles Caesar Rodriguez and Anthony Collins are gone. The good news is that all of the guards from a year ago have returned. However, ask anyone in Lawrence and replacing Rodriguez and Collins is no easy task ,the end result may be Reesing being on his back a bit more this season. The Jayhawks defense will be stellar again as it was last year, but they did loose star CB Aqib Talib. The schedule this year for the Jayhawks is not as easy this time around. They have a tough non-conference road game against South Florida, who is very tough at home. They also will be playing @Oklahoma, @Missouri and hosting Texas and Texas Tech.

(+) Pros- Todd Reesing returns as QB. Reesing threw for over 3400 yards last year and had 33 TD’s. This year he returns as a junior looking to lead his Jayhawks to another BCS bowl game. WR Dezmon Briscoe is coming back as a sophomore to catch those lasers from Reesing. On the defensive side, Joe Mortenson returns at LB. Mortenson had 106 tackles last year. Starting safeties Darrell Stuckey and Justin Thornton will be back in Lawrence as well to bring a Big XII North title home.

3- Colorado Buffaloes- 2007 record: (6-7 overall) (4-4 conference) Independence Bowl: vs. Alabama L 30-24

Opening Game: August 31^st @ 7:30 vs. Colorado State

The Buffaloes had a very good season last year based on what happened in 2006. Coach Dan Hawkins came over from Boise State and imposed his philosophy. It got them a 4-4-conference record and that’s a step in the right direction. With a year under the Hawkins system, I expect the Buffaloes to be physical, competitive and improved on offense. Cody Hawkins (the coach’s son) is returning and looks to improve on his 3,015 yards last year. He showed signs of progression last year and very good poise having his own team.

(-) Cons- Let’s start with what Colorado lost. RB Hugh Charles is gone, Charles 1,058 yards last year with 8 TD’s. On defense they loose LB Jordan Dizon who accumulated 160 tackles for the buffs. In the secondary they lost Terrence Wheatley, who was taken in the second round of the NFL draft. Losses aside, another weakness is that QB Cody Hawkins was hardly accurate last year. You can imagine, with a bad completion percentage and over 3,000 yards, the buffs like to pass. Well in my opinion Hawkins has had time to improve, and under the tutelage of his father, should be better this year. On the Colorado schedule? It starts out alright the first two weeks…but the next four games are pretty rough. Week 3 they are hosting West Virginia, then travel to Tallahassee to face FSU, then host Texas and finally have to go into Lawrence to face the Jayhawks. The buffs can very easily start out 2-4.

(+) Pros- Colorado has eight starters returning on defense. That’s always a plus; a young defense takes a while to get used to some of the plays that get thrown their way. This defense was amongst the best in the conference last year as they allowed under 390 yards, which came to be 6^th in the conference. The buffs are hard to read right now, however, Coach Hawkins seems to be very passionate and a no “bull” kind of coach. That is just what Colorado needed after their scandals and problems with their previous staff. Under Hawkins this team is headed in the right direction and definitely to a better bowl game, they just need to battle through those tough early season games.

4- Nebraska Cornhuskers- 2007 record: (5-7 overall) (2-6 conference) No Bowl

Opening Game: August 30^th @ 7:00 vs. Western Michigan

Years ago, around this time, Lincoln would be buzzing about college football. Nebraska was a powerhouse team that instilled fear in the hearts of every college program. Now? There can still be some buzz, but just because it will be something to do on the weekends. The days of the black shirt defense and unstoppable option offense are over for the Cornhuskers. Step in Bo Pelini. Pelini has been a successful defensive mind at Oklahoma and LSU. He will try, key word being try, to turn things around for them. First thing first would be to build up that defense.

(-) Cons- Last season it was no secret as to how you could get yardage on Nebraska. The run game. They gave up huge amounts of yards every game, ranking 112th in the nation in run defense, not to mention in their own Big XII they were dead last in overall defense. Are those highlights from Kansas shredding this defense coming back to you at all? Losses include the entire line-backing core, which obviously does not help. They have their entire front line returning, but how good of a thing can that be bearing in mind that these guys only managed to get 1.08 sacks, another dead last statistic in the conference. Schedule wise, they have a tough three weeks in a row starting on September 27^th when Virginia Tech comes to town and the week after that Missouri. Then on October 11^th they have to go down to Lubbock and go against the air attack of Texas Tech.

(+) Pros- Offensively this team has some things going for them. Marlon Lucky is returning from gaining 1,019 yards rushing last year and QB Joe Ganz, who had a noteworthy end to the season after replacing Keller. The Huskers have problems on the outside though. Maurice Purify and Terrence Nunn are gone, leaving Marlon Lucky out of the backfield to have the most receiving yards as a returnee. Hopefully someone can step up in their place, because the passing game was one of the bright spots for Nebraska, they ranked 7^th in nation and 2^nd in the conference behind Texas Tech.

5- Iowa State Cyclones- 2007 Record: (3-9 overall) (2-6 conference) No Bowl

Opening Game: Auguest 28^th @ 8:00 vs. South Dakota State

Iowa State has never been amongst the top in this conference, let alone the North division. Last season Gene Chizik stepped in to try and bring an identity to this program. It was a tough first year as the Cyclones could only manage 3 overall wins. A bright point to last season was a non-conference win over rival Iowa. They need to improve on the road as they were blown out a few times in enemy territory. They have a new identity under Chizik, the uniforms show, the Cyclones will adorn a new logo and uniform scheme this season. Hey, it’s actually worked for some teams before, maybe it can for them.

(-) Cons- There is a lot that can be fixed here. The Cyclones were 10^th in the conference in turnover margin. A huge reason as to why they gave up so many points. Their turnovers would come within Iowa State territory, giving the defense little to go on. The offense’s problem did not stop there unfortunately. Passing offense, scoring offense and total offense were all at the bottom of the conference. It will not get any better this year. They have no clear cut #1 QB right now, and it looks like Coach Chizik may have to resort to a QB by committee program until he can get a clear cut leader of this group.

(+) Pros- Iowa State had a talented defensive showing last year. They were clearly the focal point of this team. Any time you rank amongst the middle of the Big XII in any kind of rank, it is a positive, unless you are amongst the elite. It is such a top-heavy conference that a ranking of 5,6 or 7 amongst 12 teams gets a bit lost. I for one realize that ISU had a talented D last season, and they will undoubtedly be improved more this year. One area that would make them a better defense is to force more turnovers, which is the one area where ISU struggled. They force more turnovers; they will get more opportunities to win football games. Upon looking at the schedule, what I see is one very similar to what Kansas had last year. They do not face Oklahoma or Texas, and the toughest opponents they’ll face are all at home. This could be a real jump in improvement kind of year for the Iowa State Cyclones.

6- Kansas State Wildcats- 2007 Record: (5-7 overall) (3-5 conference) No Bowl

Opening Game: August 30^th @ 7:05 vs. North Texas

Ron Price signed a five-year contract extension through 2012. K-State had a down year last year, mainly because the defense really could not find answers to any problems they had. They had a new D unit start almost every game, showing that Coach Price really had no answers. Will another year make much of a difference? Personally, I don’t feel it will. Many feel Kansas State has to good of a program to stay down for too long, but you have to face the facts. The Wildcats schedule does not favor them having a turn around year.

(-) Cons- There’s no getting around this fact. Jordy Nelson has left Manhattan, KS. Nelson was above and beyond the best offensive player for QB Josh Freeman to throw to, as he is now in the NFL via a second round draft pick. He had 57 more receptions then the second leader and 716 more yards… he will certainly be missed. Aside from loosing Nelson the ‘Cats have other issues. They are only returning five guys on defense, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. As I mentioned before, the defense was nothing to brag about, however, new guys always bring about a transition period. Why will it be difficult to get back to a bowl for KSU? Take a look at the middle part of their schedule. Aside from the fact they have to travel to Louisville on 9/7, they begin a brutal 6 week period on October 4th when they face Texas Tech, travel to College Station to go up against the Aggies and then to Folsom Field which is always hard to play at. If that wasn’t bad enough they play Oklahoma, then are back on the road to face Kansas and Missouri back to back. That will be a ROUGH six weeks for this ‘Cats team.

(+) Pros- I’m not sure if anyone remembers the name Alesana Alesana, but he is an OL on an offensive line that has seven guys returning that played on it last year. This is always good news when you have a talented QB to protect. That QB is Josh Freeman, who threw for over 3,000 yards last year, a productive amount on a team like this. After a productive year like that, I would expect Freeman to only improve his game behind an experienced line. He will have to improvise though for the first few match-ups with his WR unit until he finds his go to man.

South-

1-Oklahoma Sooners- 2007 Record: (11-3 overall) (6-2 conference) Fiesta Bowl: vs. West Virginia L 48-28

Opening Game: August 30^th @ 7:00 vs. Chattanooga

The Sooners come into the year once again with high expectations. Ranked #4 in the pre-season polls, can OU finally go a whole year without an upset? Without loosing when they have to win? That remains to be seen considering they are as talented as they ever are. One thing remains true though, under Bob Stoops this team will be around in the BCS title considerations at seasons end.

(-) Cons- Losses on defense will prove to show some issues during the beginning stages of the season. But considering OU’s first four games of the season are all easy games for them, the defense should rise to the form OU is capable of. The secondary element for the Sooners is ready to blossom into one of the best in the nation, they are young, and may make a few mistakes, however, look ready to become an elite unit. A bit of an issue is the loss of RB Allen Patrick, however, DeMarco Murray will step into the starter role nicely as he had 13 TD’s last year.

(+) Pros- Didn’t notice many negatives? Well there are plenty of positives. Sam Bradford is back, and he had an outstanding year, as a freshman, coming back for his second stint as starter, should only be a better experience for OU. For a freshman to only throw 8 INT’s all year within the Big XII is nothing less of remarkable. Look for Bradford to throw into the 4,000 yards mark this time around. With Bradford at the helm, this offense will not see many roadblocks along the way. As mentioned before DeMarco Murray is a rock-solid back, expect him to have a break out year. Malcom Kelly is no longer with the receiving core, however there is no problem with that. Juaquin Iglesias led in receiving last year with 907 yards, as well as TE Jermaine Gresham. Gresham had 37 receptions last season, and is an excellent mark to get the ball to.

2-Texas Tech Red Raiders- 2007 Record (9-4 overall) (4-4 conference) Gator Bowl: vs. Virginia W 31-28

Opening Game: August 30^th @ 7:00 vs. Eastern Washington

It is no secret that the Red Raiders, year in and year out, are amongst the best in total offensive production. The problem is usually their defense. Things turned around last year though. TT ranked 1^st in pass defense and 3^rd in overall defense. WR Michael Crabtree returns after having an absolutely insane year, racking up 1,962 yards and reaching the end zone 22 times. Fellow WR’s Eric Morris and Edward Britton were secondary targets last year, but will step into a bigger roll this year.

(-) Cons- Yes, the defense was improved last year. The passing defense was very, very good. They did have a problem stopping the run though. They gave up 177 yards on the ground a game. You have to figure a lot of that is on the LB crew. One returning LB is Brian Duncan, the other two starters are gone, leaving room for new, developing talent. If the Red Raiders have any plans to bring another level of prestige to this program, the defense does have to step up in big games, like in the Oklahoma game at the end of the year. If the defense can build on what it started last year, and the returning front four and linebacker’s work on stopping the run, this can very well be a BCS title contender as well.

(+) Pros- In his senior year, Graham Harrell returns after throwing a ridiculous 5,705 yards last year. That’s way more then any other Big XII QB threw. With Michael Crabtree coming back with him, Harrel will have another historic year for TT. As great as this offense is, it does run into problems when they face a superb pass defense, because they know that Texas Tech is going to throw the ball every time. Just look at their rushing stats, they were last in the conference, and will need a bit more rushing production to keep the defense guessing just a little bit. Aside from that, the pass attack seems to work every year. With Morris and Britton coming back and stepping into a bigger spot they will produce big numbers and take some pressure off of Crabtree. TT will have an outstanding year, and could very well be in the Big XII title game if they take down Oklahoma in Norman on November 22^nd

3-Texas Longhorns- 2007 Record: (10-3 overall) (5-3 conference) Holiday Bowl: vs. Arizona State W 52-34

Opening Game: August 30^th vs. Florida Atlantic University

Texas is coming off a blowout victory performance against Arizona State; just showing how good the Big XII really is when they go up against other conferences proves that. Going into 2008, Texas will have some new faces to give the ball to. RB Jamaal Charles and WR Limas Sweed are both gone. No big deal though, Coach Mack Brown has seen stars come and go in plenty of ways. These guys weren’t even stars, so I expect Texas to be a typical Texas team, getting early season wins, yet struggling against OU and a late season upset. Prove me wrong otherwise Texas.

(-) Cons- Texas’ secondary gave up HUGE yardage last year. I just remember watching this team get torched through the air. Can it get worse? Well, if you thought they could get better with experience, think again. Texas is only returning one starter on the secondary team. Will Muschamp is the new D-coordinator, so that may bring about a new attitude to the secondary and the D as a whole. One last thing before moving on to Texas’ strength’s…they better not loose to A&M for a third year in a row or someone’s head will roll.

(+) Pros- Colt McCoy is back as an experienced junior. It seems like just the other day he was stepping in for Vince Young right? Well McCoy has down a fine job and is even the teams best returning rusher (492 yards). He does need to have more control this season, as he had a whopping 18 interceptions last year. A running back will surely step up to the plate for Texas, such as Vondrell McGee, entering his sophomore year. At wide receiver, the Longhorns have a lot of young talent, and if McCoy can keep the control and fine-tune his accuracy, these youngsters will flourish in this offense.

4-Oklahoma State- 2007 Record: (7-6 overall) (4-4 conference) Insight Bowl: vs. Indiana W 49-33

Opening Game: August 30^th @ 3:30 vs. Washington State

Oklahoma State signed a handful of junior college transfers, which means they are eager to fill in the missing pieces and put a winner on the field right now. Players are expected to contribute immediately and bolster what has been a struggling defense. Combine that instant experience to the quality recruiting classes the Cowboys have had over the last couple of years and this collection has the capacity to be the best defense Oklahoma State has seen in a few years.

(-) Cons- Like Texas, this team had a hard time defending the pass. Most of the secondary is back but unless they have changed up defensive schemes or worked extremely hard to get better, they will continue to struggle in this offensive happy league. Their go to RB Dantrell Savage (rushed for 1,272) is no longer with the pokes, but with those JC transfers, someone may be able to step in and produce some good yardage in tight spots. Their beast of a receiver Adarius Bowman is also gone, he produced 1,000 yards receiving last season.

(+) Pros- Quarterback Zac Robinson really came along a year ago. He stepped into the starting role and made it his own. Throwing for 2,824 yards and 23 touchdowns, the kids got what it takes. He also rushed for over 800 yards. Not bad. He is only a sophomore and should only show more with a full season ahead of him. Lucky for Robinson he has a good line ahead of, all returning from a year ago, giving him protection from those nasties on the other side.

5-Texas A&M Aggies- 2007 Record ( 7-6 overall) (4-4 conference) Alamo Bowl: vs. Penn State L 24-17

Opening Game: August 30^th @ 7:00 vs. Arkansas State

The Aggies had another mediocre year last year. Will they ever be atop the Big XII, or even the nation? That remains to be seen, but Dennis Franchione is out and new Head Coach Mike Sherman is ready to try to do just that. There are talented guys coming back to A&M, but under a new coach, everyone’s roles could change, meaning one may struggle, while another one gains. We shall see what transpires in College Station.

(-) Cons- Where did the protection go? Well, it isn’t in Texas anymore. Four starters are gone from the O-line, leaving QB Stephen McGee very susceptible to sacks. While the Aggies prefer to run the ball, it hurts that their top two air options are also no longer there. On defense most of the guys up front are in need of being replaced. Good luck Aggies.

(+) Pros- Under a new system, we will see how much QB McGee will run, but he likes to run that’s for sure. Big man Javorski Lane is always a threat in the backfield, but he needs to see some more touches, he is a huge physical presence. With Mike Sherman coming in, expect him to implement a new philosophy, with more offensive options, giving McGee’s legs a rest with more emphasis on his arm. The Aggies schedule is tough, what Big XII schedule isn’t? But, the games against Oklahoma and Texas Tech are at home. The rivalry game at years end is in Austin, Texas though. Can they make it three years in a row over the Longhorns?

6-Baylor Bears- 2007 Record: (3-9 overall) (0-8 conference) No Bowl

Opening Game: August 28^th @ 8:00 vs. Wake Forest

New Head Coach Art Briles is in Waco, Texas to lead the Bears in a new direction. He comes over from Houston and brings (at least Baylor fans hope) his high offensive game plan. He will have the option between returning starter Blake Syzmanski (threw for 2,844 yards) and Kirby Freeman, who transferred to Baylor from the University of Miami.

(-) Cons- There are plenty of faults with Baylor, there have been for a number of years. A new coach can change that, but not in one year. Let’s just go over some stats. They were 11^th in total offense in the Big XII, 11^th in scoring, 11^th in total defense, 11^th in pass and rush defense, and 10^th in sacks allowed. They have tons of work on both sides of the ball. The secondary on Baylor is terrible, giving up 280 yards a game, which spells trouble in the Big XII. They have some guys returning on the secondary and up front, so maybe the defense will improve. For the Bears fan’s sake, I hope it results in at least one conference win

(+) Pros- The O-line has all of its guys returning, a few names are Jason Smith and Dan Gay, which some reports have said are real solid linemen. Whoever the QB will be, these guys can really protect them. Granted, the line can have a lot of potential, but Baylor needs to have a better running game. The best returning rusher only had 200 yards last year. However, with an improved line, the running game may have a better year. It is hard to be optimistic though considering Baylor will have to face D-lines the likes of Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Kevin Whalen