College Football Preview - Big 12 Defenses

The only returning starter in the front seven is defensive end Cyril Obiozor, likely the team’s best defensive player. Von Miller and Jonathan Hayes are athletic linebackers, but the experience is lacking from the group. The secondary should be good with Alton Dixon and Devin Gregg leading the way at the safety spots. The defense will be faster, but they could be a year away from being an effective group.

11. Baylor(Starters returning: 6
The defensive line shows promise and end Jason Lamb returns to give the team a much needed pass-rush. Linebacker Joe Pawelek returns to lead a good linebacking corps after he led the team in tackles a season ago. Dwain Crawford moves to cornerback from safety and Krys Buerck is a converted wide receiver now playing corner. The Bears have an ultra tough non-conference and conference schedule.

12. Oklahoma State(Starters returning: 6
The 101st ranked defense a year ago only sees one starter along the defensive line returning. Andre Sexton is moving from safety to linebacker while corner Jacob Lacey is the best player returning in the secondary. The team expects JC transfers, defensive tackle Swanson Miller and safety Lucien Antoine, to help improve the defense, but it’s asking alot to vastly improve much after last year.

Stud defenses: Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas Tech
Rising defense: Kansas State
Falling defense: Texas A&M

Overall analysis: This is a pass-happy conference, so teams won’t likely be shutting each other down that much. Kansas, Missouri, and Texas Tech have enough experience coming back to handle passing teams while Oklahoma will likely drop off a little, but they have too much talent and favorable schedule to drop off a lot. Kansas State should improve, but it likely won’t show with the schedule they see. If Texas doesn’t improve against the pass, they’ll have trouble stopping anyone in this conference. Other teams like Nebraska, Baylor, and Oklahoma State were lit up too much last year while Colorado has too many holes in the secondary. Outside of the first four team units, it’s probably best to avoid the others until proven otherwise.”

Great info.  Be sure to check all of David’s posts at the Fantasy Sports Network (http://fantasysportsnetwork.blogspot.com/).

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