Who Will Come out on Top of the Big 12?

It will come down to the team built exclusively to stop Big 12 offenses versus the best Big 12 offense they have ever seen.

Bob Stoops is addicted to speed. It is a monumental part of his passing attack, but more importantly the key to his defense. Fast pass rushers and even faster defensive backs anchor Oklahoma’s returning starters, while a fleet of new linebackers have already earned Stoops’ vote of confidence. Defenses under Stoops have suffered a few nicks from opposing offenses over the years. In the past it has created problems because of inconsistent offensive efforts. But this year things are looking brighter.

Having offensive standouts like Adrian Peterson and Malcolm Kelly helps to hide the fact that Oklahoma’s offense can often be predictable. But something that also helps is that both of those individuals could fly and didn’t particularly enjoy getting tackled…ever.

DeMarco Murray averaged six yards a carry in his freshman year, and he will most likely be seeing the rock a lot more this season. With the departure of Kelly and the expulsion of freshman receiver Josh Jarboe, the pressure is now on Juaquin Iglesias (heir to the Oklahoma WR throne) to have a senior year for a history books.

Sam Bradford returns for his sophomore year and, with the exception of Iglesias, must immediately get comfortable with a lot of new targets. This certainly won’t be an easy task; however, the fast decline of the Big 12 South will certainly help them in the building process.

Coach Brown always has a stingy Texas defense and a rugged offense, but Jamal Charles and Limas Sweed are both gone, and their defense is rebuilding.

Now all of a sudden, people want to give a nod to Texas Tech, who to the best of my knowledge, does not even field a defense.

Oklahoma should take the South, in a landslide. Can they use that to win a game against a decent team outside of their conference? Well, not even God knows that one.

The North side should be a little more interesting, but not by much. Coach Mark Mangino led Kansas to their first ever Orange bowl, especially fitting for a coach who looks like an orange.

They do bring back a good number of players from last year including undersized sensation, Todd Reesing. Unfortunately, his best running back and receiver are both now in the NFL.

Kansas has a serious shot to play spoiler, but for a Big 12 championship, I give them at least another year. Especially since this is the year of the Tiger.

Missouri will race Florida to a photo finish to see who has the more disgusting offense. Jeremy Maclin could be an offensive difference maker on any NFL team, right now.

Thanks to the NFL Draft Policy (for which every Mizzou fan is thanking their lucky stars), Maclin will be back in Missouri making defenses cry along with six or seven other spread threats. Heisman candidate Chase Daniel is back, too, and this offense looks dirty.

The big change comes on the defensive end. After losing to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game, the Tigers absolutely stomped out Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, allowing only one score. That lockdown was a sign of things to come.

The Tigers return all but one defensive starter from last season, including a handful of linebackers and d-backs that made up the all-Big 12 team.

This is the most experienced defense that the Tigers have had in years, and it should help them win the North with Kansas nibbling at their ankles.

So it will come down to the team built exclusively to stop Big 12 offenses versus the best Big 12 offense they have ever seen.

THE GRAND FINALE: Mizzou over the Sooners to win the Big 12. If they are smart, Mizzou is going to enter the Big 12 showdown with Oklahoma studying the game plan that West Virginia executed in last year’s beatdown. If Missouri’s offense is up to snuff and their defense is as good as it looks on paper, this conference will be theirs.

Offensive player of the year: Tie: Jeremy Maclin (Missouri)/ Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)

Defensive player of the year: Lamarr Houston (Texas)

Bound for glory: Josh Jarboe’s YouTube Career