Big 12 North: Preseason Picks

Is this the year Big 12 North football really turns the corner and competes with the South? 

I love the North but, I'm sorry, it's just not likely.  It's pretty hard to compete with 6 schools devouring 2 of the 5 best recruiting states in the nation.

This being said, it's not like we play in Conference USA.  A lot of good football happens in the North, and I think that this year will be one of our most exciting in the Big 12's short history.

So guess what?  It's time for Big 12 North Preseason Predictions!

#6, Kansas State (4-8) (1-7)

Sorry, Kansas State.  You lost most of the talent you had, and gained little in return.  Brandon Banks will be pretty popular amongst opposing defenses.

I'll generously predict 3 poofy non-conference schedule wins, but a loss to UCLA.  After that, if you're lucky, you win once more the rest of the season, at ISU or home against Texas A&M.  Because Bill Snyder is a motivator, however, I do anticipate a fun game at home against my Jayhawks.

#5, Iowa State (5-7) (2-6)

Iowa State isn't too talented, but young guys like Austen Arnaud and Alexander Robinson gained a lot of experience last year.  Also, the new ISU staff had a decent offseason, and have a nice recruiting theme going of speed, speed, and more speed.

That speed should be good enough to get them 3 non-conference wins, excluding Iowa.  Coach Paul Rhoads has the edge at home against KSU, and could possibly even (though probably won't) sneak up on someone like Baylor in Ames.

#4, Colorado (7-7) (3-5)

Why does this team have 13 games slotted for this season?  They have some other things going for them, too, like a solid recruiting class and a potentially explosive offense behind a great O-line, all dependent on the play of their QB's.

I'll give the Buff's 4 out of 5 non-conference W's, the exception an away game at WVU.  After that, they should handle KSU, barely outrun ISU in Ames, and JUST maybe snitch one more home win vs. A&M, MU or KU, then probably suffer a bad bowl beating.

#3, Missouri (8-5) (4-4)

This is a very solid football team.  They are young, but very talented both offensively, assuming Derrick Washington recovers, and defensively behind the ever-amazing Sean Weatherspoon.  If Blaine Gabbert holds his own, this team has no big holes.

I think Illinois wins at home this year, but after that I only see losses at OSU and at home against Texas and Nebraska.  This year's border showdown will be, as always, a special one to watch.  In years past, this kind of talent wins the North.

#2, Kansas (10-3) (5-3)

This is pretty optimistic, but hey, I'm a KU student.  I think both KU's pass rush and secondary have upgraded immensely, and even behind a bad O-line last year, our offense was explosive.  There's also a lot of experience on this team.

I think the 'Hawks cruise to 6-0 before falling to Oklahoma.  I see another loss at Texas, and maybe one more slip-up either at Tech, at home against Nebraska, or in K.C. in the border showdown.  Accepting two losses to great teams, if KU avoids any mishaps, they will win the North.  Either way, a third straight bowl win would be sweet.

#1, Nebraska (10-3) (6-2)

This one was tough.  This team could be talented enough to lose no more than a game.  However, I need to see their offense in action to know for sure.  Pelini is a great coach, though, and I think he's bringing Blackshirts back.

I hate to harp on OU, but I think they manage against Nebraska in Lincoln.  Outside of that, I'll guess that the Huskers fall short in one of their tough road tests (Virginia Tech, KU, MU) and end up just overrated enough that they sneak into a really good bowl game.  Once they get there, though, I predict a sour note to end a season on.

All in all, even if my predictions are pretty generous, 4 different teams could legitimately compete for the North crown this season.  Even from an unbiased perspective, it's tough to argue that Kansas isn't the best team here.  there are just some important questions defensively that need to be answered.

I think defense wins games, and that's why I guess I'll take Nebraska.  I hope I'm wrong though!

By the way, in Todd McShay's (ESPN) uber-early 2010 mock draft, 9 out of the 10 top picks were guys from the Big 12.  How's that for talent?