The Big 12 Conference: The Best In College Football!

            The college football season is upon us, and personally I can’t wait! The reason why I can’t wait is because once again, the Big 12 will be one of the top conferences going into the season because of the solid competition the conference provides, along with the boatloads of talent. Speaking of boatloads of talent, the Big 12 will have the best quarterbacks in the nation once again.

            Todd Reesing of the Kansas Jayhawks is back for his senior season to lead the Jayhawks. Last year Reesing had another outstanding year as he completed 329 out of 495 passes, threw for nearly 4,000 yards, and had 32 TD’s. Reesing is not only one of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12, he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the nation but doesn’t  get the recognition he deserves because he plays at a school that is overshadowed by basketball, not football. His supporting cast will be back this year as well, led by senior running back Jake Sharp, first team all Big 12 tackle Tanner Hawkinson, and electrifying receiver Dezmon  Briscoe. Briscoe set a Kansas record for most receiving yards (1,407) and receiving touchdowns (15) last season.  He had 269 receiving yards against Oklahoma. Outside of Briscoe, Reesing will have other options to throw to in very productive receivers Dexton Fields, Kerry Meier, and Jonthan Wilson.

            Two more very talented quarterbacks will have their respective teams in the championship hunt from the start this year, and they are Heisman-trophy winner Sam Bradford, and runner-up Colt McCoy. These respective quarterbacks play for tradition-rich football teams so they have the ability to produce winning teams, and recruit players that help them continue winning year in, year out. Their respective teams, the Oklahoma Sooners, and Texas Longhorns will be in the hunt with the defending national champion Florida Gators, and the USC Trojans. Bradford surprised many people by coming back for his junior year rather than going into the NFL Draft. Bradford threw for a career high fifty touchdowns last year, not to mention he threw for well over 4,000 yards while completing 328 out of 483 passes. McCoy didn’t have the season Bradford had but he was just as efficient throwing for nearly 4,000 yards, 34 touchdowns, and completing 332 out of 433 passes. Both will have excellent seasons this year. Overall, you get the idea about the Big 12 and quarterbacks.

            Another reason why the Big 12 is considered one of the top conferences in the country is because of the head coaches they have, and the best coaches in the conference are Bob Stoops, Mack Brown, Mark Mangino, Mike Gundy, and Mike Leach. Since you already know by reputation who the first two are, I will talk about the last three. The typical anti-KU hater can take all the shots they want at Mangino and his weight, but they can’t deny that he has done an amazing job turning around the Kansas Jayhawks football program. Thanks to him, in 2007, KU had their best season ever by having 12 wins; one of those wins was a BCS bowl win in the Orange Bowl, the program’s first BCS bowl win in a long time. They beat the ACC Champion Virginia Hokies 24-21, and Mangino won Coach of the Year that year.

            Another very talented coach is the Oklahoma St. Cowboys Mike Lundy. Lundy led Oklahoma State to 9 wins last year.  The most impressive win in my view was a 28-23 win over Missouri. The reason I consider it impressive is because, coming into the game, Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel was red-hot, and by the end he wasn’t because the Cowboys made him look human. Another game where the Cowboys played well enough to win but fell short was a 28-24 loss @ Texas. Had Gundy’s team won that game, it would have given the Cowboys 10 wins but the good news is they have a lot of talent to reach that goal in 2009. Our last coach is Mike Leach of the Texas Tech Raiders. This guy is the most unique coach in the conference because he does nothing but produce high-octane offenses every year. Last year, Leach had Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner Graham Harrell and Fred Biletnikoff Award winner, Michael Crabtree at his disposal. With them leading the offense, the Red Raiders set career highs in wins with 11, and numerous records within the NCAA. The biggest win was against #1 Texas 39-33.

            In conclusion, I dare you to find another conference that has the talent and fans this conference has.