Big 12 Football Preview: Slimmer, Sexier and More Insecure Than Ever

The Big 12 Conference comes back to school looking slimmer than ever, just as hot and riddled with a litany of insecurity issues.  Kind of a win-win-win, if you ask me. 

Ten teams now play in the Big 12. Nebraska bolted to join its Big Ten brethren a little closer to Lincoln, and Colorado Buffaloes migrated west to join the newly branded Pac-12. Slimming down without losing the sexiness, am I right? 

That 9-6 battle against the Huskers at Kyle Field last season will always be one of my greatest sporting memories, but the Nebraska didn’t bring much to the table outside of a storied football program, and Colorado has been the opposite of relevant in nearly every athletic arena for the last decade.

The conference is sexier than ever. Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones is on the Heisman Trophy watch list and will win the award if Stanford QB Andrew Luck slips up. Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon nabbed 111 receptions and scored 20 touchdowns last season and is the odds-on favorite to become the second player in the history of college football to win the Biletnikoff Award (nation’s best WR) twice in a row.   

And don’t forget about the Aggie Express, the tandem of running backs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael, a collaboration that many pundits consider the most potent one-two punch in the nation.

Sure, it could be a little awkward at the beginning after spending the entire summer publicly flirting with the SEC. All the teams are insecure about the stability of the Big 12; Texas Tech president Guy Bailey has even called for written, enforceable contracts to protect the future of the conference, echoing the sentiments of Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe. 

But school politics aside, we’ve got one helluva college football season on our hands. Optimism runs rampant along the Brazos as the No. 8 Aggies, which haven’t ranked inside the top 10 of a preseason poll since 1999, return 18 of last season’s 22 starters and feature more offensive firepower than perhaps any team in the school’s tradition-laden history. 

I don’t know what the future holds, but I know this: The journey to BCS glory starts Sept. 4 at Kyle Field against SMU; I’m just glad to be along for the ride.  

Baylor Bears and WR Kendall Wright in 2011

Baylor: After losing a 1,000-yard rusher to the NFL (Jay Finley), the Bears will look to put even more offensive duties on the shoulders of QB Robert Griffin III. Because his hard work hasn’t translated into postseason success, it’s easy to sleep on Griffin, but this is a guy who threw for over 3,500 yards and 22 touchdowns last season and has very capable pass catchers surrounding him. The Bears demise will be their porous defense that somehow manages to negate nearly every point Griffin engineers.

Star watch: WR Kendall Wright. After leading the team in receiving yards for the last three years and flirting with 1,000 yards last season (he ended up with 952), the speedster is poised to break the barrier with the Bears bound to be throwing a lot trying to come back late in games.

Iowa State Cyclones and DT Stephen Ruempolhamer in 2011

Iowa State: The Cyclones’ most memorable moment last season came at the expense of the University of Texas when they beat the Longhorns 28-21 in Austin. Outside of that gem, the 5-7 campaign was a disappointment, and the future isn’t looking any brighter for 2011. Steele Jantz or Jerome Tiller will eventually win the quarterback spot, but the cupboard of offensive weapons in Ames is Depression-era scarce.

Star watch: DT Stephen Ruempolhamer. This leviathan, who started every game last season and blocked a field goal against Kansas to ensure the Cyclone victory, will eat up space in the middle and open blitzing lanes for stud LBs Jake Knott and A.J. Klein.

Kansas Jayhawks and RB James Sims in 2011

Kansas: The Jayhawks, much like their fellow cellar dwellers Iowa State, don’t have much to get excited about after returning the majority of a team that ranked last in the Big 12 in scoring, scoring defense and rushing. Head coach Turner Gill has gained the reputation of a program builder, and turning the lowly Jayhawks into contenders would undoubtedly be his finest accomplishment. 

Star watch: RB James Sims. The lone bright spot in last season’s miserable 3-9 campaign was the surprising amount of production from Sims, who rushed for 742 yards and nine touchdowns his first year in Lawrence.

Kansas State Wildcats and RB Bryce Brown in 2011

Kansas State: The Wildcats are one of the most interesting teams in the Big 12. Kansas State never lost a game by more than 10 points last season and were an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty away from beating Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl and finishing the year 8-5. QB Collin Klein gave defenses headaches with his running ability, and Justin Tuggle could be featured on passing downs. Defensive issues are still glaring, especially on a rushing defense that allowed a conference-worst 230 yds/game, but hey—it can’t get any worse, can it?

Star watch: RB Bryce Brown. Brown, a transfer from Tennessee and the No. 1 RB coming out of high school, possesses prototypical size and will try to use his strength and vision to lead the Wildcats to another bowl game.

Missouri Tigers and TE Michael Egnew in 2011

Missouri: Mizzou is the conference’s sleeping giant. Make no mistake: Missouri is the dark horse of the Big 12. Although the Tigers lost big names like Blaine Gabbert and Aldon Smith to the NFL draft, it returns 16 starters from a last season’s 10-win team. If QB James Franklin can tap into his prodigious athleticism and learn how to run this squad, members of the Big 12 will feel the wrath of the Tigers’ roar.

Star watch: TE Michael Egnew. Egnew, a First-Team All-American, led all the nation’s tight ends with 83 receptions and his 698 receiving yards were good for second place. New quarterbacks always keep their eyes peeled for big, reliable pass catchers, so Egnew is primed for a big year before he heads to the big leagues.  

Oklahoma Sooners and LB Corey Nelson in 2011

Oklahoma: No. 1 ranked team in the nation. Projected to finish first in the Big 12. The Sooners have all the accolades a football program could want and the reputation to back it up. Five of the last seven conference championships have been celebrated in Norman, and it brings back the majority of a team that beat Nebraska for the Big 12 crown last season. The connection between QB Landry Jones and WR Ryan Broyles is one of the strongest in the league and the defense has a mean streak—the only question for the Sooners is who will carry the rock? 

Star watch: LB Corey Nelson. An Aggie decommit, Nelson will have his chance to shine while filling in for the injured Travis Lewis (broken foot), Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. He’ll try to make the most of his starting gig while harnessing that ferocity and speed that left A&M coaches salivating two seasons ago.

Oklahoma State Cowboys and S Markelle Martin in 2011

Oklahoma State: Is this the year the Cowpokes finally shake that Sooner-shaped monkey off their back? After losing only two games by a total of 16 points last season, many of the Stillwater faithful think that this is the year, especially with this year’s Bedlam Series taking place in Boone Pickens Stadium.  Ten starters return to an offense that ranked as one of the nation’s best, and the tandem of QB Brandon Weeden and WR Justin Blackmon is the arguably most lethal in the nation, especially knowing they’ll be protected by the conference’s best offensive line. If the defense can play anywhere near the level of the offense, Oklahoma State could be headed for a BCS Bowl. 

Star watch: S Markelle Martin. What Blackmon is to offense, Martin is to defense. The ringleader of the Cowboys’ less-heralded side of the ball, this super athlete may be the hardest hitter in the Big 12. Martin closed out 2010 with a bang, garnering defensive player of the game honors at the Valero Bowl after breaking up two Arizona passes and returning an interception 62 yards for a touchdown.

Texas Longhorns and WR Mike Davis in 2011

Texas: For a football program defined by its stability, the Longhorns have had a pretty tumultuous offseason. On the heels of a 5-7 campaign, defensive coordinator and ESPN darling Will Muschamp fled the crime scene for the head coaching gig at Florida. Boise State’s offensive guru Brian Harsin will team up with Major Applewhite as co-offensive coordinators, and their first job will be selecting a quarterback to lead this hyper-talented but rudderless team. The Horns are hoping that a pair of 5-star recruits, RB Malcolm Brown and WR Jaxon Shipley, will see the openings in the depth chart and command their positions starting Week 1. 

Star Watch: WR Mike Davis. After racking up 478 yards his first season in Austin, (and setting a freshman record in the process), fans of the Longhorn Network are confident that Davis will emerge as the favorite target of QB Garret Gilbert. Or of Case McCoy. Or of Connor Wood. Or of David Ash. Or of…

Texas A&M Aggies and WR Jeff Fuller in 2011

Texas A&M: With a program and fanbase known for hyping up its players to astronomical levels (remember Reggie McNeal?), it’s necessary to take all information with a grain of salt. That being said, there is a lot to get excited about with this team. The Aggie Express will shoot through Sequoia-sized gaps created by a terrific offensive line that returns four of last season’s five starters, and QB Ryan Tannehill throws to one of the conference’s deepest receiving corps. The big question for the Aggies is how to replace LBs Von Miller and Michael Hodges, but if last season taught us anything it’s to never doubt a Tim DeRuyter-led defense. 

Star watch: WR Jeff Fuller. The 6-4 specimen became the first Aggie receiver to break the 1,000-yard plane and he looks poised to do it again. Fuller’s been overlooked by critics claiming Blackmon or Broyles as the conference’s top pass catchers, but he’ll look to silence the critics with his play on the field and carve out his spot as a first-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft.  

Texas Tech Raiders and G Lonnie Edwards in 2011

Texas Tech: Newly minted defensive coordinator Chad Glasgow brings his 4-2-5 scheme from TCU in hopes of shoring up one of the conference’s weakest units last season. Head coach Tommy Tuberville’s first season was uneven, but he’s finally becoming more comfortable with life in Lubbock and is putting his own distinct stamp on an offense that was known for Mike Leach’s high flying aerial attack. With all five offensive linemen returning, look for Tuberville to pound the rock, primarily utilizing the skill set of the versatile RB Eric Stephens, a 2010 Big 12 Second-Team selection. 

Star watch: G Lonnie Edwards. Texas Tech’s lone preseason Big 12 First-Teamer, Edwards’ push on the offensive line will create holes for the shifty Stephens and will solidify his status as the top run blocker in the conference.