Big 12 South
The Big 12 South is a tough conference to be in this year with probably 5 out of the 6 teams getting to bowls and there is a lot of talent on all the teams this year.
1. Texas – Colt McCoy, Jamaal Charles, and all 3 of their top receivers back should leave an explosive offense this season. They only have 6 back on defense (lowest amount since 2002), but they are still loaded with talent and have one of the top defenses in the conference. Oklahoma, @ Oklahoma State, and @Texas A&M for a revenge match will be the key games here. If they can survive those, the Longhorns will be an a BCS bowl. The schedule plays out nicely, and I give them a good shot at going undefeated. Prediction: 11-1 (7-1)
2. Oklahoma State - The Cowboys are one of my surprise teams this year. They have 15 starters back and I look for them to greatly improve on last years 7-6 record. They have their big 3 (QB, RB, WR) back on offense and should be able to put up points on just about anyone. Their defense returns 7 including all their entire LB core and secondary comprising their top 7 tacklers. The schedule is tough enough and they start the season at Georgia. If they can surprise Georgia and get a win, they have a good shot at being 5-0 when they travel for two tough road games in a row (Nebraska, Texas A&M). But both are winnable and they could be 8-0 playing Texas at home which would give them a great deal of confidence. I pick them team to make a lot of noise this season. Prediction: 10-2 (6-2)
3. Oklahoma – As talented as this team is, it’s difficult to pick them 3rd in the South, especially with only 3 Big 12 road games and their defense is arguably the best in the Big 12. They also have 15 returning starters. Hmm, I might regret this decision, because I think they have a shot at being undefeated this season if the defense can match that of their 2000 season. However, the true freshman projected at starter for QB and RB and a tough road game against Miami early scares me. An improved Miami defense should give the freshman trouble and I’m not sure if a true freshman can win every game in this conference. It’s tough and their are no off weeks. Prediction: 9-3 (6-2)
4. Texas A&M – They wil be a tough out every week and nearly every game falls into the winnable category. But the schedule is tough as they play at Miami (yea, for some reason the Hurricanes play two Big 12 games this season), and play Oklahoma State and then take on both my top 2 Big 12 North teams on the road (Nebraska and Missouri) in back to back weeks and Texas will be gunning for them after they upset them last year. I think they have a good enough team, I just think the schedule might be a little too tough for them to make too many waves. Prediction: 8-4 (5-3)
5. Texas Tech – The Red Raiders have only 10 returning starters this year, and only 5 back on offense which is their forte. They do have a veteren QB and RB and their non conference games are a walk, so their 12th straight winning season is a realistic goal. Surprisingly, they are the only Big 12 team to have 11 straight winning seasons. But the defense is a big question mark, so most of their games will just be shootouts. Prediction: 6-6 (2-6)
6. Baylor – Last season, they were outgained by 134 yards per game and only have 11 starters returning and lost a Big 12 high 32 letterman. Guy Morriss has made great strides with this team over the last couple seasons, but winning a Big 12 game will be a challenge this year. Prediction: 3-9 (0-8).