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Hello Everyone!
Hope you had a nice weekend. Here is the preview for the Big 12. Watch for the SEC to start later this week. I am planning to have the team previews done by mid July and then start the fantasy football previews. Yea Football!
Big 12
Baylor
- Coach: Art Briles
- Last Season: Baylor won the Big 12 last year, but didn’t get invited to one of the playoff spots despite an 11-1 record and knocking off TCU, Oklahoma and Kansas State during the season. Needless to say, an unfocused Baylor team then lost by one to Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl. Remember when Baylor wasn’t very good?
- The Facts:
- Baylor QB’s through for 4,757 yards and 38 TD’s, with only 8 INT’s. That was on 519 attempts; 9.17 yards per attempt.
- Baylor rushed for 2,802 yards in 2015, with 43 rushing TD’s.
- Baylor’s Defense was ranked 50th in the nation in Total Yard’s per game.
- In My Opinion
- The top four WR’s last season averaged 903 yards and 8 TD’s last year. That’s a good season by anyone’s measure, and they had 4 wideouts near that point. Even more impressive: the lowest average yards per catch was 13.8. That means they averaged a first down or better every time they caught the ball.
- If Seth Russell, the projected new QB for Baylor, is anywhere near as good as he played in limited duty last season, then there won’t be any dropoff in production this year. That would be a plus for the Bears.
- Shock Linwood led the way for the Baylor rushing attack last year, with 1200 yards, and 16 rushing TD’s. He’s a rugged scatback, able to handle most of the carries, and he’s on track to hit even more yardage this year.
- I’m really trying to avoid talking about fantasy potential in this preview, since that’s not necessarily relevant. But I’m really looking forward to trying to score any/all of the Baylor players in the draft next season.
- What to Expect: The non-conference schedule is just beyond squishy soft; SMU and Rice won’t be a problem, and Lamar isn’t a FBS school. Conference wise, they have to go to Kansas State and TCU; those would be the problems on the season. A split and they’re probably three-peating as Big 12 champs, but won’t be hitting the playoff circuit again.
- 2015 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Projection |
5-Sep | at SMU | Win |
12-Sep | Lamar | Win |
19-Sep | Off | |
26-Sep | Rice | Win |
3-Oct | vs Texas Tech (Neutral) | Win |
10-Oct | at Kansas | Win |
17-Oct | West Virginia | Win |
24-Oct | Iowa State | Win |
31-Oct | Off | |
7-Nov | at Kansas State | Win |
14-Nov | Oklahoma | Win |
21-Nov | at Oklahoma State | Win |
28-Nov | at TCU | Loss |
5-Dec | Texas | Win |
Iowa State
- Coach: Paul Rhoads
- Last Season: The Cyclones took a serious step backwards last year, going 2-10 with a 6 game slide to end the season. The offense wasn’t horrid, but the defense couldn’t stop anyone.
- The Facts:
- Iowa State’s defense was ranked 125th in the nation in total yards allowed.
- Paul Rhoads is now 29-46 in four years as Iowa State’s coach.
- In My Opinion
- Rhoads seems to bleed Cyclone crimson, and is laboring mightily to make the team relevant. But this is probably not working. Especially as a coach with a defensive background, last season was just not acceptable. And playing against the high powered offenses in the Big 12 isn’t helping the cause.
- Sam Richardson is a completely underrated dual threat option for the Cyclones at QB. As long as he’s healthy, the offense will be effective.
- WR seems to be a strength for the Cyclones, with potentially three good to great options to throw to. The top returning RB rushed for 109 yards last year; big drop in experience there.
- What to Expect: Iowa State may be better this year; better is relative. Non-conference isn’t bad, and they start off the conference slate with Kansas. After that, things go downhill in a hurry. If Iowa State can beat Texas Tech on the 10th of October, then they have a shot at going bowling. Otherwise the end of season game against West Virginia may be the deciding game.
- 2015 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Projection |
5-Sep | Northern Iowa | Win |
12-Sep | Iowa State | Win |
19-Sep | at Toledo | Win |
26-Sep | off | |
3-Oct | Kansas | Win |
10-Oct | at Texas Tech | Loss |
17-Oct | TCU | Loss |
24-Oct | at Baylor | Loss |
31-Oct | Texas | Loss |
7-Nov | at Oklahoma | Loss |
14-Nov | Oklahoma State | Loss |
21-Nov | at Kansas State | Loss |
28-Nov | at West Virginia | Loss |
Kansas
- Coach: David Beaty
- Last Season: Last season was not pretty. It cost Charlie Weis his job halfway through he season, and aside from a surprise victory over Iowa State and hanging tough with TCU the season had few high points.
- The Facts:
- Kansas has won 12 games total in the last five seasons.
- In My Opinion:
- So, KU fired Mark Mangino for being abusive, and hired the anti-Mangino in Turner Gill. Gill spends two seasons changing the culture and starting rebuilding, only to be fired and replaced by, of all people, Charlie Weis. Who thought that was going to end well?
- What to Expect: New Coach Beaty walks into a chance to have a clean slate in rebuilding Kansas. That’s partly because Charlie Weis signed a bunch of JUCO transfers as one year rentals and they all left; the roster is pretty bare at this point. After South Dakota State to start the season (and unfortunately, KU can’t look past them, as they’re a pretty good team) wins will be tough to come by.
- 2015 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Projection |
5-Sep | South Dakota State | Win |
12-Sep | Memphis | Loss |
19-Sep | Off | |
26-Sep | Rutgers | Loss |
3-Oct | at Iowa State | Loss |
10-Oct | Baylor | Loss |
17-Oct | Texas Tech | Loss |
24-Oct | at Oklahoma State | Loss |
31-Oct | Oklahoma | Loss |
7-Nov | at Texas | Loss |
14-Nov | at TCU | Loss |
21-Nov | West Virginia | Loss |
28-Nov | Kansas State | Loss |
Kansas State
- Coach: Bill Snyder
- Last Season: Kansas State was rising in the playoff rankings until they lost to TCU in November. The team looked a little different than normal Bill Snyder coached teams; Jake Waters threw for 3500 yards, almost unheard of numbers for a Wildcat QB (have to go back to Josh Freeman in 2007 to come close, and that was under a different coach.) The loss to UCLA in the Alamo bowl did not seem to be pleasant.
- The Facts:
- Two Kansas State WR’s (Tyler Lockett and Curry Sexton) had more than 1,000 receiving yards last year. Both graduated.
- 6 offensive starters come back; four of them are linemen.
- 5 defensive starters return; three are Defensive backs.
- In My Opinion
- I’d expect a return to a power run spread option this year on offense, instead of a passing attack; there just isn’t enough passing talent to make last years offense work again. Then again, there isn’t really a bunch of running talent either, with the top returner last year only getting 540 yards on the season.
- Who’s going to be the QB? Joe Huebner is 9/17 for 235 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT for his career; he’s the leader in experience.
- To be honest, there is some experience returning for WR’s; after Lockett and Sexton, the next two top WR’s from last year are back. Kody Cook and Deante Burton are both 6’1” or taller, a big upgrade over the mighty mites in Lockett and Sexton
- What to Expect: Bill Snyder is just that good. As long as he’s coach, Kansas State will be a decent to great team. As is normal, the non-conference schedule is laughable, but conference play starts with a trip to Oklahoma State followed by TCU at home. If KSU wins both of those games then the sky is the limit on the season.
- 2015 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Projection |
5-Sep | South Dakota | Win |
12-Sep | at UTSA | Win |
19-Sep | LA Tech | Win |
26-Sep | Off | |
3-Oct | at Oklahoma State | Win |
10-Oct | TCU | Loss |
17-Oct | Oklahoma | Win |
24-Oct | at Texas | Win |
31-Oct | Off | |
7-Nov | Baylor | Loss |
14-Nov | at Texas Tech | Win |
21-Nov | Iowa State | Win |
28-Nov | at Kansas | Win |
5-Dec | West Virginia | Win |
Oklahoma
- Coach: Bob Stoops
- Last Season: Was last season a harbinger of things to come, or just a blip? After all, when you average 10 wins a season a eight win season is going to seem abnormal. In three of the conference losses, the Sooners lost by 8 points total, including the OT loss to Oklahoma State. That would seem to be acceptable. The blowout (48-14) would be a little harder to explain, but Baylor is on a roll right now. The 40-6 disaster against Clemson in the bowl game wasn’t pretty. Will that be motivation for this year?
- The Facts:
- Samaje Perrine ran for 1,713 yards, 21 Rush TD’s, and 108 receiving yards last year. He was a freshman, and is returning
- In My Opinion
- Perrine is 5’11” and 237 lbs; he’s a load to bring down and he’s tough. They should have tried to get him going against Baylor, where he only got 5 carries on the day. His 4227 yard and 5 TD day against Kansas was pretty awesome, especially when you consider he had a 66 yard run on the day; he’s not just a pounder.
- When your projected starting QB is a double walk on (Baker Mayfield walked on to Texas Tech before transferring to OU) then you know your QB recruiting has suffered. OU’s offense needs a good QB to make it run right; anything less and expect sputters.
- Long gone are the days when the OU defense made opposing teams tremble. Playing in the Big 12 against the top notch offenses didn’t help, but OU was purely average on Defense last year. If the offense is good then that may be enough, but to win bowl games more is needed.
- What to Expect: If OU can beat Tennessee after the opener against Akron, AND beat Texas at the Red River shootout, then the season will probably be successful. But they close the season at Baylor, hosting TCU, and then going to Oklahoma State for Bedlam; 1-2 in those games might have to be considered a success. Will a second mediocre season in a row start some grumbling among the faithful?
- 2015 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Projection |
5-Sep | Akron | Win |
12-Sep | at Tennessee | Loss |
19-Sep | Tulsa | Win |
26-Sep | Off | |
3-Oct | West Virginia | Win |
10-Oct | vs Texas (Dallas) | Win |
17-Oct | at Kansas State | Loss |
24-Oct | Texas Tech | Win |
31-Oct | at Kansas | Win |
7-Nov | Iowa State | Win |
14-Nov | at Baylor | Loss |
21-Nov | TCU | Loss |
28-Nov | at Oklahoma State | Loss |
Oklahoma State
- Coach: Mike Gundy
- Last Season: After taking Florida State to the limit to start the season, the Cowboys rattled off 5 straight wins. Then they hit TCU, and everything imploded. Well, at least until they rose up to beat Oklahoma in the Bedlam game. After beating Washington in the bowl game there is momentum heading into 2015.
- The Facts:
- Mason Rudolph burned his redshirt season to take over at QB against Baylor.
- No skill position player had more than 770 yards last season.
- In My Opinion
- Who’s the game breaker now? Tyreek Hill was the guy last year, but he was dismissed from the team right before the bowl game. Brandon Shepherd is a nice enough WR, but they need more than that.
- Defensively, the team may be hugely better next year; they used a bunch of underclassmen last year that are now experienced.
- What to Expect: The Cowboys should be 4-0 heading into the Kansas State game. Win that, and they have a chance to be 8-0 heading into the showdown with TCU. So a nice season expected, but not enough to challenge for the top spot in the Big 12.
- 2015 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Projection |
5-Sep | at Central Michigan | Win |
12-Sep | Central Arkansas | Win |
19-Sep | UTSA | Win |
26-Sep | at Texas | Win |
3-Oct | Kansas State | Loss |
10-Oct | at West Virginia | Win |
17-Oct | Off | |
24-Oct | Kansas | Win |
31-Oct | at Texas Tech | Win |
7-Nov | TCU | Loss |
14-Nov | at Iowa State | Win |
21-Nov | Baylor | Loss |
28-Nov | Oklahoma | Win |
TCU
- Coach: Gary Patterson
- Last Season: TCU roared back to life last season, avenging two straight underwhelming seasons in Big 12 play. The only blemish on the schedule was a 61-58 nail biter against Baylor that ended up deciding the Big 12 Championship. The 42-3 pounding of a very good Mississippi team in the bowl game was especially dominant.
- The Facts:
- The TCU was number one in the Big 12 and #18 nationally in Total average Defensive yards allowed last season.
- Treyvone Boykin threw for 3901 yards, with 33 Pass TD’s and 10 INT’s, along with 707 rush yards and 8 rush TD’s. Oh, and don’t forget the 55 yard TD pass he caught.
- In My Opinion
- Boykin deciding to return is the key for the TCU season; as long as he’s healthy they have a shot to win any game.
- Aaron Green’s emergence at RB mid-season may allow Boykin to not take as much of a pounding running the ball this coming season. Green, the Nebraska transfer, took over the RB position after the Texas Tech game, with four 100 yard games in the last seven. Add in that he’s a threat to catch out of the backfield and he should be very productive this year.
- Patterson is a defensive minded coach; his teams have traditionally been very strong on defense. This year may be interesting, as the team lost a lot of talent on defense from last season. Case in point; 3 of the top four projected players at LB for the Horned Frogs are true freshmen.
- What to Expect: The offense returns almost everyone; only player not returning is the RT (Last years RT switched over to the left side.) So if possible, the offense will be even better this season. As long as the new talent on Defense can hold serve, the team should challenge for the Big 12 championship, if not a CFB playoff slot.
- 2015 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Projection |
5-Sep | at Minnesota | Win |
12-Sep | Stephen F. Saustin | Win |
19-Sep | SMU | Win |
26-Sep | at Texas Tech | Win |
3-Oct | Texas | Win |
10-Oct | at Kansas State | Win |
17-Oct | at Iowa State | Win |
24-Oct | Off | |
31-Oct | West Virginia | Win |
7-Nov | at Oklahoma State | Win |
14-Nov | Kansas | Win |
21-Nov | at Oklahoma | Win |
28-Nov | Baylor | Win |
Texas
- Coach: Charlie Strong
- Last Season: Let’s be honest: the first season for Charlie Strong at Texas was never going to be easy. But the start of last year had many people openly questioning whether Strong would make it to a second year, starting 3-5 and looking particularly listless in the 23-0 loss to Kansas State. Part of the problem was that the team was very young, losing a bunch of upperclassmen to transfer or being dismissed from the team. Once the younger players started getting the experience, the season started turning around. 3-1 to end the regular season was enough to gain a bowl visit, and while they got hammered by Arkansas in the Bowl the season has to be considered a success.
- The Facts:
- The Texas Defense was ranked 25th in the nation in Total Defense Yards per game allowed.
- John Harris, a “hybrid WR/TE” led the team with 1,051 receiving yards and 7 TD’s. The next closest WR had 577 receiving yards. Both graduated.
- In My Opinion
- Tyrone Swoopes took over the QB job last season, but he has competition in Jerrod Heard for the job this year.
- Defense is Strong’s specialty, and that will be tested this year with only 5 returning starters. Since the team is so young, they have had to play more inexperienced players, which will help overall depth.
- Returning skill position players just don’t inspire a lot of confidence; they are “ok” at best. Some of the incoming freshman may end up stealing jobs by midseason.
- What to Expect: The team may be better this year without the results showing on the scoreboard. The Longhorns open against Notre Dame. Then they open Big 12 play against Oklahoma State. The conference slate lightens up after the Kansas State game, with 4 winnable games before the season ending showdown with Baylor. Getting to six wins may be challenging.
- 2015 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Projection |
5-Sep | at Notre Dame | Loss |
12-Sep | Rice | Win |
19-Sep | California | Win |
26-Sep | Oklahoma State | Loss |
3-Oct | at TCU | Loss |
10-Oct | vs Oklahoma (Dallas) | Loss |
17-Oct | off | |
24-Oct | Kansas State | Loss |
31-Oct | at Iowa State | Win |
7-Nov | Kansas | Win |
14-Nov | at West Virginia | Loss |
21-Nov | Off | |
28-Nov | Texas Tech | Win |
5-Dec | at Baylor | Loss |
Texas Tech
- Coach: Kliff Kingsbury
- Last Season: The QB’s kept getting hurt; that was the biggest callout for the Red raiders underwhelming year. Without consistent QB play, they couldn’t just didn’t have the ability to keep up in tight shootouts or to score when they needed to. Scaring Baylor (and almost knocking them off) was the highlight of the season in the last game.
- The Facts:
- Texas Tech QB’s threw for 4,213 yards, 40 TD’s and 18 INT’s last season.
- Three QB’s combined to hit the passing numbers; Davis Webb and Patrick Mahomes the vast majority. None had more than 2600 total passing yards on their own.
- Texas Tech Defense was ranked 122nd in to Total average yards allowed per game.
- In My Opinion
- Face value, the QB issues last season made sense to explain the bad season. But, look at the defensive play last season and the QB issues are not so big. Until the defense can stop other teams (and this has been a problem for years) they won’t be contenders. Kingsbury is an offensive coach; he brought in a new DC this year that actually had success with a defense at, of all places, Houston.
- DeAndre Washington is probably the best RB Texas Tech has had since Taurean Henderson was playing. With most of the O-Line returning he may have very big year in 2015.
- What to Expect: Well, the first two games shouldn’t be bad, but then the Red Raiders draw Arkansas. They follow with home games against TCU and Baylor. Ouch. How the team responds to those games may determine the rest of the season. The game at Texas to end the season may be for bowl eligibility.
- 2015 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Projection |
5-Sep | Sam Houston State | Win |
12-Sep | UTEP | Win |
19-Sep | at Arkansas | Loss |
26-Sep | TCU | Loss |
3-Oct | Baylor | Loss |
10-Oct | Iowa State | Win |
17-Oct | at Kansas | Win |
24-Oct | at Oklahoma | Loss |
31-Oct | Oklahoma State | Loss |
7-Nov | at West Virginia | Win |
14-Nov | Kansas State | Loss |
21-Nov | Off | |
28-Nov | at Texas | Loss |
West Virginia
- Coach: Dana Holgorsen
- Last Season: West Virginia started well, at one point being 6-2. Then they lost to TCU…by one point. They closed out the season 1-4, including the loss to Texas A&M in the bowl game. 7-6 was an improvement from the season before, but the end to the season caused the grumbling to continue.
- The Facts:
- Clint Trickett threw for 3,285 yards, 18 TD’s and 10 INT’s. However, he suffered a concussion and retired before the bowl game.
- West Virginia Defense was ranked 66th in the nation in Total average yards per game allowed.
- In My Opinion
- That defensive ranking is pretty good; even though it was 6th in the Big 12, that indicates they were fairly decent at stopping opposing teams. Considering that the offense was ranked 12th and that’s a reason they rebounded from the subpar 2013 season.
- Having to replace Kevin White and Mario Alford at WR (combined 174 receptions, 2,392 yards and 21 TD’s; 51/58/81% of totals) won’t be fun. Jordan Thompson comes back, and he had 49 catches for 598 yards and 1 TD’s last year, but no one else of consequence returns. Add in the new QB and that indicates a healthy chance for offensive disconnects.
- What to Expect: So much will hinge on the conference games. After layups against Georgia Southern and Liberty, the Mountaineers have Rival Maryland come to play; that will be a tough game. After that, they are at Oklahoma, home against Oklahoma State, at Baylor and at TCU. That’s the murderer’s row of Big 12 opponents. After that, the schedule isn’t so tough, with five winnable games to end the season, but if they don’t regroup well they may not bowl. That would probably mean the end of the Holgorsen era.
- 2015 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Projection |
5-Sep | Georgia Southern | Win |
12-Sep | Liberty | Win |
19-Sep | Off | |
26-Sep | Maryland | Loss |
3-Oct | at Oklahoma | Loss |
10-Oct | Oklahoma State | Loss |
17-Oct | at Baylor | Loss |
24-Oct | Off | |
31-Oct | at TCU | Loss |
7-Nov | Texas Tech | Loss |
14-Nov | Texas | Win |
21-Nov | at Kansas | Win |
28-Nov | Iowa State | Win |
5-Dec | at Kansas State | Loss |