College Football Preview: Big 12 Conference

By Andrew Musur on August 27, 2015

For a conference that has continually put teams into the top five, the Big 12 catches an enormous amount of slack.

Many of those who hate on the Big 12 hate on it for one simple reason: a conference championship game does not exist in the Big 12. The lack of a conference championship game played a vital role in deciding whether or not TCU would be one of the four members of last season’s inaugural College Football Playoff.

The Horned Frogs got snubbed by the selection committee, but many found no reason to disagree with that action since the team that had replaced them, Ohio State, ending up winning the National Title.

This is the year I think the Big 12 makes some noise come playoff time. The conference is home to several talented squads and the most exciting player in all of college football. Here is my Big 12 Conference preview.

No. 1 TCU

2014 Record: 12-1 (8-1)

2015 Prediction: 11-1 (8-1)

The Skinny: This TCU offense may be the most talented group coach Gary Patterson has ever been in charge of. The Horned Frogs are led by my Heisman frontrunner, Trevone Boykin. Boykin threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 33 touchdowns. He was as reliable of a quarterback as you could ask for, and in his senior season Boykin will be called on time and time again to step up.

But Boykin is not the only deadly offensive weapon the Horned Frogs have coming back. Josh Doctson, Boykin’s favorite target, will be back for senior season. Docston caught more than 1,000 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. The Texas native caught a pass in every single game this season, and his expectations coming into next season will surely grow.

Lastly, the Horned Frogs will have another senior back next season, running back Aaron Green. Green was a monster on the ground last season, despite not earning the starting role until November. Green capped off an excellent junior campaign by rushing for more than 100 yards in four of TCU’s final seven games. This offense will be lethal and TCU fans know they can always count on Coach Patterson’s trademark defense to help out the cause.

No. 2 Baylor

2014 Record: 11-2 (8-1)

2015 Prediction: 10-2 (7-2)

The Skinny: When you think about Baylor Football, the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is their potent offense. The Bears have led the country in offense for the last two seasons, and plan to do the same this year.

Unfortunately for Bears fans, they will be without their darling quarterback, Bryce Petty. Petty was the orchestrator of Baylor’s air raid offense the last two seasons, racking up more than 8,000 yards through the air.

Although the Bears will lack their record breaking quarterback, they don’t lose much offensively. Baylor returns junior and 1,000 yard rusher, Shock Linwood. Linwood was a beast last season, scoring a touchdown in all but two games. The 5-foot-9 Linwood hit the century mark in four games last season, including a 178 yard outburst against TCU.

And the best things for Baylor fans is that offensive talent doesn’t stop there. The Bears also return two 1,000 yard receivers in Corey Coleman and KD Cannon. Coleman and Cannon were scary good last season as they accounted for 21 touchdowns, and don’t forget that Coleman missed the first three games of the season. Even if new starter Seth Russell struggles early on he will have plenty of weapons to get the Bears on the right track.

No. 3 Oklahoma

2014 Record: 8-5 (5-4)

2015 Prediction: 9-3 (6-3)

The Skinny: A report came out two days ago naming Baker Mayfield the starting quarterback. Mayfield threw for 2,315 yards in eight games. The best thing about Mayfield’s season was his accuracy. The Texas native completed 64 percent of his passes including four games where he hit that 70 percent mark.

Wide receiver Sterling Shepard was a slight light of hope last season. Shepard is a small, but speedy wide receiver. The 5-foot-10 WR grabbed 51 catches and racked up 970 yards in the 10 games he played in. The Oklahoma native has to step up and provide another useful option for Mayfield.

No. 4 Oklahoma State

2014 Record: 7-6 (4-5)

2015 Prediction: 8-4 (6-3)

The Skinny: Oklahoma State has been hit or miss for the last four years, and this year might be a much needed hit. The Cowboys are stacked on the defensive side of the ball. Emmanuel Ogbah is back and ready for hurting. Ogbah dominated offensive lines last season as he racked up 49 tackles and 11 sacks.

The Texas native is going to be the anchor on this Cowboy defense and if he can’t take over that role it will be a rough year.

No. 5 West Virginia

2014 Record: 7-6 (5-4)

2015 Prediction: 8-4 (5-4)

The Skinny: Nothing really pops off the page when you look at West Virginia’s team this year. They lose their three most important offense weapons from a year ago: Kevin White, Mario Alford and Clint Trickett. Replacing that trio would be a struggle for any coach, but it will be especially difficult for this particular West Virginia team.

Skyler Howard is the clear cut number one for the starting job. Howard took over late for the Mountaineers last season and threw for 829 yards in three games. The most impressive statistic in Howard’s arsenal is his touchdown to interception ratio. Howard threw for 8 touchdowns and 0 interceptions — pretty impressive. We’ll see if Howard can be the perfect replacement.

No. 6 Texas

2014 Record: 6-7 (5-4)

2015 Prediction: 7-5 (5-4)

The Skinny: The opening year in the Charlie Strong tenure didn’t go too well. Strong led the Longhorns to a lowly 6-7 record. This season the Longhorns may actually surprise a few people. Texas is changing up their offense to a spread attack, something quarterback Tyrone Swoopes will greatly enjoy.

The junior has a year under his belt and can hopefully improve his accuracy. Swoopes eclipsed the 2,400 yard mark, but also threw only 13 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions.

The dual threat quarterback wasn’t too bad on the ground either. Swoopes ran for positive yards in all but four games. If Strong does in fact trust the once All American high school recruit, he will be in experienced hands.

No. 7 Texas Tech

2014 Record: 4-8 (2-7)

2015 Prediction: 7-5 (4-5)

The Skinny: It is the third year in the Kliff Klingsbury era. Klingsbury took over the reins in 2013 and went 8-5 with a victory in the Holiday Bowl. The Red Raiders then dropped off to a dimly 4-8 record.

Klingsbury seems to have Texas Tech going in the right direction, but next season will be a big test to determine what direction the Red Raiders are going. Their offense returns eight starters and their defensive brings back a sack machine, Pete Robertson. Robertson piled up 12 sacks last season. There is some hope surrounding this Texas Tech team, but we’ll see if they can make it to a bowl game.

No. 8 Kansas State

2014 Record: 9-4 (7-2)

2015 Prediction: 6-6 (4-5)

The Skinny: The Wildcats will more than likely name Jesse Ertz their starting quarterback. Ertz is going to be a sophomore this year and hasn’t thrown a pass in his short career.

Ertz stands 6-foot-3, so he has good height to sling some deep balls. The Iowa native may be the short term and potentially the long term solution to the Wildcats’ problems.

No. 9 Iowa State

2014 Record: 2-10 (0-9)

2015 Prediction: 3-9 (1-8)

The Skinny: Iowa State is coming off a miserable 2014 season. The Cyclones didn’t win a single conference game and only won two games all year long. Iowa State can’t be much worse than they were last season.

Their offense has some explosive weapons such as wide receiver Quenton Bundrage. Bundrage just recovered from a torn ACL. It will be interesting to see if Bundrage can come back with the same spunk he had before his leave of absence.

The Cyclones also have two more receivers that will surely boost this offense. D’Vario Montgomery and Allen Lazard are two tall and athletic receivers. Combine these three stud wideouts with a decent arm, and Iowa State could surprise a few people.

No. 10 Kansas

2014 Record: 3-9 (1-8)

2015 Prediction: 1-11 (0-9)

The Skinny: The last time Kansas won more than three games was in 2009 and the last time they played in a bowl game was 2008. It’s been a long and tough journey for Kansas football fans. Lucky for Jayhawk fans they have basketball to look forward to.

There is no more Charlie Weis on the sidelines, but that firing may have only done away with one of Kansas’ problems. Junior quarterback Montell Cozart was just recently named the starting quarterback for Kansas. Cozart will be perfect for the new playing style the Jayhawks hope to adopt. Kansas wants to create an air raid offense and Cozart could play a vital role in lifting this offense off the ground.

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Champion Prediction: TCU

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