BIG 12 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2008

MATT FAIRCHILD BREAKS DOWN THE BIG TWELVE AND GIVES HIS PREDICTIONS
The Big Twelve has 4 legitimate BCS Bowl game contenders in Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Missouri, and Texas this year and could claim the title as best conference over the SEC in terms of heavyweights. Top to bottom the SEC is better but I would be lying if I didn't think Missouri could give Georgia a run of their money as best team in the country this year.

THE ELITE TEAMS:

MISSOURI TIGERS-The Tigers should have been in a BCS game last year but got completely hosed when Illinois and Kansas got the knod even though the Tigers beat both and finished with as good if not better records than both. This year the Tigers will again be playing with a chip on their shoulder as a lot of experts think this is Oklahoma's conference to win and the Tigers are nothing but a flash in the pan. QB Chase Daniel returns for his senior season after a magical junior campaign in which he won Big 12 player of the year honors and finished 4th in the Heisman. For years Chase has been told he can't be a big time QB because he is too short or he picks his nose too often and it's with this scruting or doubt in which he makes himself better and his team. Yes, Missouri is his team. He will look to get the ball into the playmaking hands of WR Jeremy Maclin who had a ridiculous 2776 total yards last season as a freshman. Maclin can do it all and should also be considered a serious Heisman candidate along with Daniels. The offensive line loses a couple of starters at center and left tackle but the group as a whole is experienced and talented and should gel quickly. 6 of the front 7 on defense return including All-Big 12 linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. The secondary has one of the best defensive players in the nation in FS William Moore. Moore is a force when blitzing or covering and should position himself into a top NFL pick. The Tigers avoid Oklahoma and Texas Tech during the regular season and from top to bottom are the best team in the Big 12 North division. They face a tough out of conference opener against Illinois in St. Louis but Mizzou has won 6 straight openers by an average score of 40-19. They finish the regular season with a battle against Kansas in Kansas City but I believe Kansas is in for a down year after being so high last year. The one loss I see on their schedule is a road trip to Austin on October 18th. Why you ask? Only because the last time Mizzou won in Austin was 1896...wow!

OKLAHOMA SOONERS-Talent wise the Sooners are the best team in the Big 12 South and they should have an explosive offense led by returning QB Sam Bradford. Bradford had an excellent redshirt freshman season completing 70% of his passes while throwing for 36 TD's and only 8 INT's. He will have plenty of protection this season as all 5 starters return on the offensive line including All-American candidates Duke Robinson and Phil Loadholt. RB Demarco Murray is a little banged up and might not be ready for the season opener against Chattanooga but fingers are crossed in Norman he will be ready by the Red River Shootout. Leading receiver Juaquin Iglesias is back along with top tight end Jermaine Gresham who should be a Mackey Award candidate. The Sooners defense has been atrocious the last 3 BCS bowl game appearances and it will dictate whether or not the Sooners contend for a National Title. The defensive line is stacked with All-American candidates in Auston English, DeMarcus Granger, and Gerald McCoy. Many programs are just happy with one of those guys and yet the Sooners can put out 3 which will remind a lot of people of what the New York Giants did against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The linebacker core will need to mature as inexperience could be a factor early on but look out for middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds. The same can be said about the secondary but the talent is there to excel especially early on against a weak first half schedule. If they beat Texas in Dallas there is a very good chance they go undefeated if Bradford is healthy throughout the season.

THE CONTENDERS:

TEXAS LONGHORNS-The Longhorns only return 11 starters and have question marks at quarterback. Can Colt McCoy revert back to his freshman form and avoid the sophomore slump he had last season? Yes. The Real McCoy threw a Matt Ryan-like 18 INT's last year which secured losses against Kansas State and Texas A&M. If McCoy can get his shit together then Mack Brown's team could be due for a surprise rebound season. The offensive line returns 4 starters and the returning wide receivers have game time experience and could excel. They must find a replacement for RB Jamaal Charles with nobody really stepping up in the spring to secure the tailback job. Look for a tailback by committee approach. If the Longhorns want to compete for a Big 12 title they need to get a better pass defense. They finished last season giving up over 300 yards passing in each of the last 5 games including back-to-back 400 plus yard performances by Okie State and Texas Tech. The schedule starts off rather simple with 3 of the first 4 at home against inferior opponents. Yes, Arkansas is not that good right now. But starting with a road trip to Colorado the Longhorns will play three straight tough games with Oklahoma and Missouri also looking to knock them off. Throw in road trips to Texas Tech and Kansas in the second half of the season and this could turn out to be a long season for Mack Brown and company.

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS-Head coach Mike Leach has 18 returning starters including QB Graham Harrell and WR Michael Crabtree. The Red Raiders will put a shitload of points on the scoreboard and it will be up to their run defense to stop opponents. If the Red Raiders can stop the run they have a really good shot of competing with Oklahoma for best team in the Big 12 South. Unfortunately they get Oklahoma on the road this year who are looking to avenge last year's loss. I see 10 wins on their schedule and if their experience pays off this could be a magical season for Leach in Lubbock much like it was for Kansas last year.

KANSAS JAYHAWKS-The Fightin Mangino's return after their best season in school history of 12-1 including an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. QB Todd Reesing is back after a stellar sophomore season in which he earned 2nd team Big 12 honors. The defense will dictate the pace of the game as they return 9 starters including a solid linebacker core. The Jayhawks had a weak schedule last year but won't be afforded the opportunity again with road games at South Florida and Oklahoma as well as a neutral site game against Mizzou in Kansas City. They won't go 12-1 again but there is a good chance they can win 9-10 games and make a New Year's Day bowl.


FALLING BACK TEAMS:

NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS-Do I think Bo Pelini was the right fit for Nebraska? Nope, I actually thought they should have hired Turner Gil. Nebraska will look to get back to their roots and play some Black Shirts defense but they don't have the talent on that side of the ball right now. I'm a big fan of DE Barry Turner and RB Marlon Lucky as I think both will have excellent seasons for many years to come including the NFL. But other than those two I don't see a lot of impressive talent. The Cornhuskers will struggle in their conference.

OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS-I have nothing to say because I don't want to piss off Mike Gundy who apparently is a man who is 40...


TEXAS A&M AGGIES-Their backfield of Stephen McGee, Jorvorskie Lane, and Mike Goodson are one of the best in the nation. The Aggies basically return two total starters on both sets of lines and it is going to hurt them dearly. A lot of teams will be blitzing and running all over them and it could turn into a very long season at College Station. They can make a bowl like last year but don't expect to be a significant one unless you are a big fan of the Penisenvy.com Bowl.

COLORADO BUFFALOES-I really can't wait to see freshman RB Darrell Scott do his thing in Boulder. How Texas let him slip through their fingers is still baffling. Hello Mack Brown, give him some more money for heaven's sake. This is Big 12 football we are talking about. Anyways I don't have the heart or determination to go in depth about the Buffaloes because I honestly could care less about the rest of the team. Just give the ball to Scott and let him do his touchdown dance. I believe head coach Dan Hawkins will realize it quickly. The Buffs open up the season with one of the toughest schedules in the land including non-conference opponents Colorado State, West Virginia, and Florida State before conference play kicks in.

TEAMS THAT SUCK AND BLOW AT THE SAME TIME:

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS-If QB Josh Freeman can lay off the Ho-Ho's and Ian Campbell can sack the opposition every other play then the Wildcats have a chance...maybe.

IOWA STATE CYCLONES-The Cyclones are usually a competitive team but this year they lose 25 of 52 lettermen which will hurt big time.

BAYLOR BEARS-They were winless last year in the Big 12 and were outgained an average of 181 yards a game. Baylor has been horrible for years and is usually a gimme victory for opponents.

BEST GAME: MISSOURI AT TEXAS (October 18th)-Mizzou hasn't won in Austin since 1896. Are you shitting me? This game is huge in so many levels, one being Missouri trying to prove they deserve to be considered for a BCS Championship game.

WORST GAME: KANSAS STATE AT IOWA STATE (November 22nd)-Kansas State owns the Cyclones in Manhattan if you care and I'm sure you don't.

MOST OVERRATED GAME: THE RED RIVER SHOOTOUT (October 11th)-Did you know that last season was the first time since 1997 it was not decided by double digit points. There always seems to be a lot of hype going into it but the game never is close. You can direct your hate mail to wakeup@sportscrack.com.

BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Texas Tech's WR Michael Crabtree is the returning Biletnikoff Winner after setting NCAA freshman records for receptions (134), yards (1962) and TD's (22). The Red Raiders may run a wide open attack but Crabtree is the real deal and will likely be a top 15 draft pick in the NFL next year.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Missouri Free Safety William Moore earned 2nd team All-American honors last year after picking off 8 passes and should again be a force in the secondary for the BCS Title hopeful Tigers.

BEST FRESHMAN: Colorado somehow managed to steal the Longhorns prized recruit Darrell Scott from California who should step in the Buffaloes backfield and produce a 1000 yard season at the least if he stays healthy. He was the #1 rated high school runningback and gives coach Dan Hawkins an explosive weapon for intramurals..oh wait, I mean the Big 12 conference. Sorry Hawkins, stop yelling at me brotha.

MOST LIKELY TO GET ARRESTED: It would have been incoming freshman Joshua Jarboe but since coach Bob Stoops kicked him out I am going to have to go with a Longhorn here...LB Sergio Kindle, come on down!

MOST LIKELY TO BE FIRED: Okie State coach Mike Gundy for proving he isn't a man and can't coach.

PLAYER WHO WILL BE BETTER THAN WHAT PEOPLE THINK: Kansas LB Joe Mortensen just makes plays and is one of the most underrated players in the nation.

DOESN'T MAKE SENSE AWARD: The poon in the Big 12 should be so much better. Seriously, I thought Texas was loaded with hot women? Show me the poon Big 12!

THE WINNER IS:
I like Missouri to sneak by Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game and have a chance to play for a National Title thanks to a huge season from Chase Daniel and the Mizzou defense.