2007 Big 12 Preview

by: Kendall Holiday

The Big 12 is slowly returning to its formidable form after nearly a decade of decline in its Northern Division, which led to outright domination from Oklahoma and Texas.

Nebraska is showing signs of its old self, albeit, an option attack is nowhere to be seen. Nebraska lost the majority of its defensive front seven, and while the newcomers are very talented, expect Nebraska’s defense to give up yards in chunks at times this season.

Missouri, in our opinion, is the team to watch this season in the Northern Division. Chase Daniels leads a vaunted offense, that will be able to score at will and their defense is a talented, swarming bunch.

Keep an eye on Colorado as well, as they were not as bad as their record indicated one year ago. Their defense was very solid, and an improved offense will only help their defense.

Not lost in the speculation about the improved Northern division, is the fact that the South still dominates the landscape in the Big 12. Texas and Colt McCoy will be back once again, and Oklahoma looks loaded on defense and along the offensive line. Oklahoma State is the darkhorse in the South and is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. If their defense can be consistent, they have an outside chance to claim the Southern Title. Texas A&M should contend in the South once again, as will Texas Tech.

Southern Division Top Three

In predicted order of finish:

1) Texas – Colt McCoy returns for another year, as does his main target Limas Sweed along with TB Jamaal Charles, which will make life tough for opposing defenses. Texas must replace the majority of its offensive line which would spell trouble if Mack Brown did not have such a lockdown on the state of Texas in terms of recruiting. There may be some hiccups early on, but we do not expect that to last. It will be interesting to see if the departure of Gene Chizik means anything to the Longhorn defense. New Defensive Coordinator Duane Akina’s specialty is in the defensive backfield and that might mean good news for Longhorn fans. Seniors Marcus Griffin and Frank Okam lead what looks to be another tough Texas defensive unit. Tough linebackers Rashad Bobino and Robert Killebrew return and one of them should lead the team in tackles. UT had some troubles in their defensive secondary last season (see loss at Kansas State) and will need to rectify those problems to win the Conference Championship this season. All in all, this looks like another stacked Longhorns football team. The OOC schedule is very manageable as the TCU affair looks like the only tough game. This team will be looking for payback when Kansas State visits Austin in late September. The Red River Shootout should once again define the Longhorn's season. A win against Oklahoma likely means the Longhorns will be undefeated heading into a tough home stretch of the schedule that sees them travel to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. The offense will score on anyone and if the defense can improve, they should be right in the thick of things nationally late into season.

2) Oklahoma – Oklahoma State could easily finish in second place in the South Division, but should OU find a suitable quarterback, this could be a darkhorse National Championship team. The NCAA came calling last year and we think OU got off pretty clean all things considered. Is there any shadow cast on the program? We doubt it, but we’ll find out soon enough. OU needs to find a replacement for Paul Thompson at quarterback, but there is more talent at the position than there has been in some time in Norman. Joey Hazle, Sam Bradford and Keith Nichol will battle it out this August for the role. The winner inherits a talented receiving corps led by Malcolm Kelly and Juaquin Iglesias. As everyone knows, super talent Adrian Petersen is gone to the NFL and the Minnesota Vikings, but this offense learned to play without its superstar last year, and OU has loads of talent at TB led by Allen Patrick and Chris Brown. We do not see much of a dropoff in the run game, as four offensive lineman return to lead this offense. The potential problems for Oklahoma lie in their defense. Graduation hurt this unit, as nearly the entire front seven has graduated. Like Texas, Bob Stoops has done a good job on the recruiting trail and the youngsters should fill in just fine. We’ll know about this Oklahoma team pretty early as Miami travels to Norman on September 8th for a throw down. Their first true road test with their new quarterback comes at Colorado, a team that played the Sooners pretty tough in Norman last season. We do not think this team is ready to truly compete with the Longhorns and the Red River Shootout, could be an ugly one this season. OU has talent, that cannot be denied, but there will be heavy dependency on young players this season, which could spell trouble.

3) Oklahoma State – Sleeping giant? We think so. Bobby Reid, Dantrell Savage and Adarius Bowman return to lead the most explosive offense in the Big 12. Bobby Reid is a very tough quarterback to defend. Don’t believe us, just ask the Nebraska Cornhuskers who were throttled by Reid and Savage in an amazing second-half display last season. The Cowboys return three offensive lineman as well, which should allow them to hit the ground running early in 2007. The biggest questions for this football team are on the defensive line, where they must find four replacements. The good news for the 'Pokes is that the majority of the players seeking playing time and starting spots are upper classmen, led by seniors Nathan Petersen, Rodrick Johnson and Maurice Cummings. Sophomore Safety Andre Sexton led the team in tackles in 06. If the defensive line is able to contribute, this could be a National Championship sleeper team, with the ability and schedule to hang around late into the season. They open with a tough game at Georgia. The only other tough road test is to Lincoln, where NU will be looking for blood. This team has the talent to win eight to ten games this season. An early win against Georgia, and the Big 12 had better look out.

Northern Division Top Three

In predicted order of finish:

1) Missouri – Thought Nebraska would be here didn’t you? Bill Callahan has yet to show us that he can win big games and we think that might haunt the Huskers once again this season. Gary Pinkel has had this season circled on his calendar for a long time. He enters the season with one of the top signal callers in the country and the best tight end tandem in the nation as well in Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman. Three offensive lineman return, which will help the offense continue to click in an early schedule that features an improved Illinois team and a trip to Ole Miss. Senior tailback Tony Temple is one of the more underrated running backs in the country. Only five starters return on defense, which could pose problems, but Pinkel has done a nice job on the recruiting trail and the upperclassmen are poised to take over at defensive end. Ziggy Hood and Lorenzo Williams are very talented Tackles, which should keep pressure off of the ends and linebackers. Cornerback Darnell Terrell returns once again and looks to add to his nine career interceptions. Nebraska comes calling in the first weekend of October and we see trouble for the Big Red here. The real question will be whether or not Pinkel’s squad can turn in an entire solid season that includes tough road trips to Oklahoma and Colorado - a place that has always haunted the Tigers. We think this is the year of the Tiger. Expect a lot of infighting once again in the Big 12 North and expect the Tigers to represent the North in the Big 12 Championship game in December.

2) Nebraska – Nebraska turned in a solid season last year leading the Nation of Red to think that their resurgence was ahead of schedule. Bill Callahan and his staff have done a wonderful job of recruiting since their arrival, but recruiting titles mean little from August to January. Gone is the soul of the team in Brandon Jackson, Adam Carriker, Zac Taylor and Jay Moore, which will hurt more than they realize. Bo Ruud is still roaming the middle and is as good a linebacker as there is the country. Much ballyhoo’d transfer Sam Keller will be the starter at QB and has good wideouts in Nunn and Purify, but NU needs to replace both tackles which could test Keller early, especially against SC. The real questions around NU’s offense center around one-time prized recruit Marlon Lucky, and Maurice Purify. Both are terrific football players, but both have had off the field troubles this off season. Nebraska is especially in need of a breakout season from Lucky with the departure of Jackson to the NFL and the injuries to Kenny Wilson and Cody Glenn. Nebraska’s defense gave up yardage in large chunks at times last year (see Oklahoma State and Texas A&M) and we think the linebackers could pay a price for the departure of the entire defensive line early on. As we stated, there is young talent throughout the program, but we think the Big Red is one year away from truly being back. The question then comes will Bill Callahan be around should the Huskers lose four or five games this fall?

3) Colorado – Work with us here as we follow this division closely. Colorado dropped some games last season that it could have easily won and got significantly better throughout the season as well. Either Dan Hawkins lost all coaching ability in his car on the way to Boulder or something has to give this season. Colorado QB Bernard Jackson had a difficult time with the forward pass last season, which led to Colorado’s defense sitting on the field for seemingly hours at a time. Defenses loaded the box against the run, knowing that Jackson could not beat them with his arm. Jackson has been moved to a slash role this season and enter Cody Hawkins and JUCO transfer Nick Nelson, who both thrive on short to intermediate passing attacks. They are unproven at this level, but the offense is said to be light years ahead of where it was last season. The defense returns all-conference performers Terrence Wheatley and Jordan Dizon and tackles Brandon Nicholas and George Hypolite. An early game against Colorado State should tell us everything we need to know about the 2007 Buffs. A win there and this team could gain the confidence that was sorely missing last season. The OOC is tough with games at Arizona State and home against Florida State, but the conference slate is manageable with Oklahoma, Missouri, and Nebraska all slated to trip to Boulder. Two wins against Florida State, Missouri, OU, or NU would give the Buffs at least seven wins this season. Keep an eye towards Boulder.

Ready to Become Household Names:

Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State

Mr. Freeman was widely considered one of the top quarterback recruits in the country and he showed why in his true freshman campaign leading the Wildcats to an upset of Texas on their home field and an unexpected Bowl Trip. He amassed 1,780 yards through the air which is a KSU freshman record. Expect him to blow up more this season, but the Wildcats will have a difficult time with a more difficult schedule than they are used to playing. The brutal schedule includes road trips to Auburn, Fresno State, Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma State. One thing is for sure, Freeman is a definite Heisman candidate should he remain healthy over his career at KSU.

George Hypolite, DT, Colorado

Hypolite, a former high school running back has turned into a fierce defensive tackle, who makes a living in opposing offenses backfields. Hypolite really burst on the scene last season at Georgia and should continue where he left off this season. Some publications have him as the best junior defensive tackle in the country. He has all-conference ability, and should the 6’1, 285 pound turn in a big season, expect bigger things from the Colorado defensive unit.

Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas

We admit, you should have heard about Talib by now - a first round NFL draft talent. The fact that he plays for the Jayhawks puts him in this category. Talib might be the best all-around cover corner in all of college football and if healthy, will end his career as an All-American. Talib returns kicks and cameos at WR as well for the Jayhawks. Keep an eye on this talented Corner as you’ll hear his name relatively early in the NFL Draft.

Marlon Lucky, RB, Nebraska

The time is now for Mr. Lucky, one of the most heralded running back recruits to come out of California this decade. He has gotten carries and has shown flashes since his arrival in Lincoln, but has never been the guy. With the departure of Brandon Jackson, and the injuries to Cody Glenn and Kenny Wilson, the job falls into the athletically capable hands of Lucky. Lucky ran into some off the field personal issues this off season. If he is able to overcome that, he might be poised for a huge season within a very capable Husker offense. To be quite frank, if Nebraska wins the Big 12 North, Lucky will have had a huge season.

Season Defining Games

Missouri: 9/8 at Ole Miss, 10/6 Nebraska, 10/13 at Oklahoma
Nebraska: 9/15 USC, 10/6 Missouri, 10/27 at Texas
Colorado: 9/1 Colorado State, 9/15 Florida State, 11/23 Nebraska
Kansas State: 9/1 at Auburn, 9/29 at Texas, 11/10 at Nebraska
Kansas: 10/6 at Kansas State, 11/3 Nebraska, 11/10 at Oklahoma State
Iowa State: 9/15 Iowa, 9/29 at Nebraska, 10/13 Texas

Texas: 10/6 Oklahoma, 10/27 Nebraska, 11/3 at Oklahoma State
Oklahoma: 9/8 Miami, 10/6 Texas, 9/29 at Colorado
Oklahoma State: 9/1 at Georgia, 10/6 at Texas A&M, 10/13 at Nebraska
Texas A&M: 9/20 at Miami, 10/6 Oklahoma State, 11/23 Texas
Texas Tech: 9/22 at Oklahoma State, 10/20 at Missouri, 11/10 at Texas
Baylor: 10/6 Colorado, 10/20 Texas, 11/17 Oklahoma State

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Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys Monday September 15, 2008 8:35 pm
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Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs Sunday September 14, 2008 1:00 pm
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Wisconsin Badgers @ Fresno State Bulldogs Saturday September 13, 2008 10:30 pm
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