Todd Reesing, Kansas Jayhawks
With College Football just under 2 weeks away, I thought I’d take a look at my conference. Full disclosure: I graduated from the University of Kansas in 2007. I’m sorry for those that are fans of the Pac-10, Big Ten and SEC, but while I follow the surface of those leagues, I just wouldn’t do them any justice by attempting to critique them.
In the Big 12 North the smart money is on either the Kansas Jayhawks or the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Kansas Jayhawks, 9-3 (5-3): The offense for the Jayhawks will be one of the top in the nation with the return of the all-time leading passer for KU in Todd Reesing, talented WRs in Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier, and a shifty halfback in Jake Sharp. The question marks for this bunch focuses heavily on their offensive line and linebackers. Kansas is looking at running a 4-2-5 defense to take some of the pressure off a inexperienced linebacker core with the departure of three seniors last year in Mike Rivera, James Holt and Joe Mortensen. The return of Darrell Stuckey in the secondary alleviates some concerns about the defense.
Games to watch: the last 6 games, 10/24 vs. Oklahoma, 10/31 at Texas Tech, 11/7 at Kansas State, 11/14 vs. Nebraska, 11/21 at Texas, 11/28 vs. Missouri
Trap game: 10/17 at Colorado, before the home game against Oklahoma. A win in this game guarantees bowl eligibility if they take care of business.
Nebraska Cornhuskers, 8-4 (5-3): A close second to Kansas. I have them losing at Kansas due to what looks to be a very inexperienced offense. Although this could change as the team grows together during the season, a new QB in Zac Lee, a very talented RB in Roy Helu, Jr. and a very talented defense anchored by Ndamukong Suh. Bo Pelini’s defense will be formidable as he continues to shift the mindset in Lincoln. Nebraska could be a case-study in the pass-happy, high scoring Big 12, on how important defense is on the road to success.
Games to watch: 9/19 at Virginia Tech, 10/8 at Missouri, 10/17 vs. Texas Tech, 11/7 vs. Oklahoma, 11/14 at Kansas
Trap game: 10/31 at Baylor, the Bears will be smelling bowl eligibility and will make a hard out for several teams. Nebraska could be caught looking ahead to hosting the Sooners.
Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Missouri Tigers, 7-5 (4-4): Missouri will be reeling from the loss of Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman, Ziggy Hood. Sean Weatherspoon will provide some stability in the linebacker position and Derrick Washington is one of the better running backs in the Big 12. This team will struggle, but they are very young and 2009 should provide plenty of experience for them to have the North advantage in 2010 and 2011. Missouri also has the pleasure of playing Texas and at Oklahoma State this year when both teams will be vying for the Big 12 South title. If Missouri is out of the running for the Big 12 Championship game, they would love nothing more than to play the spoiler to the Jayhawks’ chance when the two meet at Arrowhead in Kansas City.
Games to watch: 9/5 vs. Illinois, 10/8 vs. Nebraska, 10/17 at Oklahoma State, 10/24 vs. Texas, 11/28 vs. Kansas
Trap game: 10/31 at Colorado, the Buffaloes are a scrappy team and Missouri will be coming off a very tough 3-game stretch. The bad could get worse in Boulder.
Colorado Buffaloes, 6-6 (3-5): I might be selling this group short, but I don’t envy their opening 4-game stretch of Texas, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri. I think they might be able to steal one of the the KSU or MU games, and then they close their season at Oklahoma State and hosting Nebraska. Colorado’s question mark at the QB position is the biggest red mark. Opponents will load the box and make the running backs beat them. This team fights though, which is why they could easily play the spoiler to a couple teams and emerge with a 4-4 or 5-3 conference record.
Games to watch: 10/1 at West Virginia, 10/10 at Texas, 10/17 vs. Kansas, 11/19 at Oklahoma State, 11/27 vs. Nebraska
Trap game: I’m not sure if you can have a trap game when you’re not a favorite, but I would go with 11/14 at Iowa State. The Cyclones could be hungry for a victory at that point and potentially spoil the Buffaloes’ bowl hopes.
Bill Snyder, Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State Wildcats, 6-6 (2-6): I’m going with a hunch that the Wildcats will surprise the country and beat UCLA on September 19. This team is interesting because they don’t really have an identity. This could be a tough year for Bill Snyder, but the Iowa State, Colorado, Texas A&M, Kansas and Missouri games are toss ups. I have them winning 2 of the 5. The return of WR Brandon Banks is a cornerstone of their offense. The question mark at QB greatly diminishes his value. One of the worst recruiting classes and a porous defense in 2008 provide Snyder with plenty of problem areas. This team could be at the bottom or could go 4-4 or 5-3 in conference.
Games to watch: 9/19 at UCLA, 10/10 at Texas Tech, 10/31 at Oklahoma, 11/7 vs. Kansas, 11/14 vs. Missouri, 11/21 at Nebraska
Trap game: 10/3 at Iowa State, a Wildcat team could be looking forward to Tech, while a Cyclone team with a new head coach could looking to establish a new identity to rebuild their program.
Iowa State Cyclones, 3-9 (1-7): Paul Rhoads will have a challenge in front of him. Although he gets the supposed weaker three Big 12 South teams (depends on if OSU or TT is in the bottom 3), he will be fielding a less talented team than his counterparts. Austen Arnaud is a very gifted athlete at QB and should provide Rhoads with the ability to manage a game and run their new no-huddle offense. Rhoads’ background as a defensive coordinator should improve the mentality of the Cyclone defense.
Games to watch: 9/12 vs. Iowa, 10/17 vs. Baylor, 11/14 vs. Colorado
Trap game: 10/17 vs. Baylor, playing host to Baylor between road games at Kansas and at Nebraska is the perfect place for a team to lose focus. With KU and NU being the marquee North teams, Iowa State might overlook Baylor.
