The Hokie Guru (Govloop’s Bureaucrat on Sports)… The Big 12 College Football Preview!!

Happy Monday!! Hope everyone had a good weekend.

We’ve had a lot about those Central Intelligence Agency Inspector General (IG) reports on the abuse inside the secret prisons. If you don’t know about the role of an IG, well, essentially it’s the interal auditing arm of the federal government agency. Here is more about the role and mission of the IG community.

The Big 12 Conference

When you think of the Big 12 Conference, you think of great quarterback play. Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) and Colt McCoy (Texas) are both Heisman Trophy contenders… Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State, T.Boone Pickins alma mater) and Robert Griffin (Baylor, yes, the Hokie Guru said Baylor) would start anywhere else in the country. Todd Reesing (Kansas) has drawn several comparisons to Doug Flutie. The Hokie Guru expects an awesome offensive year in the Big 12… here’s how it will all pan out for the league with five teams in the Associated Press Top 25…

North Division

1.) Kansas – Kansas, headed by QB Todd Reesing, has the most returning starters in the Big 12 North Division. The Jayhawks have a challenging conference schedule. They must go on the road to Colorado, Texas Tech, Kansas State, and Texas. Kansas has a classic trap game with Southern Mississippi on September 26… and the Jayhawks better show up or they are gonna lose. Great QB play, along with an experienced group of players, gets the Jawhawks into the Big 12 Championship game.

2.) Nebraska – The Cornhuskers aren’t quite back to the Nebraska teams of old, but they are betting much better year by year under Head Coach, Bo Pelini. Nebraska returns 13 starters, including All-America candidate, Ndamukong Suh. The Cornhuskers will have a brand new quarterback and figure to get things done by running the ball, playing hard-nosed defense, and getting the special teams going… sounds like Virginia Tech.

3.) Kansas State – The Kansas State Wildcats return 15 starters, 49 letterwinners, and have 28 seniors on the roster… more news here. On top of that, head coach Bill Snyder, came out of retirement to coach this bunch of kids. The Big 12 media picked K-State 5th in the Big 12 North; the Hokie Guru disagrees. Coach Snyder will find a way to get this team to a bowl game this year… he’s a legend and will get things done.

4.) Colorado – The Buffaloes have gone 13-24 in the last three seasons.
Head coach Dan Hawkins is clearly on the hot seat. A favorable Big 12 Division North schedule, however, has Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas all visiting Boulder, CO. The Buffs, however, need to decide on a QB.

5.) Missouri – No team lost more than the Missouri Tigers. Their former quarterback, Chase Daniel, now plays for the Washington Redskins. Jeremey Macklin, their top receiver, now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. Missouri returns just five starters on offense and four on defense. Missouri, however, does not play Texas Tech or Oklahoma… a very favorable schedule for a young team. If head coach Gary Pinkel gets this team to a bowl, it will be his best coaching job ever.

6.) Iowa State – Will Iowa State lose to North Dakota State Bison? The Hokie Guru’s not ready to pick this one yet… maybe… the Bison beat Minny two years ago. Anything is possible.

South Division

And now we get to the real side of the Big 12.

1.) Texas – The #2-rated Texas (or Tejas) Longhorns have what it takes to make the national championship game (the Longhorns will be Oklahoma). Tejas has 9 returning starters on offense and an experienced secondary all coming back. Mark it down… Colt McCoy will win the Heisman Trophy this year. There is no player that means more to his team than Colt. McCoy has one of the best receivers to throw to in the country in Jordan Shippley (he is Sixth-year wide receiver who is the state of Texas’ all-time leading prep receiver).

2.) Oklahoma – The Oklahoma Sooners have the honor of having one of the best QBs in the nation in Sam Bradford, the only Native American to win the Heisman Trophy. All of the NFL talent decided to stay on for another year, which means that Bob Stoops’ group is looking to make another run at the national title… we’re talking about four pre-season first team All-Big 12 performers. The Sooners take on BYU and Miami as part of their non-conference slate. Ugh. If the Sooners manage to go undefeated through their first five games, the October 17 game with Tejas could determine who plays in the national title game against Florida (yes, I’m already picking the Gators to be in the final game).

3.) Oklahoma State – Wouldn’t it be nice to have 250 million dollars? That’s the amount that T. Boone Pickens donated for the Oklahoma State Cowboys stadium. The Cowboys are going to be the kings of the Big 12 Conference in the next three years. The Cowboys are lead by the most underrated QB in the country, Zac Robinson. Robinson throws to the best receiver in the country in Dez Bryant. The defense must get better, though, if the Cowboys want to win the Big 12 South. They might have hired the man to get it done.

Of course, every time I think of Oklahoma State, I’m reminded that “I’m a man… I’m 40!!!!!”

4.) Texas Tech – The Texas (Tejas) Tech Red Raiders must replace three-year starter Graham Harrell, a quarterback who had two 5,000-yard seasons, and Michael Crabtree, a two-time winner of the Biletnikoff Award. He jumped to the NFL after two seasons. “I don’t think it’s really that dramatic,” Mike Leach said. The Hokie Guru disagrees, Mike.

5.) Baylor – Robert Griffin is the best QB you’ve never heard of in the Big 12. And the Hokie Guru is going to surprise a lot of people here… the Baylor Bears have a very good shot to be bowl-eligible in 2009… the schedule includes games at Wake Forest and home against Connecticut, Northwestern State, and Kent State… if the Bears can beat Iowa State and Tejas A&M, they might just sneak into a bowl game… beat Missouri, and they are in for sure.

6.) Texas A&M – I will not talk about Texas A&M who never should have fired R.C. Slocum.

Okay… that’s a wrap… two previews left… the SEC… and the Pac 10… we’ll get both of these done by Saturday in time for our top 25 picks… college football begins in 10 days 🙂