Big 12 Preview Part 2

Sorry for the delay folks. I had a midterm and a final to study for over the past couple of days but I'm back. A quick word before I start the evaluations of these teams. Technically, the Big 12 is no longer divided into a North and South Division in thanks to the departures of Colorado and Nebraska. However, I figured it would be easier to separate the teams via geographic location and thought including 10 teams in one post would be too much.

Without much further here are my previews for the remaining teams left in the Big 12

Iowa State- The Cyclones have shown flashes of success over the past two seasons under Paul Rhodes. Two years ago, the Cyclones finished 7-6 and won the Insight Bowl over Minnesota. It was the first bowl game for the Cyclones in four years. Last year, however, the Cyclones struggled to get consistent play and despite great wins over Texas Tech and Texas, the Cyclones finished 5-7 and missed out on a bowl appearance.

The Cyclones lose a lot from last year's team including QB Austen Arnaud, RB Alexander Robinson and TE Collin Franklin. Both Arnaud and Robinson were the predominant playmakers for the Cyclones over the past couple of years in the spread option and Franklin was Arnaud's favorite receiver the past two seasons. It will be very difficult for the Cyclones to replace their leading receiver, rusher and passer and expect to be successful this season.

The offense will be turned over to junior QB Jerome Tiller, who in limited action, contributed some scoring drives for the Cyclones last season. Sophomore RB Shontrelle Johnson also returns to help give the Cyclone offense a boost and hopes to continue where he left off last season. Johnson is one of the fastest players in the country and it should be interesting to see how defenses react from him getting more carries this season as opposed to splitting carries with the power back Robinson.

The defense also returns much of the starting 11 from last season in hopes that it will be able to make up for any difficulties that the offense may deal with throughout the season. Rhodes energy can not be taken for granted either. He brings the most out of his kids with his enthusiasm and his kids love playing for him.

The schedule doesn't look promising for a team looking to replace most of its offensive firepower from a year ago. The Cyclones have road games against UConn, Missouri, Texas Tech and Oklahoma as well as home games against Iowa, Texas, Oklahoma State and Texas A@M.

Prediction: Despite the recent successes under Paul Rhodes, it is very difficult to see the Cyclones having any sort of success this year. With the difficult schedule to offensive inexperience, I expect the Cyclones to struggle throughout the year despite giving it all they have in every game. I see the Cyclones lone win occurring in week 1 against Northern Iowa and have them finishing 1-10 overall.

Kansas- The Jayhawks look to bounce back from last year's 3-9 campaign. This will be the 2nd year of the Turner Gill era and possibly the last if the team has similar results to last year. The Jayhawks offense was anemic all last season to go with an inconsistent defense. The Jayhawks allowed more than 30 points in 7 of their games and scored 10 or less points in 5 of their games last season.

QB Jordan Webb returns to lead a Jayhawks offense that in reality can't get any worse than it was last year. Webb threw more interceptions than touchdowns last season and will need to improve his decision making if the Jayhawks have any shot of finishing above .500. RB James Sims also returns to help give the offense some balance. Sims ran for over 740 yards and 9 touchdowns and was the only consistent offensive threat last season. The Jayhawks will also return most of their offensive line which should help protect Webb in the pocket.

The defense returns most of the front seven which should help a unit that finished last in points per game against and turnovers in the Big 12 last season. Along with this, Gill has a track record of being a great defense coach. Now that it is the second year of his tenure and he is able to recruit his type of players that fit his scheme, the defense can only improve.

The Jayhawks face a difficult 2011 schedule with road games against Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M as well as games against Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.

Prediction: Its hard to see the Jayhawks as favorites for any of their games except McNeese State and Iowa State. I don't see the Jayhawks faring much better this season despite returning starters at key positions. I see the Jayhawks finishing 3-9.

Kansas State- The Wildcats were an enormous surprise last year and outperformed preseason expectations. RB Daniel Thomas had a sensational season in which he ran for more than 1500 yards and accumulated 19 touchdowns. At times, the Wildcats only source of offense was Thomas. Despite the one dimensional type of offense, the Wildcats finished 7-6 with wins over UCLA, UCF and Texas.

With the departure of Thomas, the Wildcats will need find some offensive production and balance if they are to compete in the Big 12 this season. QB Collin Klein returns to run Bill Snyder's offense. Klein only threw 18 passes last season, however, he ran for more than 430 yards and 6 touchdowns. WR's Chris Harper and Tramaine Thompson also return, which will provide Klein with some weapons to fill the void left by Thomas.

The defense will also need to step up for the Wildcats to repeat last season's success. The defense finished 6th in points per game allowed but finished 11th in yards against per game last season. With high powered offenses like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, the Wildcats will need to shore up their secondary as well as find a consistent pass rush to help improve their overall defense.

The Wildcats have a difficult schedule in front of them with road games against Miami, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Texas as well as home games against Oklahoma and Missouri.

Prediction: With the loss of Daniel Thomas and the difficult schedule in front of them, I see the Wildcats struggling to find offensive rhythm throughout the season, especially against upper echelon teams and have them finishing 4-8 overall.

Missouri- The Tigers are riding high after recording another 10 win season. This was the third time in the last four years the Tigers have reached the 10 win plateau. Sporting wins of San Diego State, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M, the Tigers had their fair share of difficult games. This season won't be any different, namely because of the loss of some key playmakers.

QB Blaine Gabbert decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft this past April. The Gabbert led offense averaged 29.8 points per game as well as 253 passing yards a game. Not only was Gabbert critical to the Tigers passing game, he also led the team in rushing attempts last year with 112. QB Tyler Gabbert, Blaine's younger brother, was expected to compete for the starting job this season, but decided to transfer earlier this summer. This has made the quarterback competition a little more interesting but has also left the Tigers short handed at the position. James Franklin should be the favorite now to take over for Gabbert.

The Tigers offense will return some critical skill position players like RB's De'Vion Moore and Henry Josey, as well as WR TJ Moe and TE Michael Egnew. This experience at the skill positions should make it easier for whoever is under center for the Tigers.

The Tigers also lost some playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. Three of the starting four cornerbacks from last year's team graduated and now their the Tigers will have to replace all three positions with underclassman. Filling in three cornerback positions will be a tough task considering cornerbacks need to understand the defense and rely on each other and understand what each persons responsibility is on a given play.

The Tigers schedule is very manageable with home games against Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, Kansas and Iowa State. The only difficult road games include a trip to Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

While losing the signal caller for the offense could hurt the Tigers, I actually believe with all the skill position and offensive lineman coming back that whoever wins the QB job will fit right into the offense and there won't be much of a setback. I do, however, believe losing three starting cornerbacks from last year's team will be the Tigers biggest problem. There will be some growing pains working these new starters into their position and having them be able to work as a cohesive unit.

Prediction: I see the Tigers having a pretty successful season despite the losses at some key positions and have them finishing at 8-4.

Big 12 Preview Part 1

Given that I bought my season tickets for football today, I figured it would be a good time to preview the upcoming Big 12 football season. I will do this in two parts with this post focusing on the Big 12 South and my next post focusing on the Big 12 North.


Baylor- Long considered the Big 12 doormat, the Baylor Bears shocked many last year by finishing 7-6 and making it to a bowl game for the first time in 16 years. Junior QB Robert Griffin returns to try and prove that last year wasn't a fluke. Griffin, one of the most exciting players in Bears history, will be relied on more this year than in the past with the graduation of leading rusher Jay Finley, as well as the recent suspension of playmaking WR Josh "Flash" Gordon.

Last year, Baylor's defense struggled with the upper echelon teams like Oklahoma, TCU and Texas A&M. The defense will need to be greatly improved this year if they are to compete for the Big 12 title. The schedule isn't very favorable to the Bears with home games against TCU, Oklahoma, Texas, and road games against Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

With the loss of some of their biggest playmakers, the Bears are going to need their defense to perform at a very high level if they are to continue their success from last year. I have a hard time seeing the defense playing up to this ability and I see the Bears finishing 5-7


Oklahoma- The preseason #1 team in the country returns a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. QB Landry Jones and WR Ryan Broyles lead an offense which averaged 37.2 points per game as well as 343 passing yards a game. The loss of RB Demarco Murray hurts, however, RB Roy Finch saw extensive time last year while Murray was hurt and should be able to handle the load left by Murray's departure.

The defense also returns a boatload of talent from a team that only gave up 22 points per game. The Sooners have a favorable schedule with home games against Missouri, Texas Tech and Texas A&M. The two biggest challenges for the Sooners this season are a trip to Tallahassee to take on Florida State and the annual Red River Rivalry against arch rival Texas.

Although the Sooners are very talented, few teams that start off #1 end up making it to the National Championship. I think the Sooners will finish 11-1 and win the Big 12 with their only loss coming to arch rival Texas.


Oklahoma State- This is everybody's dark horse to win the Big 12, but I predict they will have a huge drop off compared to last year. While the dynamic duo of Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon return, the cowboys lose top RB Kendall Hunter as well as their Offensive Coordinator Dana Holgorsen. Prior to Holgorsen arriving at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys had struggled to mount consistent offensive performances under Head Coach Mike Gundy. Gundy will now call the plays once again to fill the void of the departing Holgorsen.

The Cowboys defense has also been suspect over the past few years. They have a bend but don't break style of defense rather than having a consistent shut down type of defense. Considering the offensive fire power this league has, the defense will need to play above expectations if they are going to be able to keep the Cowboys in games.

The Cowboys also have an extremely difficult schedule with road games against Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri and Texas Tech as well as hosting Arizona and Oklahoma. With all this taken into consideration, I expect the Cowboys to have a fairly significant drop off this season and finish 8-4


Texas- The Longhorns had quite possibly one of the worst season's ever in the program's history. This left many fans displeased and they called for many of the coaches heads. The Longhorns shook up their coaching staff by getting rid of long time Offensive Coordinator Greg Davis as well as the Offensive Line, Wide Receivers and Strength Coaches. The team also experienced changes on the other side of the ball with Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp leaving to take the Head Coaching position at Florida.

Even with all coaching changes, there are high expectations in Austin. QB Garrett Gilbert returns to try and turn around an offense that was turnover prone and at times predictable. Leading rusher Cody Johnson returns and brings a physicality that the Longhorns lacked throughout last season. The Longhorns face questions at Wide Receiver with Malcolm Williams and Mike Davis being the only two players returning that contributed at the position last year. Talented Sophomore Darius White and true Freshman Jaxon Shipley are also expected to crack the rotation. The offensive line is also a huge question mark considering the Longhorns are transitioning from a finesse running style to a power running game.

The defense returns many playmakers like LB Kennan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho and DT Jackson Jeffcoat. These players are expected to lead the defense and return them to the way they played in 2009. The Longhorns schedule is very favorable with home games against BYU, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech while they have one true difficult road game against Texas A&M. The only other test will be against Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl.

If Texas can put their new system in place and get the most out of their players, with this current schedule, they could be serious contenders in the Big 12. I expect the Longhorns to finish 10-2 with their only losses against Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.


Texas A&M- With the return of QB Ryan Tannehill, RB Cyrus Gray and WR Ryan Swope, the Texas A&M offense is poised to continue their explosive output from a year ago. The Aggies had a breakout season last year in which they averaged 31.2 points per game and beat Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas Tech and their arch rival Texas.

The defense was also improved compared to past years and only gave up 22 points per game. The Aggies defense will need new playmakers to step up this year with the loss of All American LB Von Miller. If the defense can play like they did last year, the Aggies will be very tough to beat.

The 2011 schedule is very favorable to the Aggies in that they host home games against Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Texas while their only two true road test include Texas Tech and Oklahoma. I see the Aggies going 10-2 with their only losses to Arkansas and Oklahoma.


Texas Tech- The Red Raiders lose a lot from last years team including QB Taylor Potts, and RB Barron Batch. While Potts was inconsistent at times and drew the ire of many fans, one can't deny that he gave the Red Raiders the best chance to win each game. Scotty Young is the prohibitive favorite to win the QB job. The Red Raiders offense will still have playmaking ability with the return of WR's Lyle Leong and Alex Torres.

As has been the case for many years, the defense needs to improve if the Red Raiders are going to be contenders. Outside of a few games last year, most notably Texas, the defense lacked playmaking ability and was torched by high quality offenses.

The schedule shapes up fairly well for the Red Raiders with home games against Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Nevada to go along with road games against Oklahoma and Texas. Despite the semi favorable schedule, I see the Red Raiders as being a middle of the road team with all their Big 12 wins coming over lower quality teams. I predict the Red Raiders will finish 7-5.

Uruguay Wins Copa America

Behind the play of Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, Uruguay beat Paraguay 3-0 in the Copa America final today. Suarez scored the games first goal in the 12th minute, while Forlan scored in the 41st and 89th minute. Uruguay controlled the game from start to finish with their pressuring defense, offensive ingenuity and Paraguay's lack of offensive firepower. It's the 15th time Uruguay has won the tournament and the first time since 1995. This championship run comes after Uruguay's impressive and surprising performance in last year's World Cup in which the team finished in 4th place.

UFC 136

For all you fight fans out there. If you haven't heard, UFC 136 has the possibility of being one of the best cards ever assembled barring no injuries. The card will feature the third installment of Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard. In their last meeting Edgar was dropped several times in the first round but somehow survived the round. From there Edgar dominated a gassed Maynard for the next 4 rounds but the fight ended in a draw. This will be the conclusion to the trilogy and has been highly anticipated since they were scheduled to meet earlier this year before both had to pull out because of injury.

The co main event is another title bout that will feature the Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, facing off against former Lightweight contender Kenny Florian. This will be Florian's second fight since dropping down from lightweight and is sure to be Aldo's biggest test yet. Aldo is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Mark Hominick at UFC 129.

The fight I'm looking forward to most is the return of Middleweight contender and trash talker Chael Sonnen taking on up and coming Brian Stann. This is a title eliminator in that the winner will get a shot at the Middleweight Title. It will be interesting to see who the champion will be when this fight rolls around because current No 1. contender Yushin Okami is a good friend of Chael Sonnen's and many fighters today don't fight their friends.

The main card will also include current Lightweight contender Melvin Guillard, facing off with Joe Lauzon. Guillard is 2 or 3 fights away from a title shot but has been on a roll of late since training with Greg Jackson. In the Middleweight division, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blackbelt Demian Maia takes on fellow Brazilian Jorge Santiago. Maia is coming off a split decision loss to Mark Munoz and is looking to get back on track. Santiago is also coming off a loss to Brian Stann and more than likely needs to beat Maia if he plans on staying in the UFC.

This card is so stacked that former WEC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis will be featured on the preliminary card against Jeremy Stephens. This should be a standup brawl and has the potential to win Fight of The Night honors. This is going to be an amazing card and I can't wait to attend in Houston on October 8th. How do you feel about the card?

Copa America

I'll be the first to admit, I used to hate soccer. The lack of scoring, questionable refereeing and over dramatic injuries turned me off for a long time. Over the past couple of years however, I have come to enjoy the sport more and more because of the pace of the game along with the fact that at any moment, a single shot can change the complexion of a match. There are highly competitive leagues all across the world like La Liga, and the English Premiership. The best part about the sport is there are huge tournaments going on each year whether it's the FIFA World Cup, Copa America, Gold Cup, or the Confederations Cup. In essence, these highly competitive international tournaments act like championships in the soccer world.

Now to the task at hand, the Copa America tournament. I was a little surprised that Brazil was eliminated as early as they were, but I'm more surprised by the way Peru and Venezuela have played throughout the tournament considering how poorly they played in World Cup qualifying last year. While many won't believe me, I actually predicted the final would be Uruguay vs Paraguay. I predicted Uruguay because of their talented frontline combination of Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan along with their defensive minded play from head coach Oscar Tabarez. Both Suarez and Forlan are great off the first touch, can shoot a variety of shots from both feet and can set teammates up for goal scoring opportunities. I also predicted Paraguay because of their very physical, methodical, defensive minded play. While they may not look pretty offensively, they still get the job done with a timely goal at critical moments. They have a clamp down defense that throws opponents off their rhythm, which causes them to make mistakes that they don't normally make like bad passes and yellow cards from frustration.

Prediction- I believe Uruguay's combination of tough defense with stylistic offense gives them the advantage over Paraguay in this match. It will be a hard fought match, but I believe Diego Forlan will be the difference maker and contribute in some way to the games only goal. Uruguay 1 Paraguay 0.

MLB Trade Deadline

I was wondering who you want your favorite team to go after at the trade deadline. As a Ranger fan, the only thing we really need is bullpen help. Our offense is always really good so I hope they aren't seriously considering trading for Beltran. While we may have lost Cliff Lee and lack the starting pitching that we had last year, I honestly don't believe there is a single ace out there worth trading for. Ubaldo is good, but no where near what he was a year ago. He is too inconsistent. The one guy I believe we should target is Heath Bell. He has been money saving games for the Padres over the last couple of years and not only is he tough against opponents, he brings amazing energy and is a great clubhouse guy. He would fill the set up role which has been erratic all year and if we are able to resign him, he could close for us next year which would allow Feliz to move to the rotation which would help solidify it for the next couple of years. Who do you want?

NFL Lockout

I have to say I don't know whether I'm more annoyed with the fact that the lockout is still on, or by the constant coverage ESPN gives it. As all of us know, it is a business so I understand why each side is squabbling, trying to get what best suits them into the new CBA. However the fact is, it's not about the players or the owners, it's about US. We are the ones that go to the games, that buy the merchandise, and watch on TV. We are the ones that put tremendous sums of money not only into the owners pockets, but the players as well. It's really aggravating to see some of the little things that they are bickering over on a daily basis. I compare it to the politicians in this country in which all they are trying to do is look out for themselves instead of the greater good.

With that said my goodness ESPN. You used to be a pretty good news organization with regard to sports but it's amazing how much the coverage has changed since you bought out Disney. Every single day you have a countdown on how long the lockout has been going on, to go along with a rant by one of the anchor's at the desk which segways into video we have already seen numerous times. From there it goes to live shots of Sal Paolantonio, Adam Schefter, Chris Mortenson and John Clayton and this is just during the morning edition of SportsCenter. They also have different programing which discusses the lockout throughout the day( NFL Live, JRIB, Around the Horn, PTI) to go along with their afternoon and night SportsCenter which gives us more rants by different anchors to breaking news of Aaron Rodgers walking out of a Burger King and saying no deal is imminent. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts not only about the lockout, but also by ESPN's coverage of it as well.