Big 12 Football Predictions

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2011 was a special year for Oklahoma State as it captured its first outright conference championship since the post-World War II era. While it was a year to celebrate for the Cowboys, it was a difficult year for some of the other schools in the league.

With Colorado and Nebraska leaving for the Pac-12 and Big Ten following the 2010 season, and with Missouri and Texas A&M set to move to the SEC, it appeared the future of the Big 12 Conference was in jeopardy. Fortunately, the league was able to land TCU and West Virginia, which not only kept the conference intact but made it stronger (in my opinion).

Big 12 Predictions

1. Oklahoma – The Sooners finished 10-3 in 2011. The large majority of FBS programs would gladly take that record, but Oklahoma was disappointed. It had national championship aspirations heading into last season, and it failed to meet those. Fortunately, quarterback Landry Jones made the decision to return for his senior season. That gives the Sooners a shot to make up for last year’s shortcomings.

2. Texas – Following its worst season in recent memory, Texas bounced back with an 8-5 record. There was even potential for a couple more wins, and that has the Longhorns excited heading into 2012. One has to like their chances of reaching the nine or 10-win mark given their favorable schedule. West Virginia and Oklahoma could trip them up, but every other game on the schedule is extremely winnable.

3. West Virginia – The last thing Big 12 coaches want to see is Dana Holgorsen back in the conference. With an offense that should be as good as any in the country, Holgorsen’s Mountaineers believe they can come right in and contend for the Big 12 title.

4. Oklahoma State – The Cowboys are coming off a 12-1 season, but they won’t be able to avoid taking a step back after losing star quarterback Brandon Weeden and star wide receiver Justin Blackmon. I don’t expect a major dropoff as there is still plenty of talent in Stillwater. A fifth straight season of winning nine games or more is possible.

5. TCU – Gary Patterson has guided TCU to 11 wins or more on eight different occasions, but the wins likely won’t pile up the same way in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs have certainly proven they can compete against the best teams in the nation, but they haven’t shown they can do it week in a week out. It will be very interesting to see how they do down the stretch when they close the season with Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Kansas State, Texas and Oklahoma. Four of those schools reached double-digit wins last year.

6. Kansas State – The Wildcats finished 7-2 in the Big 12 in 2011 despite getting outgained by an average of 106.8 yards by conference opponents. I don’t believe Kansas State will be able to defy the odds again this season. While I don’t see the Cats contending for this year’s league championship, I still think they’re a bowl team.

7. Texas Tech – The Red Raiders saw their string of 18 straight non-losing seasons get snapped when they lost their final five contests in 2011 to finish 5-7. Motivated by last year’s devastating collapse, I like Texas Tech to get back to a bowl game. If it wins its games against Northwestern State, Texas State, New Mexico and Iowa State, it will put itself in good position to do so.

8. Iowa State – Paul Rhoads has brought excitement back to the Iowa State program. He has led the Cyclones to two bowl games in his three seasons on the job and guided them to a thrilling upset win over Oklahoma State last year. That was one of three conference wins of the Clones. If they can hit that mark again, they will have an opportunity to play in a bowl for the third time in four years.

9. Baylor – Thanks to Robert Griffin III, Baylor ended a streak of 14 straight losing seasons. It finished 7-6 in 2010 and then exploded to 10-3 last year. With the losses of RG3, Kendall Wright and Terrance Ganaway, the Bears figure to take a big step back in 2012. Getting to 6-6 and a bowl would have to be considered a big accomplishment.

10. Kansas – The Jayhawks went winless in the Big 12 in 2011. They lost their final 10 games of the season and finished 2-10 overall. Charlie Weis has been brought in to bring the program back to respectability, but it won’t be easy. Weis struggled to win consistently at Notre Dame with better resources.

More Resources

Big 12 Football Predictions by Team
Iowa State Cyclones Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas State Wildcats West Virginia Mountaineers
Baylor Bears Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma State Cowboys Texas Longhorns
TCU Horned Frogs Texas Tech Red Raiders

 

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About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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