2009 College Football Preview: Big XII

With college football just weeks away, KSJ will look at the teams, players, coaches, conferences, and issues in the world of college football. Here are the previous installments in the 2009 preview.

Without a doubt, the Big XII was the most exciting conference last season. We had action on and off the field. The spread offenses put points on the board and a controversial tie-breaker put Oklahoma in the Big XII championship game. Oklahoma reached the championship game despite being beaten by Texas earlier in the year. Once again the cry for a playoff was heard loudly around college football once again.

And once again this season, the Big XII looks special. Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma St., Kansas, Colorado, and Baylor all return their starting quarterbacks. Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford is the reigning Heisman winner. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy is a Heisman contender. Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin and Oklahoma St quarterback Zac Robinson are both spectacular play makers. And Kansas quarterback Todd Reising will begin his third year as a starter. All these offenses are spectacular and I would look for them to be even better this upcoming season.

The defenses though is another question. In the bowl games, the Big XII was exposed. Oklahoma and Texas Tech were both exposed by SEC defenses. Oklahoma St. was exposed by a more spectacular offense in Oregon. Only Missouri, Kansas, and Texas were impressive in their bowl wins, but they all played weak teams. If Big XII teams can improve their defenses, then possibly four teams could contend for the Big XII title and a national championship game invite.

Don't overlook Kansas: Kansas returns seven starters on offense and eight starters on defense. Todd Reising, Dezmon Briscoe, and Kerry Meier all return to the offense. Plus Jake Sharp returns to running back. Reising's health will be the issue. If Reising can stay healthy, then Kansas could have a big year. Or at least they will contend for the Big XII North title.

How Good Is Oklahoma St.?: The Cowboys were exposed in last year's Holiday Bowl by Oregon as a team that can't stop great offenses. The Cowboys brought in Bill Young to run the defense. Young was in charge of the Kansas defense that won the 07 Orange Bowl. Well after a quick stop in Miami, Young is back in the Big XII. Young is bringing in a simplified scheme that is suppose to better utilize the athletes on the defense. Oklahoma St. has the schedule in their favor, plus they return key offensive players. If the defense can stop opposing offenses this season, they can make a run at the Big XII South title.

Rebuilding: Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Baylor, Iowa State, and Texas A.M. will all look to continue their improvement. Kansas St. brought back their legendary coach Bill Snyder to hopefully rebuild the program like he did twenty years ago. Baylor will continue to improve with quarterback Robert Griffin returning for his second year in Art Briles system. Nebraska is at least heading in the right direction under Bo Pelini. Iowa St. and Texas A.M. will continue to be a couple of years away from contending for a bowl spot.

Team That'll Surprise, Baylor: Yes Baylor will be the team that will surprise the Big XII this season despite not playing in a bowl game since entering the Big XII. If Robert Griffin played for a bigger school, his name would be on the Heisman watch this season. Griffin torched Big XII defenses last season with both his arm and legs. Art Briles has brought excitement to Baylor with his creative offenses and impressive recruiting classes.

Team That'll Disappoint, Texas: Despite returning McCoy, Texas lost a lot on both sides of the ball. Brian Orakpo is no longer on the defensive line and Quan Crosby is no longer split out wide. Plus Texas has to break in a new running back. While the schedule is favorable to Texas, they still have to travel to Dallas to play Oklahoma, but they also have to travel to Oklahoma St. and Missouri.

Big XII Game of the Year, Oklahoma vs. Texas: When isn't this the game of the year? Every year the Texas-Oklahoma game is a must watch event. And after last season's controversy surrounding these two teams, this year's game should be even better. Both teams return their starting quarterbacks and both teams should be top-5 ranked entering the game. This should be the college game of the year.

Coach on the Hot Seat, Dan Hawkins, Colorado: Despite an epic rant earlier in his tenure, Hawkins has been a disappointment in Boulder. Now to be fair to Hawkins, Colorado had to rebuild after the embarrassing Gary Barnett era. But Colorado needs to show drastic improvement from Hawkins first three seasons. If everything comes together for Colorado they could be in a bowl game, but there is too many questions surrounding this team right now.

Coach of the Year: Art Briles, Baylor

Offensive Player of the Year: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma

Defensive Player of the Year: Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma

Freshman of the Year: Jamarkus McFarland, Oklahoma

Heisman Contenders: Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Kendall Hunter

Big XII North Champions: Kansas

Big XII South Champions: Oklahoma

Big XII Champions: Oklahoma