In basketball Kansas is the 800 lb gorilla in the Big XII Conference and in football, it's Oklahoma.
Though not from Missouri I'm a big believer in teams proving to me they can upset the champ before picking them to do so, barring scandal or tragedy obviously.
Oklahoma has faced neither of the two in the off-season, restocking at key positions where the draft took a toll and rolling out Texas A&M Transfer Kyler Murray at QB to take over the reins from Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield. As such, still being the team with the most talent, I have Oklahoma repeating AGAIN, as Big XII Champions.
Here's how I see this playing out:
| Conference Standings: | ||||
| Overall | Conference | |||
| Teams (No divisions) | W | L | W | L |
| Oklahoma | 11 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Texas | 10 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| TCU | 9 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| Oklahoma State | 9 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| West Virginia | 8 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Kansas State | 5 | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| Baylor | 5 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| Texas Tech | 5 | 7 | 2 | 7 |
| Iowa State | 4 | 8 | 2 | 7 |
| Kansas | 2 | 10 | 0 | 9 |
| Championship: | Oklahoma over Texas | |||
| Bowl Teams: | 5 | |||
| CFP: | None | |||
| Big Six | Oklahoma | |||
| CFP 2: | None | |||
| Big Six 2: | None | |||
| Others: | Texas | |||
| TCU | ||||
| Oklahoma State | ||||
| West Virginia | ||||
| Baylor | ||||
| Most Underrated: | West Virginia | |||
| Most Overrated: | Texas Tech | |||
| Coaches on Hot Seat: | Oklahoma State | |||
| Iowa State | ||||
| Texas Tech | ||||
In the inaugural Big XII Championship game I have OU beating Texas in a rematch. In a mild upset I have no Big XII team making the CFP this year.
The teams.
1. Oklahoma - I've talked about their quarterback play, and I really think Kyler Murray is going to do just fine, I also think that Lincoln Riley is showing himself to be up to the job and understands what it takes to win in Norman. Defensively is where I expect this team to shine. Yes, it's easy to bag on Mike Stoops (and you'd be right in doing so) and the defense has not been up to snuff since Bob and Mike got together to blame all of the defensive woes (incorrectly) on current Clemson DC Brent Venables, but OU has the toughness and schedule to run the table. If they do, they're in the CFP, but I think they trip themselves up somewhere and I think that the trip to TCU is where it happens.
2. Texas - I hate writing this, because last year I thought Texas would be much improved and they laid a burnt orange egg. But Tom Herman has shown that he knows how to win and I think he's finally getting the players in Austin that he needs to have the team do the things he wants them to. Key games are at USC, TCU, Oklahoma State and the Red River Shootout. I think Texas loses two of those 4 games. In fact, I think they lose to both Oklahoma teams. I still question the offense but I think the defense is going to be one of the best in the nation. They'll struggle against teams that score a ton of points, which is why I think they stumble against OU and OSU.
3. TCU - A LOT of pundits are marking this down as TCU's year but I still don't have enough faith in their offense to cross that bridge. Last year TCU was a mild disappointment and I think the schedule doesn't to them any favors this year. After facing Ohio State in week 3 (loss) they have to travel to Texas where I think they get their second loss. They do get OU at home, and could pull an upset there (which would lead to chaos for the Big XII Championship game) but I think the Sooners have plenty of talent to pull this out.
4. Oklahoma State - Don't get me wrong, I think OSU is going to have a good season, but I think that losses to OU, Boise State and West Virginia the week immediately following Bedlam are the things that ultimately signal the end of the Gundy era in Stillwater. OSU is going to score points, but the question is, as it always is, whether or not they can keep other teams from scoring more. In most cases I think it's yes. I even have them pulling an upset against TCU, but I don't see them beating the big offensive teams on their schedule. The Boise State loss could hurt especially.
5. West Virginia - Quarterback Will Grier is a Heisman candidate and I think rightfully so. The Mountaineers are going to put a scare into several teams this year and might just have enough firepower to pull an upset or two. That said, they have to travel to Texas and Oklahoma State and I think OU and TCU are both better teams who can win on the road. 8-4 just feels about right for them although I do think this year, unlike last year, they are going to have a pulse on defense which could mean that they outplay my prediction. Of all the teams on here I think they are the most likely to do so.
6. Kansas State - I'm not sure how much winning coaching Bill Snyder has in him but I think that this year is the one where we start to see the wheels coming off. Offensively this is always a challenging team to watch, and I think this year might be even worse as they roll the dice with RS SO Skylar Thompson. They only have one listed to start on offense and 2 on defense so this could be a rebuilding year. That said, they play a lot of JR's so upperclassmen experience is with them. They have to hit the road for a lot of big games however and this is not the same team away from Bill Snyder Family Stadium as it is within it.
7. Baylor - Give credit to Baylor head coach Matt Ruhle for bringing the Bears back to respectability after the debacle that ended the Art Briles' era. I think Baylor has some talent, and might be on the verge of turning a corner. They've got to figure out the QB position however because right now they've got Sophomore Charlier Brewer and.......not much. They do have a talented set of wideouts who should provide some interesting options and RB Jaymichel Hasty. On defense they have some experience but not much depth which could get exposed in the points happy Big XII this year.
8. Texas Tech - Their coach might be better looking than yours, but there's scant evidence that Kliff Kingsbury is much better than your coach. Offensively a talented WR trio of Seth Collins, JoJo Robinson and Antoine Westley are going to be desperately hoping that SO QB McLane Carter can get them the ball. Tre King is an OK, if not spectacular RB but on defense I think the Red Raiders are going to struggle. They like speed and size and I'm doubtful that they'll be able to stop many teams this year. I think Kingsbury might be another coach who finds himself unemployed at the end of the year.
9. Iowa State - Last year's Cyclone team was one of the better stories in college football, but they graduated many of their best players and this year I think Cinderella turns back into a pumpkin. At quarterback they're going to look to 6th year graduate transfer (Oregon State) Kyle Klempt to lead an offense that was productive last year, but which also could go long spells without scoring. Defensively they might be OK, but not great. I do have concerns about both the D-Line play and the Safety play, although they have good, solid Sr. leadership at LB and on the corners.
10. Kansas - I STILL can't find a conference game where I'm confident the Jayhawks can get a win. That said, I don't think they'll be as terrible this year as they looked last year at times as Sr QB Peyton Bender at least has some athletic targets at WR, led by SR playmaker Steven Sims Jr. RB Khalid Herbert is reliable, and their offensive line should be better than the shambles that it was last year. Defensively they have a lot of experience, but will rely on a Freshman at one corner and a bunch of transfers at other positions. Good News: It's not long until Midnight Madness for basketball, where the Jayhawks should dominate (again) in the Big XII.
Next up: The ACC. Can Clemson repeat or will someone else take over the crown?
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