The Big (L)East?....yes and no

The Big East has taken their shots over the years (deservedly so) but it is getting better. While the bottom of the conference is still laughable the top tier teams are legitimate badasses and should be reckoned with. West Virgina...I mean Virginia, has the best running game in the country (no, I am not counting Air Force or some other shitty team that runs the option), Louisville has the best QB in the nation as well as one of the top WR duos to boot and Rutgers has the best back in the conference (sorry Steve Slaton). Add to this group the emerging power (or so ESPN tells me...ad nauseum) that is South Florida and the Big East could be a year or two away from having 4 top 25 teams. Too bad the other 4 teams are still horrible. Dave Wanstedt has been stealing money at Pittsburgh for a few years now, Syracuse may be the laughing stock of the conference, which really means something in the Big East, Cincinnati was poised for a turnaround until they lost their coach to Michigan State and Uconn (yes, they actually play football) is, and will most likely always be, an average team at best. What does this all add up to? Well, read on my children and you shall see just how the Big East will play out this season.








Louisville: The Cardinals have the best QB in the nation and with that they will be a force. Brian Brohm turned down the NFL for another shot at a title making first year coach Steve Kragthorpe the happiest man in Louisville, aside from Pappa John of course. Brohm gets the pleasure of throwing to Mario Urrutia and Harry Douglas, easily the best WR tandem in the Big East. Many will question the running game for Louisville all you need to do is look at last years team to see that the Cardinals do not need a feature back to run the ball effectively. On the defensive side of the ball the Cardinals have two key newcomers out of the JUCO ranks in LB Willie Williams (yes, the guy who has been arrested over 10 times) and DB Woodny Turenne. Should these two live up to their lofty rankings coming out the JUCO's this will be the team to beat in the Big East. I took the over on arrests for Williams before the season starts at 3 and, while there aren't too many people who could get arrested 3 times in 4 days, I think Williams is the guy so I am still holding out hope. After looking at the schedule I think the Cards will go into Morgantown and take down the Mountaineers but will stumble either on the road at South Florida or at home against Rutgers giving Louisville an 11-1 season and a Big East title.








Rutgers: Greg Schiano has done the unthinkable in making Rutgers a relevant college football team. The Scarlet Knights are the darlings of college football and look to cash in on all of the attention. Rutgers has the best RB in the Big East in Ray Rice as well as a ferocious, no name defense that is the identity of this Rutgers team. As long as Mike Teel, the returning QB, can manage the game (gotta love the cliche) Rutgers will contend for a Big East crown. With a young defense it will be imperative for Rice and Co. to play smart football and keep their defense out of short field situations due to turnovers. I think Rutgers will follow up their dream season from a year ago by beating West Virginia at home and giving Louisville a run for their money but losing to South Florida giving them a 10-2 season and a trip to the Gator Bowl.








West Virginia: The Mountaineers feature the best running game in the country and have two of the most dynamic players in all of college football in QB Pat White and RB Steve Slaton. Why I feel that WVU will stumble a bit is due to the loss of All-American C Dan Mozes, o-line guru Rick Trickett to Florida State and the fact that West Virginia has one of the worst defenses in the country. I look at the Big East as a decent conference and I cannot imagine a team with a defense as bad as WVU's winning a decent conference. The lasting image of WVU's season from a year ago has to be Taylor Bennett (the guy who could not beat out Reggie Ball) shredding the Mountaineer secondary in his first start. If WVU's defense can step up to a varsity level then they will most likely take out Louisville as well as the Big East title. I do not see this happening which is why I have West Virginia losing back-to-back games at Rutgers and at home against Louisville leaving them destined for the Texas bowl going 10-2 on the season.





South Florida: Has there ever been a team that every single analyst at ESPN as dubbed the sleeper team? The Bulls have had some great wins under coach Jim Leavitt (Louisville, West Virginia) but have also had some very bad losses (Kansas and Cincinnati) which is why this team, to me, is setting up to have the same kind of year. The Bulls feature one of the best young QB's in the nation in Matt Grothe and have 8 senior starters coming back on a team that finished last season at 9-4. One of the marks of a young team is inconsistency which is exactly what USF has shown over the course of the last couple of years (losing to Kansas but beating WVU on the road) and there is still a lot of youth up and down the starting lineup with 6 underclassmen set to start. The Bulls will be well coached, as they always are, under Leavitt and I think they are still a year away from contending for a Big East title. After looking at the schedule, I see USF upsetting one of the big 3 in the conference but they will stumble at Pitt in the season finale leaving them with a 9-3 season and another trip to a mid-level bowl game.





Pittsburgh: How can a team with so many resources be so bad? When Dave Wanstedt took over his Alma mater many thought it would only be a matter of time until Pittsburgh would be a national power. Apparently time can last forever as Pitt has had little to celebrate in the last 3 years. Last season the Panthers started out 6-1 and were seemingly headed for a 9 win season when all hell broke loose (read: 5 game losing streak) and the season was, appropriately, deemed a failure. With the off season being a little rough (stud QB commit Sam Bostick briefly left the team) the Panthers could really use a solid season. Unless 7-5 is considered solid I don't see it happening. The Panthers do have a young RB in Lesean McCoy who looks to be the real deal and if Bostick can get it together this could be a force to be reckoned with in the Big East in a year or two but not this year. With the loss of their leader on defense (LB H.B. Blades) this should be another average season for the Panthers which will consist of beating up on average teams and losing to the good ones.

Cincinnati: This looks to be an interesting team. They looked great in beating Rutgers last season at home but looked awful against Pittsburgh getting blasted 33-15. Head coach Mike D'Antoni jumped ship to Michigan State leaving new head coach Brian Kelley at the helm. This team has all of the making for another 8 win season consisting of beating one good team (Oregon State, maybe?) and getting beaten by some bad teams. End of story.

Connecticut: The Huskies are coming off of a stellar 4 win season last year but as hope springs eternal they get the joy of opening up the new season with Duke. All was not lost last season as Uconn did get passed Pittsburgh (a sad commentary on the Big East's bottom half). Uconn should win five games, maybe six and be happy to do so.

Syracuse: Good Lord this team/program/town is horrible. Syracuse has sadly become the epitome of a "basketball" school. The football team is a complete joke and it doesn't look as though it will get better any time soon (yes, we saw Washington beat the hell out of them). If this team wins two games I would be shocked...some one is about to get a very good defensive coordinator when Gregg Robinson gets shit canned.

SEC East preview

Well, it's that time of year again. Gas up the car, pack up the cooler and head out towards those houses of celestial bliss and no, I am not talking about churches, but rather the hallowed stadiums that contain the South's true passion: FOOTBALL. (sorry Jesus) It's no secret that nothing exists, south of the Mason Dixon line, between the months of January and April. However, come April 1st, the pads come out, the whistles are donned and the South springs alive like Michael Vick in the Sing Sing shower. It could be argued, year in and year out, that the SEC is the toughest conference in College Football and honestly, I don't see a conference that, from top to bottom, can equal the challenge that is the SEC. This year should be no different. With six teams ranked in the preseason top 25, there is a good bet that one of those six will have a legitimate shot at a National Title. The spotlight should be focused primarily on the south this football season. How will defending national champion Florida fare with god's gift to football, Tim Tebow? Will Darren McFadden run for 3,000 yards(obviously joking)? Will Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford be the player that the Bulldawg nation expects him to be? Those and many more questions will be answered but now, allow me to pontificate. I shall start with the SEC east.




South Carolina: Well, not a year goes by that the collective fans of all teams in the SEC, except S. Carolina, don't pray that the "Ole Ball Coach" hasn't returned to his Florida form. Fortunately, for the rest of the SEC, that time has not quite come...yet. While Spurrier seems to have settled in a little bit and, quite frankly, recruited above my expectations, his team still has a couple of years to go. The Gamecocks return 6 starters on offense from last years Holiday Bowl victory, including Sr. quarterback Blake Mitchell and Sr. running back Cory Boyd. As it is for most teams in the SEC, a large part of the success of the season depends on the play of the two lines. South Carolina must replace all three offensive interior lineman. Not a task any football coach wants to undertake. If they get any solid play out of the three interior line spots they should be able to create enough room for Cory Boyd to get down the field and ultimately open up the passing game. On the defensive side of the ball, things are looking pretty good. I think Jr. middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley eats small children for his meals. His total tackles of 106 last year is double the next closest Gamecock. On the D line, the Cocks brought in 7 new additions, which will add some serious depth, even if they are a little young. Pass rushing extraordinaire Cliff Matthews should see plenty of time. Anybody reading this would think that South Carolina has a decent shot at taking the Eastern Division, as long as the shit doesn't hit the fan. Well, I am covered in what looks like grey matter but sure as hell doesn't smell like grey matter. Why, might you ask...? South Carolina has a brutal SEC schedule with visits to Georgia, LSU, Arkansas, and Tennessee and don't forget a home rendezvous with the defending national champs. Don't forget to tack on Clemson (yes, I realize Clemson is in the ACC.) and the gamecocks have a pretty tough road to climb. To help soften the blow from the aforementioned gamut of ass kicking, the Cocks have national powerhouses UL Lafayette, S. Carolina St, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky (Stop drinking the Kool-Aid). All in all, it looks like you will see a lot more visor tossing in Columbia. Prediction: 7-5




Kentucky: Everybody and their brother were shocked with the Wildcats of 2006. Nobody saw that one coming. An 8 win season for Kentucky football is the equivalent of a losing season for Kentucky basketball: It just doesn't happen. With that said, the Wildcats of 07 have their work cut out for them if they plan on staying relevant. They return 7 starters on offense, including QB Andre Woodson, arguably, the best in the country and Sr RB Rafael Little. Although, the Cats must replace 3 starters on the o-line, their offense should still be pretty potent. Last year Sr. WR Keenan Burton established himself as an SEC elite, with a little over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. If the Cats are going to have a shot at another 8 win season, then the defense has to improve. I think the Dillon Panthers (Friday Night Lights, for anybody asking) would have put up better numbers than Kentucky. (118th in pass defense and 108th in rushing defense) HORRIBLE!!! They return 8 starters on the defense , however, that obviously is not a good thing. First year Defensive Coordinator Steve Brown has a lot of work to do. As if the Wildcats don't have enough problems, here comes the schedule. 6 of Kentucky's 12 games are against preseason top 25 teams (Louisville, @Arkansas, LSU, Florida, @UGA, and Tennessee).
The good thing is that their out of conference schedule sucks (in a good way). Unfortunately, the cats will return to earth this year and rejoin the cellar of the SEC. Prediction: 6-6.

Tennessee: Good ole' rocky top, rocky top Tennessee (man, I hate that song). That is exactly what it is this year, in Knoxville...Rocky. To start the Vols have to replace the best receiving corp the SEC has seen in a while in Robert Meachem, Jayson Swain and Bret Smith. Tack on the fact that starting tailback LaMarcus Coker has been suspended, indefinitely, for idiocy, and the human pumpkin and his Vols are staring down the barrel of a sub-par season. This just in...Apparently, Coker has been cleared to play. Wow, only Tennessee and Fat Phil can pull off a move like that, indefinite suspension to opening day starter in 2 weeks. That takes talent. Even with Coker back in the line-up, the Vols will still be riding on the shoulders of Sr. QB Erik Ainge. Now, more than ever, the Vols need consistent play Erik Ainge. Without it, it is going to be a long year for Vols fans. The good thing, is that the o-line returns 3 of the 5 starters from last year and should be able to open up lanes for Coker and backup Arian Foster. On the flip side, the defense has some issues, with the front four being the biggest one. A group of young lineman will be the key to a defense that has, historically, been strong. The linbacking core, led by Jr. Jerod Mayo, is strong as usual. The brightest spot on the defensive side of the ball is Sr. FS Jonathan Hefney. One word: Baller. The Vols will be tested early this year as they travel to Berkeley for a rematch with Cal. Something tells me a different Cal team will be showing up this year and the Vols will not have 108,ooo screaming rednecks behind them. After that, it is games with Southern Miss (solid program) and at The Swamp. Let's put is this way, the Vols could conceivably be 2 and 2 when the Dawgs come to town on October 6th. If that happens, it could be a disastrous season. Prediction: 8-4




Vanderbilt: Vandy, Vandy, Oh Vandy. My synopsis of 2008's Vanderbilt Commodores should be summed up in one line: You are not going to be very good. However, I will try to extrapolate some sort of positive message for you Commodore fans. Here goes. For starters, you are not going to be as bad as Ole Miss and Mississippi State. This years Egg Bowl could, honestly, be the worst football game ever played. I digress. Vandy wouldn't be as handicapped as they, perennially, are if their administration gave a shit about football. Vanderbilt returns 8 starters on offense, 4 of which are on the o-line. You can't complain about that. Behind that line is Jr. QB Chris Nickson, who was one of only two quarterbacks to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 650 yards. Nickson will get the pleasure of throwing to All-American WR Earl Bennett. It makes you wonder how in the hell Vanderbilt has an All-American anything. Vandy's D should be what gives them the best chance at a decent season. The linebackers, anchored by Sr. Jonathan Goff should be solid. The d-line showed signs of improvement last season and should be even better. The secondary, which had a tendency to give up the big play, should be more consistent. Okay, I think that is as much as I can squeeze out of Vanderbilt. Oh, one more thing. Vanderbilt gets 8 of their 12 games at home this year. Unfortunately, they are in the SEC, so you can expect them to lose a fair share of those home games. If you happen to follow SEC football, which I do, you will know that Vanderbilt has not had a winning season in 24 years. Much to the chagrin of Commodore fans, that will jump to 25 this year. Prediction: 5-7



Florida: The Buckeye nation is still in shock from the ass beating that the Gators laid down last January. To be honest, I think I am still in shock. Nobody, other than Gators fans, saw that one coming. The Gators will have a tougher road ahead of them this year. They return one starter on a defense that was the heart and soul of last year's National Champions. However, solid recruiting should help curb any drop off. The million dollar question: How will Tim Tebow fair as an every down quarterback in the SEC? It is no secret that the back-up quarterback is the greatest position to hold. No criticism, all praise. That point was proven last year as Tebow could do no wrong. This year, however, Tebow will bear all the praise and all of the criticism from a fan base that requires perfection. The good news for Tebow is the returning of 4 out of 5 starters on the o-line. Package that with receiver Andre Caldwell and do it all phenom Percy Harvin, and there is no reason why the Gator's should not score a lot of points. The bad news for Tebow is the entire crop of SEC defenses that will be looking to plant him into the turf on every play. Even with all of the weapons that the Florida offense will bring to the table, the Gator's season will still be made or broken by the play of the defense. The number one thing a defensive coordinator doesn't want to do: Replace all but one starter. (okay, maybe replacing all starters is actually number one, but let's not split hairs here.) The point is, that the Gator's must have a strong defense, ala last year in order to have any shot at duplicating last years success. With all the question marks this off season, it is a good thing that the Gators open the season with two darn near guaranteed victories. Their first real test will come September 15th, when the Vols come to town. With the exception of the 4 week stretch in the middle of the season of Auburn, LSU, Georgia and Kentucky, the Gator's schedule sets up nicely for a shot at a repeat. Unfortunately, for you Gator's fans, you will not be repeating last year's success. Prediction: 9-3




Georgia: Last year, Dawg fans were treated to an uncharacteristic 4 loss season with Mark Richt at the helm. This year, however, hope springs eternal between the hedges. The Dawgs return 6 starters on offense including So. QB Matthew Stafford, Sr. RB Kregg Lumpkin and, quite possibly, the most underrated player in the SEC, Jr. FB Brannan Southerland. I am quite certain Southerland could successfully block a Mack truck. However, the dawgs have the daunting task of breaking in 3 new starters on the o-line. What makes it more daunting is the fact that those 3 spots will be filled by two freshman and one juco transfer. To help with this transition, the Bulldogs hired, recently departed LSU 0-line coach Stacey Searels. On the defensive side of the ball, the Dawgs return only two starters from last years defense (it would have been three if uber-moron and, most likely, All-American DB Paul Oliver had not failed to meet grades). The biggest concern on the defense, however, will be replacing the outside tandem of Charles Johnson and Quentin Moses. That task falls into the hands of Jr. Jarius Wynn and Sr. Marcus Howard. This years defense, on the whole, will be smaller than recent classes, however, what the lacks in size, they will make up for in speed. The linebacking corp should be extremely quick and the secondary should have the speed to match up with any receiving corp they will face this year. Even though the defense is a little small and young, Richt and D-coordinator Willie Martinez should get the benefit of the doubt, from opponents, on Saturdays due to the overall strength of Georgia's defenses during Richt's tenure. Georgia should have a good gauge of their strengths and weaknesses after the first two weeks with home games against Oklahoma State and South Carolina. The remainder of the season is filled with games against Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Kentucky. That is a pretty brutal conference schedule. All in all the Bulldawgs should be better than last years 8-4(regular season) team but not by much. Prediction: 9-3

Big 12 South Preview

Arguably the strongest single division this side of the SEC East the Big 12 South once again features legit title contenders in Texas and Oklahoma. What makes this year different is that Dennis Francione is finally fielding a team worth a damn (he's got to feel guilty about stealing all of that money) not to mention Oklahoma State's revival as well as Texas Tech bringing back a starting QB and you can see just how difficult the season will be for whomever manages to take the division. While the Big 12 North still sucks a fat one the South is packed will quality talent across the board (no, I am not talking about you Baylor) and looks to be a very competitive group. Without further adieu here is your Big 12 South preview..

Oklahoma: The Sooners look to be the most talented team in the Big 12 at every position except for one teensy, tiny spot: QB. Rs. Freshman Sam Bradford has been named the starter after his impressive scrimmage this week and if he can simply hold down the fort and hand the ball off to the best trio of RB's in the country the Sooners look to be national contenders once again. Super Frosh DeMarco Murray is being hyped as Reggie Bush-lite and gives OU a dynamic change of pace in the backfield. Bradford will also have the help of All-Big 12 WR Malcolm Kelly to throw to as well as young stud TE Jermaine Gresham. Featuring the best O-line in the Big 12 OU looks to have the best, most effective ground game in the conference (sorry A&M). On the defensive side the Sooners will field the best secondary in the conference (maybe the nation) with Reggie Smith (Jr.) and Marcus Walker (Sr.) at DB and D.J. Wolfe (Sr.) and Darien Williams (Sr.) at the safety spots. While there are holes to fill in the front seven one that Bob Stoops has proved time and time again it is that he can develop defensive players. Assuming OU fields a defense on par with their standards OU should take the Red River Shootout...I mean rivalry thus winning the South title going 11-1 with a loss to either A&M or Oklahoma State and I think OU will take down NEB in the conference title game in a repeat of last years final.



Texas: Colt McCoy was the surprise of the Big 12 last season and looks to emerge as one of the top QB's in the country this year. With WR's like Limas Sweed and Billy Pittman (currently injured) Colt McCoy would have a hard time not succeeding this year in Austin. If Jamaal Charles plays more like he did when he was a freshman as opposed to last season UT will make a run at a national title. With three sophomores starting on the O-line this may be the reason (will be in my opinion) UT drops the Red River shootout...I mean rivalry this year. The defense loses 3 NFL draft picks from their secondary but seeing as how Texas could not stop anyone passing the ball last year that may not be a bad thing. Stud DT Frank Okam is the anchor of a stout D-line and the LB's are composed of two Jr's and one Sr. making this a very experienced front seven. While I do think Texas will avenge their loss to in-state rival Texas A&M I like OU just a tad more to win the South (as well as the Big 12 title game). When it is all said and done I see Texas going 11-1 with a loss to OU..





Texas A&M: Dennis Francione has been legally stealing money from A&M ever since he spurned Alabama however this year he may give something back. Featuring the best running backfield in the Big 12 with second year starting QB Stephen McGee as well as the best RB duo in the conference featuring Javorski Lane and speedy Michael Goodson (my lawyers tell me I am contractually obligated to call them "Thunder and Lightning"). The only problem with A&M's offense, and it is a small one really, is that they cannot throw the damn ball. While McGee may be fleet of foot he has yet to find his groove throwing the ball. This is a shame seeing as how the Aggies have the best TE in the nation in Martellus Bennett. Should McGee learn how to throw the ball the Aggies' chances of winning the Big 12 will skyrocket. With a defense running the funky 4-2-5 formation Texas A&M's defense was a little hit or miss last season. With four senior starters Texas A&M may be a little young on defense but they should be athletic enough to keep them in every game. With road games at Miami, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Missouri the Aggies very well may be a better team with more losses. Look for A&M to upset either the Huskers or the Sooners but drop games to Oklahoma State, Texas and Miami giving them 4 losses on the year and finishing at 8-4..




Oklahoma State: The best offense in the Big 12 does not live in Austin or Columbia but in a little piece of paradise known as Stillwater, Oklahoma. With a dynamic QB (Bobby Reid) as well as arguably the best WR in the nation (Adarius Bowman) the Pokes have the scariest deep threat in the Big 12. With an offensive line returning 4 starters this looks like the best offense Oklahoma State has had in years. The only problem is that, while OSU returns their entire back seven, they must replace their entire front 4 and they have very little quality depth at any position. What they do have is a stud return man in Perish Cox a the most underrated RB in the conference in Dantrell Savage. If the Pokes can get only a half-assed effort out of their defense this could be the biggest surprise of the conference...too bad their D will get shredded by Georgia, Texas Tech, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Missouri. Out of those 7 games I see OSU winning only 2, maybe 3 of them thus giving them an 8-4 record on the year..



Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have something they have not had since Mike Leech took over in Lubbock, a returning starting QB. Graham Harrell threw for 10,000 yards last season (only joking...but he threw for a lot...like Colt Brennen numbers) and he returns to continue putting up video game stats. While Tech loses its stud WR's from last year new starter Michael Crabtree is rumored to be better than any WR Leech has had at Tech. Like every year at Texas Tech the season will come down to whether they can stop anyone or not. But, like every other year, this does not appear feasible meaning Tech will once again finish around the bottom of the Big 12 South. While I think they Texas Tech will give the top Big 12 teams some trouble, I do not forsee any major upsets I do think they will beat either OSU or Missouri on the road in what will undoubtedly be some crazy shootouts. Another recurrent similarity in this years Tech team with previous squads is that Mike Leech and his AD continue to schedule an embarrassing non-conference slate. This year Tech will face the powerhouses of UTEP, SMU, Rice and perennially underrated Northwestern State. Sweet Jesus!!! This makes the SEC look like a cakewalk...what is this the Big East? I forsee an 8-4 season for Tech due to the fact that they have one of the easier schedules in the entire conference..



Baylor: Oh Baylor...why are you in this conference? Once again Baylor will be the laughing stock of the Big 12 albeit a more competitive one. Head coach Guy Morris is improving his team (slowly) and has installed a pass happy offense to try and keep up with the other offenses found throughout the Big 12. While Baylor has had some minimal recruiting success with a decent player here and there but overall the talent level is so bad Baylor really has no chance this year. I see losses to TCU, Texas A&M, Colorado, Texas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State which leaves tossups with Rice, Texas State, Buffalo, and Kansas which translates to a 3-9 season filled with futility.

Big 12 North Season Preview

What once was seen as the emerging power conference in football just six years ago is now on par (at least the North division) with the Big East. The Big 12 has had its share of glory since competition began in 1996, Nebraska in '99, OU in '00, Texas in '05 as has it had its embarrassments, Nebraska '01, OU '03, '04 and '06 and while the Big 12 has been well represented in the BCS title games that has more to do with the fact that the conference is not that strong than anything else. This season, however, the Big 12 looks to have 6 legitimate top 25 teams in Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Missouri and Oklahoma State. This list, however, is a microcosm of what the Big 12 has become. It is a league dominated by its southern division and this looks to stay the norm with how the northern teams are recruiting (aside from Nebraska). While the conference took a hit last year in terms of overall quality this season hope springs eternal as some of the top non-conference games will include Big 12 teams. Oklahoma State will travel to Athens, GA to take on UGA, Kansas State will go down South to face Auburn, Nebraska plays host to God's gift to football, USC and Oklahoma and Texas A&M will play Miami. Should the Big 12 actually win some of these games it would go a long way to help gain some of the national respect that they have lost over the course of the last five seasons. Whether they actually can win these games is another story. Without further adieu here is the Big 12 season preview beginning with the north division.



North


Nebraska: The Huskers came oh-so-close in a number of big games last year (Texas, Auburn) but have yet to turn the corner. This year, however, just may be different. Nebraska loses the reigning Big 12 offensive player of the year in Zac Taylor, starting RB Brandon Jackson (2nd round pick of the Packers) as well as their starting front 4 on defense. How, then, could they possibly be better? Dirk Koetter. The former Arizona State head coach somehow managed to lose a potential first day draft pick in Sam Keller, six games and his job for his complete lack of intelligence in handling his QB race. Keller, the Arizona State team captain, was told he won the job only to be told the next day he had lost the job. Long story short Keller bolts to Nebraska and Koetter is collecting unemployment. Should Keller regain his passing prowess for the Huskers UNL's offense could be among the nation's elite. On defense Nebraska features the best core of LB's in the Big 12 as well as a much improved secondary. The major question mark for the Huskers this season will come down to their young, albeit talented front four. Gone are first rounder Adam Carriker, fourth rounder Jay Moore and NFL free agent signees Ola Dagunduro and Barry Cryer. In their place is a potential All-Big 12 DT Ndamukong Suh, DE's Barry Turner, Zach Potter as well as junior college DT transfers Kevin Dixon and Shukree Barfield. If the D-line holds up well enough to get some pressure on the QB Nebraska could be a force in the Big 12. Their schedule is brutal however. Nine of their twelve regular season games are against bowl eligible teams from a year ago including games against defending ACC champ Wake Forrest (road) and defending Pac 10 champ and preseason #1 USC (home) not to mention a brutal mid-season, four game stretch @Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and @Texas. Should the Huskers escape this run at 3-1 Nebraska will have set themselves up for a 10-2 regular season with 9-3 being much more realistic.


Missouri: With what appears to be one of the best offenses in the country the Missouri Tigers should look at the 2007 season as a must win year. Junior QB Chase Daniel returns for his second full season of starting along side RB Tony Temple, stud WR Will Franklin and the best TE duo in the nation (yes I said nation) Chase Coffman and Martin Rucker. If the Tigers can only limit teams to 30 points/game this season Missouri will, at the minimum, be looking at a 9 win season with a great shot at the North title. For Missouri the entire season comes down to October 6th in Columbia when Nebraska comes to town. The game is at home, will be on national television and will most likely be at night. If the Tigers can find a way to finally win a big game under Gary Pinkel this would (and should) be the one. The winner of this game is almost assuredly the Big 12 North champion which would be the first title of any kind of Missouri since the late 60's. When it is all said and done I think Missouri will finish 9-3 but will lose to Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The next big game Pinkel wins will be his first and I think that game will not come this year but will it be his last chance in Columbia....?

Kansas State: Last season first year head coach Ron Prince came to Manhattan attempting t resurrect the Wildcats after longtime coach Bill Snyder had let them slip back into college football irrelevancy and did so surprisingly well. With a roster not exactly stacked with top quality talent (or people: http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/239091.html) KSU managed to upset mighty Texas and make it back to a bowl game. That was the good news and here is the bad, they are not very good. While the upset of Texas was nice Prince's prized freshman QB Josh Freeman followed it up with blowout losses to lowly Kansas and surprise-of-the-year Rutgers by a combined total of 76-30. While Freeman had his moment against Texas he really did struggle for most of the season throwing just 4 TD's (no, I am not joking) and 12 INT's. For KSU to do anything other than get stomped this season by Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma State and Auburn Freeman is going to have to drastically improve his play and hope to get some help from his teammates...who aren't very good either. While Freeman looks to become a very good QB at KSU unless Coach Prince can lure some talented skill players Freeman might get used to finishing no higher than third in the lowly Big 12 North.

Colorado: On the outside the Buffs looked horrid last year finishing with a 2-10 record and having quite possibly one of the worst offenses in the country. Upon further inspection, however, one would see a very stout defense that almost (and should have) upset UGA in Athens and played Colorado State, Kansas and Baylor very close to the point that they were only 12 points away from a 5-7 record. Under first year coach Dan Hawkins the Buffs looked putrid on offense while trying to learn his new, complex system. With a full year under their belts in Boulder it would seem likely that the Buffs offense would improve (could it get any worse?) and as long as that D shows up I would look for the Buffs to finish with at least 5 wins on the season as they still have to face Arizona State, FSU, Nebraska, Missouri and Oklahoma. Having Hawkins' son as the starting QB should help as he is the prohibitive favorite to win the starting job and he, one would think, should know the offense much better than last year's starter Bernard Jackson.

Kansas: Under diet-maven Mark Mangino the Kansas Jayhawks are somewhat of an enigma. The have pounded Nebraska at home, barely lost to them on the road (should have won), hammered Kansas State and gone toe-toe with A&M and Oklahoma State and yet they manage to lose at least 6 games every year. This season Kansas might have the most pathetic schedule of any BCS conference team and they will undoubtedly still lose 6 games. With non-conference bouts with the powerful Central Michigan, SE Louisiana, Toledo and Florida Int'l the Jayhawks have set themselves up for a 4-0 start before getting into Big 12 play. They also avoid Texas and Oklahoma (how this happens I have no idea) but still faces Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas State which all look like losses on paper (except for KSU...maybe) leaving them with a minimum of 5 losses. Not all is bad with KU however as they are home to the best player you have never seen, heard of or referenced in shutdown CB Aqib Talib. This cat looks like a first round pick at 6 foot 2 and 195 (translate: 5 foot 11, 175) and was dominant last season for the Jayhawks and may be the loan bright spot yet again this season as I expect Kansas to finish with a 7-5 record at best.

Iowa State: The Cyclones have the distinct pleasure of being the only team in the Big 12 with a new head coach in former Auburn and Texas defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. Chizik inherits an ISU team featuring a SR QB in Bret Meyer as well as one of the Big 12's leading WR in 6 foot 5 Todd Blythe. ISU entered last season as one of the Big 12 North favorites yet they failed to live up to the hype causing long time head coach Dan McCarney to resign. With 10 senior starters returning it would not be out of the question to see ISU emerge as a surprise team in the Big 12 North if it were not for their difficult schedule which features games with Iowa, @Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, @Missouri and Kansas State. If the Cyclones have any hope of a bowl game it would hinge and them winning two of these games which does not seem to be a real possibility. When it is all said and done I suspect ISU will finish at 5-7 with wins against Toledo, Kent, N. Iowa, Colorado and Kansas.