(This piece was researched and written by Matt Lowry and edited and additional comments by Amy Lamare)

Oh happy days the off season is almost finally over!!! Spring Ball is out the way and the days are getting closer and closer for the kick off of what looks to be a wild 2011 College football season.

First of all, let’s talk about the name Big 12. This division no longer has 12 teams after Nebraska bolted for the Big Ten –which was the  Big 11 calling themselves the Big Ten and is now the Big 12 calling themselves the Big Ten – and Colorado headed for greener pastures west of the Rockies in the Pac-12.  The Big 12 has 10 teams. No more conference championship for this AQ conference. But we digress…

Last year the Big 12 was pretty wild. Texas who went to the BCS Title game in 2009,  failed to qualify for a bowl in 2010. Texas lost to far inferior teams such as UCLA, Iowa St, and Baylor.  On the other hand, Nebraska lived up to expectations and won the North, thoroughly demolishing their North division rivals. In the south,  Oklahoma won the division but not without dropping games to Texas Tech and Missouri and having to slog it out with Oklahoma State to get a win.  In the end OU and Nebraska fought it out for the last time in Dallas with OU taking the Big 12 title.

This year the Big 12 will be experiencing a lot of change this season due to the conference realignments. Due to the departures of Nebraska (Big Ten) and Colorado (Pac 12) The Big 12 will now have every team in the conf play each other for the first time since the old Big 8.  As a result, the  Big 12 conference title contenders may be different  very as well. Today I will break down the Big 12 as well as reveal my favorite to win the Big 12.

Oklahoma State

Let’s start this Big 12 preview with a bold prediction.  The Oklahoma State Cowboys area my favorite to win the Big 12.  Each of the past few seasons has been an  improvement on the one before it, which is the sort of positive momentum a team needs to build a winning program.  OSU has lost Kendal Hunter but still has Justin Blackmon who filled in so competently for Dez Bryant. This Oklahoma State team is long overdue for a win over their in-state rivals – the Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma State gets the Sooners in Stillwater which is a huge plus for them. The running game is a big question for the Cowboys this season and if it doesn’t gel early they could find themselves in trouble as there will be games where they will have to run the ball.

Oklahoma State has 14 guys who didn’t really start last season that will see more playing time this season. Ladies and Gentlemen this isn’t your Grandfather’s Oklahoma State team. They are for real and looking to show their Big 12 competition that they are a dangerous team. If the Cowboys play their cards right,  a BCS National Title is very possible but for now a Big 12 Title works just fine.

(Amy says: this is a BOLD prediction by Matt and not one I necessarily agree with. Yes, the Cowboys have been making strides in their program but IMO, they are more of a “spoiler” in their conference than a contender. That said, Nebraska exiting the Big 12 certainly makes the path a bit easier for those who traditionally finished below the Huskers.  However, I don’t see Oklahoma State beating the Sooners OR A&M, or, at the least beating BOTH of those teams.)

Texas A&M

I have the Texas A&M Aggies at 2^nd in this preview as I feel this year they may finally have the talent to be major contenders for the conference title. Last year the Aggies had a pretty good year defeating teams like Oklahoma and Texas, showing that their time is coming. This year Texas A&M has a chance to prove that this is it for them.  The Aggies have 18 starters returning, and with this experience, they should be set up well to run the table. The offense lost Jerrod Johnson at QB but the Aggies look to be fine at QB with Ryan Tannehill  who returns after having a pretty good year last year. Almost everyone is back on the Aggie offense. This looks to be a loaded offensive team. On the defensive side of the ball, the linebacker position took the biggest hit with the departure of Von Miller and Michael Hodges but the secondary comes in with a lot of experience and talent.  Coryell Judie returns at CB and was the team leader in INT’s last season. Look for him to make a big impact.

Overall this Texas A&M team has tons of talent on both sides of the ball. This could finally be Texas A&M’s year. If they can get past Oklahoma in Norman and Oklahoma State than you can consider the Aggies BCS Bound.

(Amy says: I think A&M is the Big 12 champion this year.)

Oklahoma

I know what you’re thinking. “Matt, you’re crazy with the Sooners at 3 in your Pre-Season Preview!”  Yes the Sooners may be the consensus Pre-Season Number 1 but the talent throughout the entirety of the Big 12 is loaded. Oklahoma returns 13 Starters from a team that won the Big 12 Championship as well as the Fiesta Bowl last season. Oklahoma will have the service of Landry Jones who’s being considered a Heisman contender for this season. Last year he led the Sooners to a Fiesta Bowl win over the UConn Huskies out of the Big East. Not only will they have Jones but also WR Ryan Broyles who could have a big year for the Sooners. The loss of DeMarco Murray  (Amy says: an alum of my high school!) may hurt them a little but whoever starts at RB will have a loaded O-Line to block for them. The defensive side of the ball and the Oklahoma Football team suffered a big loss with the death of Austin Box. Box was projected to be a starting LB with the Sooners. His death was very untimely and sudden. Moving past the sad news,  the Sooners Secondary looks to be a weakness due to their inexperience.

The Sooners are the PRE-SEASON Number 1 but they have a tough road starting with a game against projected BCS Title contender Florida State. With Texas A&M having their number and Oklahoma St overdue for a victory over them,  the Sooners could finish the season with 2-3 losses.

(Amy says: I really have nothing against the Sooners, yet I am inexplicably happy when they lose.)

Missouri

The Missouri Tigers had a really good season last year , going 10-3 with QB Blaine Gabbert playing like a Heisman contender. This year Missouri looks to have the same success but has plenty of questions to answer as well. The Tigers return 16 starters with some weapons on both sides of the ball. The Offense will have a new signal caller as James Franklin was named the starting QB for the Tigers. There isn’t much experience after Franklin due to the transfer of Tyler Gabbert from the program. Franklin will have weapons to work with at the receiver and running back position as both TJ Moe and Wes Kemp return. The defense doesn’t look to bad either with the defensive line being the strength. The secondary will be a weakness from the looks with only one starter returning.

Missouri’s offense looks to be enough if James Franklin’s play can get them through. The defensive line will have to carry the load for this team. Good news:  no Nebraska to worry about anymore. Bad news: facing teams like Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma who love to throw the ball will put tons of pressure on the belabored Tigers secondary. The verdict? Missouri can sneak up if the defense gels early but for now, there doesn’t seem to be enough fire power to do it.

(Amy says: and what a mess that Gabbert situation is. He leaves Mizzou for Louisville, then a week later, leave Louisville.  Is he another Tate Forcier, who left a prestigious program at Michigan and attempted to transfer to, among other places, USC and Hawaii, only to end up at also-ran and perennial underdog San Jose State?)

Texas

Oh the Texas Longhorns at 5^th and what a very odd place this is for them. Last year they took the biggest drop off anyone has ever seen. The Longhorns went to the BCS Title game the year before only to totally implode in 2010. It all started with the Longhorns losing to UCLA in Austin – a stunning loss no one could have predicted. That loss put the Longhorns into a downward spiral through the season to a 5-7 record. During the off season Mack Brown shook everything up on the coaching staff. Texas returns 10 starters to the team but those 10 have a lot of talent. The offense will be a huge question that needs to be answered. Garrett Gilbert was the starting QB last year and struggled a lot at the position which lead to a QB battle in the spring between Casey McCoy (Colt McCoy’s Brother) and Gilbert.  The receivers are pretty talented as are the running backs but the major question for the whole offense will be leadership. Last season there was no leadership among the offense or team, which showed in the Longhorns play and record. The defense on the other hand will look to try to carry the load for the whole team once again. Last year the Longhorns were in the top 5 in almost every statistical category of the conference – but the Big 12 doesn’t really play defense. Linebackers Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho return and look to make a big impact for the team this year. The one area that I question is the secondary. Regardless of the talent, experience will be key which is something they lack due to departures. They also bring in a new defensive coordinator  in Manny Diaz. Will Muschamp left to become Florida’s Head Coach and that will hurt this Longhorn defense a lot because Muschamp was the soul of the coaching staff.

Texas will have a lot of pressure on them to recover from last season’s dismal record.  The Longhorn faithful will not stand for two losing seasons in a row.  With the new Longhorn network, new coaching staff and so on it will be lot for this Texas team to digest, especially early in the season. This will be a rebuilding year but expect a much better season than they had in 2010. IMO, the best Texas can finish is 4^th in this loaded conference.

Texas Tech

Here’s where it starts to get tough. The Texas Tech Red Raiders are at 6^th in my preview. Last year Texas Tech managed to make it to a bowl game under Tommy Tuberville and managed a victory over Northwestern to finish 8-5 in the Big 12 in 2010. There are a lot of questions on the offensive side of the ball starting with the QB. Last year’s main man under center,  Taylor Potts, will have to be replaced. Seth Doege will have the pleasure of replacing Taylor Potts for the Texas Tech offense. The Running Back and Wide Receiver position will also have brand new starters which could bring some issues to this Red Raiders Squad. On the other hand, the Red Raiders offense returns all starters on the offensive line which can make inexperienced QBs, RBs and WRs shine. The defense returns 5 players but those  5 players are in the secondary. The Texas Tech Front 7 will have brand new starters,  while the secondary will have 3 players at safety and two corners returning to the team. The Red Raiders also move to the 4-2-5 which is better suited for a defense at that talent. (Amy says: agreed.)

Texas Tech may have a brand new starting offense and is switching to a new defense as well. But the 4-2-5 suits the talent that Texas Tech has very well.  The Red Raiders could be in place to go to another bowl game under Tommy Tuberville – but it’s all up to the offense to put the points on the board.

Baylor

Like I said, picking the order of finish for the Big 12  wasn’t easy but Baylor made it to 7 on the preview. Last year the Baylor Bears made some noise with Robert Griffin by becoming bowl eligible for the first time in a long time and they look to build off that success this year.  Last season, Baylor managed to knock off Texas, and came close to beating Texas Tech.  This year’s team returns 13 starters with an offense that looks to make some noise and a defense that doesn’t look too bad. Robert Griffin,  who comes into the season once again as a starter , will look to take the Baylor Bears to bigger and better places in the Big 12. Griffin will have the offensive line and some speedy receivers in Lanear Sampson and Kendall Wright.  The defense, who returns some fire power on the defensive line,  will look to make life hard on teams to want to run the ball on the Bears. The defensive line looks to be a big strong point for the Baylor defense but they will need some support at the linebacker position. The secondary only has one returning starter in Corner Chance Casey.  This year Phil Nennett is looking to make strides to help Baylor get to the next step.

As of now I have Baylor at 7 but the winner of the Texas Tech/Baylor game should provide a good shootout for that 6^th spot. Baylor caught Texas by surprise last year and if the defense shapes up and the offense goes all out then watch out for Baylor this year.

Kansas State

I have Kansas State is at 8 in the Big 12 preview  and it was another tough one to place. Kansas State,  under Bill Snyder,  had a roller coaster of a season last year. The Wildcats started out 4-0 and developed some swagger before getting dismantled by Nebraska. After that, the Wildcats were up and down for the remainder of the season.  Kansas State managed to make it to a Bowl game and arguably was robbed after a  bad call took the 2 pt conversion back and cost them the game.  This year Kansas State looks to do a lot better than last season’s 7-6 record.  Twelve starters return to the team this year and they have one transfer coming in.  QB Collin Klein had some playing  last year, but keep in mind he was also the leader in rushing (of returning players), making him a threat both through the air and on the ground.  Klein won’t have to do the majority of the rushing with former Tennessee running back Bryce Brown coming to the team. The Wildcats rushing game could be pretty deadly with this tandem threat. The defense returns 7 starters but those experienced players are spread out. The strength looks like it will be at the secondary with the return of safeties Ty Zimmerman, Tysyn Hartman, and Corner David Garrett. With those three players, Kansas State will try to make life hard on teams who pass. The Linebackers and DE will need others to step up big time to help the secondary out.

Consistent play from the Wildcats can get Kansas State to better places. Anything less will keep them at 8^th The good news for  Kansas Stat: No more Nebraska.

Iowa State

The Iowa State Cyclones come in at 9^th in this preview of the Big 12 conference. Last year Iowa State had some moments that demanded attention – like beating Texas in Austin and their near victory over Nebraska. Iowa State returns just  12 starters, so expect this team to have growing pains this season. The offense will be breaking in a new QB, running back and center. The WR position will be a strength on offense with the return of Darius Darks and Darius Reynolds. The defense returns seven starters but it won’t be much help for them this year. Last year, the Cyclones gave up a lot of points in both wins and losses. The big question will be can Iowa State stop teams from scoring a lot of points on them. My guess is no.

Iowa State is in for a huge step backwards unless the Offense and Defense can get going.

Kansas

I have the Kansas Jayhawks in dead last in my Big 12 preview.  Last year, their new coach Turner Gill has some people in Lawrence thinking Kansas could finally become a two sport school. They surely didn’t expect to go 3-9. Last year, the Kansas season got off to a really bad start with a loss to FCS Foe North Dakota State. What was the final Score? Well, it was a very exciting (NOT) 6-3. This year Kansas returns 13 starters for Gill’s 2^nd year but don’t expect this to be much help. Kansas will have a QB  battle between Jordan Webb and Brock Berglund.  Whoever wins the QB battle will have a lot of work to do. The defense will also need tons of help s well to improve from their horrible season last year. This defense couldn’t stop anyone from scoring on them and if Kansas wants to make strides they’ll have to stop someone and not rely on a team’s epic debacle get into games (COLORADO!)

Pressure will be on Turner Gill to improve the football team and get this team to a winning record. I can say one thing,  Kansas can’t afford any more field goal battles with FCS opponents during the first week of the season.  If the Jayhawks can eke out four or five wins, the Jayhawks can consider the season a success.  However, a three win season is entirely possible.

Overall this will be a crazy Big 12 Season, as the conference returns to a round robin system where every team meets up during the season.  The top four teams and how they end up is anyone’s guess at this point. Prevailing wisdom says the Big 12 title is Oklahoma’s to lose, but I tend to disagree.