As FanHouse previews each BCS conference, the college football songbook will cast an unflattering light on each conference in the only way we know how.
Last season's biggest rags to riches story, Kansas is hoping to buck history and assemble another top 10 team. Hard enough to do in basketball, but nearly impossible in football. To heck with that though, they'll sure try but things get tougher with Oklahoma and Missouri both expected to be improve.
WHY THEY'LL WIN
Crafty quarterback Todd Reesing is back. Expectations are high but in a place like Kansas, the pressure isn't out of control. Last year taught them how to win consistently and a projected 15 starters are back. Lots of good indicators there.
More importantly, Kansas can run the ball (4.8 yards/carry last year) and stop the run (just 3.1 yards/carry). Three defensive line starters return, but bruising tailback Brandon McAnderson who was tremendous late last year, is gone. Jake Sharp has some nice bounce and totaled 800 yards of his own on the ground but he could use some help from a yet-unknown stablemate.
These guys are among the small handful of preseason favorites for the national championship. Easy call putting them in the Contender category today, no? We make no promises on their ability to deliver, given the whole hot stove human behavior thing whereby Oklahoma has lost big in so many different ways in bowl games lately we know better than to bet on crimson anytime after early December.
But there's always that victory over Texas to fall back on, right? Assuming they beat Texas this year, of course.
Why They'll Win
Talent. It's the lifeblood of all college football programs and Oklahoma's fairly deep with it. The guys the NFL loves are on the lines, but college football fans can appreciate great players with diminished NFL prospects like one Sam Bradford. This guy's just got the knack for making accurate throws, on time, and making the right reads. His freshman season is simply the best statistical freshman season ever.
Oklahoma will continue to do what it always does, play fast on defense, and find ways to get the ball down the field on the ground and in the air. Leading rusher Allen Patrick departs but the exciting DeMarco Murray has arrived and he will be pushed in a big way from frosh back Jermie Calhoun. The offensive line is also widely considered the nation's finest.
Dude! We're awesome! Jeremy Freaking Maclin! Psst ... did last year really happen? And psst! Are we really ranked No. 6 in the preseason AP poll? Why yes, we are. Also: why didn't this happen a few years ago under Brad Smith?
Welcome to the manic world of Missouri football where, yes Virginia, it really did happen last year. But uh, let's try and beat Oklahoma this time boys?
Why They'll Win
Momentum. After years of frustration, of big tease 6-0 type starts before collapses, Missouri turned the corner last year. The psychological value of that is immeasurable.
A total of 14 starters return including Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Chase Daniel and All America quality defenders William Moore and Sean Weatherspoon. Missouri showed a lot of poise in beating Illinois and Mississippi early, then hanging close to Oklahoma to open at 5-1. They never lost again until the Big 12 Championship Game.
The schedule actually lightens up a bit this year, as Oklahoma is replaced with Texas and the non-conference slate includes Southeast Missouri, Nevada and Buffalo.
The teams you don't normally want to read about or hear about but since there's no football there's nothing you'd rather do than read this. Please. Not that I'm begging. Although I may be willing to bribe.
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS
Big Red hasn't been so big lately, although they're certainly a little red (in the face) after the embarrassing collapse last year that led to the termination of coach Bill Callahan.
Like a stiff prairie wind legendary former coach Tom Osborne arrived, taking the athletic director's job and replacing Callahan with former Nebraska assistant Bo Pelini. With him comes promise of a tough defense and a commitment to returning to what makes Nebraska, Nebraska. In-state recruits are getting more favored looks, the walk-on program is being dusted off and hopes for some return to glory are proffered.
That's all well and dandy but Nebraska right now is just another team in the Big 12. Pelini's a winner and has the graces of Osborne, but contending football isn't likely this very moment. Quarterback Joe Ganz showed something last year and we all know about back Marlon Lucky, so there is promise for the offense. Let's just not kid ourselves about a Big 12 Championship quite yet.
Bill Callahan's nationwide recruited boosted the overall athleticism of the program, but Nebraska still has a ways to go at various position groups. Give this one some time.
Echoing Messr. Cook's sentiment's, it's difficult to single out many overrated players so we'll mix it up with one player and several "concepts" if you will. You know what's not overrated? This list. Dig in.
TEXAS
Watch, they'll go out and prove me wrong this year, but we need something to talk about, right? Texas has earned this though. This year aside, they start nearly every year in the top five and do well for themselves but rarely look like world beaters. I sort of predicted this a few years ago, that once the program got its title it'd get fat and happy and cruise for a good long while.
Yeah, Vince Young's departure has something to do with Texas' step down from the elite, but there's more at work. They'll be talking about that 2005 team for several decades, it might as well have happened yesterday which makes it difficult to move on, psychologically.
Once again they'll be a good football team this year, maybe even break into the top 10 at the end of the year, but they're no longer scary good on a consistent basis.
Oh, and the helmets are overrated, too. Give me Michigan's, Florida State's, Alabama's or Notre Dame's anyday.
This is sort of a more cheery writeup than last year. And hopefully more accurate, because I think we included Kansas among the Big 12's "dreg" teams. Big oops! The league is deeper this year, but we've managed to identify the likely bottom feeders of the bunch. College football carp, if you will.
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Woo hoo, 12th man !!! Woo hoo !!! Reveille !!! Crotch grabbers woo hoo !!! Better make the noise now because this season and the entire Mike Sherman regime could be a disaster. Let me explain.
Texas A&M has found a way to get some decent talent to College Station, but will likely never approach the depth of talent you find within this conference at Oklahoma and Texas and to a lesser extent Nebraska. Luckily it's college football so there is a second option: innovate. Run the option (which they did last year), run the spread, run unusual defensive looks (which they also did), and so forth. Basically do anything to be different and chances are you'll overachieve.
But Sherman appears to have decided to go with a pro style offense which is conventional and happens to have shackled once great offensive powerhouses like Miami and USC. Not good.
Maybe I'm wrong but between the transition pains and the already drab offense, I see trouble on the horizon and quick. The Big 12 is resurgent thanks to an army of crazy offenses taking over, right at a time Texas A&M has taken a step backwards.
Big 12 ... cattle country ... the plains ... cowboys ... boots ... If this were the Pac-10 we'd be talking about filling sandals. I'm a shoe man, personally. Anyway. Some Big 12 figures are going to be difficult to replace, although it's not as bad as you think (similar to last year). Let's review.
TOM OSBORNE, NEBRASKA
Nebraska didn't simply terminate Bill Callahan last year, they terminated the heir to Osborne's throne. Bo Pelini isn't replacing Callahan, no sir. He's replacing his boss Tom Osborne in attempting to transition Nebraska football back to another dominant era. No pressure or anything.
So far Osborne's replacements are 0 for 2, but the program thinks it has found its man in former assistant and last year's defensive coordinator at LSU, Bo Pelini. Pelini doesn't possess Osborne's steely but quiet command of his team, but no coach nowadays could. He's a spirited barker demanding tremendous effort and sacrifice. He's tasked with picking up the pieces of mistrust that led to last year's collapse and the worst defensive performance in the program's deep history.
As FanHouse previews each BCS conference, the college football songbook will cast an unflattering light on each conference in the only way we know how. It's getting hot for Big East coaches.
Rutgers enters the post Ray Rice era in 2008. With a sold but somewhat disappointing 2007 in the rear view mirror the Scarlet Knights need to redefine themselves and find someone to fill the void left by Rice.
Why They'll Win
What they lack in running back star power, they make up for at the quarterback and receiver positions. Last year wasn't all about Ray Rice. In 2007, Rutgers became the first 1-A school to have a 3,000 yard passer, 2,000 rusher, and two 1,000 receivers. Despite a nagging thumb injury, Mike Teel managed to pass for over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. Big numbers that were overshadowed by the year Rice had. On the outside, Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood both had over 60 receptions and combined to catch 15 touchdowns.
The defense lost Eric Foster, but they return eight starters that should be able to reproduce the success of the 2007 squad. It's not a big unit, but what they lack in size, they make up for in speed. Returning free safety Courtney Green, cornerbacks Devin and Jason McCourty all return to anchor a pass defense that was fifth in the nation.
Big Red hasn't been so big lately, although they're certainly a little red (in the face) after the embarrassing collapse last year that led to the termination of coach Bill Callahan.
Watch, they'll go out and prove me wrong this year, but we need something to talk about, right? Texas has earned this though. This year aside, they start nearly every year in the top five and do well for themselves but rarely look like world beaters. I sort of predicted this a few years ago, that once the program got its title it'd get fat and happy and cruise for a good long while.
Woo hoo, 12th man !!! Woo hoo !!! Reveille !!! Crotch grabbers woo hoo !!! Better make the noise now because this season and the entire Mike Sherman regime could be a disaster. Let me explain.
Nebraska didn't simply terminate Bill Callahan last year, they terminated the heir to Osborne's throne. Bo Pelini isn't replacing Callahan, no sir. He's replacing his boss Tom Osborne in attempting to transition Nebraska football back to another dominant era. No pressure or anything.
