Big 12 South preview

Texas looks to get to the BCS championship game after watching the Oklahoma Sooners make it despite losing to Texas 45-35. The Longhorns feature one of the game’s best weapons in quarterback Colt McCoy. McCoy led the Longhorns in passing and rushing. If McCoy can repeat his performance from last season, the Longhorns will be in great position to make the championship game.

Oklahoma Quarterback Sam Bradford returns to lead the Sooners back to the championship game. Bradford won the Heisman last season partly because he had the best offensive line in college football. This season, four of those five starters are gone. The Sooners offense has the potential to be explosive just as it was last season, but the new-look offensive line will have to keep Bradford clean.

Oklahoma State returns one of the best offenses in all of college football. However, the Cowboys also return one of the worst defenses. Quarterback Zac Robinson and wide receiver Dez Bryant will need to put up similar numbers to keep the offense rolling. If the Cowboys are going to beat the likes of Texas and Oklahoma, the defense will need to be better than the 93rd ranked unit it was last season.

Baylor’s season will hinge on the maturation of sophomore quarterback Robert Griffin. Griffin is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. He finished second on the team in rushing. The Bears also have to replace left tackle Jason Smith after he was drafted second overall by the St. Louis Rams in the NFL draft. While Baylor does not have enough weapons to break into the top half of the South division, the Bears are no longer a cupcake on the schedule.

Texas Tech loses quarterback Graham Harrell and wide receiver Michael Crabtree, the Red Raiders have big holes to fill on the offense. Texas Tech needs to find replacements in its pass-happy offense to be competitive because it does not have the kind of defense that will keep it in games. Replacing Harrell and Crabtree will be tough, so expect the Red Raiders to take a step back this season.

Texas A&M has a lot of work to do just to become competitive in this division. Texas A&M was one of the worst offenses in college football last season and the defense was not much better. Head coach Mike Sherman did not get any high impact recruits, so expect the Aggies to finish at the bottom of the division again.

Big 12 predictions and awards:
South
Texas (12-0, 8-0)
Oklahoma (11-1, 7-1)
Oklahoma State (10-2, 6-2)
Baylor (7-5, 4-4)
Texas Tech (7-5, 3-5)
Texas A&M (4-8, 2-6)

North
Nebraska (10-2, 7-1)
Kansas (8-4, 4-4)
Colorado (7-5, 4-4)
Kansas State (6-6, 3-5)
Missouri (5-7, 2-6)
Iowa State (4-8, 1-7)

Players of the Year: Colt McCoy, Texas; Roy Helu, Nebraska
Coaches of the Year: Art Briles, Baylor; Bo Pelini, Nebraska
Big 12 title game: Texas vs. Nebraska