Big 12 spotlight: Farrell's title pick, bold predictions
Football season is finally upon us and with that it’s time to break down each Power Five conference in different categories as well as make some bold predictions. Today we finish with the Big 12.
Big 12 Champion: Oklahoma State. Not an easy prediction to make because Oklahoma State would likely have to run the table or come very close and possibly defeat Oklahoma twice. None of that is easy. The reason I’m not picking Oklahoma, which will have a similarly explosive offense, is the unknown factor regarding Lincoln Riley. Mike Gundy is an established coach, has been in big games and first-year coaches often make key mistakes. Both teams have great quarterbacks, talented skill position players but defenses that have to answer many questions. The Cowboys will just outscore everyone.
Coach of the Year: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State. If he wins the Big 12, he will win the award or at least he should. However, watch for Tom Herman to take it if Texas wins eight or nine games, which is possible.
Hot Seat City: Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech. I don’t expect a ton of defensive improvement from Texas Tech and with quarterback Pat Mahomes gone, this could be a very rough season and possibly the last one for Kingsbury.
Biggest Surprise: West Virginia. The Mountaineers are picked to finish in the bottom half of the conference but with quarterback Will Grier at the helm, they can make a move past TCU and possibly Kansas State to finish in the top four.
Biggest Disappointment: Kansas State. Bill Snyder is a terrific coach and they return enough experience to garner one first place vote in the preseason Big 12 poll. However, this year’s Big 12 is deeper, and wins will be harder to come by. The Wildcats could fall down to the second tier of the conference. I don’t question the offense, but there are better offenses in the conference and Kansas State has defensive question marks like most Big 12 teams.
As Expected: Kansas. Kansas will finish at the bottom of the Big 12 once again. I don’t see many wins on the schedule, at least in conference.
A Year Away: Texas. Herman will breathe life into this football team. The Longhorns will have a winning record for the first time since Charlie Strong took over and make a bowl game, but the real improvement will take place for the 2018 season when they are ready to compete for the Big 12 title and a playoff berth.
Building for the Future: Texas. Recruiting for both Texas and Oklahoma is going very well, so I could put both on here, but the Longhorns have the higher average star rating right now and are in on bigger targets down the stretch it seems. Both teams are separating themselves from the pack with recruiting talent at the very least.
Conference Offensive MVP: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma. In a tight battle, it will be Mayfield over Mason Rudolph even if the Sooners fall short of the title. The 2015 winner should put up monster numbers in the air again and could score double digit touchdowns with his feet.
Conference Defensive MVP: Malik Jefferson, Texas. The leader of the Texas defense will put up monster numbers and run away with the award.
Best NFL Prospect: Connor Williams, Texas. The top offensive lineman in the country could be a top 10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
True Freshman of the Year: CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma. I mentioned Lamb awhile back as a guy we may look back on as someone we under-ranked and I still feel that way. Could he turn into a DeDe Westbrook talent down the line? Yep.
Breakout Player: Devin Duvernay, Texas. He showed flashes last season and you can bet his speed will be utilized in Herman’s offense in some creative ways. He has a huge season.