There is profound enthusiasm over the announcement of Kliff Kingsbury taking the reins as head coach in Lubbock, as Kingsbury is a former record-shattering Tech pivot himself. Undoubtedly, this move has fired up the Red Raiders’ fan base.
Lawrence, Kansas is the home to the University of Kansas, whose reputation is unquestionably as a basketball powerhouse. Year in and year out, it tends to stay that way.
The Cyclones hope to stake improvement on a blue-collar offensive line and an effective running game. Starting RB James White must bounce back from injury, but he brings veteran experience.
Baylor head coach Art Briles has a fantastic pedigree developing signal-callers, but it’s the running backs in Waco that have everyone talking. The duo of Lache Seastrunk and Glasco Martin might just be the best in America.
There’s no doubt that Kansas State has some talented players sprinkled on its roster. There is also no doubt that aging head coach Bill Snyder deserves all the credit in the world, as he has more than once made this program contend nationally – at a football school that could well be a Bowl Subdivision team (or worse) – without him.
The departure of longtime starting QB Geno Smith signals the departure of a gifted passer and a gifted athlete who put up some mind-numbing statistics. Moreover, it’s not just Smith who says goodbye to Morgantown for the greener pastures of the NFL.
Texas Christian University is in better shape than most Big 12 teams at the quarterback position, although its success still rides on a massive “what-if”.
The Sooners have their usual wealth of talent on the roster, but it’s unlikely that the transition from longtime starting QB Landry Jones to bulldozing goal-line threat Blake Bell will occur without some (likely considerable) growing pains.
Texas’s main advantage this season is being able to feature the most pedigreed, most accurate – and really, just downright best – QB in the Big 12, with junior David Ash. Ash had a poor outing against hated rival Oklahoma (which is mildly concerning) and TCU, but he played against the Horned Frogs while nursing a broken rib.
Over the past couple of seasons, Oklahoma State has become more than just an offensive juggernaut that dumps points on the opposition. The Cowboys have a chance to be a very respectable defensive team in ’13, thanks to the athleticism of DT Calvin Barnett and LBs Shaun Lewis and Caleb Lavey.
