Here is my take on the Big 12 For 2009<\/strong><\/p>\n BAYLOR \u2013 *9 \/ 9<\/strong><\/p>\n Team Theme \u2013 ART SMILES<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s safe to say Art Briles put smiles on the faces of many Bear alumni last season. While the Bears improved only game over the 2007 edition, huge strides were made on both sides of the ball. Those same smiles are again in place with the return of 18 starters (20 including special teams – the most since 1969). The offense is keyed by dynamic SO QB Robert Griffin who passed for over 2000 yards while managing to rush for more than 800 yards last year. ESPN.com\u2019s Bruce Feldman says Griffin is the fastest man to ever play quarterback in college football. Griffin also graduated No. 7 in his high school class. Like last year, the Bears will take on 8 bowlers this season. \u201cWe feel really good about the direction we are going and about how we are going to get there,\u201d beamed Briles.\u00a0PLAY ON: vs. Connecticut (9\/19)<\/p>\n COLORADO \u2013 *9 \/ 4<\/strong><\/p>\n Team Theme \u2013 BAR-MITZVAH!<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cEvery place I\u2019ve been we\u2019ve raised the bar. That time has come here.\u201d Those were the words of head coach Dan Hawkins, when asked of his goal of 10 wins this season. Is that a bold prediction or a bold intent? What we do know is Hawkins\u2019 team lost 110-man games to either injury or illness from his two-deep roster last season. And its part of the reason 95 freshmen were forced start games the past two seasons. The Buffaloes return 10 starters on offense, including JR QB Cody Hawkins, the coach\u2019s son. The offensive line is the strength of the team with 6 of the top 7 players back. It\u2019s what sprung RB Darrell Scott all over the field in the spring game, prompting SPORTING NEWS TODAY college football staff writer Matt Hayes to exclaim, \u201cScott was a beast in spring drills.\u201d Maybe the bar isn\u2019t high enough.\u00a0PLAY ON: vs. Missouri (10\/31)<\/p>\n IOWA STATE \u2013 *9 \/ 6<\/strong><\/p>\n Team Theme \u2013 TRADE UP<\/strong><\/p>\n A followup on the Gene Chizik \u201ctrade\u201d to Auburn: the coach to be named later was Paul Rhoads, defensive coordinator with the Tigers last season and native Iowan. Rhoads was also the DC at Pittsburgh (2000-07) and a defensive coach for five years before that at LSU. Rhoads captured Big East Defensive Coordinator of the Year honors in 2007. Quite a nice resume, to say the least. His new DC is Wally Burnham from USF (10th in the nation in team defense last year). The new OC is Tom Hearn, who re-wrote school records at Rice the past two seasons. Returning QB Austen Arnaud figures to benefit the most from this transition. With Florida transfer RB Bo Williams entrenched in the backfield, the Cyclones should snap a 17-game road-losing skein \u2013 the nation\u2019s longest – sooner than later.\u00a0PLAY ON: vs. Texas A&M (10\/31)<\/p>\n KANSAS \u2013 *8 \/ 7<\/strong><\/p>\n Team Theme \u2013 ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK<\/strong><\/p>\n According to Rivals.com, Mark Mangino knows what you’re thinking. Kansas is a basketball school. Kansas hasn’t won a conference football championship since 1968. “I have heard it all and I don’t think any of those things are a big enough detriment to keep us from our goals,” says Mangino. “When we came here there really wasn’t a lot of talent. It was almost like a I-AA program.” That\u2019s not the case today. Last season’s 8-5 record was a letdown, though KU did go to back-to-back bowl games for the first time in school history. Unsung QB Todd Reesing is 20-6 as a starter, tossing for 7374 yards and 65 TD\u2019s the past two seasons. Favorites to win the Big 12 North title, Kansas could be 6-0 when Oklahoma comes to town in late October. Yes, KU is a football school, too.\u00a0PLAY ON: as a dog vs. Oklahoma (10\/24)<\/p>\n KANSAS STATE \u2013 7 \/ 8<\/strong><\/p>\n Team Theme \u2013 GUESS WHO\u2019S COMING TO DINNER<\/strong><\/p>\n Who said you can never go back home again? Not Bill Snyder, that\u2019s for sure. The 69-year old coaching legend returns to the sidelines in Manhattan where here compiled a 136-68 record with the Wildcats during his tenure from 1989-2005, including 11 bowl games. That was, by the way, after inheriting a team that was on a 0-26-1 run. Lest you think this man can\u2019t coach, or is past his prime, consider this: the 136 wins equaled the amount KSU totaled the previous 56 seasons. Snyder assembled 3 former head coaches with 77 years of combined experience. Some of his former assistants include Bob Stoops, Mike Stoops, Jim Leavitt, Brett Bielema and Mark Mangino. The biggest shoes to fill are those of departed QB Josh Freeman. His replacement, JR Carson Coffman, saw action in six games last season. Guess who\u2019s home again?\u00a0PLAY ON: vs. Kansas (11\/7)<\/p>\n MISSOURI \u2013 5 \/ 4<\/strong><\/p>\n Team Theme \u2013 THE CHASE IS OVER<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s funny how being in the right place at the right time makes all the difference in the world. With one winning season in his first four years with the Tigers, Gary Pinkel turned his fate over to QB Chase Daniel in 2005. Four straight bowl appearances and a 37-16 record later, Daniel is off hoping to land a job with the Redskins in the NFL while Pinkel has inked a long-term, multi-million dollar deal with Missouri. Is that fair? Hardly. Also gone is WR Jeremy Maclin, a first-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles. Suddenly, Pinkel\u2019s coaching prowess is on the line. With 22 wins the last two years (only Oklahoma and USC have more), and only 9 starters back this season, look for Pinkel to fall prey to the law of diminishing returns in 2009.\u00a0PLAY AGAINST: vs. Nebraska (10\/8)<\/p>\n NEBRASKA \u2013 5 \/ 6<\/strong><\/p>\n Team Theme \u2013 FLU THE COUP<\/strong><\/p>\n Bo Pellini\u2019s personality is highly infectious and it appears to have reached pandemic proportions at Nebraska. In other words, football fever is running rampant throughout Lincoln these days, much like it used to in the good old days. Inheriting a team last year that came off its worst season since 1961, Pellini went to work doing what he does best, namely orchestrating the defense. A 127-YPG defensive improvement, highlighted by a rush \u2018D\u2019 that was the most improved in the nation, resulted in a nine-win effort, the most by a first-year coach in 2008. Sure, 8 opponents that were .500 or better last year dot the schedule, but there are no back-to-back road games. Is a sophomore jinx in the offing for Pellini? We doubt it. Not in a city where winning is contagious and the coach is immune to losing.\u00a0PLAY ON: as a dog vs. Oklahoma (11\/7)<\/p>\n OKLAHOMA \u2013 *5 \/ 9<\/strong><\/p>\n Team Theme \u2013 KILLER B\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n
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