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Big 12 football 2018 preview: Breakout stars, biggest games, predictions

By Daniel Stave

MANHATTAN, KS - NOVEMBER 11: Quarterback Will Grier (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
MANHATTAN, KS - NOVEMBER 11: Quarterback Will Grier (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /
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FRISCO, TX – JULY 17: The Oklahoma Sooners helmet during the Big 12 Media days on July 17, 2018 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
FRISCO, TX – JULY 17: The Oklahoma Sooners helmet during the Big 12 Media days on July 17, 2018 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Predicted order of finish

The conference is deep, as eight or nine of its 10 teams should be competitive (sorry Kansas). They play a full round robin schedule, so there should be plenty of good matchups throughout the season.

Oklahoma is still the favorite, but they are vulnerable with their losses on offense.

TCU leads a second tier with four teams that could steal the conference crown. Texas, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia are the other contenders.

Iowa State, Kansas State and Texas Tech won’t be pushovers. They will likely land in the six to eight win range.

Baylor is a wild card, getting to a bowl game is a likely attainable goal.

Kansas gonna Kansas.

While a team could leapfrog (foreshadowing?) the Sooners, there’s no clear candidate to do so.

  1. Oklahoma-The Sooners still have plenty of pieces on offense to go with a young, improving defense. They’ll likely be challenged, but it’s hard to identify who the specific challenger will be.
  2. TCU-For a team that’s only been in a Power 5 conference for six years, Gary Patterson has steadily built the Horned Frogs into a consistent contender in the Big 12. They should have the conference’s top defense, with plenty of weapons on offense.
  3. West Virginia-While the Mountaineers don’t have the systemic depth of the conference’s top programs, they return all the big names on offense. The defense has been steady in recent years. With the other losses across the conference, 2018 could line up as their year to come out on top.
  4. Texas-Despite a few big losses on defense, they otherwise return mostly intact and strong on that side of the ball. The success of the offense with Shane Buechele and Sam Ehlinger will determine how dangerous of a threat the Longhorns are in Tom Herman’s second year.
  5. Oklahoma State-2018 will be a test of the infrastructure Mike Gundy has built in Stillwater. Losses of Rudolph and receivers James Washington and Marcell Ateman leave the Pokes looking for answers in the passing game. Jim Knowles comes over from Duke to replace Glenn Spencer as defensive coordinator.
  6. Iowa State-The Cyclones were the conference’s surprise team in 2017, pulling off upsets of both Oklahoma and TCU. Star running back David Montgomery and quarterback Kyle Kempt return to lead the offense, and most of the defense is back as well, but they won’t sneak up on anyone in Matt Campbell’s third year.
  7. Kansas State-Last year, KSU dealt with several injuries and used some luck to get to eight wins. Bill Snyder has most of the team returning this year, but will have to replace both coordinators.
  8. Texas Tech-Kliff Klingsbury has some work to do, as his offense lost nearly every significant skill position player from 2017. Instead, the Red Raiders will count on their defense (yes, I’m serious), led by preseason All-Big 12 selections LB Dakota Allen, CB Justus Parker, and S Jah’Shawn Johnson
  9. Baylor-Matt Rhule went 1-11 in his first season in Waco. Now the Bears are eyeing bowl eligibility as they continue to rebuild from the ugly scandal under Art Briles.
  10. Kansas-college football’s version of Hue Jackson, David Beaty better show some progress in his fourth year after going 3-33 in his first three seasons. Running back Khalil Herbert could be worth watching. He ran for 291 yards in last year’s loss to West Virginia.