Big 12 football season preview 2020: Is this the year Texas is finally back?

Big 12 football season preview looking at the biggest games, best players, predicted order of finish and whether this is the year Texas is finally back.

Last season, the Oklahoma Sooners replaced a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for the second-straight season to win the Big 12 for the fifth-straight season. Jalen Hurts led them to yet another title and College Football Playoff berth en route to his journey to the NFL. Now, the Sooners are a little more in flux than they have been in the past.

The Baylor Bears came seemingly out of nowhere to make an attempt to wrestle the Big 12 Title away from Oklahoma, but the Sooners reigned supreme when the dust was settled. This seems to be a theme every season. In 2018, Texas made a run but fell short. The same thing happened to TCU in 2017. Oklahoma State and West Virginia came close in 2016 (although WVU got rocked at home at the hands of the Sooners, so technically not that close). Every year, it’s a different opponent with the same result.

This season could be completely different. The offseason is something we’ve never seen before in sports, and the Big 12 is fully committed to playing football despite a pandemic. Still, Oklahoma has to figure out how to instill a new quarterback for the third-straight season but with a lot fewer reps than they’ve had in the past. This could open the door for one of these Big 12 teams on the cusp to take that next step into contention.

Being one of three major conferences still playing at the time of this writing, the Big 12 has a chance to really showcase some of its stars. There are a ton of really good players across all ten teams this season. It’s been a while since there was even perceived parity in the conference, but with Les Miles coaching at Kansas, maybe even a bottom dweller could surprise this season and play better than expected.

Now, it’s time to dig deep into the Big 12 Conference. Who’s going to win the big awards? What team is going to be a must-watch every Saturday? Who is going to become a household name? Since it’s the Big 12 and there should be no other way, let’s start with the offense.

Offensive Player of the Year: Brock Purdy QB, Iowa State

The obvious answer here is Chuba Hubbard, who is the reigning offensive player of the year in the Big 12. However, this comes with insane expectations and defenses making their entire gameplan to stop Hubbard every single week. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Spencer Sanders is not in a place where he can put fear into opposing defenses, so Hubbard is going to see a lot of eight-men boxes. He’ll still get a ton of yards, but it opens the door for another player to win this award.

Jason White was the last player to win this award in back-to-back seasons. Since the facts show a back-to-back winner is unlikely, this opens the door for some of the other greats in the league. Two names stand out; Sam Ehlinger and Brock Purdy. Purdy is going into his senior season with the Cyclones, and he’s poised to have a huge season.

He broke Iowa State records in 2019. Purdy now holds the record for most passing yards in a season, touchdowns in a season, and total offense in a season. The Cyclones football team has been around for more than a century, so this is more impressive than it might look like on paper. Purdy is one of the best talents in college football, and he now gets to prove his worth in his senior season.

The Cyclones get to play Oklahoma at home on October 3rd. Purdy has a chance to upset the conference favorite early in the season, and this is his best chance to do this. Last season, Oklahoma won by one point at home with a better team. Purdy committed to Iowa State just months after the last time ISU beat Oklahoma in 2017. Now, he looks to bring that joy to the fanbase once again.

Purdy will hit the ground running thanks to the pieces around him. Running back Breece Hall looks to build on his second-team All-Big 12 last year. Sean Shaw is a massive 6’6 receiver that’s going to dominate in the red zone, helping Purdy’s touchdown numbers explode. Charlie Kolar has the makings of one of the best tight ends in the nation.

Purdy is going to be one of the best college football players in the country. He’s going to force people to pay attention to Iowa State and watch out for a possible run high in the Top 25 at least early in the season.