The pre-spring version of the College Football News 2021 rankings with a first look at all the Big 12 teams.
Big 12 Rankings: 2021 Pre-Spring
1. Oklahoma Sooners
Why To Be Happy: The Sooners missed out on the College Football Playoff in 2020, but they’ve got the talent in place to not only make a run to the show but to do some damage, too. QB Spencer Rattler got his year of experience out of the way, the receiving corps is LOADED, and the program transformed itself into a defensive power that should be a killer again.
What To Work On: The improvements of 2020 were more than just about the emergence of two players, but it’s no coincidence that OU went from great to phenomenal once RB Rhamondre Stevenson and DE Ronnie Perkins returned after missing the first few games. They’re off to the NFL along with just enough key players – not to mention a few good backups transferring – to be annoying.
Bottom Line: Winning is never boring, but this year’s Sooner team has the upside to take another Big 12 Championship with one of Lincoln Riley’s strongest teams yet. Start with setting the expectations there, and hope the momentum from the end of 2020 can carry though into a huge 2021 on the way to the tournament.
2. Texas Longhorns
Why To Be Happy: Steve Sarkisian has a whole lot of stuff in the cupboard left over from the Tom Herman era. Sam Ehlinger is gone after what seems like 19 years as the starting QB, but Casey Thompson got the base all fired up with his second half in the bowl win over Colorado. Add in RB Bijan Robinson, an O line that should be fantastic even without Samuel Cosmi, and Sark should do wonders with the attack. The D is LOADED, too.
What To Work On: Is Thompson really ready to be a superstar? Can the Texas secondary start slowing down the better passing teams? The overall talent level is good enough to at least get to the Big 12 Championship, but the expectations are going to be sky high right away because …
Bottom Line: It’s not like Texas was that far off last year. The honeymoon for Sarkisian ends in about 30 seconds considering the young offensive talent he has to work with. WR Brandon Schooler is coming in from Arizona, and don’t be surprised if a whole slew of guys in the transfer portal are starting to take a bigger look at Austin to play in this offense.
3. Iowa State Cyclones
Why To Be Happy: QB Brock Purdy is returning. RB Breece Hall is back. TE Charlie Kolar isn’t bolting early. OT Sean Foster is still around. EVERYONE – or, almost everyone – is expected to be back on the offense that was so sharp and so strong when it had all the parts together. The defensive side should be a killer again, too, helped by the return of S Greg Eisworth and LB Mike Rose, but …
What To Work On: DE JaQuan Bailey is off to the NFL. Not everyone is staying, and losing one of the team’s leaders and best pass rushers isn’t a plus. That’s nitpicking, though, considering how much talent is coming back, and that’s going to be the big problem, because …
Bottom Line: It’s going to be a seven-month media gush-fest over this team, but Oklahoma is better than it was in 2020, Texas is better, and the rest of the Big 12 should be a bit improved, too. The expectations are going to be through the roof, and rightly so. Just getting to the Big 12 Championship this time around will feel like a disappointment if the Cyclones don’t win.
4. TCU Horned Frogs
Why To Be Happy: Max Duggan. The Horned Frogs have one of the Big 12’s best and most exciting quarterbacks who’s going into his junior year. The O might lost TE Pro Wells, and OT TJ Storment is in the transfer portal, but everyone else on offense is expected to be back, and most of the defense returns, but …
What To Work On: The Horned Frogs lose three star playmakers from the defensive side. LB Garret Wallow is gone from the middle of the D, Thorpe winner Trevon Moehrig and fellow safety Ar’Darius Washington have both taken off for the NFL.
Bottom Line: Don’t sleep on the Horned Frogs. They got hot as 2020 went on with five wins in the final six, and now they return loaded on both sides of the ball. Throw in the addition of DE Kenny Turnier from UCF and OT Obinna Eze from Memphis, and some good pieces are coming in.
5. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Why To Be Happy: There’s still a whole lot of talent returning. Just enough is back to keep the production going, starting with QB Spencer Sanders and with more future stars at receiver to replace the departures. The defensive side might be taking a hit, but most of the starting front six should be back, and four of the top five defensive backs are expected to return.
What To Work On: That receiving corps has young talent, but it doesn’t help to lose Tylan Wallace and Dillon Stoner. Chuba Hubbard might not have exploded last year, but he’s an NFL running back who’s gone, too. The defensive side loses leader and tackling machine Amen Ogbongbemiga from the linebacking corps, CB Rodarius Williams, and DT Cameron Murray.
Bottom Line: The Cowboys will be shoved aside in most of the preseason predictions, but they’re going to be good enough and strong enough on the lines to hold up until all the skill parts come together. There’s no reason not to shoot for a Big 12 Championship appearance.
– 2021 Pre-Spring Big 12 Ranking, Part 2
Big 12 Rankings: 2021 Pre-Spring
Big 12 Rankings: 2021 Pre-Spring
6. Kansas State Wildcats
Why To Be Happy: The quarterback situation is strong with Skylar Thompson returning from the injury that knocked him out early in the season and with Will Howard now a veteran who can step in if needed. All five starters are expected to be back on the O line, leading rusher Deuce Vaughn is back, and there’s a chance for ten of the 11 starters to return with only TE Briley Moore taking off.
What To Work On: DE Wyatt Hubert, LBs Justin Hughes and Elijah Sullivan, and DB AJ Parker are all gone. Safety Jahron McPherson returns, but overall the defense needs to be far, far stronger after falling off a cliff over the second half of the year.
Bottom Line: After losing five straight to close out 2020, the Wildcats have to pull up out of the nosedive right away – the talent is there to do it. At the very least, the offense should be sharper, but the D needs a reboot.
7. West Virginia Mountaineers
Why To Be Happy: It got lost throughout last year – this was a REALLY young team in a few areas. The offensive side was loses with underclassmen, but QB Jarret Doege is a veteran working with an experience receiving corps that should be stronger. However …
What To Work On: Getting back CB Sean Mahomes is big, Alonzo Addae returning to the secondary is a huge help, and DE Jeffery Pooler is back, but the D will take some work. Dante and Darius Stills are gone off the line to the NFL, LB Tony Fields is taking off, and Dylan Tonkery is done from one of the linebacker gigs.
Bottom Line: Can the offense start to do more? The experience is there, but the playmakers have to emerge on the defensive side to replace a whole lot of strong parts to last year’s solid group.
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Why To Be Happy: Can Henry Colombi and Maverick McIvor get the job done? They’re back at quarterback with Alan Bowman in the grad transfer portal. All five offensive lineman are back, and almost all of the skill parts are back. WR TJ Vasher is gone, but the receiving corps is fine. Getting back LBs Colin Schooler and Riko Jeffers for another year is a huge plus,
What To Work On: The secondary loses a ton of parts it can’t afford to lose. A few transfers are coming in, but the depth is taking a huge hit with a whole lot of players leaving like CB Alex Hogan to Houston and with CB Zech McPherson and S Thomas Leggett moving on.
Bottom Line: It’s a critical Year Three under Matt Wells, and there aren’t any excuses. The offense has more than enough experienced talent to be better, and the defensive side should, at the very least, have one of the stronger front sevens the program has had in a long while.
9. Baylor Bears
Why To Be Happy: Dave Aranda got through the rebuild year. It was a rough spot for the first year head coach with a whole lot of work to do, but that should start to pay off with a whole lot of experience returning on both sides of the ball. Raleigh Texada is coming back to for a secondary that should return everyone, and the D should be stronger, but …
What To Work On: QB Charlie Brewer is off to Utah. 2019 leading rusher John Lovett leaving for Penn State isn’t great, but there are plenty of backs to be okay. Losing a veteran passer like Brewer stings, and now it’ll likely be a fight between Gerry Bohanon or Jacob Zeno for the gig if a transfer doesn’t step in.
Bottom Line: The defense was great – that’s what Aranda does – but the offense didn’t get the job done. The D will be even better, but a good starting quarterback has to emerge as soon as possible considering the shuffling being down to the offensive coaching staff
10. Kansas Jayhawks
Why To Be Happy: Hope spring eternal. The Jayhawks went through another brutal season, but there’s a whole lot of young parts who took their lumps and should be far better and far more consistent this time around. Start with a quarterback situation with plenty of options, a decent group of running backs, and enough former freshmen on the defensive side now a year older.
What To Work On: There are a whole lot of Jayhawks in the transfer portal, but not a whole lot of new part coming in … yet. Not every receiver is leaving, but it seems like it. Andrew Parchment is off to Florida State, and six other targets are also in the portal.
Bottom Line: The expectations will be a rock-bottom going into the season for a team and program that did a whole lot of nothing last year. On the plus side, this is one of the first times in a long while that Kansas is developing instead of going into a quick fix – to a point. It’s still going to require patience.
