In what might be the craziest of college football seasons, how good are all of the teams? Here are the CFN Big 12 Preseason Rankings of every team.
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This is NOT a ranking of where the teams are going to end up. This is only based on how good we think the Big 12 teams are going into whatever the 2020 season is going to be.
– CFN Preview 2020: All 130 Team Previews
10. Kansas Jayhawks
Be Excited About … Les Miles has some skill guys to work around. Pooka Williams is one of the Big 12’s best running backs, the receiving corps should be the best the program has had in a while, and there’s still Les Miles – give him more time.
Be Concerned About … the quarterback who can get everyone the ball. Thomas MacVittie and Miles Kendrick might be fine, but the real concern is on the other side with a defense that was the second-worst in the nation at taking the ball away and 122nd overall.
The Season Will Be Successful If … the Jayhawks win four games. It might be a sad goal, but the bar isn’t set all that high for a program that hasn’t won more than three games since 2009.
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Be Excited About … the passing game that should have Alan Bowman back at quarterback for a longer period of time – at least that’s the hope. Injured too often so far in his short career, he’s back along with a great receiving corps to make the passing game rock.
Be Concerned About … the offensive line that was just okay throughout last year still isn’t going be anything amazing. There’s experience in the secondary, but the pass defense that finished 128th in the nation needs more out of the veteran corners.
The Season Will Be Successful If … it goes bowling. Injuries played a big role in last season’s 4-8 clunker, but the program has missed out on a bowl game in three of the last four years. That’s not okay.
8. West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia CFN 2020 Preview
Be Excited About … the defensive line should be a killer. Dante and Darius Stills are killers up front, and there’s enough to like in the secondary – especially at safety – to give the Mountaineers one of the better defenses they’ve had in a long, long time.
Be Concerned About … an offense that didn’t work until it was way too late. The running game was non-existent, there weren’t enough big plays down the field, and the rebuilding year in Neal Brown’s first season turned out to be just that.
The Season Will Be Successful If … the O works. Brown is too good a head coach to have another clunker of a season, but this is West Virginia. It’s not supposed to be scoring just 247 points in a season – the lowest output since 2001. Set the bar at a bowl game and go from there.
7. Baylor Bears
Be Excited About … an offense with a whole lot of really, really good parts back. QB Charlie Brewer leads an attack that was third in the Big 12 last season and should be almost as good again. However …
Be Concerned About … a defense that loses almost everyone. That’s not quite fair – there are a whole lot of good parts to start with, and new head coach Dave Aranda is a star defensive mind who comes in from all the fun LSU just had, but there’s a lot of lost personnel.
The Season Will Be Successful If … it looks like the transition from Matt Rhule to Aranda is seamless. Baylor won’t play for the Big 12 title again – the defensive back seven will take a step back – but going to a bowl has to be a given.
6. Kansas State Wildcats
Be Excited About … Kansas State being Kansas State. The defense will once again be good, the special teams are among the best in the nation, and it seems like Chris Klieman is the perfect fit to take over Bill Snyder’s program. Think of 2019 Kansas State, only better.
Be Concerned About … the lines that are fine, but are hardly filled with all-stars. There have to be more plays in the backfield, and a pass rush would be nice here and there. There’s work to do on the offensive front.
The Season Will Be Successful If … there’s a sneaky-close run to get into the Big 12 Championship. There’s too much missing to get there, but three of the five losses last season were by four points or fewer. Klieman doesn’t have the program that far away from big things.
NEXT: Big 12 Preseason Rankings Top Five
5. Iowa State Cyclones
Be Excited About … Brock Purdy and a passing game that’s going to be really, really good. Iowa State has always been plucky under Matt Campbell, but this version has a real shot at doing something great. It’s solid across the board.
Be Concerned About … the running game that needs more than 133 yards per game. Iowa State rushing stats are a bit misleading. The O actually ran for more yards than it did in 2018, but it didn’t have David Montgomery to handle the workload – the ground game was more consistent two years ago.
The Season Will Be Successful If … there aren’t so many close losses. The Cyclones were dunked on by Notre Dame in the Camping World Bowl, and they lost by ten to Kansas State, but they other four losses were by seven points or fewer. Win the close ones, and the team is in the hunt for a spot in the championship.
4. TCU Horned Frogs
Be Excited About … a defense that should be the best in the Big 12 again. The group that finished No. 1 in the Big 12 in total D returns a fantastic secondary and the linebackers to be every bit as good.
Be Concerned About … the passing game that was never quite right. It wasn’t awful, and the parts are there to be okay if the running game isn’t fantastic, but it was dead last in the Big 12 in efficiency.
The Season Will Be Successful If … the plane pulls out of the nosedive. The Horned Frogs played in the Big 12 Championship and won the Alamo Bowl in 2017, and have gone 12-13 since then. Gary Patterson is usually faster at fixing the glitches. A third straight clunker will be a problem.
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State CFN 2020 Preview
Be Excited About … a phenomenal group of skill parts as good as any in America. Okay, so maybe Spencer Sanders isn’t a special quarterback, but RB Chuba Hubbard and the tremendous receiving corps will be enough to give Oklahoma a run for its money in the battle to be the Big 12’s best offense.
Be Concerned About … you mean besides Mike Gundy and the off-the-field issues this offseason? The defensive front is a bit lacking and the offensive line has to be a bit tighter after giving up too many plays behind the line.
The Season Will Be Successful If … the Cowboys play for the Big 12 Championship. It’s been forgotten that Gundy put together three straight ten-win seasons before being just okay over the last two years. This year’s version is good enough to win big things.
2. Texas Longhorns
Be Excited About … the offensive backfield. Enough is enough – Texas has way too many good players to not be phenomenal. Start with Sam Ehlinger at quarterback and keep going with a big-time group of running backs, helped by getting superstar recruit Bijan Robinson in the latest class.
Be Concerned About … a defense that all of a sudden can’t tackle. This was supposedly fixed early on in the Tom Herman era, but the secondary allowed way too many big plays – giving up almost 300 yards per game – for a defense that finished 97th in the nation overall.
The Season Will Be Successful If … Texas wins the Big 12 Championship. When was the last time Texas won the Big 12 title? Try 2009 with a team that went on to lose the national title to Alabama. Since the epic Vince Young 2005 national championship season, Oklahoma has won ten conference championships to just that one by the Longhorns.
1. Oklahoma Sooners
Be Excited About … the receiving corps and offensive line are among the best in college football. The defense should still be good enough to win with, and good luck betting against the offensive backfield not being anything but terrific. The O line will give everyone time to work.
Be Concerned About … Spencer Rattler. He’s supposed to be the next big thing, and Lincoln Riley has been pretty good so far at this whole quarterback coaching thing, but it’s asking the world of anyone – and this includes Tanner Mordecai, who’s still in the quarterback mix – to follow the production of Baker, Kyler and Jalen.
The Season Will Be Successful If … Oklahoma makes it to another College Football Playoff. Don’t just assume a sixth straight Big 12 Championship – it’s too easy to take these accomplishments for granted – but it’s CFP or bust at this point for the program. 0-4 so far in the playoff, all OU can do is keep knocking on that door.
