Big 12 North Preview

After a controversial preview of the Big 12 South (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/435783-big-12-south-preview) we move on to the North. This is the last chance that Nebraska and Colorado have to make a true mark on the Big 12 North because after this year they will be departing for greener pastures. Here are my predictions on who will finish where in the division.

6. Colorado Buffaloes

Coming off a 3 win season the Buffs have nowhere to go but up. The Colorado Quarterbacks through as many Interceptions as Touchdowns last year (18) and that is the first issue to address when trying to fix their terrible turnover ratio. The Quarterback job appears to be Tyler Hansen's, but if he struggles early in the season don't expect Dan Hawkins to hesitate about putting in his son Cody. If the Buffs don't go bowling this year, Dan Hawkins will probably be out of a job as Colorado departs to the Pac-10.

Record: 3-9 (1-7)

Biggest Game: September 4 against Colorado St. If the Buffaloes can beat their in state rival when they meet in Denver then it will give them momentum going into much tougher match-ups with California and Georgia.

5. Kansas Jayhawks

After the Jayhawks lost their last 7 games, I don't think there was a single Kansas fan disappointed to see Mark Mangino forced out. Under new coach Turner Gill it looks as if Kansas will get off on the wrong foot. Kansas is completely unproven offensively with either Kale Pick or Jordan Webb trying to replace legendary QB Todd Reesing. If that wasn't enough of a loss the Jayhawks also lost their two top receivers, Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier, who accounted for 17 of Kansas's 22 TD receptions. For Kansas to have success their run game and defense will have to carry an unproven passing game.

Record: 5-7 (2-6)

Biggest Game: 11/27 When they meet Missouri in Kansas City. Not only is this a Rivalry game for Kansas, but there is the added possibility that the bowl hopes could be on the line.

4. Iowa State Cyclones

Coming off their best season since 2005 the Cyclones are looking to go bowling for back to back seasons. These Cyclones will have a tough go at getting there with games against Iowa, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, and Missouri. The Cyclones have seniors starting at both Quarterback and Running Back, with a solid yet not deep O-Line. With a lack of experience at Linebacker and a D-Line that struggles to get to the Quarterback the Cyclones will rely heavily on there secondary to make some big plays.

Record: 5-7 (3-5)

Biggest Game: 9/11 at Iowa. This will be a game that sets the tone for the rest of the Cyclones season, letting us know if they are pretenders or contenders. If the Cyclones compete in this game they will put up a good fight against all of there Big 12 North foes.

3. Kansas State Wildcats

The Wildcats are in safe hands as long as Bill Snyder is the man running this team. The Wildcats had a 6-6 record this past season and going into this season they will be trying to get back to a bowl game for the first time since 2006. The offense will lean heavily on Running Back Daniel Thomas who was the Big 12's leading rusher last year. K-State has a depleted defense which to start with was ranked 10th in the Big 12 in sacks last year (20). The combination of an easier schedule than Iowa State and Bill Snyder is enough to push them into 3rd in the North.

Record: 7-5 ( 4-4)

Biggest Game: 10/7 at home against Nebraska. This is the game in which we will find out if Kansas State can truly challenge the elite in the Big 12 North, or if the division is really only two teams deep.

2. Missouri Tigers

The Tigers have a year more experience basically everywhere on the field, and this might be most important at Quarterback. Mizzou will be starting 6'5" Blaine Gabbert at QB and expect him to be very good this year. Only one starting receiver will return for the Tigers but one thing we know about them is that they can recruit receivers, (Alexander and Maclin), so its only a matter of time before a star emerges. If Missouri wants to contend for a Big 12 Title they will have to shore up their secondary, as it was dead last in the Big 12 when it comes to opponents completion percentage.

Record: 9-3 (5-3)

Biggest Game: 10/30 at Nebraska. If the Tigers want to win the Big 12 North, that road goes squarely through Lincoln, Nebraska. This game will likely decide who will represent the Big 12 North in the Big 12 Championship Game.

1. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska is looking to grab one last Big 12 North title before jetting off to begin play in the Big 10. The Cornhuskers lost one of the best players in the country (Ndamukong Suh) to the NFL draft but I still expect there defense to be one of the best in the country. A major question that has to be asked is how will their Quarterback perform. Nebraska's offense struggled mightily last season under Quarterback Zac Lee, and head coach Bo Pelini has said that he could use quarterback by committee. If Nebraska's offense improves just a little on last season, look for them to be one of the elite teams in the country.

Record: 11-1 (7-1) (Not including the Big 12 Championship Game)

Biggest Game: 10/16 When the Texas Longhorns come to Lincoln. Nebraska has its eyes set on revenge when it comes to this Big 12 Championship Game rematch and they haven't been afraid to say it. Look for Nebraska to be more fired up for this game than any other.

Big 12 South Preview

As College Football season draws closer everyone is wondering what their team will look like this year. The Big 12, particularly the Big 12 South is year in and year out one of the most exciting and competitive conferences in the nation. I'm going to break down each team in the Big 12 South while attempting to predict where in the conference they will finish.

6. Texas Tech Red Raiders

This Texas Tech team is the biggest wild card of any team in the Big 12. After the Mike Leach fall out and eventual firing Texas Tech is moving in a different direction with the hiring of ex-Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville. Tuberville will have Tech a little more defensive minded than his predecessor Leach, who always had Tech's offense clicking on all cylinders. I realize that this is a bold pick with as much talent as Tech will have (returning 9 offensive starters), but I think that it will take Tech a year or two to adjust to Tuberville's new offensive system.

Final Record: 6-6 (3-5)

Biggest Game: Texas at home on September 18th. Its an early game and will put a good barometer on what we can expect from Tech against strong teams.

5. Baylor Bears

Baylor's season relies heavily on Quarterback Robert Griffin III. Griffin is coming off of a season in which he tore his ACL along with the Bears 2009 bowl hopes. The Baylor faithful will again put their faith in Griffin and Wide Receiver Kendall Wright to break there 16 year old bowl drought. The Bears theme for the year is "Rise Up" and thats what they will have to do over the last four games of their schedule, because they might have to steal one win out of four to sneak into a bowl game. The biggest gap the Bears have to fill is at Center, where J.D. Walton was drafted by the Denver Broncos. All though taking the Bears out of the cellar is another bold pick, Baylor is bound to break that bowl drought sometime.

Final Record: 7-5 (4-4)

Biggest Game: Texas A&M at Floyd Casey Stadium on November 13th. The Bears could be fighting for a bowl game bid, and the Baylor fans seem to get more excited when the Aggies come to town than any other team.

4. Oklahoma St. Cowboys

26 year old Brandon Weeden who came back to college after playing baseball in the Yankees farm system has the burden of taking over for star quarterback Zac Robinson. Weeden however will have plenty of help in Running Back Kendall Hunter who had a great sophomore year before injuries hampered his performance in 2009. Defensively the Cowboys graduated 3 starting linebackers and will have to replace them if they want to continue improving their defense like they did between 2008 and 2009. Oklahoma St. will need to continue to force turnovers as they did last year (30), if they want to keep up with their high flying Big 12 opponents.

Final Record: 8-4 (4-4)

Biggest Game: Oklahoma on November 27th in front of their home fans. A win over in state rival Oklahoma would turn a good season into great season for any Oklahoma St. fan.

3. Texas A&M Aggies

These Aggies have a lot to prove after they finished their season losing 4 out of 5, only beating the Baylor Bears in College Station. The A&M offense should be clicking on all cylinders after finishing last year 5th in the nation in total offense (465 yards a game). The Aggies struggled defensively last year allowing over 33 points a game which came in as last in the Big 12, the question is can their new D Coordinator do anything to solve those problems. If the Aggies can tune up their defense, even just a little bit, then look for them to be a true competitor for everyone in the Big 12.

Final Record: 8-4 (4-4)

Biggest Game: At the University of Texas on November 25th. This is A&M's biggest rival, and because of that their is no doubt that the Aggies will be ready to go on Thanksgiving Day.

2. University of Texas Longhorns

We got a sneak preview of Garrett Gilbert in the National championship last year and though he struggled early on, he made good adjustments on the games biggest stage. Gilbert has to replace College Football's winningest quarterback Colt McCoy, so naturally Texas will have some growing pains. The toughest section of the Longhorns schedule will undoubtedly come win they play Oklahoma, snag a bye week, and then travel to Lincoln to play a Nebraska who wants revenge. The way Mack Brown has been known to reload, I would guess the Longhorns will have another great season.

Final Record: 11-1 (7-1)

Biggest Game: Oklahoma on October 2nd. The Red River Rivalry won't dissapoint this year as it is likely to decide the who goes to the Big 12 Championship game.

1. Oklahoma Sooners

Landry Jones got plenty of experience and playing time in 2009 after starter Sam Bradford missed plenty of time with injuries. After setting Oklahoma's single season touchdown reception record look for him to do even bigger things this season, and also keep an eye on Running Back DeMarco Murray who many people are expecting to have a breakout year. The Sooners have plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball with Lineman Jeremy Beal and Linebacker Travis Lewis. The biggest question for this Oklahoma team is whether or not their O-Line will be able to hold up against the nation's elite teams.

Final Record: 12-0 (8-0) (Not Including Big 12 Championship)

Biggest Game: Texas on October 2nd. When the two titans of the Big 12 South clash again, a trip to the Big 12 championship game and keeping National Championship possibilities alive will be at stake.

Coming Soon: Big 12 North Preview

USA vs. Brazil: What We Learned

In their 2-0 loss to the Brazilians, The U.S. Mens National Team once again proved that it can't play with opponents who perform at the highest level. The Brazilians sliced through the Yanks defense, dominated possession, and came out with an easy 2-0 win. If the United States ever wants to consistently compete with the top teams in the world then they will need to fix some serious kinks in their armor. Here are a few thoughts from the game:

1. After watching the Brazilians earn 20 shots, 11 of which were on goal, the U.S. defense is the first thing that needs to be fixed. Jonathan Bornstein once again showed he isn't the man for the left back spot as he got consistently burned by Neymar who was earning his first cap for the Brazilians. While Omar Gonzalez avoided making any major mistakes in his USMNT debut, he didn't exactly impress. Pato slipped by him time and time again, almost scoring multiple times before finally breaking through to make the score 2-0. While this was just a friendly it did reinforce the thought that the Yanks defense can't keep up with any high flying attack while allowing the mids to maintain some form of offensive creativity.

2. While Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan showed a moment of flair to start the game, the United States strikers were incredibly forgettable all over again. All of the strikers were isolated throughout the game because the midfield was sucked back to play defense as usual. Jozy Altidore did what he could when he entered the game in the second half, after receiving several long balls he ran at defenders (which isn't his strong suit) and was eventually brought to a stop. Robbie Findley however shouldn't be getting anymore call ups anytime soon. He looked downright awful, and its safe to say I would rather have Charlie Davies at 75% than Findley at 100%.

3. In my opinion, Maurice Edu deserves a spot in the central midfield alongside Michael Bradley. Throughout the World Cup and into tonight Edu proved to be a capable defender even though he could have afforded to pressure the Brazilians a bit more tonight. Edu continued doing what he started in the World Cup, and that is being a calming presence in the Yanks midfield. Edu certainly deserves a shot at continuing to prove himself, especially after his main competition in Ricardo Clark self imploded in the World Cup.

4. The United States is set at the Goalkeeper position for years to come. While Tim Howard has a choke hold on the number one spot, he will continue to have competition from another EPL player in Brad Guzan. Guzan, who plays for Aston Villa, had an incredible night after coming on for Howard in the second half. He made save after save just to keep the American's at a respectable 2-0 score. In my eyes at least, Guzan was the man of the match.

5. Michael Bradley truly is one of the best players that the U.S. has ever produced. At the age of 23 Bradley has become a mainstay in the U.S. central midfield. He is the ultimate box to box midfielder who seems to never wear down while doing everything that is asked of him. Bradley was winning balls in the midfield and tracking back to defend all night, and I wasn't ever surprised. While Bradley made a few iffy passes tonight, he was the Yanks best and most reliable performer on the pitch yet again.