ESPN B12 CONFERENCE PREDICTION

tech1978 · Aug 21, 2023

Big 12

Champion: Texas
Offensive player of the year: Jalon Daniels, QB Kansas
Defensive player of the year: Jaylan Ford, LB, Texas
Freshman of the year: Anthony Hill, LB, Texas
Impact transfer: Dasan McCullough, LB, Oklahoma
Comeback player of the year: WR AD Mitchell, Texas (from Georgia)
Coach of the year: Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
Coach on the hot seat: Neal Brown, West Virginia
Coordinator who will be a head coach: Jeff Grimes, offensive coordinator, Baylor
Nonconference game of the year: Texas at Alabama, Sept. 9 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App)
Conference game of the year: Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, Nov. 4

Three predictions for the Big 12

Predicted Finish: Big 12

	OVERALL	CONF.
Texas	10-2	8-1
Texas Tech	9-3	7-2
Kansas State	9-3	6-3
Oklahoma	9-3	6-3
TCU	8-4	5-4
UCF	7-5	5-4
Oklahoma State	7-5	4-5
Baylor	7-5	4-5
Kansas	6-6	4-5
BYU	6-6	4-5
Iowa State	5-7	3-6
Houston	5-7	3-6
Cincinnati	4-8	2-7
West Virginia	4-8	2-7

Texas is back: No, really. The Longhorns have all the pieces in place to win 10 games or more. As long as they keep it between the lines off the field, they should have a chance to win their first Big 12 title since 2009 in their final season in the league. If you believe coach Steve Sarkisian, quarterback Quinn Ewers put in the work this summer to improve and has matured. Mitchell, who had two of the biggest catches in Georgia history, is a special athlete and should take pressure off Xavier Worthy. All five starters are back on what should be a good offensive line. If a couple of transfer portal additions -- safety Jalen Catalon from Arkansas and cornerback Gavin Holmes from Wake Forest -- step up in the secondary and Hill is as good as advertised, the defense should be good enough.

The Pokes win the last Bedlam game: With Oklahoma joining Texas in the SEC in 2024, the long-running Bedlam Series between OU and rival Oklahoma State will go by the wayside like too many other great rivalry games that have been the victims of conference realignment. The Sooners and Cowboys have played 117 times since 1904. OU has a whopping 91-19-7 advantage in the series. The Pokes will get the last laugh in Stillwater with a 31-28 victory on Nov. 4.

Oklahoma bounces back: There's no way a Brent Venables-coached defense can be that bad again. In the former Clemson defensive coordinator's first season as OU's coach, the Sooners ranked 122nd out of 131 FBS teams in total defense, allowing 461 yards and 30 points. They were ninth in the Big 12 in run defense (187.5 yards) and dead last against the pass (273.5 yards). With the addition of McCullough and five other defensive linemen out of the transfer portal, Venables should have enough bodies up front to play defense the way he's used to. With quarterback Dillon Gabriel coming back, OU won't have to worry

boughtwithaprice · Aug 21, 2023