In this week's edition of the Roundtable, the RRS staff answers this question: Which Big 12 team will improve the most this fall, and which will fall the furthest?
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Dickens: You could make a strong case for a couple of different teams as most improved, but I’ll go with Texas Tech and risk being called a homer. The Red Raiders have a lot of room for improvement after winning just four games a season ago and it’s not all that unrealistic to think that they could up their win total to seven this fall; all it would really take is more consistency at quarterback and a better turnover result on both sides of the ball. As for the team poised to take the biggest fall, I’ll go against my better judgment and single out Kansas State. The Wildcats won nine games a year ago and are going to have to replace quite a bit, including quarterback Jake Waters.
Kohnle: Dark horses rise and contenders fall back to the middle of the pack, and it seems to happen every year, especially in the Big 12. TCU rose from the ashes last year to tie for the league championship, and Oklahoma-a perennial 10-win team- slipped to an eight win season. This year could be more of the same with teams like TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma and maybe even Texas staying at the top and teams like Kansas and Iowa State remaining cellar dwellers. I say not so fast though, as my pick for the most improved team next year will be Kansas. An odd pick, I know, but Kansas seems to have been infused with new life from the hiring of head coach David Beatty. Kansas could remain in the cellar or climb to a five or six win season next year, but who knows. They could end up with another bad record, but I think they will be a much improved team on the field. On the reverse side, I see the Wildcats of Kansas State dropping the farthest. Kansas State finished with nine wins last year, but I don’t see them getting more than 6 wins this year…but Bill Snyder is a wizard so who knows.
Clare: I think Oklahoma State will be the most improved in the Big 12 this fall. Coach Gundy and the Cowboys had an average season this past year, but should improve coming into this next season with consistent quarterback play. The coaches at Oklahoma State seem to always find ways to reinvent and find talent, plus the annual coaching changes that usually impact the program weren't a factor this offseason for the first time in a while. I think the team that will drop the furthest is Kansas State. Far be it for me to doubt the grand wizard of Manhattan and his abilities to win by any means necessary, but I felt that Kansas State overachieved a lot this past season and now they will be replacing an experienced quarterback along with several other seniors. Again, this was a tough question, and the Wildcats will be a very competitive team, but there are at least 2-3 other Big12 teams set to make improvements this next season and someone has to slide in this 10-team everyone-plays-everyone league.
McKay: When looking at the Big 12 landscape heading into 2015, I think a few things can be certain: TCU and Baylor will find themselves still at the top, and Kansas and Iowa State will likely find themselves at the bottom. It's all up in the air after that. But, the team I think will make the biggest improvement this fall will in fact be the Red Raiders. They return all but two players on offense, with a veteran heavy offensive line, and one of the best running backs in the conference in senior DeAndre Washington. On defense, Pete Robertson and Branden Jackson are two battle tested veterans at defensive end, and with a new scheme and turnover-focused DC in place, I think things could improve. Simply, there are just a lot of seniors that have played a lot of football on this Tech team, and if Mahomes or Webb can step up they could be a much better team. On the flipside, I think this is finally the season where Kansas State gives up the ghost and falls off in a big way after reloading year after year for so long. Basically every big player from 2014 is gone, including QB Jake Waters, receiver Tyler Lockett, and defensive end Ryan Mueller. I just don't think you can recover from losing that much veteran All Big-12 talent in one season. We'll see.
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Dickens: You could make a strong case for a couple of different teams as most improved, but I’ll go with Texas Tech and risk being called a homer. The Red Raiders have a lot of room for improvement after winning just four games a season ago and it’s not all that unrealistic to think that they could up their win total to seven this fall; all it would really take is more consistency at quarterback and a better turnover result on both sides of the ball. As for the team poised to take the biggest fall, I’ll go against my better judgment and single out Kansas State. The Wildcats won nine games a year ago and are going to have to replace quite a bit, including quarterback Jake Waters.
Kohnle: Dark horses rise and contenders fall back to the middle of the pack, and it seems to happen every year, especially in the Big 12. TCU rose from the ashes last year to tie for the league championship, and Oklahoma-a perennial 10-win team- slipped to an eight win season. This year could be more of the same with teams like TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma and maybe even Texas staying at the top and teams like Kansas and Iowa State remaining cellar dwellers. I say not so fast though, as my pick for the most improved team next year will be Kansas. An odd pick, I know, but Kansas seems to have been infused with new life from the hiring of head coach David Beatty. Kansas could remain in the cellar or climb to a five or six win season next year, but who knows. They could end up with another bad record, but I think they will be a much improved team on the field. On the reverse side, I see the Wildcats of Kansas State dropping the farthest. Kansas State finished with nine wins last year, but I don’t see them getting more than 6 wins this year…but Bill Snyder is a wizard so who knows.
Clare: I think Oklahoma State will be the most improved in the Big 12 this fall. Coach Gundy and the Cowboys had an average season this past year, but should improve coming into this next season with consistent quarterback play. The coaches at Oklahoma State seem to always find ways to reinvent and find talent, plus the annual coaching changes that usually impact the program weren't a factor this offseason for the first time in a while. I think the team that will drop the furthest is Kansas State. Far be it for me to doubt the grand wizard of Manhattan and his abilities to win by any means necessary, but I felt that Kansas State overachieved a lot this past season and now they will be replacing an experienced quarterback along with several other seniors. Again, this was a tough question, and the Wildcats will be a very competitive team, but there are at least 2-3 other Big12 teams set to make improvements this next season and someone has to slide in this 10-team everyone-plays-everyone league.
McKay: When looking at the Big 12 landscape heading into 2015, I think a few things can be certain: TCU and Baylor will find themselves still at the top, and Kansas and Iowa State will likely find themselves at the bottom. It's all up in the air after that. But, the team I think will make the biggest improvement this fall will in fact be the Red Raiders. They return all but two players on offense, with a veteran heavy offensive line, and one of the best running backs in the conference in senior DeAndre Washington. On defense, Pete Robertson and Branden Jackson are two battle tested veterans at defensive end, and with a new scheme and turnover-focused DC in place, I think things could improve. Simply, there are just a lot of seniors that have played a lot of football on this Tech team, and if Mahomes or Webb can step up they could be a much better team. On the flipside, I think this is finally the season where Kansas State gives up the ghost and falls off in a big way after reloading year after year for so long. Basically every big player from 2014 is gone, including QB Jake Waters, receiver Tyler Lockett, and defensive end Ryan Mueller. I just don't think you can recover from losing that much veteran All Big-12 talent in one season. We'll see.
