In this week's edition of The Roundtable, the RRS staff answers this question:
What team in the Big 12 could be in store for a "letdown" season?
Level: Compared to last season I think the answer is easy, it has to be Kansas State. I love Bill Snyder as much as anyone but you can't replace the kind of play-makers from last year and not miss a beat. Jake Waters, Tyler Lockett, Curry Sexton, Ryan Mueller, Jonathan Truman and on and on it goes ... and it is worth mentioning that Snyder isn't trying to reload with junior college players, having only inked two in his latest class. I don't feel great about betting against the old man but it has as much to do with how much respect I had for those guys he lost on offense last season as much as anything else.
Dickens: Kansas State was picked to finish seventh in the media's Big 12 preseason poll but I think the Fighting Bill Snyders finish below that this year in the final standings. It's always risky to pick against Snyder, but not even Gandalf could plug all of the holes that the Wildcats have heading into 2015. I expect KSU to finish below .500 this fall.
McKay: While K-State is likely the easiest kicking dog for this question with the number of players they use, I'm going to go in a bit of a surprising direction. My pick is TCU. Yes, that may surprise some of you, but I think there are two things to think about here: First, The Horned Frogs are considered a playoff quality team at this point by many in the media, those around the Big 12. Boykin is a legitimate Heisman contender that some would consider either the leader or second place finisher right now. That coupled with some youth on their defense leads me to believe that the Frogs will only do one of two things: Live up to expectations or have a letdown season.
I think they'll have a letdown, as the Frogs came away lucky in a few close games last season, and I think the defense dropping a notch will lead them to lose a few shootouts this fall.
Clare: My pick for a "letdown" candidate this season is Kansas State. Coach Bill Snyder and the Wildcats have been very consistent over the years, and the Kansas State coaching staff has continued to develop talent out of nowhere in Manhattan. I believe this year could be a letdown for Kansas State because they lost several seniors, especially on offense at quarterback and wide receiver. It's tough to doubt Coach Snyder and his staff with their results over the years, but if there is one team who will take a step back, then my pick is going to be Kansas State. Everyone somewhat knows what to expect from Kansas and Iowa State, plus it seems like every college football analyst or blogger is writing about Texas' struggles.
Kohnle: I see TCU having the biggest letdown this upcoming year. Now, granted, TCU has some really good pieces on their team and Patterson is too good of a coach for them to have a catastrophic letdown this season, but anything under double digit wins this year will be considered an underperformance due to the preseason expectations for the Horned Frogs. A&M came out of nowhere in the 2013 season to go 11-2, but with major expectations going into the following season, they couldn’t quite live up to the hype. TCU returns an uber-talented group of players on offense, but loses 6 high profile players on defense. TCU shouldn’t have any struggles on offense this year, but instead of having a solid defense to bail them out of situations in years past, their defense could go through some growing pains that might allow them to slip up a few times.
What team in the Big 12 could be in store for a "letdown" season?
Level: Compared to last season I think the answer is easy, it has to be Kansas State. I love Bill Snyder as much as anyone but you can't replace the kind of play-makers from last year and not miss a beat. Jake Waters, Tyler Lockett, Curry Sexton, Ryan Mueller, Jonathan Truman and on and on it goes ... and it is worth mentioning that Snyder isn't trying to reload with junior college players, having only inked two in his latest class. I don't feel great about betting against the old man but it has as much to do with how much respect I had for those guys he lost on offense last season as much as anything else.
Dickens: Kansas State was picked to finish seventh in the media's Big 12 preseason poll but I think the Fighting Bill Snyders finish below that this year in the final standings. It's always risky to pick against Snyder, but not even Gandalf could plug all of the holes that the Wildcats have heading into 2015. I expect KSU to finish below .500 this fall.
McKay: While K-State is likely the easiest kicking dog for this question with the number of players they use, I'm going to go in a bit of a surprising direction. My pick is TCU. Yes, that may surprise some of you, but I think there are two things to think about here: First, The Horned Frogs are considered a playoff quality team at this point by many in the media, those around the Big 12. Boykin is a legitimate Heisman contender that some would consider either the leader or second place finisher right now. That coupled with some youth on their defense leads me to believe that the Frogs will only do one of two things: Live up to expectations or have a letdown season.
I think they'll have a letdown, as the Frogs came away lucky in a few close games last season, and I think the defense dropping a notch will lead them to lose a few shootouts this fall.
Clare: My pick for a "letdown" candidate this season is Kansas State. Coach Bill Snyder and the Wildcats have been very consistent over the years, and the Kansas State coaching staff has continued to develop talent out of nowhere in Manhattan. I believe this year could be a letdown for Kansas State because they lost several seniors, especially on offense at quarterback and wide receiver. It's tough to doubt Coach Snyder and his staff with their results over the years, but if there is one team who will take a step back, then my pick is going to be Kansas State. Everyone somewhat knows what to expect from Kansas and Iowa State, plus it seems like every college football analyst or blogger is writing about Texas' struggles.
Kohnle: I see TCU having the biggest letdown this upcoming year. Now, granted, TCU has some really good pieces on their team and Patterson is too good of a coach for them to have a catastrophic letdown this season, but anything under double digit wins this year will be considered an underperformance due to the preseason expectations for the Horned Frogs. A&M came out of nowhere in the 2013 season to go 11-2, but with major expectations going into the following season, they couldn’t quite live up to the hype. TCU returns an uber-talented group of players on offense, but loses 6 high profile players on defense. TCU shouldn’t have any struggles on offense this year, but instead of having a solid defense to bail them out of situations in years past, their defense could go through some growing pains that might allow them to slip up a few times.
