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By KELLY BEATON
Waterloo (IA) Courier Sports Writer
New Iowa State football coach Paul Rhoads can expect a bumpy road in Ames in 2009, right? Not necessarily.
I may be a bit more optimistic than most, but I see four — maybe even five — wins on the Cyclones’ ‘09 schedule.
Who knows; the calendar page has turned, the slate has been wiped clean, and maybe Iowa State will open eyes in ‘09.
Here’s how I see the Big 12 football standings breaking down next fall …
12. Texas A&M – Outside of that win in lovely Ames, Iowa, the Aggies didn’t have much to cheer about last fall. Mike Sherman may long for Green Bay, Wisc. by next November. … I envision a 3-9 overall record in ‘09.
11. Kansas State – Losing QB Josh Freeman will hurt. So will watching Bill Snyder tarnish his legacy, taking over a team hamstrung by ex-coach Ron Prince’s infatuation with juco signees. … I envision a 4-8 record.
10. IOWA STATE – Rhoads is walking into a better situation — at least initially — than most people realize. ISU’s offense, which averaged nearly 387 ypg in ‘08, will be alright. And the schedule is Charmin soft.
I envision a 4-8 record. If the stars align right, 6 wins isn’t impossible.
9. Baylor – In 2008, QB Robert Griffin turned in one of the finest seasons ever for a true freshman, accounting for 28 TDs while throwing just 3 INTs. The Sporting News thinks Griffin alone might account for 6 wins next season. … I envision a 6-6 record.
8. Colorado – There was shockingly little passion for Buffaloes football when I visited Boulder late last fall. And the Buffs looked like a shockingly pedestrian club. Now, coach Dan Hawkins predicts 10 wins next season. We’ll see. If some of CU’s promising recent recruits pan out, a SLIGHT improvement looks likely. … I envision a 6-6 record.
7. Nebraska – Bo Pelini produced a solid, nine-win season last fall. Joe Ganz is a goner at QB, though, leading most pundits to predict a slight step backward. I’ll fall in line. … I envision a 7-5 record.
6. Missouri – Respectable recruiting will keep the Tigers in bowl contention. But watching QB Chase Daniel depart is such sweet sorrow. … I envision a 7-5 record.
5. Texas Tech – Mike Leach says QB-to-be Taylor Potts, a 6-foot-5 junior, may be the most talented QB he’s ever coached. That’s high praise. But Potts won’t have Mike Crabtree to fire spirals too. The Raiders are due for a fall back to the pack. … I envision an 8-4 mark.
4. Kansas – With Todd Reesing and WRs Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe due back in Lawrence, the Jayhawks might have one of the best passing games in the nation. Meier and Briscoe are the top two returning WRs in the league, having combined for 189 rec. in ‘08. KU will be the odds-on favorite in the Big 12 North. … I envision a 9-3 record.
3. Oklahoma – Well, we know this much: Sam Bradford or no Sam Bradford, Bob Stoops will be motivated in ‘09 after yet another BCS embarrassment. The Sooners also had the most balance in terms of offense and defense last fall, so they don’t look due for a major drop-off next season. … I envision a 10-2 record.
2. Oklahoma State – The ‘Pokes will possess the Big 12’s top returning rusher (Kendall Hunter) and the league’s most underrated passer (Zac Robinson). Any YouTube footage of Mike Gundy in ‘09 will be positive, I promise you. I envision an 11-1 record.
1. Texas – With nine returning starters on offense — including the pride of Tuscola, Texas, QB Colt McCoy — the Longhorns may start the ‘09 season ranked No. 2 nationally, behind Florida.
Contact Kelly Beaton at (319) 291-1456 or kelly.beaton@wcfcourier.com
(Readers: Now it’s your turn. Sound-off with your college football thoughts by leaving a comment below …)
K.B.’s QUIPS: Is there anything sweeter than a Devan Bawinkel 3-point shot? I swear, the Hawkeye sharpshooter has to be the illegitimate son of one Larry Joe Bird. …
OFF THE BEATON PATH: Iowa Hawkeye running back recruit Brandon Wegher just earned all-American honors by MaxPreps this week. Here’s what’s truly eye-opening about that: The honor came because this fall Wegher, a Sioux City native, rushed for a total of 3,238 yards. No, that’s no missprint: 3,238 yards. That total ranked No. 2 nationally this season.
Perhaps the Hawks won’t miss Shonn Green all that much …
Until next time, I’ll be building a shrine to Tim Tebow — like the rest of the media throughout America …
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17 users responded in this post
Your wrong, Sound like you have ties to Iowa State. Dont Worry Baylor and A&M will surprise you. When they do i will let you know again, just incase you forgot.
Nebraska #7? They will be one of the few teams with a legitimate pass rush with the announced return of Suh. They will return 2 backs with loads of experience. I think Castille showed he is for real when he had to step up to replace the injured I-Backs Lucky and Helu.
The QB question will remain, but with 4 (maybe 5 http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-hsfbdavis11-2009jan11,0,3750434.story) solid options, you have to believe that one of them will pull off performances good enough to beat Kansas and a neutered Missouri.
I can agree with everyone of those picks until I come to the “OK” schools. OU will probably have more than 2 losses just due to the weak O-line and loss of production even though the defense will show to be much improved.
OSU on the other hand needs a defense to compete. The showed that against Oregon. No matter how good your offense is you still have to play defense occasionally. Their offensive weapons are not good to score every possession on an average defense so good luck just losing one game when opponents will continue to score at will against a suspect defense.
Thanks for your time..
Millz, from Moore, OK
You must not have realized that Nebraska had the 2nd best defense in the Big 12 this year and is returning 7 out of 11 starters next year. This includes Suh. I would readjust those predictions if I were you.
“Meier and Briscoe are the top two returning WRs in the league?!?!?!”
Have you ever heard of Oklahoma State Wide Receiver Dez Bryant? A biletnikoff award finalist and the favorite going into next year. His stats were better than Michael Crabtree’s this year. You need to check your facts.
“Meier and Briscoe are the top two returning WRs in the league?!?!?!”
Have you ever heard of Oklahoma State Wide Receiver Dez Bryant? A biletnikoff award finalist and the favorite going into next year. His stats were better than Michael Crabtree’s this year. You need to check your facts.
Honestly you think Nebraska will drop off that much?
With Helu, Castille, Suh, and a bunch of OL back i think the Huskers are on their way to a North title.
Kansas wont do anything. It’ll be the same as it was this year.
Iowa State, Colorado, and Kansas State will be in the cellar once again making the North look bad.
In the South look for Texas to dominate and OU to come in second followed by BAYLOR… yes BAYLOR. Then TT, OSU, and aTm
The Big 12 Championship will be NU vs UT and a good game. NU will be playing for its first BSC game since the 2002 Rose Bowl and UT will be playing for a NC chance against USC.
Glad to see that the sports writing is just as bad as the football in Iowa is.
Iowa State will still suck and with any luck they might manage to win a conference game in the next couple of years.
This sports writer is clearly an idiot so I wouldn’t believe too much of his work.
So… did you just count returning starters on offense and rate the teams accordingly?
Did you notice what happened to big 12 teams in bowl games when they played good defensive teams? Nebraska next year with Suh returning, 50 players coming off of red shirt years, and the coaching staff having a year under it’s belt is going to have a vastly improved defense. Add that to two of the better running backs in the league and three high profile candidates to take over at qb and I think NU just might finish better than 7th.
Big 12 North:
Mizzou lost it’s passion in post season – pathetic
Colarado will surprise the critics
Kansas will be right in there with 7 or 8 wins
Iowa State will have it tough, the league went 3- 0 in bowl games
K-state is with Iowa State
Nebraska and CU finish 1st and 2ond!
D. J. Perry
7-5 for NU? Put the pipe down, they’ll have the best D in the North and 2nd to 3rd in the Big 12
I would be happy to see four to five wins in Rhoads initial year. If the Clones could some how achieve six victories and become bowl eligible it would be icing on the cake. The following year will be much tougher with Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech coming back on the schedule.
Readers:
Thanks for sharing your opinions. I always love the unparalleled passion of Big 12 fans.
To the Nebraska fans: One of my best friends is a Huskers diehard, so I’ve been to enough games in Lincoln to know that, even if Nebraska were expected to start nothing but walk-ons, most Huskers fans would STILL predict a 9-win season.
Yes, the Huskers WILL have a stellar defense next year, but they’ll lose almost all of the key cogs on offense due to graduation — and that spells trouble in the Big 12.
To our Oklahoma constituents: Kansas’ Briscoe and Meiers literally ARE the best returning WRs in the league, at least STATISTICALLY. If you’re strictly talking in terms of talent, then yes, I am firmly entrenched in the Dez Bryant camp. He’s a special athlete, and will be a fixture on Sunday highlight-reels (i.e., NFL highlight reels) in a couple years.
To the Texans: I believe Baylor is on the rebound. However, Mike Sherman seems ill-suited to return A&M to its tradionally lofty perch, but time will tell.
If I’m wrong on any of these predictions, by all means, come back on this blog and remind me of that! … Until then, thanks for reading,
- Kelly Beaton
Waterloo (IA) Courier sports writer
You should use the word “envision” more often.
“I always love the unparalleled passion of Big 12 fans. ”
That makes me sick. Big 10 is superior in every way possible.
Did you envision the number of jerks out there?!
i hate larry bird because he has a big but
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