College Football 2006: The Big 12

The Big 12 claimed bragging rights to the national championship last season after Texas and QB Vince Young ended USC and its bid for a third straight BCS title. The major question for the conference this season is can the Big 12 and Texas defend its national title?

No one knows for sure. The Longhorns are still talented but Young is a huge loss and with Oklahoma, the other power team in the conference, dismissing QB Rhett Bomar and starting lineman J.D. Quinn for violating NCAA rules, it's looking more and more like the national champion won't be coming out of the Big 12.

That doesn't mean that the Big 12 won't be entertaining. While the Longhorns and Sooners have a stranglehold on the South division as many as four teams could come away with the wide open North division.

Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas State and Iowa State all have some weaknesses, but all four teams are capable of taking the North title. In the end, the Big 12 championship should once again be in the possession of the two super powers in the conference - Texas or Oklahoma. Here's a look at the Big 12 for 2006.

Big 12 Standings:

North Division:
1. Iowa State - Despite a murderous schedule (Iowa, Texas, Colorado and Oklahoma on the road) and only four starters returning on defense, the Cyclones should finally get over the hump and capture a North division title for head coach Dan McCartney. The offense is loaded with junior signal caller Brett Meyer (2,876 yards, 19 TDs), senior tailback Stevie Hicks (545 yards) and receivers Austin Flynn (56-624) and Todd Blythe (51-1,000-9). If that wasn't enough, four starters return on the offensive line. If the defense can come along, the Cyclones should be the team to beat in the North.

2. Nebraska- Head coach Bill Callahan is slowly but surely bringing the Cornhuskers back to prominence. The players and fans are staring to warmup to Callahan's West Coast Offense after years and years of Tom Osbourne's wishbone attack. QB Zac Taylor (2,653 yards, 19 TDs) will lead the offense. His two favorite targets, receivers Nate Swift (45-641-7) and Terrence Nunn (43-495-7) return as well. The offense needs to replace Cory Ross at tailback and three starters on the o-line. The defense is solid with the exception of safety.

3. Colorado - New coach Dan Hawkins hopes to bring some of the magic he created at Boise State and use it to resurrect a sagging Buff program. Eight starters return on defense, while leading rusher Hugh Charles (858 yards, six touchdowns) and receiver Dusty Sprague (44-472) return to bolster the offense. The key to Colorado's season and the biggest question mark is finding a quarterback to replace the departed Joel Klatt. The three-man competition features James Cox, Bernard Jackson or Brian White.

4. Kansas State - After 17 seasons, Bill Snyder is gone from Manhattan and Ron Prince takes over at the helm of the Wildcats. A very favorable schedule, a defense that returns eight starters and an offense that brings nine starters back will help. Depth abounds on both sides of the ball for Prince and if K-State can straighten out its quarterback situation, as many as four players are in the running, then the Wildcats could make a run at the North title.

5. Missouri - The bad news for the Tigers and coach Gary Pinkel is that all-everything Brad Smith has departed for the NFL. The silver lining in that dark cloud is that 15 starters return in 2006 and new quarterback Chase Daniel has the potential to be even better than Smith was. The defense must improve after surrendering 29 ppg last season. If it can, Missouri could be headed to a bowl game.

6. Kansas - The Jayhawks return only three starters on defense and will open the season with redshirt freshman Kerry Meier at quarterback. Not the recipe for a successful season. Tailback Joe Cornish (780 yards, nine TDs) will be counted on early to lead Kansas.

South Division:
1. Texas - The Longhorns are loaded once again. With seven starters back on offense and defense and a plethora of blue-chip recruits coming in, Texas is once again the favorite in the Big 12 and a legitimate national championship contender. The problem facing the Longhorns is simple - no Vince Young. Texas was 30-2 with Young as a starter and last season averaged 50 ppg. Redshirt freshman Colt McCoy or true freshman Jevan Snead will try to lead the high-powered Longhorn offense to another national championship. The ground attack of Jamaal Charles (878-11) and Selvin Young (461-8) will have to lead the way early in the season. DT Frank Okam and SS Michael Griffin lead the defense.

2. Oklahoma - The Sooners were dealt a serious blow when Bob Stoops threw Bomar off the team for violating NCAA rules. That created a huge vacuum in the Oklahoma offense and now either senior Paul Thompson or sophomore Joey Halzle will take over the reigns of the Sooner offense. The duo have thrown a combined 26 passes in their NCAA careers. The offense will depend on the legs of star tailback Adrian Peterson (1,108-14), but Peterson has a history of not staying healthy for a full season and the o-line has only two starters back. The Sooners are still a top ten team thanks to a solid defense led by linebackers Rufus Alexander and Zach Latimer and defensive end Calvin Thibodeaux. But without Bomar, Oklahoma takes a step back to Texas.

3. Texas Tech - The Red Raiders lost star QB Cody Hodges and RB Taurean Henderson, but don't feel sorry for head coach Mike Leach just yet. Sophomore Graham Harrell takes over at quarterback and will have four starters back on the offensive line to protect him and his top four wide receivers return as well. The four Texas Tech receivers (Robert Johnson, Joel Filani, Jarrett Hicks and Danny Amendola) combined for 231 receptions and 25 touchdowns last season. The defense returns seven starters with the only question mark being the secondary, where three starters have graduated.

4. Texas A&M - Head coach Dennis Franchione must try and replace Reggie McNeal at quarterback and shore up a defense that gave up almost 40 ppg last season. Stephen McGee has the upper hand right now in the competition to replace McNeal. No matter, with four returning lineman and the top two backs (Courtney Lewis and Jorvorskie Lane) returning, look for the running game to be the bread and butter of the Aggies in 2006. The defense returns only five starters and this will be the Achilles' Heel for Texas A&M all season.

5. Baylor - Head coach Guy Morris has done what many thought impossible in his three years with the Bears - he's brought optimism and confidence to a program that has been notoriously bad for almost two decades. Last seasons 5-6 mark was its best in a decade and now with eight starters back on offense, Baylor fans are actually thinking bowl game. This season, Morris has gone to a spread offense and with a senior quarterback and two-year starter in Shawn Bell at the helm, Morris believes that the Bears will drastically improve on their dismal 19 ppg average last season. The defense, despite returning only four starters, is experience and senior dominated. Baylor could be the darkhorse in the Big 12 for 2006.

6. Oklahoma State - Last season, new head coach Mike Gundy went to a no-huddle offensive attack that his quarterbacks struggled with leading to a disappointing 4-7 record. The quarterback spot could be a problem once again. As many as four are in the hunt for the starting job and none have separated themselves from the pack. Right now, sophomore Bobby Reid has the job. Mike Hamilton had a great freshman season with 961 yards rushing, look for him, along with wideout D'Juan Woods (56-879-8) to carry the load on offense. The defense returns only four starters and is a work in progress.

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