The Big 12 2018 Buy List
Oklahoma Sooners
Despite losing Baker Mayfield, and several other top performers from the 2017 national semifinal team, I am still very much into the Sooners for 2018. Lincoln Riley has proven that he can flat out coach, and Kyler Murray appears ready to step in and take over at QB. He will have a strong cast of receivers coming back, a decent chunk of the line coming back, and if the defense can show signs of improving, the Sooners will very much be in position to charge back and compete for a Big 12 title once again.
Texas Longhorns
I am compelled to believe that 2018 will be a corner turning season for the Longhorns, as recruiting is up, and attrition is low. This will be the season for Tom Herman and his staff to show what they are worth. The QB situation will have to be figured out in spring ball, but there is a ton of talent returning from what was a young football team in 2017, and they are built to prove they can win next fall.
West Virginia Mountaineers
I bought in on WVU last fall, and due to the Will Grier injury and a porous defense, the Mountaineers failed in the end. With Grier returning in 2018, and with top flight receivers like David Sills and Gary Jennings returning, the Mountaineers should still be explosive enough on offense to be in almost every game. Four linemen return, and Kennedy McCoy looks ready to take over at RB. The defense returns seven starters, but that core unit must shore up their deficiencies, or else this team could under perform again.
Kansas State Wildcats
In what could be the final season under Bill Snyder (we thought he was gone after the 2017 season), it's hard to look at the Wildcats and see a football team that will not over perform what they are on paper, because that is what they do at K State. Skylar Thompson looks poised to take over at QB, and the entire starting lineup from the bowl game looks like it will return intact, as will the second unit. The defense may be more of a question, as the Wildcats lose nine players from the two deep, and answers will need to be found in spring ball.
The Big 12 2018 Sell List
TCU Horned Frogs
I hate to bet against Gary Patterson and the Frogs, but they lose a ton of talent on offense as we head into spring ball. QB Kenny Hill is gone, they lose five receivers off the depth chart, four linemen, a TE, and Kyle Hicks is gone at RB as well. That is a ton to make up for, and they may have the most to prove heading into the 2018 season of any team that competed for a Big 12 title last fall. Half of the Defensive Line and LB starters need to be replaced as well.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Again, selling on the Cowboys feels awkward, but they lose Mason Rudolph and James Washington, and three linemen who started in 2017. There is more depth lost at receiver as well. QBs are always a bit plug and play in Mike Gundy's system, but they lose a ton of production, and others will need to step up. The Cowboys also lose 10 defensive players who saw action in 2017, and they were not a great defensive team to begin with. 2018 could be a step back in Stillwater.
Iowa State Cyclones
As great a story as the Cyclones were in 2017, it's difficult for me to see them repeating that success in 2018. Kyle KKempt is gone at QB. Allen Lazard is gone at WR. Joel Lanning is gone at both QB and LB. In all, the heart and soul of the team's eadership appears to be moving on, and seven total Cyclones on the offensive two deep depart, most at key positions. Six starters are gone on defense, including Lanning, and several very young players from the second unit will have to step up. There are just too many holes for me to believe that Matt Campbell's team won't have to take a step back this year.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders lost six conference games in 2017, but somehow, Kliff Kingsbury retained his job. As much as the defense improved in 2017, and they did, I still do not believe in the head coach overall, and as long as the status quo remains intact in Lubbock, I don't see things getting much better. Tech loses eight players off of the offensive two deep, including QB Nic Shimonek. The defense returns mostly intact, but until this team learns how to win in conference play, I am not buying in, and the fact remains that no matter how much the defense did improve, they still allowed over 30 points per game.
Baylor Bears
The glory days appear to be over in Waco, as scandal has torn this program down to the studs. Matt Ruhle, who has been head coach for just one season, almost left for the Indianapolis Colts recently, and that shows us where his mindset probably is right now. There is absolutely nothing showing me that the issues that plagued the Bears last fall will not continue this year, and this program has floated back to the basement of the Big 12 in a major way.
Kansas Jayhawks
This is another program in perpetual despair. The Jayhawks made a mistake by not firing David Beaty this off season, and now the train wreck in a dumpster fire that is Kansas football will have no way to get back on track with a coach is is simply not able to fix the problems inherent in Lawrence. There has been zero discernible improvement shown in this program, no matter what some media members and the administration in Lawrence wants us to believe. The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding has never set.
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