Husker Locker will be counting down and breaking down each of the teams in the conference. We hope you view this series as more interesting, comprehensive and definitive than what you may find elsewhere. Where we can make strong takes – we will.

We rank the teams 12 to 1 in overall strength. Then we’ll provide for you the North/South breakdown – and the preseason All Big 12 team, as well.

Enjoy!

Today: No. 3 Oklahoma State

Coach: Mike Gundy
2008 Record: 9-4

What’s Changed Since 2008: OSU opened its new Xanadu football facility, among the swankiest in college football. The Cowboys also went out and bought A Winston Wolf, so to speak, in defensive coordinator Bill Young, who’s supposed to come in and fix a defense that gave up 56, 61 and 42 points in three of its last four games. And the expectations changed. Super booster T. Boone Pickens projects a calm, friendly exterior, but he didn’t bankroll an overhaul of the program just so the Cowboys could guard a Taco Bell.

2009 Non-Conference Schedule: Every game is at home, but the first two are challenging: Georgia and Houston. OSU is better than both, but it must clear the mental hurdle of Georgia’s name in week one and avoid a letdown in week two vs. the Cougars. The non-conference slate finishes with a rebuilding Rice team and Grambling.

2009 Conference Schedule: Manageable, with road games at Texas A&M, Baylor and Iowa State before Bedlam at Oklahoma to end the season. Texas in Boone Pickens Stadium on Halloween. You won’t get a crazier night in Stillwater than that.

Offense: Balanced Spread

Coordinator: Mike Gundy – He calls the plays during drives, and gameplans - by himself, with his back turned to the field – while the defense is on the field. Gunter Brewer has the title, but it’s nominal. At any rate, Gundy is an excellent coordinator. He mixes spread and West Coast principles together for the league’s sturdiest offensive design; OSU can run downhill with two tight ends, or spread out with four wide receivers. Last year, the Cowboys rushed for an average of 245 and passed for an average of 242. Can’t beat that.

Strength: Exceptional skill players. Seriously – exceptional. Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant are the nation’s best running back and wide receiver, respectively. Hunter is quick-footed, instinctive runner – think Carolina’s DeAngelo Williams – with a nose for the end zone and the patience to wait for blocking. Bryant, meanwhile, is a cross of Steve Smith and Lee Evans who’s deadly effective in the slot. A possession receiver blessed with good separation skills and takeoff speed. At quarterback, Zac Robinson benefits from the excellence around him, but his feet make him a dangerous dual weapon. Robinson gets a little… too courageous at times, and needs to avoid injury. Russell Okung is the nation’s best pass-blocking left tackle, too.

Weakness:Not much, frankly. Bryant and Robinson can’t get hurt.



Defense: 4-3 or 4-2-5

Coordinator: Bill Young – Architect of Kansas’s one-year defensive renaissance in 2007. Worked with Miami last year. He’s a bit of a gun for hire, frankly. He’s here to win a Big 12 Championship.

Strength: The linebackers. Andre Sexton moves from strong safety to a hybrid safety/linebacker role, and he’s the most active, disruptive player on the defense. Orie Lemon and Patrick Levine are complete players who handle pass coverage pretty well. Perrish Cox is a top-shelf cornerback and kick returner. Defensive end Ugo Chinasa could be ready to make the leap to all-conference caliber in 2009.

Weakness: OSU couldn’t pressure the quarterback last year (only 15 sacks all season) and gave up 4.3 yards per carry. If a team had a good offensive line, the Cowboys were pretty sunk. OSU was badly exposed – beaten up, really – in the Holiday Bowl vs. Oregon, which amassed 565 total yards, 307 on the ground. OSU has to start with the front four, and go from there. Too often in recent years, the front just hasn’t been very good.

Special TeamsExcellent. Dez Bryant and Perrish Cox are the best punt/kick return combo in America. Dan Bailey made 15-19 field goals. Joe DeForest was hired to solely focus on special teams, and it shows.

Intangibles: OSU hasn’t beaten Texas or Oklahoma in five years, despite many chances, especially vs. the Longhorns. Gundy’s teams, in general, struggle in big games. For a couple years, that was related to talent, but that’s not the case now. The other intangible is Gundy himself. He’s part of pop culture thanks to his rant two years ago, and that both works for and against him. No matter what OSU becomes this year – national title contender or disappointing flop – he’ll be the story.

Best-Case Scenario: 11-0 heading the Norman. It’s absolutely possible.

Worst-Case Scenario: Dumping the first two games and struggling from there. It’s absolutely possible.

Our Take: So much hinges on the first game vs. Georgia. We like OSU there, and vs. Houston (whom we’re picking to upset Texas Tech) but we still want to see the Cowboys beat Texas and Oklahoma when it counts. Until then, we must predict 10-2, with an outside shot at the BCS, depending on how OU fares with its difficult schedule. Otherwise, a Cotton Bowl tilt with old friend Les Miles and LSU.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post

Our preseason Heisman includes the three finalists from last year – we’re idealistic, but not stupid – and seven more contenders.

We’ll update our Heisman board each week during the season.

1. Colt McCoy, Texas QB
Stock: Up
He’s the only one of last year’s three finalists without a trophy, and even now it’s hard to understand how Sam Bradford beat him. McCoy may not be as coveted by pro scouts as Bradford, but he’s a terrific leader, eerily accurate and a good runner.

2. Tim Tebow, Florida QB
Stock: Up
Tebow finished third last year, and probably deserved to. But the Gators should have the nation’s best team, and Tebow’s physicality and stature in the game is highly recognizable. Whether he wins a second Heisman or not, he’ll be remembered as one of the great college football players in history.

3. Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State WR
Stock: Up
This year’s Michael Crabtree, with a twist: Bryant also returns punts better than anyone in the nation, with a 17.9 yard average last year and two touchdowns. Bryant is poised to have a very big year, as is OSU; the question becomes whether teammates Zac Robinson and Kendall Hunter siphon away too much of the credit.

4. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma QB
Stock: Down
Bradford will have the tough task of duplicating astounding 2008 numbers with a new offensive line and new receivers. Great player and great kid, but not likely. A repeat winner has to be a little more special statistically than Bradford is bound to be next year.

5. Eric Berry, Tennessee DB
Stock: Up
Somebody has to stand up for the best defensive player with a shot at the award. Berry has been a starter at safety from the day he stepped on campus. Last year, as a sophomore, he had 72 tackles, seven interceptions, six more pass breakups and three sacks. And he does this while being a ferocious hitter in run support. Berry, at 5-11, 203, is simply a great player, that rare strong safety who’s also a top-notch cover guy. Worthy of the Heisman.

6. Jevan Snead, Mississippi QB
Stock: Up
When the light went on for this Texas transfer in the last half of last season, it really went on. Snead is a more a big playmaker than McCoy or Bradford; when Ole Miss throws the ball, it tends to be downfield, for big plays. That will diminish his completion percentage, and possibly his chances. But an undefeated regular season – which is possible – sure would help.

7. Jahvid Best, California RB
Stock: Up
Here’s your best bet at 2,000 yards, a short, shifty dude who averaged 8.1 yards per carry and gained 1,580 yards overall against the defensively weak Pac 10. Best could be part of the first Cal team to win a league title in ages. Don’t be surprised if Best has close to 1,000 yards after four games, heading into a game vs. USC. His performance there will shape his Heisman candidacy.

8. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State QB
Stock: Up
You already know he’ll get more publicity than the average player, but, to boot, Pryor probably deserves it. He was good as advertised in his true freshman season, a lanky, confident runner with better-than-average passing mechanics. Games vs. USC, at Penn State and at Michigan will be the measuring sticks, but, either, we expect giant numbers from a quarterback of a top 15 team.

9. Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State QB
Stock: Up
The trigger man of OSU’s offense may not have the glitz of McCoy and Bradford, but he’s no less indispensable. For Robinson, much like Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell, it all lays out there in front of him. Win the games, and reap the rewards. A big test in the season-opener vs. Georgia needs to be passed. After that: Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma.

10. Colin Kaepernick, Nevada QB
Stock: Up
Who is he? A guy who rushed for 1,130 yards and passed for 2,849 while amassing 39 total touchdowns in Chris Ault’s Pistol offense. He plays in the defense-challenged WAC, but he’ll get two early season games on national TV: at Notre Dame, and vs. Missouri. If Kaepernick shines in both, and Nevada goes on run through its conference, he’ll be in the conversation.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post