The Big-12 is home of 10 NCAA football teams. Three Big-12 teams finished inside the Top 25 at the end of the 2018 season; Oklahoma (4), Texas (9), and West Virginia (20). Here is a look at each team’s accomplishments from 2018, and the improvements that each team can make for a successful 2019-2020 season.
Baylor University: Baylor won the Texas Bowl over Vanderbilt by a score of 45-38. The Bears had a record of 4-5 in conference, and 7-6 overall. Baylor will be returning its starting Quarterback, Charlie Brewer. Brewer had a great year, completing 240 out of his 390 pass attempts, and throwing 9 touchdowns with only 9 interceptions. Brewer also lead the Bears in rushing touchdowns, with 7 on the year. Baylor is also returning all 5 Running Backs who scored touchdowns in the 2018 season. Together, they combined for 1557 yards on 296 attempts, scoring 14 touchdowns. The offense is also returning 5 out of 7 Wide Receivers who scored touchdowns in the 2018 season. They combined for 2027 yards on 146 receptions, scoring 15 touchdowns. As the Bears’ offense scored a total of 384 points total in the 2018 season (average of 29.5 points per game), it’s apparent that Baylor’s offense isn’t too big of a concern, as they are returning so many starters for their passing and rushing offense. The concern we have for the 2018 team is Baylor’s defense. Baylor’s defense gave up a total of 412 points in the 2018 season, which averages to (31.7 points per game). The Bears are returning 15 defensive players that had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. Baylor will need to buckle down on defense, specifically their rushing defense. The Bears lost several games because they could not stop their opponent’s offense. Fix these issues, and Baylor will have a successful 2019 season!
Roster: https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?roster=1206
Schedule: https://baylorbears.com/schedule.aspx?path=football
Iowa State University: Iowa State lost the Alamo bowl to Washington State by a score of 28-26. The team went 6-3 in conference and 8-5 overall. The Cyclones will return their starting Quarterback, Brock Purdy, for the 2019 season. Purdy had a great season, completing 146 out of 220 pass attempts. He threw for 16 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions. Not only did Purdy get the job done through the air, but he also rushed for 308 yards on 100 attempts, scoring 5 rushing touchdowns for the Cyclones. Iowa State will need to worry about their rushing attack in the upcoming season because they are only returning 4 of their Running Backs who touched the ball in the 2018 season, and those 4 players only combined for 2 touchdowns. These guys will need to step up to have a successful season. Receiving wise, the Cyclones will return 6 players who saw the field in the 2018 season. However, 3 of these players had 10 or less receptions. For the Cyclones to have a successful season, they will need for the less experienced players to step up and make the big plays to make up for their losses on offense. The offense will also need to find more affective ways to score as they only averaged 26.8 points per game. They also lost 3 games in which the offense failed to score more than twice. Defensively, the Cyclones will be returning 15 players who had 10 or more total tackles. The defense did an overall well job in the 2018 season, as they only gave up an average of 22.9 points per game. Unfortunately for the defense, their job is even more important than it should be, as we predict that they Cyclones will have trouble scoring in the 2018 season, which means that the defense will need to buckle down a little more in the 2019 season. If not, there will definitely be more close-game losses for the Cyclones.
Roster: https://cyclones.com/roster.aspx?roster=583&path=football
Schedule: https://cyclones.com/schedule.aspx?path=football
University of Kansas: Kansas went 1-8 in conference, and 3-9 overall. As you are probably guessing, yes, Kansas will be under a new coaching staff in the 2019 season with former LSU head coach, Les Miles as their new head coach. Although we already know changes will be made being a new coaching staff is in office, let’s take a look at who is returning for the Jayhawks, and which major improvements need to be made. Because Kansas will not be returning their Quarterback who started in the 2018 season, the Jayhawks will look for a starter in Carter Stanley or Thomas MacVittie. As Kansas’ starting Quarterback has still not been named, we do know that Kansas will return 4 Running Backs who touched the ball in 2018, however for 4 of them only combined for 12 touchdowns. Not only should Kansas be concerned about their lack of experienced Running Backs, but they are also only returning 3 Wide Receivers who had 10 or more receptions. It’s safe to say that Kansas’ offense will need their experienced offensive players to not only step upon the field, but also to help the less experienced guys as they will see more playing time. Defensively, Kansas will be returning 9 players who had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. This gives less experienced players a chance to step up this season, and make plays. As the Jayhawks gave up an average of 30 points per game, the defense needs to improve both their passing and rushing defense as they gave up an average of 246.8 yards passing and 172.4 yards rushing per game.
Roster: https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/roster/
Schedule: https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/schedule/
Kansas State University: Much like Kansas, Kansas State will be under new coaching staff in the 2019 season. The Wildcats went 3-6 in conference and 5-7 overall. Despite knowing about the coaching staff change, let’s take a look at what the Wildcats will be returning, and what improvements can be made on each side of the ball. Kansas State will be returning their starting Quarterback, Skylar Thompson. Thompson threw 122 completions on 208 attempts, throwing for 1391 yards, 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Skylar also had 373 yards rushing on 105 attempts, scoring 5 rushing touchdowns. A major concern for the Wildcats is that they will not be returning any starting Running Backs from the 2018 season, so the younger and less experienced guys will need to step up big time and contribute to the team’s success. Although Kansas State will not be returning any starting Running Backs, they will return 5 players in their receiving corpsBecause these 5 players only combined for a total of 5 touchdowns, the Wildcats’ offense will need to find a way to score more passing touchdowns. With so many key players missing, this will give other players a chance to step up. Not only did Kansas State struggle offensively, but they also had some struggles on defense. Kansas State will return 15 defensive players who had 10 or more total tackles on the season. Although only giving up an average of 25.4 points per game isn’t awful, giving up that many points will inevitably create losses when your offense cannot find a way to score.
Roster: https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?roster=1249&path=football
Schedule: https://www.kstatesports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football
University of Oklahoma: Despite losing the Orange Bowl to Alabama by a score of 45-34, the Sooners had the most productive offense per game in the 2018 season, averaging 48.4 points scored a game. Because Oklahoma will not be returning their starting Quarterback, the Sooners will look for a starting Quarterback in Spencer Rattler, Jalen Hurts, or Tanner Mordecai. Oklahoma will be returning 4 of their Running Backs who had play time this season, and 8 players in their receiving corps. Offensively, Oklahoma does not have much to worry about, other than who will win the starting Quarter Back competition. Oklahoma’s main concern should be their defense. The Sooners gave up an average of 33.3 points per game in the 2018 season, which is the 29th most in the NCAA. For Oklahoma to return to the playoffs, and possibly win a National Championship, the Sooners will need to buckle down on defense, and stop their opponent from scoring as frequently as they do. Oklahoma will return 18 defensive players that had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. With the defense being led by these men, we know that the Sooners can make strong defensive improvements, and not leave the winning almost dependent on how much the offense is able to score.
Schedule: http://www.soonersports.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=127245&SPSID=750325&DB_OEM_ID=31000
Oklahoma State University: Oklahoma State won the Liberty bowl, beating Missouri by a score or 38-33. The Cowboys went 3-6 in conference, and 7-6 overall. As Oklahoma State’s 2018 starting Quarterback will not be returning, the Cowboys will look for a starting Quarterback in Spencer Sanders and Dru Brown. The Cowboys will return 7 offensive players that played one down or more in the 2018 season. Things will look different offensively for Oklahoma State as they have a new offensive coordinator in Coach Sean Gleeson. This was a great move for the Cowboys to make for improvements in the 2019 season. As the Cowboys had the 13th best offense in the 2018 season (averaged 38.4 points per game), bringing in a new offensive coordinator will create new schemes and create more of a diverse offense, thus creating more ways to score. Defensively, Oklahoma State will return 12 players who had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. For Oklahoma State to win more games in the 2019 season, they will need to buckle down defensively. In the 2018 season, the Cowboys lost 4 high scoring games by two scores or less. In these high scoring games, the offense got their job done by putting the ball in the end zone, however the games could have become wins if the defense made one or two more 3 & outs. If the defense works on this, the Cowboys will have a better record in and out of conference.
Roster: https://okstate.com/roster.aspx?roster=1212&path=football
Schedule: https://okstate.com/schedule.aspx?path=football
Texas Christian University: TCU won the Cheez-It Bowl against UCLA by a score of 10-7. The Horned Frogs went 4-5 in conference, and 7-6 overall. TCU will also not be returning their starting Quarterback. The Horned Frogs will look for a Quarterback in Alex Delton, Max Duggan, Justin Rogers, Mike Collins, or Matthew Downing. TCU will return 13 offensive players that ran one down or more. It’s safe to say that TCU’s offense if the team’s biggest problem as they only averaged 23.5 points per game, which means the Horned Frogs had one of the least productive offenses in the 2018 season. TCU will have a much better season if the offense can find a scheme that fits for them, and dominate it. Defensively, TCU allowed an average of 23.1 points per game, which obviously creates for some close games when the offense cannot find a way to score. The Horned Frogs will return 9 defensive players that had more than 10 tackles in the 2018 season. For TCU to have a dominate season, their defense will need to buckle down even more for the 2019 season while they are figuring things out offensively. If TCU can improve their offense, they will have a great 2019 season.
Roster: https://gofrogs.com/roster.aspx?roster=228&path=football
Schedule: https://gofrogs.com/schedule.aspx?path=football
University of Texas: The Longhorns capped off their best season since 2009 with victory over UGA in the Sugar Bowl by a score of 28-21. The Longhorns had a record of 7-3 in conference and 10-4 overall. Texas will return starting Quarterback, Sam Ehlinger. Ehlinger had a very successful season, completing 275 out of 425 pass attempts, throwing for 3292 yards, 25 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Ehlinger also lead the team in rushing touchdowns, with 16 on the season. Also offensively, the Longhorns will return 9 players who ran for one down or more. For Texas to improve their offense for the 2019 season, Ehlinger will need to stay dominate in both rushing and passing. Other players will need to step up, and make clutch plays to win games as they did in the 2018 season. Because the Longhorns lost so many key pieces on offense, the success could be questionable, but fans should not worry as long as the Longhorns can improve their red zone offense. Defensively, Texas will return 11 players who had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. To help Texas have another successful season, the Longhorns’ defense will need to work on defending rushing attacks, as that seemed to be the biggest difficulty for the team in 2018.
Roster: https://texassports.com/roster.aspx?roster=333
Schedule: https://texassports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football
Texas Tech University: Texas Tech finished the 2018 season with a 3-6 conference record and a 5-7 record overall, and the Red Raiders joined 3 other Big-12 teams on the coaching carousel at the end of the season. In the 2019 season, Texas Tech will be under the coaching staff of Matt Wells. The Red Raiders will return Quarterback Alan Bowman, who had a successful passing season. Bowman completed 227 out of 327 passes for 2638 yards, 17 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The Red Raiders will return 10 players who played one or more down in the 2018 season. Although the offense had a decent season, averaging 37.3 points per game, many losses came at the defense’s expense. Returning 9 players who had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season, there is a good chance that things will improve defensively under the new coaching staff. If the new coaching staff makes the expected changes, Red Raider fans can expect a successful season.
Roster: https://texastech.com/roster.aspx?roster=183&path=football
Schedule: https://texastech.com/schedule.aspx?path=football
West Virginia University: Despite losing the Camping World Bowl to Syracuse by a score of 34-18, the Mountaineers had one of the most effective offensives in the FBS, averaging 40.2 points per game. West Virginia is one of the 4 schools who will be under a new coaching staff in the 2019 season, as Neal Brown (former Troy University head coach) was hired. In Brown’s time at Troy, he coached the team to an 35-16 record overall, with a 23-9 record in the Sun Belt Conference, as well as 3 bowl game victories in his 4 years at Troy. As West Virginia will not be returning their Quarterback from the 2018 season, the Mountaineers will look for a starting Quarterback in Austin Kendall or Jack Allison. The Mountaineers will also return 9 players who played one or more downs in the 2018 season, which shows that West Virginia will have another dominate offensive year, as long as their Quarterback can dominate on the field. The key to winning more games will not only depend on the offense resembling what they did in the 2018 season, but the defense will need to work on defending their rushing defense, as that seemed to be their weakness in the 2018 season. If Neal Brown’s coaching staff can fix these small things, Mountaineer fans will have another successful season.
Roster: https://wvusports.com/roster.aspx?roster=139&path=football
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