New coaches and quarterbacks join new teams
The Oklahoma-Texas rivalry that remained simmering even during the Longhorns’ temporary slide out of relevancy has returned to a full boil as the two Big 12 front-runners prepare for a race to the College Football Playoff.
Tucked within this series is the Sooners’ change at quarterback: Jalen Hurts comes over from Alabama and brings along heavy expectations as the replacement for Kyler Murray. The optimism isn’t off. Hurts has a track record of success as the starter — in wins and losses, if not always as a passer — and coach Lincoln Riley has become the nation’s top quarterback tutor.
Meanwhile, the Big 12 opens the spring with empty space to fill behind the clear top two. Is Iowa State poised to fill the void? Can Oklahoma State slide back into New Year’s Six contention? Those are among the league’s top springtime story lines.
Baylor: Fixing the run defense
Despite the program’s huge leap in the standings — from one win in 2017 to seven a year ago — the Bears’ run defense took a step back, allowing at least 100 yards in every game but one and more than 200 yards in five (somehow going 4-1 in those games). A trendy pick for the Top 25 in 2019.
Iowa State: Prep for Big 12 push
The Cyclones’ success under Matt Campbell is no longer taking anyone inside or out of the Big 12 by surprise. Iowa State brings back 67.8 percent of its starters and a significant amount of production on defense, including the entire starting front. Add that to idea that Campbell’s program continues trending upward and you can see why ISU could make a permanent home in the Top 25.
Kansas: Miles starts from bottom
How many games will the Jayhawks lose in Les Miles’ first season? Twelve, potentially, though it’s unlikely. The slow building project commences this spring. There’s help on the way, including a handful of junior college prospects signed this winter, but the goal this season should be to simply develop and adopt a style of play that could be beneficial after Kansas adds enough talent to run with the rest of the conference.
Kansas State: Leaning on new RB
With little returning talent in the running game, Kansas State and new coach Chris Klieman dipped into the transfer pool to replace the production lost when Alex Barnes opted to forgo his final season of eligibility. In Ball State transfer James Gilbert, the Wildcats might have a runner capable of carrying the load at an all-conference level. After an injuryfilled 2017 season, he returned last fall to lead Ball State with 659 rushing yards. He ran for 1,332 yards and earned firstteam all-conference honors in 2016.
Oklahoma: Next Heisman winner?
Baker Mayfield transferred to Oklahoma and won the Heisman. Kyler Murray did the same. The Sooners’ latest transfer, former Alabama starter Jalen Hurts, should find himself in the thick of the preseason race. The one constant? Coach Lincoln Riley. But it’s probably not fair to expect similar results, statistically speaking: Hurts will make an enormous impact but likely won’t put together the same sort of passing numbers as did Mayfield and Murray.
Oklahoma State: Consistency
Fourteen returning starters should help the Cowboys overcome the ups and downs of 2018. This spring will be defined by two themes: the arrival of new offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson, formerly of Princeton, and the quarterback competition between former Hawaii transfer Dru Brown and promising redshirt freshman Spencer Sanders.
TCU: Start of QB competition
There’s a springtime battle under center, only one that won’t be decided until deeper into fall camp. That’s because TCU is without Mike Collins while he recovers from surgery, holdover Justin Rogers is working his way back from an injury suffered in high school and Kansas State transfer Alex Delton needs time to learn the system. Another option, Max Duggan, is a true freshman.
Texas: Missing piece of puzzle
Texas ranked 77th nationally in scrimmage plays of 30 or more yards and 124th in plays of 40 or more yards and ended the year as one of two teams without an offensive gain of 50 or more yards. It’s a shocking statistic given the Longhorns’ 10-win finish and a Sugar Bowl win against Georgia. The Longhorns might find some explosiveness in five-star recruit Bru McCoy, who joined after a brief stint at Southern California.
Texas Tech: Will Kingsbury still have impact?
New coach Matt Wells will shake things up in his first spring, but it’s worth asking just how far the Red Raiders will stray from the offensive scheme that has defined the program for the past generation — the Air Raid system built by Mike Leach and continued under Kliff Kingsbury. What’s safe to expect is a familiar downfield passing game mixed with the sort of physicality Wells’ teams showed at Utah State; that style of play was in part what drew athletics director Kirby Hocutt to Tech’s new head coach.
West Virginia: Other OU transfer
First-year coach Neal Brown will have his own Oklahoma transfer under center: Austin Kendall is expected to replace Will Grier after leaving the Sooners. It’s a bit of a coup for Brown, who needed to add experience to the position, and the pieces surrounding Kendall and Brown’s track record at Troy help to suggest that the Mountaineers should remain competitive.