Big 12 Offseason Thread

Here is a list of the returning starters in the Big 12. Taco Tech is dead last. I'm not sure that is a bad thing considering how terrible their defense has been the last couple of years. But Dakota Allen being dismissed from the team was huge...



Stat crunch: Big 12's returning experience

May 9, 2016

• 
  Max OlsonESPN Staff Writer

We’ve assessed every Big 12 team’s depth chart and rated each team’s top 10 players. We’re redoing our position rankings this week. All of this is an effort to better evaluate the conference and its potential contenders in 2016. Another factor to consider: experience.
Just as we’ve done the past two years, here’s a deep dive into the post-spring rosters of every Big 12 team. We've added up the career starts for every returning player to better judge which teams are loaded or reloading. One note: The starts players made at other FBS schools or junior colleges are not counted in these numbers.
As you can see in the chart, Oklahoma State is No. 1 in this category thanks to the Big 12’s most experienced offense. The Cowboys did not lose much on that side of the ball (most notably J.W. Walsh and David Glidden). They did lose 164 starts on defense and a lot of leadership from that unit with Emmanuel Ogbah, Jimmy Bean, Kevin Peterson, Ryan Simmons and others. But to put the Pokes' advantage on offense in perspective, they return nearly the same number of career starts that TCU’s veteran-loaded offense did a year ago.
Most Starts In Big 12

The Big 12's active leaders in career starts entering 2016.




A few more takeaways from this year’s career starts data:

• Defending Big 12 champ Oklahoma did lose a lot of big-name defenders, including a few early NFL draft entrants, but still ranks No. 4 in returning starts on defense. The Sooners' need to develop wide receivers is obvious (Sterling Shepard and Durron Neal graduated with 67 starts, and the returning receivers have 22), but Oklahoma is right in the middle of the pack in terms of experience. Not overly concerning.
• The Big 12 program that lost the most talent: Texas Tech. As if repairing its defense wasn’t hard enough, the Red Raiders lost a total of 181 career starts on defense and return just 90. The dismissal of linebacker Dakota Allen last week clinched Tech’s last-place spot in total starts returning (205) as of today. To put in perspective what they lost on offense: the senior group of Le'Raven Clark, DeAndre Washington, Jakeem Grant, Jared Kaster and Alfredo Morales combined for 184 starts. On the bright side, quarterback Patrick Mahomes does have eight returning receivers who have started at least one game.
• The "young team" label is still applicable for Texas, but the Longhorns do have the third-most returning experience at 230 starts. That’s in large part because they didn’t lose too much -- only six departing players had 20-plus career starts. Keep in mind, their impressive crop of freshmen last season combined for one-third of the 230 starts.
• Two units that must reload this offseason: West Virginia’s defense and Kansas State’s offense. They are the least experienced units in the conference. Only four returning West Virginia defenders have started more than one game. K-State’s number of returning starts on offense (75) might be slightly misleading, since leading rusher Charles Jones didn’t record a single start last season. But the Wildcats did lose 130 starts from their offensive line alone.
• One curious trend with this year’s numbers: No Big 12 team appears to have an overwhelmingly experienced defense. Iowa State leads with conference with 140 returning starts on defense. That number would have ranked fourth-best a year ago. I don’t know if that suggests we could see a slightly more wide-open Big 12 race or more points scored. Maybe it doesn’t mean much. We shall see.

Big 12 roundtable: On the field summer primer

• 
  Jake Trotter
  
  ESPN Staff Writer
  • Covers the Big 12
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2011
  • Graduate of Washington & Lee University
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• Brandon Chatmon
  
  
  Brandon Chatmon

In this week's Big 12 roundtable, we take a break from Big 12 expansion and get back to the field, examining some of the key issues in the league going into the summer:
What is the most important summer position battle?
Brandon Chatmon: Texas could be a quarterback away from battling for the Big 12 title so its summer quarterback derby is at the top of the list. If Shane Buechele can build upon his spring showing and become a bigger part of Texas’ plans in the summer that would be huge for Charlie Strong’s team. It’s a huge burden to put on the shoulders of a true freshman but if Buechele is “that guy” he will show it by handling the added pressure and attention that comes with being called the savior of the Longhorns’ offense.

Is true freshman QB Shane Buechele ready take the reins and lead the Longhorns offense? AP Photo/Eric GayJake Trotter: Yeah, it's the Texas quarterback battle. But I'll throw in the TCU quarterback battle as well. Most predicted that Kenny Hill would've won the job over Foster Sawyer coming out of the spring. Instead, Gary Patterson chose to carry the battle over into the fall. Can Hill live up to his potential? Or will Sawyer pull a position battle upset, the way Trevone Boykin did a couple of years ago?
Which Big 12 unit needs summer reinforcements the most?
Chatmon: While West Virginia should feel better about its secondary after solid springs from a few returning defensive backs including cornerback Nana Kyeremeh, the Mountaineers still need reinforcements to replace the production of NFL draft picks Karl Joseph, Daryl Worley and K.J. Dillon along with Terrell Chestnut. Junior college safety Kyzir White has the goods to help immediately while four cornerbacks -- Elijah Battle, Mike Daniels, Jake Long and Sean Mahone -- are expected to arrive before the season and amp up the competition on the outside.
Trotter: I think the Iowa State offensive line could use another body. The Oklahoma State running back corps could use a boost, too. Good thing for them, Barry J. Sanders is on the way.
Who is the player with the most to gain during the summer?
Chatmon: It’s all there for the taking for Sanders at Oklahoma State. The son of Cowboys’ Heisman winner Barry Sanders could step on campus and seize a starting role at running back with a strong summer. The Cowboys need a running game to balance the passing exploits of Mason Rudolph and big-play ability of James Washington. It’s the perfect combination of need and opportunity. Sanders just needs to accept the challenge.
Trotter: I'll go with Buechele. If he can demonstrate leadership skills over the summer despite being a true freshman, that could give Strong even more confidence to pull the trigger on naming him the starter for Week 1.

Big 12 'Stats and Trends': Defensive efficiency

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May 11, 2016

• 
  Brandon ChatmonESPN Staff Writer
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  • Covers the Big 12
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2011
  • Attended the University of Colorado
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The offseason is a good time to step back and take a look at the bigger picture.
Which Big 12 teams are efficient on offense and defense, excel on third down and consistently create turnovers? Those are just a few of the questions we’ll aim to answer during this weekly offseason series called "Stats and Trends." In this series we’re looking to expose the programs that build themselves upon certain long-term traits as opposed to riding one or two elite players to short-term excellence.
Today, we continue the series by looking at which teams are consistently efficient on defense by taking a closer look at points per drive allowed. (All stats are in Big 12 games only since TCU and West Virginia joined the conference in 2012 via ESPN Stats and Information.)
1. TCU, 1.61: Four seasons in the Big 12 and TCU has cemented a spot as the Big 12’s top defense. Gary Patterson’s team has held opponents without a first down or touchdown on 39.7 percent of drives since joining the conference. While the offense has been up-and-down during the four years, the defense has constantly provided a foundation to build upon even as stars and key contributors come and go.
2. Oklahoma, 1.71: The Sooners returned to their strong tradition of defense in 2015, leading the conference at 1.39 points per drive allowed on their way to another Big 12 title. Oklahoma has been particularly good against the pass, allowing a Big 12-low 6.77 passing yards per attempt during this span.
3. Oklahoma State, 1.87: The Cowboys earned a spot among the Big 12’s best defenses despite facing a conference-high 2,888 plays during this span. Oklahoma State didn’t land atop the conference in any of the major categories but consistently sits among the top half of the conference and led the Big 12 with 367 opponent run plays that ended with zero or negative yardage.
4. Texas, 1.88: The Longhorns were the Big 12’s top pass rushing defense with 112 sacks, 19 more than second-place Oklahoma and 37 more than the conference average of 75. Texas is second since Charlie Strong’s arrival with its 1.65 points per drive allowed (tied with Oklahoma) and 0.02 behind first-place TCU. As Strong continues to add his guys to the unit, Texas could continue to rise up this list.



5. Kansas State, 2.03: The Wildcats earned their spot by forcing turnovers, ranking second in the Big 12 with 76 takeaways during this span. K-State recovered 29 fumbles and grabbed 47 interceptions, ranking second in both categories, to help the Wildcats post an eye-popping 29 turnover margin. Baylor, at 14, was second in turnover margin.
6. Baylor, 2.04: The Bears run defense has been stout, allowing 3.88 yards per carry during this span but their opponent redzone touchdown percentage (72.7, ninth) left plenty to be desired. Baylor also left some opportunities on the field as it forced a Big 12-best 41 fumbles yet only recovered 26 fumbles.
7. West Virginia, 2.17: The Mountaineers rank fourth in this category (1.68) during the past two seasons with Tony Gibson running the defense, sitting ahead of Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma State. West Virginia’s 5.33 yards per play during the past two seasons is third in the Big 12 ahead of TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma State.
8. Iowa State, 2.46: The Cyclones allowed opponents to average 36.3 yards per drive, the worst average in the conference. Iowa State was particularly poor on third down, allowing 43.1 percent of attempts to be converted. New coach Matt Campbell has plenty to work on with Year 1 looming.
9. Kansas, 2.7: The Jayhawks allowed 8.28 passing yards per attempt and 5.33 rushing yards per attempts to rank last in both categories. One bright spot was Kansas’ 13 takeaways in the red zone but the Jayhawks were in the bottom third in most major categories.
10. Texas Tech, 2.73: Landing at the bottom of the Big 12 speaks volumes for how strong the Red Raiders offense has performed to win 27 games while also underlining the obstacle that stands between Texas Tech and a Big 12 title. It’s staggering to think Tech has allowed almost a field goal per drive for four years. The fact the Red Raiders had four different defensive coordinators during this span probably didn’t help matters.

Oklahoma gets fired up after a loss.

*The Sooners are 26-0 straight up in the regular season in games after
a loss since 2003.

Last season, after a 24-17 loss to Texas (only regular season loss) they
come back the following game and beat Kansas State 55-0.

How many sexual assaults does Baylor return this fall? Or better yet how many recruits does Briles have coming in with sexual assaults on their record?

cloverleaf said:

Oklahoma gets fired up after a loss.

*The Sooners are 26-0 straight up in the regular season in games after
a loss since 2003.

Last season, after a 24-17 loss to Texas (only regular season loss) they
come back the following game and beat Kansas State 55-0.

Click to expand...

Clover, I used to have a list of the coaches with the best and worst records after a loss. I'll look it up and see if I can find it. But it's a few years old..

jblonghorn said:

How many sexual assaults does Baylor return this fall? Or better yet how many recruits does Briles have coming in with sexual assaults on their record?

Click to expand...

I saw in another forum where they started a sexual assault Megathread on Baylor because there were too many players to list individually...ha! You wonder with all of the cheating and other things going on in Waco how long Briles has before it all catches up with him. So far Baylor and Ole Miss are like Teflon to the NCAA.

The problems are mounting up at Baylor. To the point I think Briles job is on the line. Especially if Baylor continues to cover this up and not cooperate with the commission on all of these rape and assault incidents...Too many to count

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_...-violence-allegations-baylor-football-players

Texas Tech quarterback Davis Webb is transferring to California. The 6-5, 220 pound
graduate transfer passed for 5.557 yards and 46 touchdowns during his time with the
Red Raiders. Webb figures to have a good shot at starting for the Bears with Jared
Goff headed to the NFL. Goff was the No. 1 player taken in the draft. Webb is considered
a very smart QB with a strong arm and quick release. Worth keeping an eye on.

GoSooners said:

The problems are mounting up at Baylor. To the point I think Briles job is on the line. Especially if Baylor continues to cover this up and not cooperate with the commission on all of these rape and assault incidents...Too many to count

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_...-violence-allegations-baylor-football-players

Click to expand...

Baylor will do all they can to stay relevant. They've been nobody for so long that enough people will try and stay quiet to keep this from escalating. In all reality, the AD and coach should be gone.

RunLeeRun said:

Baylor will do all they can to stay relevant. They've been nobody for so long that enough people will try and stay quiet to keep this from escalating. In all reality, the AD and coach should be gone.

Click to expand...

It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out, especially if Baylor keeps refusing to cooperate. I hope the NCAA comes in and gets them for lack of institutional control. But so far everybody is turning a blind eye except the media. Ken Star is one powerful man with a great legal team. So it's not going to be easy if the NCAA gets involved...The Fort Worth Star Telegram laid into Briles today. http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/the-big-mac-blog/article78523607.html

GoSooners said:

It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out, especially if Baylor keeps refusing to cooperate. I hope the NCAA comes in and gets them for lack of institutional control. But so far everybody is turning a blind eye except the media. Ken Star is one powerful man with a great legal team. So it's not going to be easy if the NCAA gets involved...The Fort Worth Star Telegram laid into Briles today. http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/the-big-mac-blog/article78523607.html

Click to expand...

Such short memories in Waco. 2003 wasn't that long ago...makes you wonder about that place.

You know who might like to get to the bottom of this? UT. Getting Baylor out of the way will make their return a lot easier.

RunLeeRun said:

You know who might like to get to the bottom of this? UT. Getting Baylor out of the way will make their return a lot easier.

Click to expand...

SMU won too many games back in the 70's, so UT started digging up some dirt. Everybody was cheating in the SWC back then, but SMU was barely pretending to hide it. When your in the same conference as Texass, there's a fine line between winning and winning too much. Baylor has crossed that line. The big problem with Baylor is they are acting just like SMU did. They think they are untouchable, and they're very wrong. Another problem is OU doesn't like them either because they are stealing their recruits. I have a feeling one of these days everything is going to come crashing down in Waco. It could be a year from now or 5 years from now. But it will happen if they keep getting the better of Texas and OU. Especially if your cheating to do it. Texas and OU probably run the cleanest programs that they have in their history (I think). So they aren't going to put up with Briles antics much longer..

GoSooners said:

SMU won too many games back in the 70's, so UT started digging up some dirt. Everybody was cheating in the SWC back then, but SMU was barely pretending to hide it. When your in the same conference as Texass, there's a fine line between winning and winning too much. Baylor has crossed that line. The big problem with Baylor is they are acting just like SMU did. They think they are untouchable, and they're very wrong. Another problem is OU doesn't like them either because they are stealing their recruits. I have a feeling one of these days everything is going to come crashing down in Waco. It could be a year from now or 5 years from now. But it will happen if they keep getting the better of Texas and OU. Especially if your cheating to do it. Texas and OU probably run the cleanest programs that they have in their history (I think). So they aren't going to put up with Briles antics much longer..

Click to expand...

I remember the Eric Dickerson era at SMU well ....(79-82). He was one helluva running back who was offered "bribe" money (cash) from several schools
with $MU winning the bidding. He ended-up playing for the LA Rams and is now in the NFL Hall of Fame. I can see why the Longhorns were up-set when they lose these top recruits like Dickerson to the likes of an SMU....DFW money looms big. We all know the "gang" in Austin has been known to be sore-losers from time to time in their World of college football......on and off the playing field......

GoSooners said:

SMU won too many games back in the 70's, so UT started digging up some dirt. Everybody was cheating in the SWC back then, but SMU was barely pretending to hide it. When your in the same conference as Texass, there's a fine line between winning and winning too much. Baylor has crossed that line. The big problem with Baylor is they are acting just like SMU did. They think they are untouchable, and they're very wrong. Another problem is OU doesn't like them either because they are stealing their recruits. I have a feeling one of these days everything is going to come crashing down in Waco. It could be a year from now or 5 years from now. But it will happen if they keep getting the better of Texas and OU. Especially if your cheating to do it. Texas and OU probably run the cleanest programs that they have in their history (I think). So they aren't going to put up with Briles antics much longer..

Click to expand...

Kenneth Star as AD, Bill Clinton as first man.....see where Im going with this?

RunLeeRun said:

Kenneth Star as AD, Bill Clinton as first man.....see where Im going with this?

Click to expand...

Yep

Old SWC Rivalry

September 10 Arkansas will play TCU in one of two Big 12 - SEC regular season meetings (the
other is Missouri - West Virginia), and it comes between teams who were old rivals in the old
Southwest Conference. This will be the 69th meeting in the series but the first since 1991, which
was Arkansas' last season in the SWC. Arkansas won 30 of the final 33 games. The revival
of this old series should be an early season head knocker for both teams.

Kansas State - Jerry Kill, the longtime coach who resigned from his job at Minnesota
last fall for health issues has joined the Kansas State staff. Kill will serve as associate
athletic director and chief administrator for the football program. Good coach and
glad to see him back in college football.

Who said one sided rivalry.....................

.........Oklahoma is 73-5-2 straight up against Iowa State.......

....93.7 percent.