http://www.si.com/college-football/...football-preview-baylor-bear-tcu-horned-frogs
Someone was always going to be left out. That's the nature of five power conferences and four College Football Playoff bids. It still didn't make it easier to swallow for the Big 12, when TCU, ranked No. 3 in the penultimate playoff rankings, and Baylor, the victor of its meeting with the Horned Frogs, were both shut out of the inaugural playoff.
The wound likely won't heal until a Big 12 team makes the playoff, something that could very likely happen this season. With the Bears and Horned Frogs both expected to open the season ranked among the top teams in the country, there's a strong possibility the Big 12 could place one, or even two, teams in this year's playoff field. (After all, despite last year's snub, no conference was closer to getting multiple playoff bids than the Big 12.) Will Baylor and/or TCU be able to clear the hurdle of not having a conference title game this time? An undefeated season would certainly help.
Behind them, the old powerhouses of the conference both seek to rise back up to the top tier. Oklahoma completely overhauled its coaching staff, with the exception of head coach Bob Stoops, while Texas enters Year Two of Charlie Strong's total program overhaul. After a 5–1 start to last season, Oklahoma State collapsed in the second half of the campaign before rallying to a win in Bedlam over Oklahoma. With a beneficial schedule and much more returning experience, the Cowboys will seek to capitalize.
Projected 2015 Big 12 standings
TEAM Record TEAM RECORD
Baylor 11–1 (8–1) 
TTU 7–5 (5–4)
TCU 10–2 (7–2) 
Kansas St. 7–5 (4–5)
Okla. State 9–3 (6–3) 
West Va. 6–6 (4–5)
Oklahoma 8–4 (5–4) 
Iowa State 3–9 (1–8)
Texas 7–5 (5–4) 
Kansas 1–11 (0–9)
West Virginia at TCU (Oct. 29)
The Mountaineers are down, but they have a history of giving TCU fits, taking the Horned Frogs to overtime in 2012 and ’13. West Virginia lost a nailbiter last year, 31–30, in Morgantown, and will certainly remember it. Spoiling TCU’s ’15 chances at the playoff could be the perfect revenge.
Five key questions
1. Will there really be one true champion, and will that team make the playoff?
We already know there’s not going to be an official conference title game, so mark your calendar for Nov. 27, when Baylor travels to TCU, as the date of the unofficial version. Then get ready for the politicking, as Art Briles and Gary Patterson state their case for the final four. If the Big 12 is left out again, all hell might break loose in the Lonestar State.
2. Can things fall back together at Oklahoma?
It looked like the program was beginning to fray in Norman last season, but Stoops changed up his staff, including the addition of new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley and his Air Raid attack. The Sooners still need to decide on a quarterback (returner Trevor Knight and Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield are the leading candidates, but sophomore Cody Thomas is in the mix, too), but if they can figure that part out, the offense should be loaded with running back Samaje Perine and wide receiver Sterling Shepard. Oklahoma is always going to have talent on defense, and mixing fronts this year should help showcase that.
3. How will TCU handle being the Hunted Frogs instead of just the Horned Frogs?
Life is different when you’re the favorite, as Gary Patterson & Co. know well. Coming off of a 4–8 campaign in 2013, the Frogs drew little preseason, and by the time they were rolling, they were playoff contenders.
With TCU the popular pick to win the conference this year, Patterson’s favorite phrase has become, “Last year was about proving people wrong. This year it’s about proving them right.”
4. Can Texas win without a star quarterback?
Answer: We’ll see. Junior Tyrone Swoopes, last year’s starter, and redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard will compete for the starting spot, but neither of them seems to be a superstar in waiting. The Longhorns need improvement from their signal caller, especially as they transition to an up-tempo spread attack this year.
5. How will Kansas State and Bill Snyder surprise this year?
It seems that every season in which the college football world dismisses the Wildcats, Snyder works some wizardry and has them in the thick of the conference race. The Wildcats have to replace a lot this fall, including quarterback Jake Waters and all-purpose superstar Tyler Lockett, but we should know by now not to forget about them entirely.
Someone was always going to be left out. That's the nature of five power conferences and four College Football Playoff bids. It still didn't make it easier to swallow for the Big 12, when TCU, ranked No. 3 in the penultimate playoff rankings, and Baylor, the victor of its meeting with the Horned Frogs, were both shut out of the inaugural playoff.
The wound likely won't heal until a Big 12 team makes the playoff, something that could very likely happen this season. With the Bears and Horned Frogs both expected to open the season ranked among the top teams in the country, there's a strong possibility the Big 12 could place one, or even two, teams in this year's playoff field. (After all, despite last year's snub, no conference was closer to getting multiple playoff bids than the Big 12.) Will Baylor and/or TCU be able to clear the hurdle of not having a conference title game this time? An undefeated season would certainly help.
Behind them, the old powerhouses of the conference both seek to rise back up to the top tier. Oklahoma completely overhauled its coaching staff, with the exception of head coach Bob Stoops, while Texas enters Year Two of Charlie Strong's total program overhaul. After a 5–1 start to last season, Oklahoma State collapsed in the second half of the campaign before rallying to a win in Bedlam over Oklahoma. With a beneficial schedule and much more returning experience, the Cowboys will seek to capitalize.
Projected 2015 Big 12 standings
TEAM Record TEAM RECORD
Baylor 11–1 (8–1) TTU 7–5 (5–4)TCU 10–2 (7–2) Kansas St. 7–5 (4–5)Okla. State 9–3 (6–3) West Va. 6–6 (4–5)Oklahoma 8–4 (5–4) Iowa State 3–9 (1–8)Texas 7–5 (5–4) Kansas 1–11 (0–9)West Virginia at TCU (Oct. 29)
The Mountaineers are down, but they have a history of giving TCU fits, taking the Horned Frogs to overtime in 2012 and ’13. West Virginia lost a nailbiter last year, 31–30, in Morgantown, and will certainly remember it. Spoiling TCU’s ’15 chances at the playoff could be the perfect revenge.
Five key questions
1. Will there really be one true champion, and will that team make the playoff?
We already know there’s not going to be an official conference title game, so mark your calendar for Nov. 27, when Baylor travels to TCU, as the date of the unofficial version. Then get ready for the politicking, as Art Briles and Gary Patterson state their case for the final four. If the Big 12 is left out again, all hell might break loose in the Lonestar State.
2. Can things fall back together at Oklahoma?
It looked like the program was beginning to fray in Norman last season, but Stoops changed up his staff, including the addition of new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley and his Air Raid attack. The Sooners still need to decide on a quarterback (returner Trevor Knight and Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield are the leading candidates, but sophomore Cody Thomas is in the mix, too), but if they can figure that part out, the offense should be loaded with running back Samaje Perine and wide receiver Sterling Shepard. Oklahoma is always going to have talent on defense, and mixing fronts this year should help showcase that.
3. How will TCU handle being the Hunted Frogs instead of just the Horned Frogs?
Life is different when you’re the favorite, as Gary Patterson & Co. know well. Coming off of a 4–8 campaign in 2013, the Frogs drew little preseason, and by the time they were rolling, they were playoff contenders.
With TCU the popular pick to win the conference this year, Patterson’s favorite phrase has become, “Last year was about proving people wrong. This year it’s about proving them right.”
4. Can Texas win without a star quarterback?
Answer: We’ll see. Junior Tyrone Swoopes, last year’s starter, and redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard will compete for the starting spot, but neither of them seems to be a superstar in waiting. The Longhorns need improvement from their signal caller, especially as they transition to an up-tempo spread attack this year.
5. How will Kansas State and Bill Snyder surprise this year?
It seems that every season in which the college football world dismisses the Wildcats, Snyder works some wizardry and has them in the thick of the conference race. The Wildcats have to replace a lot this fall, including quarterback Jake Waters and all-purpose superstar Tyler Lockett, but we should know by now not to forget about them entirely.
