{"id":3096,"date":"2016-08-28T11:39:24","date_gmt":"2016-08-28T16:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=3096"},"modified":"2016-09-19T23:42:01","modified_gmt":"2016-09-20T04:42:01","slug":"big-twelve-preview-sooners-cowboys-horned-frogs-and-bears-will-battle-it-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=3096","title":{"rendered":"Big Twelve Preview: Sooners, Cowboys, Horned Frogs and Bears will battle it out"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u00a0OU and TCU in dead heat with OSU and Baylor on their heels<\/h3>\n

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Most prognosticators like Oklahoma to win the Big Twelve this season in football, with Texas Christian a possible surprise to break through and upend the Sooners for the title.\u00a0 Oklahoma State and Baylor, both having loaded offenses, are considered outside contenders, but strong enough teams to warrant consideration.\u00a0 I tend to see it that way, giving each of these four schools a chance to bring home the hardware in 2016.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Oklahoma State Cowboys<\/span><\/h2>\n

Head Coach:\u00a0 Mike Gundy\u00a0 12th Season\u00a0\u00a0 (94-47)<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Can the Pokes run the ball?\u00a0 Does the offensive line get better?\u00a0 Can a feature back emerge?\u00a0 Can Glenn Spencer get his defenders to play better?\u00a0 Plenty of question marks in Stillwater but if those questions can be answered in the positive look for Oklahoma State to have another productive and successful season in 2016.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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On offense, OSU will be effective, but if they can get a running game to go along with Mason Rudolph\u2019s passing and James Washington and his fellow pass catchers successes, the Pokes can be special in moving the ball and spinning the scoreboard.\u00a0 Only time will tell if Mike Gundy\u2019s team will have to outscore opponents like Oklahoma and Baylor.\u00a0 The defense must be better if this team wants to get past just making a major bowl.\u00a0 Ole Miss pointed that out last year in the Sugar Bowl.\u00a0 Glenn Spencer knows what it will take to become a better than just average team on that side of the ball and the Poke defensive coordinator knows that the difference in winning might mean just one or two additional stops.\u00a0 The Cowboy defense will again have speed and experience and should be better than last season.<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

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A home game in week\u00a0two against Pittsburg and a road test at Baylor the following Saturday will tell us how much better the defense will be.\u00a0Road tests at TCU and OU in the final two games will be tough.\u00a0 Making a New Year\u2019s Day bowl will be\u00a0a challenge but it can be accomplished.\u00a0 OSU cannot be counted out against anyone but the three other like teams in the league won\u2019t be easy as they are all on the road.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Offense Grade:\u00a0 B<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Defense Grade: C<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Special Teams Grade: A<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Games OSU will win:\u00a0 Southeastern La., Central Michigan, Iowa State, Kansas<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Games OSU should win:\u00a0 Pittsburgh, Texas, West Virginia, Kansas State, Texas Tech<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Games OSU can win:\u00a0 Oklahoma, TCU, Baylor<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Prediction:\u00a0 9-3\u00a0 and 6-3 in conference<\/span><\/h4>\n

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\"ncaaf-Oklahoma-State-cowboys-cheerleaders\"<\/a>
Photo Credit: http:\/\/www.sportbet.com\/news\/ncaaf\/cactus-bowl-online-odds-oklahoma-state-cowboys-vs-washington-huskies\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Baylor Bears<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Acting Head Coach:\u00a0 Jim Grobe\u00a0 19th Season\u00a0 (110-115-1;\u00a0 0-0 at Baylor)<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

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Art Briles is gone, history.\u00a0 The 2016 recruiting season was a disaster, not good.\u00a0 Jim Grobe is acting head coach and that is not the best of news. No, plenty of negatives on the campus at Waco.\u00a0 But the players that were expected to play in 2016 are back, the entire staff of assistants are coaching, and the expectations for the Bears should be high, very high.\u00a0 This team will be good, very good even if the long range outlook is not.\u00a0 Baylor will be in the hunt and the other coaches in the league know that the Baylor game will be a bitch (no pun intended).<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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Seth Russell will be the trigger on another high explosive offense.\u00a0 The senior is well and ready to impose his will on the defenses that have to stop the Bears.\u00a0 Johnny Jefferson and Shock Linwood are the best two runners south of Norman in the conference and are Sunday players after their departure from the Brazos.\u00a0 Don\u2019t expect much of a drop-off at receiver as KD Cannon and company will be tough covers.\u00a0Cannon has 20 career starts and is only a junior.\u00a0The offensive line will be big and strong and will good experience.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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The defense will good if the Bears can find a corner on one side of the field.\u00a0\u00a0 Better than last year.\u00a0 Aiavion Edwards at the linebacker, \u00a0they have that one stopper than can deliver the wood. I like what Defensive Coordinator Coach Phil Bennett brings into 2016.\u00a0 This will be one of his best defensive team in his six years at Baylor.<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Offense Grade:\u00a0 A<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Defense Grade:\u00a0 B+<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Special Teams:\u00a0 B<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Game Baylor will win:\u00a0 Northwestern State, SMU, Rice, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Games Baylor should win:\u00a0 Texas, West Virginia, Texas Tech <\/span><\/h4>\n

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Toss Up games:\u00a0 TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma State<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Prediction:\u00a0 10-2\u00a0 and 7-2 in conference play<\/span><\/h4>\n

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\"baylor-bears-cheerleader-2013\"<\/a>
Photo Credit: http:\/\/gamedayr.com\/sports\/hot-baylor-bears-cheerleader-photo-942013\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Texas Christian Horned Frogs<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Head Coach:\u00a0 Gary Patterson\u00a0\u00a0 16th season\u00a0 (143-47)<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

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If the Frogs can beat Oklahoma in Fort Worth watch out.\u00a0 This could be the season that TCU has been looking for since Gary Patterson came to the campus on the southwest side of Metroplex some sixteen years ago.\u00a0 Finding a quarterback (Kenny Hill, transfer from aTm) is a big deal for this team and\u00a0Hill should be the guy to lead them to the water pf victory.\u00a0 A schedule that will be challenging but one that is good enough to bring success starts<\/span> with a home contest with Arkansas followed two weeks later with OU.\u00a0 Win those two and the Frogs are on their way. <\/span><\/strong>Getting Oklahoma State at home doesn\u2019t hurt and a trip to Baylor could be a trip up contest.\u00a0 Expect the Frogs to contend in 2016 but go undefeated in conference will also be a chore.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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The defense is always\u00a0 good and expect Patterson to put a better than average group on the field. If the injury bug doesn\u2019t wreck them like last year, the numbers and experience gained in 2015 make the Frogs strong both on the line and in the secondary. James McFarland (6\u20192\u00a0 250) is an all-league linebacker.\u00a0 With Kenny Hill taking snaps, TCU will be explosive on offense if their young line comes through.\u00a0 I expect it will.\u00a0<\/strong> <\/span><\/h4>\n

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Offensive Grade:\u00a0 B+<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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Defense Grade: A<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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Special Teams Grade: B<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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Games TCU will win:\u00a0 South Dakota State, Iowa State, SMU, Kansas State, Kansas<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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Games TCU should win:\u00a0 Texas Tech, Texas, West Virginia, Arkansas<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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Toss Up games:\u00a0 Oklahoma, Baylor, Oklahoma State<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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Prediction:\u00a0 11-1 and 8-1 in Conference\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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\"hot-tcu-cheerleaders\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Oklahoma Sooners<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Head Coach Bob Stoops\u00a0\u00a0 18th season (179-46)<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

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Not the best Stoops team ever but at certain positions this Sooner team has a look of quality that says we can win any game we play.\u00a0 Baker Mayfield is the key, specifically his health.\u00a0 If Mayfield can get through this season without any major injury or concussion, OU will score on anyone, and will be the top dog in the conference and the national play yard.\u00a0 The running backs and pass catchers are top notch and the offensive line will be better than in 2015.\u00a0 On defense, the secondary might be the best in the country and with enough returning linebackers and down linemen. OU will have the best stoppers they have had in many a fall in Norman.\u00a0 With that, for OU to run the table will be almost impossible, with teams like Houston, Ohio State, TCU, Oklahoma State and Baylor major tests.\u00a0 That said, OU, on paper, is the pick\u00a0to win it but not be unblemished.<\/strong>\u00a0 Look for TCU to win in Fort Worth in Game four.<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Offense Grade: A<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Defense Grade: A-<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Special Teams Grade: A-<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Games OU will win:\u00a0 La. Monroe, Kansas State, Kansas, Iowa State<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Games OU should win:\u00a0 all the rest but TCU and Baylor, Oklahoma State and Ohio State<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Toss up:\u00a0 TCU, Baylor, \u00a0Oklahoma State and Ohio State<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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Prediction:\u00a0 11-\u00a01 and 8-1 in conference\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

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\"oklahoma-sooners-cheerleaders-2012-20\"<\/a>
Photo Credit: http:\/\/coed.com\/2012\/08\/11\/oklahoma-sooners-cheerleaders-2012-photos\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u00a0OU and TCU in dead heat with OSU and Baylor on their heels \u00a0 Most…<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11],"tags":[172,144,361,869,31,127,617,15,77,376,393,871,351,705,867,868,870,64,63,349,16,169,165,865,344,866,253,128],"class_list":["post-3096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-football","category-college-sports","tag-arkansas-razorbacks","tag-art-briles","tag-atm","tag-avainon-edwards","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-baylor-bears","tag-big-twelve-conference","tag-bob-stoops","tag-gary-patterson","tag-glenn-spencer","tag-houston-cougars","tag-james-mcfarland","tag-james-washington","tag-jim-grobe","tag-johnny-jefferson","tag-kd-cannon","tag-kinney-hill","tag-mason-rudolph","tag-mike-gundy","tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","tag-oklahoma-sooners","tag-oklahoma-state-cowboys","tag-ole-miss","tag-phil-bennett","tag-pittsburgh-panthers","tag-shock-linwood","tag-sugar-bowl","tag-texas-christian-horned-frogs"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":272,"today_views":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3096"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3112,"href":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3096\/revisions\/3112"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}