Big 12 Football is almost here and the power rankings are taking shape.
Are the Oklahoma Sooners the favorites?
Where are the Texas Longhorns?
Which teams are dark horses to win the Big 12 Conference?
Can Oklahoma State keep their defense at an elite level?
Back to 12 Podcast host RC Maxfield gives his 2022 preseason Big 12 power rankings and some of them might surprise you.
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RC’s Big 12 Preseason Power Rankings
1. Oklahoma – The loss of Lincoln Riley will be interesting to see. Brent Venables replaces him and I think that helps the defense right away. Jeff Lobby is the new OC and Dillon Gabriel (UCF Transfer) is now the QB. Obviously the talent is there, so OU should be the preseason #1 in the power rankings
2. Oklahoma State – defense wass legit last season and ranked 3rd nationally, can that continue under Mason the DC
3. Baylor – This is my pick to win the conference, I think Dave Aranda is the real deal and albeit in a limited sample size, I think Blake Shapen is too
4. Texas (This is a 4A and 4B type ranking with Kansas State. Texas has more talent, but K-State is better coached. Which will prevail? I give the edge slightly to UT with Sark and Quinn Ewers but mostly Bijain and his explosiveness)
5. K-State – This is my dark horse team to win the Big12, only reason I don’t have them higher is because I question Taylor Martinez health history and his he can play 12 games. Vaughn is legit at RB and their defense will muck up a game
6. Iowa State – How does Dekker perform and how replaces Breece Hall at RB? The defense will be good, but will the offense be?
7. Texas Tech – This is betting on the overall talent and experience on the roster. Tech has a older secondary and one of the more underrated DC’s in Tim DeRuyter in the country. Everyone will talk about Zach Kittley and Tyler Shough for the Texas Tech offense, but the RB room is one of the deepest and most proven in the Big 12
8. TCU – Last season, TCU was ranked 110th in the country in total defense. Last year was a weird year for the horned frogs, but I’m not sure how much they improve defensively. Joe Gillespie from Tulsa was a good hire, but does it translate right away? I’m skeptical
9. West Virgina – JT and Graham have to be the saviors for this team it feels like. They lost a lot of talent on defense to the portal. This feels like the offense will need to carry the Mountaineers and I’m not sure even if Daniels is good it will matter
10. Kansas – they return their backfield in Daniels and Neal as well as some key playmakers on defense. The depth and playmakers just aren’t there. I like what they are doing, but it takes some time to get back
RC’s Big 12 Record Predictions
1. Baylor (10-2): SO QB Blake Shapen is the real deal and Dave Aranda is a defensive wizard
2. Oklahoma (9-3): The defense will be great under Veneables, but what does the offense look like
3. Oklahoma State (9-3): Boy was I wrong about Spencer Sanders. He’s a really solid QB in the Big 12. How does the Cowboys defense look going from Knowles to Mason?
4. Kansas State (8-4): This is my dark horse team to win the conference. I like the combo of Martinez and Vaughn in the backfield and the Wildcats defense is always stingy.
5. Texas (8-4): I refuse to be apart of the media that continues to rank Texas too high when they haven’t really proved anything. Lots of questions for the Longhorns with a lot of talent as well. If Texas goes to the Top of the Big 12, I’ll give them credit, but until they do, they are in Tier 2 of the Big 12.
6. Iowa State (7-5): This is all because of Matt Campbell. I’m not sure there is a coach in America that has done more with less than him. Sure they’ve had some extremely talented players, but I’m betting on Matt Campbell to kelp this team bowl eligible without Brock Purdy.
7. Texas Tech (6-6): lots of questions in Lubbock, but I think the coordinator hires shouldn’t go without saying, Joey McGuire got two great ones. Kittley is one of the best offensive minds in CFB and DeRuyter has improved every defense he’s been a part of.
8. TCU (6-6): I like the direction that Sonny Dykes is going. TCU has talent, but much like Texas Tech, it’s hard to win a lot of games in the first year for a head coach. 6-6 seems more than fair with the talent TCU has brought in and kept
9. 9 -West Virginia (4-8): They may have landed Graham Harrell and JT Daniels, but that schedule is ROUGH. Pitt, Va Tech, UT, Tech, ISU and Ok St on the road. Yikes, I think they improve in some categories, but I think this is it for Neal Brown in Morgantown.
10 – Kansas (1-11): This seems rough, but outside of their Week 1 matchup vs. Tennessee Tech, Kansas likely won’t be favored in a game all year. Sure, they could upset a team like they did in Austin, but I don’t think it’s likely. Crazy part is, I think the program is improving, but another rough year is in store for Jayhawk fans on the gridiron
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