Yes, I still follow the Big 12. I am about to marry a Kansas State fan, after all. Anybody other than Kansas winning the conference (again) would be stunning. And I’d be surprised if the Jayhawks don’t win the rather mediocre league by three or more games:
KANSAS (28-3, 16-2): Best roster, best coach … Jayhawks should cruise to their ninth consecutive conference title.
KANSAS STATE (23-8, 12-6): It’s quite possible Frank Martin leaving might make this team better. Screaming and tantrums aren’t effective with most players.
OKLAHOMA STATE (21-9, 11-7): The Cowboys have the talent to push Kansas, but they really needed to win Saturday’s conference-opener to make a statement.
BAYLOR (20-12, 10-8): Ton of talent … and next to no coaching. Another year of expectations and underwhelming results.
OKLAHOMA (19-11, 10-8): West Virginia is down, but the Sooners’ win in Morgantown on Saturday was critical.
IOWA STATE (20-11, 10-8): Somewhere, Royce White longs for the long bus drives across the Midwest.
TEXAS (16-14, 9-9): Longhorns might have contended with a full conference season of Myck Kabongo.
WEST VIRGINIA (14-17, 7-11): As bad a team as Bob Huggins has had in a long time.
TEXAS TECH (10-19, 3-15): The Red Raiders and TCU should join the WAC, where they might finish .500.
TCU (11-20, 2-16): Awful, just awful. Two wins might be a stretch.