Blogger Media Days

San Antonio bid adieu to a bunch of journalists and Big 12 football coaches and players today as the Big 12 media days wrapped up. Before I begin my coverage, I should note a couple other Big 12 blogs that have also noticed something is happening in San Anton...

AJ the HuskerH8er--He hates the Huskers first and loves Missouri second

BearMeat--These Baylor fans realize they probably won't win the conference this year, so they make the best of it...by noticing they have a quarterback whose last name is Weed.

AJ takes note of the hard-hitting journalism on display in San Antonio by noting that some Nebraska journalists asked Missouri players about Chase Daniel picking his boogers...



...and eating them. Wow, I'm sure that will be vital to Nebraska Big 12 coverage.

Anyway, the Prince and His Court made their appearance today. Prince's comments didn't consist of a lot more than typical offseason coach-speak. He did note that he expects to be back in San Antonio on December 1 to play for the conference title. Like the attitude, waiting to see the results (in person, since it's San Anton).

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Now that the 'official' media days are over, I'm going to continue my preseason coverage. On Monday I brought you my predictions for conference finish; today, you shall find out who I predict (and therefore, will be) the best offensive and defensive player, as well as the best offensive and defensive units.

Offensive Player of the Year: Bobby Reid, Oklahoma State
I'm high on Okie State this year. No doubt about that. Reid is a threat running and passing. He can hand off or pitch out to Dantrell Savage. And he can throw to Adarius Bowman, also a contender for top offensive player. Not to mention Mike Gundy runs an offense designed to garner big numbers for the quarterback. The only drawback is he has to play OU, UT and A&M this year, not to mention a trip to Lincoln and a visit from K-State's defense.

Defensive Player of the Year: Ian Campbell, K-State
OK, I admit it, I'm a homer. There are a lot of good defensive players in the Big 12, and a defensive end is not the most glamorous position. Still, Campbell was second in the conference in sacks and first in tackles for loss. The Houston Chronicle named him its defensive player of the year.

Best Team Offense: Oklahoma State
There are a lot of teams contending for this spot. Texas has weapons everywhere, but lost quite a few good offensive linemen. Oklahoma has to find a new quarterback. Texas A&M seems to have a lot, too, but I'm a little suspicious of McGee's offseason surgery (K-Staters saw what shoulder surgery can do to a QB last year in Dylan Meier).

In the end, for me, this ended up being a two-team race between Mizzou and Oklahoma State. The Tigers have Chase Daniel at QB (3527 yards, 28 TDs, 10 INTs), Martin Rucker--Chase Coffman--Will Franklin receiving passes(combined 1978 yards, 20 TDs) and Tony Temple at RB (1063 yards, 7 TDs). The Pokes have Bobby Reid at QB (2466 yards passing, 24 passing TDs, 11 INTs, 500 rushing yards and 5 rushing TDs), Adarius Bowman split wide (1181 yards, 12 TDs), and Dantrell Savage and Keith Toston toting the rock (1451 yards, 14 TDs).

The offensive lines are approximately a wash, so the deciding factor for me was the offensive balance. Mizzou relies very heavily on the pass, whereas Okie State isn't afraid to run the ball. Thus, it should be more difficult for Big 12 defenses to take away the Cowboys' entire offensive game, although Temple could keep defenses honest.

Best Team Defense: Oklahoma
This is really nothing more than a hunch. Actually, the Sooners lost quite a bit from last year, but they did have the best defense in the conference last year. The defensive line doesn't return much experience, but has some new faces with solid credentials (including Gerald McCoy, Cory Bennett and Jeremy Beal). A decent linebacking corp comes next, followed by what I consider the best secondary in the Big 12. Having lockdown guys like Marcus Walker, Reggie Smith and Nic Harris back there will help the front group get up to speed. Having Brent Venables and Bob Stoops puts them over the top.

That does it for today's predictions. Tomorrow I'll get in to listing my top units at each group of positions. Keep checking in with Burnt Orange Nation for the Big 12 bloggers compiled results.