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Big 12 Preview
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Stewart Mandel's Projected Standings
(Projected overall record in parentheses)
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North Division
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1
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Missouri
6-2 (9-2)
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QB Brad Smith is phenomenal, but it's the Tigers' experienced defense that could lead to a breakthrough.
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2
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Kansas State
5-3 (8-3)
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Coming off their first conference title since 1934, the Wildcats will go as far as Darren Sproles' feet take them.
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3
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Nebraska
4-4 (7-4)
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The Huskers could struggle offensively as they undergo their most radical makeover in more than 30 years.
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4
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Colorado
2-6 (4-7)
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Even before its damaging scandal, CU was faced with a mediocre run game and defense. There's no room for error.
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5
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Kansas
2-6 (3-8)
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The Jayhawks won six games last fall, but this year's schedule swaps Baylor and A&M for Oklahoma and Texas.
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6
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Iowa State
1-7 (3-8)
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It's been a swift downfall for the Cyclones, who slipped to 2-10 last year following three straight bowl appearances.
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South Division
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1
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Oklahoma
8-0 (11-0)
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Lest you forget, this is still a team that dominated for the first 12 weeks and returns 10 starters on offense.
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2
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Texas
6-2 (9-2)
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Expectations are lower for the Longhorns than they've been in five years -- which is probably a good sign for them.
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3
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Texas A&M
5-3 (7-4)
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The Aggies struggled mightily last year, but Dennis Franchione's teams usually improve the second year.
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4
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Oklahoma State
4-4 (7-4)
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Replacing Rashaun Woods will be hard, but at least there's still a Woods at both QB (Donovan) and WR (D'Jaun).
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5
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Texas Tech
4-4 (6-5)
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Mike Leach's powerful offense has endured QB changes before, but this year also brings uncertainty at receiver.
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6
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Baylor
1-7 (2-9)
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Guy Morriss' Bears showed improvement but are still miles away from being consistently competitive in the Big 12.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
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Cream of the Crop
Darren Sproles, RB, Kansas State: Sproles' 235-yard rushing, 88-yard receiving effort against Oklahoma was the performance of the year.
Jason White, QB, Oklahoma: College football's first returning Heisman winner since 1991 threw for 40 touchdowns and 3,846 yards last season.
Derrick Johnson, LB, Texas: Texas' first-ever Butkus finalist has been soaking up knowledge from former NFL coordinator Greg Robinson.
Brad Smith, QB, Missouri: In just two seasons he's amassed a school-record 6,745 yards of total offense, including 1,406 rushing yards last season.
Cedric Benson, RB, Texas: The senior is looking to become just the fifth running back in NCAA history to gain 1,000 yards four straight years.
Others Adell Duckett, DE, Texas Tech; Mark Clayton, WR, Oklahoma; Josh Bullocks, S, Nebraska; Dan Cody, DE, Oklahoma; Lance Mitchell, LB, Oklahoma.
Poised for a Breakout
Vernand Morency, RB, Oklahoma State: Morency takes over as the Cowboys' go-to guy after notching two 200-yard games as a fill-in last year.
Jay Moore, DE, Nebraska: The sophomore was impressive enough in the spring to usurp incumbent Bernard Thomas on the depth chart at left end.
Dylan Meier, QB, Kansas State: The sophomore has the unenviable task of replacing Ell Roberson, who ran for over 2,000 yards in 2002 and '03.
Others: Bret Meyer, QB, Iowa State; Aaron Brown, LB, Texas A&M; Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma; Limas Sweed, WR, Texas; Chijioke Onyenegecha, CB, Oklahoma.
Burning Questions
Will Jason White stay healthy? After overcoming consecutive season-ending ACL injuries in 2001 and '02, the Sooner QB rolled off a Heisman-winning regular season in '03 but got banged up again in the Big 12 title game and Sugar Bowl, not coincidentally his two worst performances.
What will Nebraska look like? Unless you were one of the 60,000-plus in attendance at the Huskers' spring game, you must find it hard to imagine the fabled team with the "Ns" on their helmets running anything but the option. Instead, if Bill Callahan gets his wish, they'll look much more like the Oakland Raiders.
Can Texas beat Oklahoma? It's the same question that's dominated the Big 12 since the beginning of this decade. Mack Brown's Longhorns have gone 41-6 since 2000 against the rest of their competition, but 0-4 against their arch-nemesis, including two games decided by scores of 63-14 and 65-13.
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