A UCF alum and a WVU grad walk into a bar ... and argue over Big 12 Conference football picks
A UCF grad/beat writer (our Chris Boyle) and a West Virginia University alum/former beat writer (sports editor Ryan Pritt) walk into a local Houligan's and, well, soon find they agree on almost nothing when it comes to the Big 12 Conference.
Unfortunately, there's no joke in there, but when it comes to the Power Five's most evenly matched battle royal, the race for conference supremacy is often so head-scratching and chaotic one has to laugh. Over the last three seasons, six different teams have appeared in the league championship game and, moreover, y'all do remember that Kansas hosted College GameDay last year, right?
We'll move on.
Now enter UCF, Houston, Cincinnati and BYU, who come waltzing up to a street fight like a celebrity-led news crew in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." With those four in the fold and with Oklahoma and Texas still around for one more year, that makes 14 squads battling it out for awards and wins.
So, how do the News-Journal's Knights aficionado Chris Boyle and sports editor/former WVU, Big 12 writer and AP poll voter Ryan Pritt see it shaking out? Well, in drastically different ways, for starters.
Below are our official league predictions and (while we're at it, why not?) picks for the College Football Playoff. A reminder that these are just for fun and even though sports betting remains bafflingly illegal in Florida, we do not endorse any wagers made off of our game of blindly tossing darts in the dark.
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And, well, if you're crazy enough to bet on anything in the Big 12, God help you. And your significant other. And financial advisor.
Who will win Big 12 offensive player of the year?
Ryan: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas. Now a junior, Worthy is a big-play machine, having led the Big 12 in receiving touchdowns in each of the past two seasons (21 combined). Only two receivers have ever won this award — Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon in 2010 and Oklahoma's Dede Westbrook in 2016 — but with running back Bijan Robinson now in the NFL, somebody has to be the focal point of what will likely be the most explosive offense in the league. My money says that the Longhorns' stable of young quarterbacks rely on Worthy.
Chris: Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas. No points for originality here, considering Daniels was chosen as the Big 12's Preseason OPOY, but just go back and watch his Liberty Bowl performance against Arkansas (37 of 55, 544 yards, five TDs, two picks) and imagine what a full year's stats could look like. Kansas' slide in the back half of the 2022 season coincided with Daniels' absence due to a shoulder injury. He's electric, and could well lead the Jayhawks to a winning season.
Who will win Big 12 defensive player of the year?
Ryan: Collin Oliver, LB, Oklahoma State. After a couple of big years on the defensive line, Oliver makes the move to linebacker, where his countable statistics, primarily tackles, should only increase. Just two years ago, Cowboys linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez led the league in stops with 131, 20 more than anyone else. I'm higher on the Pokes than most, I'm a believer in coach Mike Gundy and when his teams are at their best, they have a stout defense. Look for Oliver to lead that charge this season.
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Chris: Collin Oliver, LB, Oklahoma State. We agree on something! What a time to be alive. Oliver had a brilliant freshman season in 2021 (11.5 sacks, seventh in the FBS), and was still incredibly disruptive despite the sack total dipping down to five last year. According to Pro Football Focus, Oliver's 16.7% pressure rate leads all Big 12 edge defenders over the past two seasons, and his 15.9% pass-rush win rate was second only to Tyree Wilson, a top-10 draft pick of the Las Vegas Raiders. He'll move to linebacker in Bryan Nardo's 3-3-5 defensive scheme, dropping nearly 15 pounds, and said during spring camp that the switch is "coming real natural for me."
Who will win Big 12 coach of the year?
Ryan: Chris Klieman, Kansas State. Being a part of seven national championships, no matter the level or sport, is nothing to sneeze at and with a Big 12 title in his fourth year at Kansas State last year, Klieman proved his prior success at North Dakota State was no fluke. There's plenty to like about this year's Wildcats squad (more on that in a moment) and if they're able to win a league crown for a second straight year, this award should be a mere formality.
Chris: Joey McGuire, Texas Tech. Spoiler alert: I am bullish on Texas Tech. Few teams in the country finished better than the Red Raiders, who defeated both Texas and Oklahoma in the same regular season for the first time and then walloped Ole Miss in the Texas Bowl. McGuire was handsomely rewarded with a new six-year contract, and will have this award locked up if the Red Raiders make the Big 12's title game. Speaking of which...
Who will play in, and win, the Big 12 Conference championship game?
Ryan: Kansas State defeats Texas. Back to the 'Cats. I love the addition of Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward at running back. Along with sophomore DJ Giddens and the best offensive line in the league, K-State should be able to lean on a physical, dynamic run game as well as a quarterback in Will Howard who is more experienced than most realize. The schedule is tough, but no team embodies that word better than the Wildcats and push come to shove, I'll pick tough every time.
PLUMLEE AND CO.: John Rhys Plumlee will start at QB for UCF football, but who is waiting in the wings?
Chris: Texas Tech defeats Texas. The schedule sets up favorably for the Red Raiders, with three games against the league's newcomers and both Kansas State and TCU coming to Lubbock. Tyler Shough is 8-1 as a starter when he's been available and, if he's not, then in comes Behren Morton — the program's highest-rated QB recruit ever. Texas will score the regular season win in Austin on Thanksgiving weekend, but Tech gets its revenge and finally reaches the mountaintop in its 27th try. Crazier things have happened in this conference, right?
Which four teams will make the College Football Playoff?
Ryan: Georgia, Ohio State, Florida State, Michigan. Here's a dirty secret that no one in the SEC wants to tell you: Georgia's schedule is atrocious. Its strength of schedule ranks 63rd according to Sports Illustrated. So, the Dawgs are shoo-ins. I can't for the life of me find more than one loss for Ohio State or Michigan and hey, there's an outlier every year, right? Why not the 'Noles? If Jordan Travis can stay healthy, he can be a Heisman contender and FSU can absolutely crash the Final Four party.
Chris: Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, USC. One last hurrah for the Pac-12 as Lincoln Riley's Trojans, led by reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams, crack the field. They will be no match for the SEC's heavyweights, though. Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama have new quarterbacks this season, but does it really matter? The sheer depth and blue-chip talent oozing from those rosters, and their respective perceptions among voters, will once again be more than enough to carry the day.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Big 12 Conference football, CFP predictions from UCF, WVU grads
