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PFF recently ranked all 130 FBS starting quarterbacks ahead of the 2021 college football season.
The Big 12 will be home to several talented quarterbacks throughout the 2021 college football season. Continue reading “Where each Big 12 quarterback landed in PFF’s preseason rankings of every FBS starter”
Looking around the Big 12 Conference at the top Heisman Trophy candidates
The Big 12 Conference is still months away from kicking off the 2021 college football season. The Oklahoma Sooners viewed as the favorites once again, for good reason. Until a team can knock them off, the Crimson and Cream are the team to beat.
Another notable accomplishment that experts are looking at involves the Heisman Memorial Trophy, who are the top contenders? Over the last four years, the Sooners have produced two winners and one finalist at the quarterback position.
For that reason alone, the Sooners have the top player on most early candidates lists with quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Who else in the conference could be on the list? Betting odds provided by BetMGM.
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Iowa State wins the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl over Oregon 34-17. Five thoughts and analysis of the game, and what it all means.
Iowa State wins the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl over Oregon 34-17. Five thoughts and analysis of the game, and what it all means.
[jwplayer cFHw17DH]
Final Score: Iowa State 34, Oregon 17
CFN Prediction: Oregon 26, Iowa State 24
Line: Indiana -7.5, o/u: 67.5
5-0 is 5-0.
You play the team in front of you, it’s not your fault if the other team has issues, and all of those other talking points. It’s all about the scoreboard and the record.
Yes, the Big 12 was favored in all five of the games. Yes, Army was one of those games, a meh Colorado was another, D’Eriq King suffered a knee injury in one, and Florida was missing way too many players in another.
The 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 Autonomy Conference to go 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙. #Big12FB pic.twitter.com/kCGkHcNJDY
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) January 3, 2021
A win is a win is a win, but it’s possible to slightly yuck the Big 12’s yum on a lot of this.
Not on Iowa State’s win in the Fiesta Bowl. It just beat the Pac-12 Champion.
This was a huge win for the Cyclones – more on this later, but it might be the biggest win ever – and it was the one the Big 12 should chirp about more than any of the others.
Oklahoma might have been jaw-dropping great, and Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Texas did what they were supposed to do, but Iowa State was dealing with a very talented, very active Oregon team that looked like it was about to put it all together.
The Ducks still have tremendous talent, and the sky’s the limit going into next year, but …
The Texas Longhorns lost a game on Friday afternoon that they just couldn’t afford to. A primary reason being the head coach Tom Herman.
It was quite the scene in Austin, Texas as the Longhorns prepared to take on the Iowa State Cyclones in a game they couldn’t lose. They lost. Continue reading “Three reasons why the Texas Longhorns lost to Iowa State on Friday”
The Texas Longhorns vs Iowa State Cyclones preview on the Locked on Longhorns podcast. Plus a look to Texas Baseball.
On the latest Locked on Longhorns Podcast, Mike Hardge joins the show to help preview the Texas vs Iowa State matchup. The Longhorns and Cyclones find themselves in a Big 12 Championship elimination game of sorts. So who needs this game more? Tom Herman or Matt Campbell.
Given that it is likely the final game for Sam Ehlinger, should we expect any late-game heroics from the senior? Hardge answers that question plus we address the elephant in the room. Can Tom Herman win the final three games and keep his job with so many clamoring for Urban Meyer to take over the program?
Plus we take a quick look forward at the Texas Longhorns baseball team that will be preparing for another run at the College World Series. Will Texas make it to Omaha?
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Much like the 2018 game, the Cyclones and Longhorns are preparing for a Big 12 Championship knockout game. A look at the numbers.
The biggest game of the weekend just might happen on Friday afternoon. The No. 13 Iowa State Cyclones come to Austin for a Big 12 fight with the No. 17 Texas Longhorns. Continue reading “Texas Longhorns vs Iowa State: A look at the numbers”
After a limited week of Big 12 action with just four teams, the Iowa State Cyclones and Oklahoma Sooners are separating themselves.
The Big 12 Conference had three of the top five teams in action. The early game being Kansas State visiting Iowa State. The nightcap featured Oklahoma State against Oklahoma in the Bedlam game. The Cyclones took care of the Kansas State Wildcats relatively easily. That game was over by halftime with a 35-0 lead. They scored just 10 in the second half to win 45-0.
The Cowboys found themselves down early on in this game against the Oklahoma Sooners. OU was up 21-0 in the first quarter before the Cowboys could find a way back into the game. Spencer Sanders would be knocked out of the game early with a possible concussion. The team went with freshman passer Shane Illingworth. The score at the half was 27-13. Heading into the fourth quarter, Spencer Rattler and Oklahoma extended the lead to 34-13.
Spencer Sanders would come back into the game into the fourth quarter but it was more of the same. The Cowboys offense just couldn’t put together any sustained drives to challenge the Sooners.
A look at the Big 12 Conference power rankings heading into the final three weeks.
On Friday the Texas Longhorns will host the Iowa State Cyclones. In this game it puts two of the top QBs in the conference head to head.
It will be a short week for the Iowa State Cyclones, after facing Kansas State now travel to Austin for a Friday kickoff. The Cyclones made quick work of the Wildcats of Kansas State. They built a 35-0 halftime lead to put the game away on the arm of Brock Purdy and the legs of Breece Hall. The quarterback left the game early after they extended the lead to 38-0.
The Cyclones (6-1) set up a massive matchup with the Longhorns (4-2). Given how Iowa State has looked this season, this is shaping up to be a semifinal for the Big 12 Championship game.
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On Friday at 11:00 am CST, two of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12 Conference face-off with Sam Ehlinger and Brock Purdy. When these two have gone head to head, each quarterback has come out on top once. Purdy and the Cyclones defeated the Longhorns last year in Ames, 23-21.
| Ehlinger | vs | Purdy |
| 6-3 | Ht | 6-1 |
| 225 | Wt | 212 |
| Senior | Class | Junior |
| 147 | Comp | 151 |
| 250 | Att | 237 |
| 58.8 | Comp % | 63.7 |
| 1,834 | Yards | 1,713 |
| 7.3 | YPA | 7.2 |
| 22-5 | TD-INT | 13-6 |
| Ehlinger | vs | Purdy |
| 90 | Att | 55 |
| 323 | Yards | 253 |
| 3.6 | YPA | 4.6 |
| 7 | TDs | 3 |
Ehlinger is responsible for 2,157 yards of total offense and 29 total touchdowns. Purdy is responsible for 1,966 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns. Both are the leaders for their perspective teams.
For the Longhorns to beat the Cyclones, they likely will need a huge game from their quarterback. This offense has struggled over the last three games averaged 12 points less per game than their season average. The Iowa State defense won’t make it easy but never bet against Sam Ehlinger. Which Purdy shows up? The one against Kansas State or the one who threw five interceptions in three games?
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Entering into the final three weeks of the Big 12 Conference’s season we hand out disappointments, surprises and the title game prediction.
With the final three weeks in the Big 12 Conference underway, we are looking at surprises, disappointments and the title game. Continue reading “Big 12 Conference surprises, disappointments and title prediction”
Schemes, player notes, prospects to watch and more as the college football season really gets going in Week 2.
So we have enjoyed an appetizer of college football, but the season begins in earnest this weekend as some of the bigger conferences get in on the action, including the preseason number one team in the nation. Here is a look at some of the things to watch for during Week 2 of the college football season.
The 2020 college football season begins in earnest on Saturday, September 12 as seven teams in the preseason Top 25 are in action, including preseason number one Clemson. The Tigers, coming off a loss to LSU in last season’s National Championship Game, return a number of starters in both sides of the ball and are expected to make yet another run at a national title.
Clemson returns 12 starters this season but the most notable is of course quarterback Trevor Lawrence. In two years at Clemson Lawrence has led the Tigers to a 25-1 record as their starting quarterback, and is considered by many to be the top quarterback for the 2021 NFL Draft. Last season he threw for 3,665 yards and 36 touchdowns. But Lawrence is not the only weapon the Tigers return on offense. Running back Travis Etienne decided to forgo the 2020 NFL Draft and return to school, and he is also in contention for the top player at his position in the upcoming draft. Clemson also sees two starting wide recievers from last season return in Justyn Ross and Amari Rodgers, as well as tight end J.C. Chark.
On defense, Brent Venables continues to change things up schematically, as last season Clemson often utilized a 3-1-7 personnel package on that side of the ball. Of course, having the versatile Isaiah Simmons in your huddle makes such a decision easy. The Tigers should be stout up front, returning four players to their defensive line including defensive ends Justin Foster and Xavier Thomas, and defensive tackles Tyler Davis and Nyles Pinckney. Middle linebacker James Skalaski finished second on the team in tackles last year and is back for his final college season. The secondary will be filled with new names, but cornerback Derion Kendrick is back. Kendrick moved to CB last season from wide receiver, and earned All-ACC honors.
Wake Forest expected to be in a much different position at this point when the 2019 season ended. However, due to transfers and opt-outs some of their best players from a season ago are not going to be taking the field for the Demon Deacons in this game. Quarterback Jamie Newman, who threw 35 touchdown passes for Wake Forest over 15 starts, is now in Athens having transferred as a graduate to Georgia. Defensive end Carlos Basham Jr., who was a first-team All-ACC selection and second in the conference in sacks, decided to opt-out of the season due to COVID-19 and focus on the draft, where he could be a first-round pick. Then there is wide receiver Sage Surratt, who decided to opt-out as well.
They do return some talent up front on defense, even with the loss of Basham. Returning starters on the inside include Tyler Williams and Sulaiman Kamara, as well as Basham’s former running mate, EDGE JaCorey Johns. Linebackers Ja’Cquez Williams and Ryan Smenda Jr. are back as well. Offensively, the Demon Deacons turn to Sam Hartman at quarterback, who started nine games for the team as a freshman but saw his season cut short due to a broken leg.
Matchup to watch: Lawrence versus #DraftTwitter. The life cycle of a draft prospect at the quarterback position is a fascinating case study. Lawrence might be QB1 on many boards right now, but one mistake and…
Draft prospects to watch: You could make the case that anyone wearing a Clemson jersey is worth studying for the draft, either in 2021 or beyond. Lawrence and Etienne are the headliners, but offensive tackle Jackson Carman (it is unfortunate we miss out on him against Basham), Ross and Rodgers all have early-round potential.
Scheme notes: While Lawrence gathers the bulk of headlines, defensive coaches have spent most of the offseason studying what defensive coordinator Brent Venables was running last year with the Tigers. Given the hybrid defenders at his disposal, Venables implemented a complex 3-1-7 defensive scheme that confused quarterbacks and coaches alike.
Take this near-interception of Justin Fields. The Clemson defense shows the quarterback a two-high safety look pre-snap, but rotates into an inverted Cover 3 look with both safeties dropping into hook zones, while the cornerbacks and the middle linebacker run the deep alleys:
