2. Baylor Bears
#1 TCU Horned Frogs
Preview:
Yes, I went chalk on this. The 2nd ranked team in the country is the #1 team in the Big 12 Conference at the end of the 2015 season.
Trevone Boykin is the star of the high-powered offense that resides in Fort Worth. He can run and in Gary Patterson’s system, he can pass. The offense returns 10 starters with a full array of quality receivers to support Boykin’s Heisman candidacy. Senior wide receiver Josh Doctson led the Horned Frogs in receiving last season and looks to finish his college career with another 1000 yard season. Running back Aaron Green is also back after a season where he nearly notched 1,000 yards rushing. The offensive line is comprised of all seniors. In fact, 10 of the 11 projected offensive starters will be seniors.
While the defense returns only 6 starters, TCU fans shouldn’t worry too much. Gary Patterson knows how to coach defense. The Frogs lost 3 of the top 5 tacklers from last season which will make things challenging for the linebackers and defensive line. The star of the defense is safety Derrick Kindred. Kindred will keep Big 12 teams in check while the defense adjusts to playing with less depth than in 2014. Sophmore defensive tackle Chris Bradley is an unknown player to watch. Bradley had only 12 tackles last season but two of them were for a loss and 1.5 of those tackles were sacks. Being a starter should motivate this monster in the middle to be an All-Big 12 type of player this season.
TCU has the experience and the talent to win the Big 12, if not the National Championship. However, the bullseye is squarely on them. Tonight the Horned Frogs open the season against Minnesota in what is sure to be a hostile environment in Minneapolis. With the offensive talent at-hand, TCU will win a lot of football games but not all of them. They will lose a game but it won’t be to Baylor, so they will be the undisputed Big 12 champions.
Predicted record: 11-1 (8-1 Big 12).
