Well, we are here. The cream of the crop in an extremely competitive conference. Any of this group could be expected to win it all, and I suspect this race will not be decided till the last week of the regular season. Without further ado, here we go.

5. Oklahoma

I refuse to say anything good about OU really. They are ranked this high because the schedule is Charmin ultra soft, and I doubt the Sooners will turn in another disappointment. That is all I will say, and I am rooting for their demise.

4. Oklahoma State

Xerox U is another program I just will not say anything positive about. With Spencer Sanders finally not holding that offense back, I am really curious to see what happens. Gundy is a great, albeit whiny, coach and I am higher on this team than most.

3. Kansas State

Kansas State is poised to defend their title. Well coached, disciplined, and talented. Losing Deuce Vaughn is a blow, but this team can flat out play. They were a “dark horse” last year, but this year they will be on everyone’s radar. This is a tough team, and I have always believed the Little Apple is an underrated place to go play in terms of home field advantage. Will the repeat? I am saying no, but they will be in the thick of that race till the very end of it.

2. Texas Tech

Am I a homer? Absolutely. Could this prediction make me look like a complete moron? Yes, yes it could. But I look at this Red Raider team and I am just incredibly excited to see it play out. Offensively, they will be in the top three in conference and the defense might turn in their best season in nearly two decades. Coach McGuire is no longer unexperienced, and Coach Kittley has learned a lot about calling games in the Power 5 level. A seasoned staff with a great team and tons of momentum, the hype is real and so are the expectations. Stay healthy, and the wins will keep on coming in.

1. Texas 

I hate Texas, and I refuse to believe they are actually back till I see it. But I would be doing our readers a disservice pretending that on paper this is not the conference’s best team. They are, again on paper, destined to cruise to the Big 12 championship. The issue with Texas is how many years has that been the case with nothing to show for it? The cesspool of arrogance and entitlement that is the University of Texas seems to poison every team they trot out. Can Sark break the curse where so many others have failed?