Colorado

Head Coach: Dan Hawkins (3rd year)

2007 Record: 6-7 (4-4)

Key Players: Cody Hawkins So-QB, George Hypolite Sr-DT, Brad Jones Sr-LB

Key Losses: Hugh Charles RB, Jordon Dizon LB, Terrence Wheatley CB

Consider the Buffaloes rebuilt. Coach Dan Hawkins’ tenure in Boulder hasn’t always been pretty (read: 2-10 in 2006), but last year’s squad made huge strides in the right direction. Colorado defeated Oklahoma and Nebraska at home and also won in Lubbock and Waco. Freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins took his bumps and threw 17 interceptions. But with experience, that number could fall while his 3,000 passing yards and 22 touchdowns could increase. Defensive tackle George Hypolite has the ability to take some pressure off of the linebackers, which lost All-American Jordon Dizon. The offense has balance and big-play ability, but its x-factor is freshman running back Darrell Scott. Scott was the No. 1-rated running back by Rivals.com, and his presence could make Colorado the Big 12’s surprise team this season.

Coach’s Take: “I really believe that if we’re able to reach down in the hearts and minds of young men and push the right buttons and do the right things, you can develop that kind of chemistry and that kind of magic and make (wins) happen.”

Iowa State

Head Coach: Gene Chizik (2nd year)

2007 Record: 3-9 (2-6)

Key Players: Alexander Robinson So-RB, R.J. Sumrall Sr-WR, Kurtis Taylor Sr-DE

Key Losses: Todd Blythe WR, Bret Meyer QB

No one expected year one of the Gene Chizik-era to go smoothly – and it didn’t. The Cyclones opened the season with back-to-back home losses to Kent St. and I-AA Northern Iowa. Iowa St. rebounded with a 15-13 victory against Iowa then dropped another six games in a row. The one bright spot came at the end of the season when then-freshman running back Alexander Robinson led ISU to two late-season victories. Against Kansas St. and Colorado, Robinson totaled 188 yards and scored four touchdowns. He also rushed for 149 yards on 21 carries in a 42-28 loss to Missouri. Iowa St. doesn’t play Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech for the next two seasons, but it’s the only North school that hasn’t named its starting quarterback.

Coach’s Take: “We will have more growing pains. We don’t have a lot of players that ‘add water, instant player.’”

Kansas State

Head Coach: Ron Prince (3rd year)

2007 Record: 5-7 (3-5)

Key Players: Ian Campbell Sr-DE, Josh Freeman Jr-QB, Deon Murphy Sr-WR

Key Losses: James Johnson RB, Jordy Nelson WR

What started as a promising season in Manhattan turned into a whopping disaster. Kansas State lost its final four games by a combined score of 198-112, including a 73-31 defeat at Nebraska. One win in any of those final four games would have made coach Ron Prince’s team bowl eligible. Instead the Wildcats stayed home for the holidays and their defense should be blamed. To remedy the situation Prince brought in 19 junior college players, an unheard of number even at a school known for recruiting juco players. Shifting Ian Campbell from linebacker to defensive end should help the run defense, but the secondary is still in shambles. It’s very difficult to judge how juco talent will translate into D-I, so Kansas State could be in for a wild ride up or down the polls.

Coach’s Take: “The recruiting philosophy was to really do what Kansas State is best at and what they’ve always done, which is to really have a unique mix of high school players and community college players.”

Missouri

Head Coach: Gary Pinkel (8th year)

2007 Record: 12-2 (7-1)

Key Players: Chase Coffman Sr-TE, Chase Daniel Sr-QB, Jeremy Maclin So-WR, Sean Weatherspoon Jr-LB

Key Losses: Will Franklin WR, Martin Rucker TE, Tony Temple RB

It’s hard to believe how far coach Gary Pinkel’s team has come in 12 months. Last year nobody was too sure what to expect, and 8-4 would have been a successful season. Now Missouri returns 17 starters, including a Heisman finalist, from a squad that scored nearly 40 points a game and only lost to one team all year. Amazingly, anything short of a BCS berth in 2008 would be a disappointment in Columbia. With Oklahoma off the schedule, the most important regular season games for Missouri will be its first and last, a pair of neutral site games with rivals Illinois and Kansas. Barring any injuries, the Tigers should be stellar on both sides of the ball, which will help them push for an undefeated season while Daniel builds up his Heisman resume.

Coach’s Take: “We certainly haven’t arrived. We won the Big 12 North last year. University of Missouri hasn’t won a Big 12 championship yet.”

Nebraska

Head Coach: Bo Pelini (1st year)

2007 Record: 5-7 (2-6)

Key Players: Joe Ganz Sr-QB, Marlon Lucky Sr-RB, Ndamukong Suh Jr-DT

Key Losses: Courtney Grixby CB/KR, Maurice Purify WR

Rebuilding is a word Nebraska fans don’t like to hear associated with their team, but they might as well get used to it. While the Tigers and Jayhawks have emerged as Big 12 powers, the traditionally powerful Cornhuskers fell to the wayside under Bill Callahan. Their defense was particularly atrocious in 2007, as it ranked in the bottom 10 in rushing, scoring and total defense. Enter Bo Pelini, the defensive coordinator at LSU and former defensive coordinator and interim coach with Nebraska. As interim coach, Pelini won the 2003 Alamo Bowl 17-3 before accepting the coordinator position in Baton Rouge. Pelini’s Tiger squads were consistently one of the best defensive units in the country, and he’ll need that experience to get the Cornhuskers back on the right track.

Coach’s Take: “We try to have an offensive mentality on defense. We want to attack. We want to dictate to the offense as much as they’re trying to dictate to us.”