Just this past week, the Big 12 Conference schedule was announced. And from a this-team-is-going-to-be-young perspective, it works out pretty well for the Jayhawks.
The opening six games are painfully easy, with only a trip up to Lincoln and a should-be-improved Cornhuskers team even posing a threat of a loss. Directly following that is what probably will be the toughest in-conference test of the year, a trip to Waco to face the talent-laden Baylor Bears, a game that will be a tremendous test for the Jayhawks. And then, following the Baylor game, the Oklahoma game in Norman sticks out. Boomer Sooner, despite the epic domination put forth by Kansas and Texas the past couple-of-years, should be the conference favorite this season. Making a trip down to the conference favorite is no fun, and if I were to tell you the most likely conference loss of the season, I'll go here. Finally, we are treated to two March battles against the Texas schools; Texas Tech and Texas. While it won't contain all of the National Title implications of the past five years, the Kansas-Texas battle should be yet another epic battle.
Looking at the sixteen conference games, you can fairly easily break up the games into three separate categories. Should-be victories, 50/50 games, and likely-losses. In previous seasons, the third category would remain empty. However, with us losing every single 'name' off of last year's team save Sherron Collins, the incredibly young Jayhawks figure to be the underdog in at least a handful of games, likely losing more this season than the previous two years combined.
Group 1 :: "99%" Victories
- vs. Colorado
- vs. Kansas State
- vs. Nebraska
- vs. Oklahoma State
- vs. Missouri
- vs. Iowa State
- vs. Texas A&M
- @ Colorado
Group 2 :: 50/50 Tossups
- @ Nebraska
- @ Iowa State
- @ Kansas State
- @ Missouri
- @ Texas Tech
- vs. Texas
Group 3 :: Should-Be Losses
- @ Baylor
- @ Oklahoma
I probably put a little too many games in Group 2, but I didn't want to come off too arrogant.
More actual analysis and such regarding the upcoming football season only hours away...
ROCK CHALK!