College football 2017: Oklahoma headlines a top-heavy Big 12 in search of national respect

Ignore as best you can the bottom half of the Big 12 Conference, which will spend the 2017 season bordering on the verge of bowl eligibility – if not much, much worse – while serving as cupcakes for those five teams with legitimate postseason aspirations.

Those five: Oklahoma, of course, with its eyes on the national title; rival Oklahoma State, which could be hampered by a questionable offensive line; TCU, which aims to rebound from a rare losing season; Kansas State, that annual pest; and Texas, rejuvenated by the arrival of Tom Herman from Houston.

These are good teams – with maybe one or two great teams, in fact, with Oklahoma the safest bet to plow through conference play and once again represent the conference in the College Football Playoff.

CONFERENCE PREVIEWS

POWER FIVE: ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC | Independents

GROUP OF FIVE: AAC | Conference USA | MAC | Mountain West | Sun Belt

But this is very clearly a league lacking in proven depth. Why is that a larger concern? Because this has a profound impact on the conference’s national reputation, which in turn has a negative influence on the minds of Playoff selection committee.

Maybe that’s an overblown concept. Maybe it’s not. One thing I can say with confidence: The Big 12 has an image problem. That’s not new. But while conducting an informal straw poll might lead to some dissension at the top – maybe some believe the SEC is the best in the Football Bowl Subdivision, others the ACC or Big Ten – there is a consensus at the bottom: everyone puts the Big 12 last among the Power Five leagues.

A national title would change all of that. And while the Big 12 does have a sloppy and ineffective bottom half, that top half is worthy of some degree of commendation. Better yet, what if Texas rebounds? What if the league has two powers, OU and UT, to tout on a national level? That’s the foundation upon which the latter-day Big 12 was built.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE

OFFENSE

QB: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

RB: Justice Hill, Oklahoma State

RB: Justin Crawford, West Virginia

WR: James Washington, Oklahoma State

WR: Allen Lazard, Iowa State

TE: Mark Andrews, Oklahoma

OL: Orlando Brown, Oklahoma

OL: Zachary Crabtree, Oklahoma State

OL: Reid Najvar, Kansas State

OL: Dalton Risner, Kansas State

OL: Connor Williams, Texas

DEFENSE

DL: Reggie Walker, Kansas State

DL: Will Geary, Kansas State

DL: Poona Ford, Texas

DL: Dorance Armstrong, Kansas

LB: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma

LB: Travin Howard, TCU

LB: Malik Jefferson, Texas

CB: Jordan Thomas, Oklahoma

CB: D.J. Reed, Kansas State

S: Nick Orr, TCU

S: Kamari Cotton-Moya, Iowa State

SPECIALISTS

K: Clayton Hatfield, Texas Tech

P: Michael Dickson, Texas

RET: KaVontae Turpin, TCU

BEST UNITS

Quarterback: Oklahoma. There are few better in college football than Baker Mayfield, who may should rightfully be considered the preseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy.

Running back: West Virginia. It’s very exciting to consider what senior Justin Crawford could achieve statistically if given 200-plus touches.

Wide receivers and tight ends: Oklahoma State. This James Washington-led unit ranks among the best in the FBS.

Offensive line: Oklahoma. With all five starters back in the fold and a few key additions for depth purposes, this offensive front is an obvious strength for the Sooners.

Defensive line: Kansas State. The most appealing aspect of the Wildcats’ line is the projected growth from two sophomores – Reggie Walker and Trey Dishon – who impressed as rookies.

Linebacker: TCU. The Horned Frogs’ group deserves praise, but don’t sleep on what Texas brings to the table on the second level.

Secondary: TCU. Vastly more experienced than at this point a year ago, this secondary combines with the linebacker crew to give TCU the top back seven in the Big 12.

Special teams: Kansas State. You can set your watch to Kansas State’s consistent excellence on special teams.

RANKING THE STARTING QUARTERBACKS

1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma. He’s back for his third stab at the Heisman Trophy and the national championship.

2. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State. With his monster arm, Rudolph is a perfect fit for the Cowboys’ explosive passing game.

3. Nic Shimonek, Texas Tech. It won’t be easy to match Patrick Mahomes’ impact, though Shimonek was absolutely terrific in backup duty last season.

4. Shane Buechele, Texas. Buechele is the starter for UT, but whether he remains the answer for Tom Herman – and can fend off true freshman Sam Ehlinger – hinges on his performance in September.

5. Jesse Ertz, Kansas State. Recent history has shown that Bill Snyder’s Wildcats tend to flourish behind second-year starters.

6. Kenny Hill, TCU. Hill would be a feel-good story on a national scale should he lead the Horned Frogs to a top-three finish in the Big 12.

7. Will Grier, West Virginia. The Mountaineers are a year away, in my opinion, but I expect Grier to challenge for all-conference honors in 2017.

8. Zach Smith, Baylor. The overall numbers will slide under the new staff, but Smith looks the part of a multiple-year starter for Matt Rhule and the Bears.

9. Jacob Park, Iowa State. The former Georgia transfer will really benefit from being the Cyclones’ unquestioned starter.

10. Peyton Bender, Kansas. David Beaty could also go with sophomore Carter Stanley over Bender, though the latter’s experience running an Air Raid system should give him the nod.

PHOTOS: TOP 25 TEAMS IN THE AMWAY COACHES POLL

TOP NEWCOMERS

Kansas RB Octavius Matthews. The Jayhawks will be relying on the junior-college transfer to produce in the running game.

Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray. Now eligible after transferring from Texas A&M, Murray could provide a huge spark in certain packages.

Kansas State DB Elijah Walker. The addition of Walker plus last season’s experience – painful as it was – should lift Kansas State’s secondary to a significantly better performance in 2017.

Baylor C Ryan Miller. That Miller is headed for a starting role in the middle is a testament to the true freshman’s ability and potential as well as the Bears’ worries along the offensive line.

Texas Tech DL Tony Jones. A linebacker at junior college, Jones is expected to transition into a rush end role for the Red Raiders’ woebegone defense.

GAMES OF THE YEAR

Oklahoma at Ohio State, Sept. 9. The Sooners are fully aware that this game presents an outstanding opportunity to bolster their case for the Playoff.

TCU at Arkansas, Sept. 9. A win here would provide TCU a jolt in the polls and set up a can’t-miss date with Oklahoma State two weeks later.

Texas at Southern California, Sept. 16. Maybe you can recall the last time these two met.

TCU at Oklahoma State, Sept. 23. The matchup of Oklahoma State’s receiver corps against TCU’s secondary is one of the best in the Big 12.

Oklahoma vs. Texas (in Dallas), Oct. 14. The annual rivalry takes on a different feel with new coaches: Lincoln Riley at OU, Tom Herman at UT.

Oklahoma State at Texas, Oct. 21. The Cowboys aim to continue their recent dominance in the series.

Oklahoma at Kansas State, Oct. 21. Riley was just 6 when Bill Snyder coached his first game at Kansas State.

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, Nov. 4. That this one comes on the first Saturday of November is idiotic, for one, but it also affords the loser some time to make up ground before the end of the regular season.

TCU at Oklahoma, Nov. 11. It’s totally reasonable to view OU and TCU as the two best teams in the Big 12.

BEST CHANCE AT THE PLAYOFF

Texas is going to be dramatically improved in its debut under Tom Herman, but let’s be real: The Longhorns aren’t competing for a national title. Not yet, at least.

TCU has finished with a losing record three times under Gary Patterson, most recently last season. What happened the past two times? A year later TCU won its conference. That’s in play for the Horned Frogs in 2017. Quarterback play and the performance of the defensive line are my two biggest concerns.

Kansas State resembles a vintage Bill Snyder-coached team, especially if the secondary bounces back from a miserable season to finish in the top third of the Big 12 in the key categories – yards per attempt, opposing completion percentage and turnover margin, most notably. No one will enjoy playing the Wildcats in 2017.

Oklahoma State is locked and loaded … but what about this offensive line? And the secondary? A wonderful quarterback, an explosive offense and a just-good-enough defense will put the Cowboys on a course for a New Year’s Six bowl, but the potential sticking points are numerous enough to have me questioning this team’s ability to lose just once during the regular season.

That leaves Oklahoma. This isn’t a perfect team, either. There’s a hole at running back. No clear go-to receiver. The Sooners are more experienced on defense, but much does depend on the health of the defensive line. Still, this is the strongest, most cohesive roster in the Big 12; it doesn’t hurt to have the league’s best player in Baker Mayfield.