Top Players in Conference
Curtis Jerrells, Baylor
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
A.J. Abrams, Texas
Damion James, Texas
Josh Carter, Texas A&M

Player of the Year
A.J. Abrams, Texas

Player to Look Out For
LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor

Projected Big 12 Finish
1. Texas 14-2
2. Baylor 11-5
3. Nebraska 11-5
4. Texas A&M 10-6
5. Oklahoma 10-6
6. Oklahoma St. 9-7
7. Texas Tech 7-9
8. Missouri 7-9
9. Kansas St. 6-10
10. Iowa St. 4-12
11. Kansas 4-12
12. Colorado 3-13

Texas
Texas is clearly the class of the Big 12 this season. They did lose D.J. Augustin to the NBA, but they didn't lose much else. A.J. Abrams is my Conference Player of the Year, and Damion James is one of the best players in the conference as well. The Longhorns never play much defense, so that's the main area of concern. Still, this is a returning Elite Eight team that's going to start at least four upperclassmen. They'll have plenty of experience.

Baylor
Maybe a little higher than most would have them, but most would agree that they're going to be pretty tough this year as they return more of their team than anyone in the conference. Curtis Jerrells is the leader of this senior heavy team that also features underrated sophomore LaceDarius Dunn. Dunn was a five star recruit out of high school that shot 42% from deep last year, so look out for him. The Bears do need to get better on defense.

Nebraska
Here's a team that I have significantly higher than pretty much anyone. What's not to like? They won 20 games last year and had wins over Arizona St., Oregon, and Charlotte out of conference. They did beat Kansas St. and @ Texas A&M, too. They were 0-3 in OT games so they could've had an even better record. They lost Aleks Maric, but not much else, and I love defensive minded teams and this is one. Don't be surprised if they make the dance.

Texas A&M
The Aggies are a team that I think will be pretty decent. Another underrated team last year, they narrowly shocked final four bound UCLA in the 2nd round last March. That wasn't a fluke because they were that talented. Senior Josh Carter returns and is one of the best players in the conference. Sloan and Davis are key returnees, and although they do lose more than most in the conference, an always defensive minded team like this one can win double digit games in the Big 12.

Oklahoma
The Sooners are getting a lot of hype and I've seen them in some people's top 10 nationally. That's crazy if you ask me because the losses of Godbold and Longar are huge since they weren't a deep team last year. They do add a big time freshman in Willie Warren, so they're still good enough to win double digit conference games. But if you watched this team last year, any team that could get Griffin in foul trouble or make him ineffective would beat them easily.

Oklahoma St.
Another disappointing year for Oklahoma St. last season, although they did turn it around to win 5 of their final 7 regular season games. When you factor that in with that fact that they really only lost Marcus Dove, you're left with a team that could surprise with a winning record in the conference. They were one of only three teams to beat Kansas last year, too.

Texas Tech
Texas Tech missed the postseason last year but they might be good enough to change that around this season. They were a pretty good deep shooting team mainly thanks to Voskuil and Roberson and both those guys return. No question that losing senior Martin Zeno hurts, though. They did have wins over Gonzaga, Texas, and Kansas St. last season so let's see if they can build off that.

Missouri
Maybe a bit underrated last season, they may be a little bit again this season, although they probably won't go .500 in conference. Keon Lawrence transferred to Seton Hall, and that hurts although he did have a sophomore slump last season. They do return a good trio of seniors in Lyons, Caroll, and Matt Lawrence, but they also have to overcome the loss of a lot of their bench.

Kansas St.
Last year was a season that Kansas St. hasn't seen in awhile, and probably won't see for some time. Led by Beasley and Walker, but of those guys went pro, and that alone turns this 10-6 team from a year ago to probably around the opposite at 6-10. Much of their bench remains intact, but this is certainly a rebuilding year.

Iowa St.
It seems like a long time ago when Iowa St. was a dangerous team. Now they're just a bottom feeder in the Big 12. They lost their final six games last season and there's not much reason to be optimistic. They have put out some really good defensive teams on weak teams overall, but they have nobody to go to on offense. Last year that shot a pitiful 182-573 (32%) as a team from 3 point range.

Kansas
I laugh when I see people put this team in the top 3 or 4 in the conference. Just because they were national champions last year doesn't make them a top 25 team this year. The only players they return from last year are non-starters Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich. Everyone else is going to be guys you've never heard of. Florida was decent last year, but remember, they returned more than Kansas does, plus they had a better incoming class.

Colorado
Hard to imagine Colorado not finishing last in the Big 12 as they had little talent last year, and now they're without their two best players from a year ago in Hall and Roby. And to make things worse, that team only went 8 deep. They lost to teams like Wyoming and New Orleans last season, and barely even survived Colorado St. Yikes.