Summer and schoolusually don’t mix too well, but in this instance, it’s an ideal time to take a look at the college football landscape.
We kick off Big 12 week, with former NFL QB Ryan Leaf and senior editor Max Meyer giving out their favorite win totals in the conference to go over.
LEAF: Kansas State Over 7.5 Wins (-190)
This is the defending Big 12 champ and Coach Klieman knows how to win in Manhattan. No matter what, the Wildcats are going to be underestimated coming into every single season for reasons unknown and they’ll continue to prove people wrong.
MEYER: Texas Over 9.5 Wins (-145)
Texas hasn’t finished with double-digit regular season wins since 2009. Steve Sarkisian has never reached 9 wins in a regular season. And yet, we’re buying these perennial underachievers this campaign.
Even with a non-conference road game at Alabama, I still think Texas goes over 9.5 because it’s in a different class compared to the rest of the Big 12. Quinn Ewers is one of the most talented QBs in the country, and hopefully his consistency improves with another year of working with Sark. While replacing Bijan Robinson is no easy task, the Longhorns return all five starting offensive linemen and have one of the best receiving corps in the country.
The defense made major strides in Year 2 under DC Pete Kwiatkowski. The Longhorns improved massively in yards per play allowed, going from 6.03 in 2021 (102nd) to 4.94 in 2022 (18th). They’re very strong up front, and their play in the trenches will overwhelm their conference foes. If Texas can improve its misfortune in close contests (2-5 in games decided by 7 points or fewer in 2022), this team will get to double-digit wins.
