2015 Big 12 Expert Picks: Overrated, underrated, predicted order of finish – CBSSports.com

CBS Sports asked our college football staff to lay it all on the line ahead of the season, calling out each of their most overrated and underrated teams, projecting each division’s order of finish and making a bold prediction that will stay with them through the entire 2015 season.

Let’s take a look at what they had to say for the conference that was left out of the initial College Football Playoff.

From TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma battling at the top to some beliving the Horned Frogs are actually overrated, the opinions are varied and may lead to debate, especially early in the 2015 campaign.

Most overrated team: Oklahoma. Yes, the Big 12 drops off precipitously after TCU and Baylor, but the Sooners are coming off a year tied for the worst in the Bob Stoops era (8-5). The pass defense was in the bottom 10 in the country.

Most underrated team: Kansas State. The Wildcats always are. Bill Snyder has at least three dual-threat quarterbacks he can run out there who can play. If one does not stand out and produce, he’ll use all three. TCU and Baylor each come to Manhattan.

Bold conference prediction: David Beaty will win three games in his first season at Kansas. The former Texas A&M assistant has made a big impression with a depleted roster. The Jayhawks going 3-9 will be like TCU going unbeaten.

Most overrated team: Oklahoma State. Actually, all of the Big 12 teams seem rated fairly well. I gave the nod to the Cowboys because one magazine says there’s talk they could pull a TCU and rise from seventh to first.

Most underrated team: Texas Tech. The addition of David Gibbs as defensive coordinator could help the woeful defense. The Red Raiders get five home Big 12 games this year, though two are against Baylor and TCU in consecutive weeks.

Bold conference prediction: TCU will beat Baylor on Nov. 27, thanks to the game being in Fort Worth and a slightly more manageable November schedule. There aren’t bold predictions to be had in the Big 12, which looks like a two-team race again.

Most overrated team: Texas. The Longhorns have had more name than game lately. Charlie Strong may get it turned around, but not likely this year.

Most underrated team: Kansas State. I’m picking a little bit of a dip for the Wildcats this year, but I won’t be surprised if Snyder’s guys make me look like a dip instead.

Bold conference prediction: The Big 12 won’t regret not jumping back into a championship game. They’ll get a team in the playoffs this year with just a 12-game schedule.

Most overrated team: TCU. Listen, this is a good team, I just don’t know believe the Horned Frogs will repeat 2014. They lost a lot of key guys on defense, and I’m always leery of teams that come from nowhere one year and receive a ton of hype heading into the next.

Most underrated team: Oklahoma. The only two teams anybody talks about in the Big 12 this year are Baylor and TCU, like the Sooners no longer exist after a down season. Well, they’re still around, and they’re going to be a major factor in the Big 12.

Bold conference prediction: The game that will decide the Big 12 will be played on Nov. 14 when Baylor hosts Oklahoma, and the Bears will squeeze by the Sooners. And they will win the conference and get a playoff spot.

Most overrated team: TCU. The Horned Frogs should again be an excellent team, and obviously deserve to be called Big 12 contenders. But a preseason No. 2 ranking is a stretch for a team that’s said goodbye to Paul Dawson, Chris Hackett, Kevin White and multiple other quality defenders, as well as longtime Patterson defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas.

Most underrated team: Texas. The offense is — to put it politely — a worry. But even with some high-profile losses, the Longhorns defense is in its second season under Charlie Strong, has added some major reinforcements on the recruiting trail, and boasts one of the country’s nastiest secondaries (in a league that loves to pass, no less). They’re not going to be afterthoughts.

Bold conference prediction: Kansas will go 1-11. Beaty has just seven returning starters on what was already easily the least-talented team in the Big 12. Their best hope for a league win — Iowa State — comes on the road a week after the Jayhawks travel to Rutgers, while the Cyclones come off a bye. The nonconference slate features a top FCS team in South Dakota State, AAC contender Memphis and the Scarlet Knights. Look out.

Most overrated team: TCU. I could end eating my own toad-flavored words here, but count me as one of the few who doubts TCU’s ability to maintain a 2014 level of success while losing its best linebacker (Dawson), best defensive lineman (Chucky Hunter) and two NFL defensive backs (White and Hackett). I’m expecting a slight step back on the defensive side, and with the small margin of error in the Big 12, I think the Frogs will lose a couple of conference games as a result.

Most underrated team: Oklahoma State. The Cowboys’ poor showing during Big 12 conference play, bottoming out in a loss to Texas and rotating through quarterbacks until Mason Rudolph jumped to the front of the depth chart, has kept Mike Gundy’s group out of the conversation for conference title contention in 2015. But with a majority of last season’s core intact and a full offseason for Rudolph and the offense to improve, I think Oklahoma State is a top 25 team with a shot to scare, or beat, the trio of TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma.

Bold conference prediction: Baylor will lose one conference game, but still make the College Football Playoff. Big 12 panic will ensue after the Bears lose to someone they should beat (maybe a Thursday night game in Bill Snyder Family Stadium off a bye week), but take care of business in its final stretch of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas to jump back into the top four.

Most overrated team: Texas. I’m not sure the Longhorns are even overrated, but I just think most teams in the Big 12 are properly rated and some folks are a little too high on the Texas. I get that they improved last year and showed some good things, but I still think they’re a mid-pack team for this year, especially with the quarterback situation the way it is. The Longhorns will be back contending under Strong, but this isn’t the year.

Most underrated team: Oklahoma. The Big 12 is seen as a two-horse race between TCU and Baylor, but OU is sitting there with a lot of talent and the chance to really wreck the storybook ending for the Horned Frogs and Bears. If the Sooners can find a quality quarterback, they can contend for the Big 12 title.

Bold conference prediction: No one will go undefeated in the Big 12. The new Big 12 tiebreaker system might be put to use immediately in 2015 because I think every team finishes with at least one loss in the conference. We’ll just find out this season if actually naming a one-loss conference champion makes the difference for the playoff.

Is TCU overrated at No. 2 after being left out of the CFP last season? (USATSI)

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.