The Oklahoma State Cowboys are coming off of their most productive season in school history. The only that thing that kept the Cowboys from competing for a national title was their shocking loss to Iowa State. Even so, the team won their first outright conference championship in the post WWII era. They finished with a 12-1 record after narrowly beating Stanford 41-38 in the Fiesta Bowl, finishing No. 3 in the final polls.
Mike Gundy has completely turned the OSU around in just seven seasons as the team's head coach. Not only has he turned the Cowboys in a Big 12 contender, but a national contender as well. 2012 will be a tough year for him though as he loses several key players on last year's team. The Cowboys return just 12 starters in all, but they do have a good amount of depth with 50 lettermen coming back.
Nfl 2012
Offense
The Cowboys had a record-setting offense last season that will be tough to replicate in 2012. They averaged 48.7 points and 546 total yards per game last year, and those gaudy numbers are almost certain to drop drastically in the new season. This is because only four starters return on offense, and almost all their best players are gone.
Brandon Weeden is irreplaceable after throwing for 4,277 yards with 37 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2011. Freshman Wes Lunt will have big shoes to fill as he earned the starting job in the spring. He's a big, strong pocket passer and he does resemble Weeden's lanky frame of 6'4'' and 211 lbs. I still expect their passing numbers to take a big hit in 2012.
OSU may have to rely heavily on its rushing attack more this season and their top returning playmaker, junior RB Joseph Randle needs to step it up even more. He rushed for 1,248 yards and a whopping 24 touchdowns last season, while also catching 43 balls for 266 yards and two scores to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors. Junior Jeremy Smith (666 yards, nine touchdowns), and sophomore Herschel Sims (244 yards, two touchdowns) will return to help form one of the best backfields in the Big 12.
The receiving corps lost its top two playmakers in Justin Blackmon (122 receptions, 1,522 yards, 18 touchdowns) and Josh Cooper (71 receptions, 715 yards, 3 touchdowns). They lose three of their top four, but do retain senior starter Tracy Moore (45 receptions, 672 yards, 4 touchdowns). Sophomore Josh Stewart (19 receptions, 291 yards, two touchdowns) and Junior Isaiah Anderson (28 receptions, 315 yards, 4 touchdowns) are all expected to have increased roles in the upcoming season. Junior college All-American Blake Jackson should also make significant contributions.
The offensive line loses three starters up front, including first-team All-Big 12 and first-team All-American tackle Levy Adcock and center Grant Garner, the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2011. Despite big losing two of their best linemen, they do return 63 career starts. The returning players they have up front are right guard Lane Tayler and senior left guard Jonathan Rush.
Defense
The Cowboys were able to win the Big 12 last year despite subpar defense. They allowed 26.8 points and 457 total yards per game. Despite giving up so much yardage, this unit was able to come away with many key takeaways throughout the year. OSU finished +21 in turnover margin in 2011.
All-Big 12 DE Jamie Blatnick (50 tackles, 8 sacks) and DE Richetti Jones (33 tackles, 4 sacks) are moving on to the NFL. No defensive lineman had more than two sacks last year. That's unfortunate considering the Cowboys surrendered 185 yards and 4.4 per carry on the ground last year. Senior DE Nigel Nicholas (35 tackles, 2 sacks, 8 tackles for loss) and junior DT Anthony Rogers (21 tackles) are two of their most experienced linemen returning.
Linebacker will definitely be a position of strength for the Cowboys in 2012. This is mainly due to them having five of their top six guys coming back, including their #2, #3 and #6 tacklers. These are Alex Elkins (90 tackles), junior Caleb Lavey (74 tackles) and junior Shaun Lewis (61 tackles, 8 for loss). Gundy has boasted that this is his best linebacker corps yet.
OSU finished #2 in FBS with 24 interceptions a year ago. The secondary loses first-team All-Big 12 strong safety Markelle Martin, but brings back seven of their top eight defensive backs. Three starters return in first-team All-Big 12 corner Brodrick Brown (68 tackles, 15 pass break-ups, five INT), junior corner Justin Gilbert (59 tackles, 10 pass break-ups, five INT) and junior free safety Daytawion Lowe (97 tackles). The talent and depth this team has could make the Cowboys the top secondaries in the country.
Big 12 Prediction - 4th Place
While the defense should be improved, the offense is going to take such a big hit that there's very little chance the Cowboys contend for a repeat at the Big 12 title. QB Brandon Weeden and WR Justin Blackmon are huge losses to their team and they'll have a very hard time to replicate the success they had last year at the offensive end. They also lose two of their top linemen from one of the most underrated front fives in the country last year. OSU does have a manageable road schedule aside from a visit to Oklahoma. They have Texas, TCU and West Virginia at home, but it is highly unlikely that they win all three of those games. That's the reason why the Cowboys will have difficulty in contending for another conference championship.
2012 Oklahoma State Cowboys Season Predictions
Jack Jones posts his football picks at Betfirms.com as well as FootballFreePicks.com.
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