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Huskers face tough road in quest for 2nd straight North title
Big 12 News

Nebraska, who had been a perennial power in the Big 12 for years, captured the North Division title last season but fell to Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game. The Huskers enter this season as the early favorites to repeat in the North, but they will face a much tougher road this time around.

Teams like Missouri and Kansas State looked poised to knock off the Big Red powerhouse and claim the North for themselves. It might be a tight battle for the North crown this season.

Let's take a look at the 2007-2008 North teams, in order of predicted finish.

1) Nebraska Cornhuskers (#14)

Last Season Record: 9-5 (6-2 Big 12)
Postseason Result: Lost 17-14 to Auburn in AT&T Cotton Bowl

Top Players
OLB Steve Octavien [SR]
CB Zack Bowman [SR]
DT Ndamukong Suh [SO]
OLB Bo Ruud [SR]
WR Maurice Purify [SR]

Offense (B-)
Coach Bill Callahan has built up a pretty solid West Coast-style offense at Nebraska, which should be very balanced. Senior QB Sam Keller has a nice group of receivers and an experienced o-line to stand behind. If Nebraska can get a solid run game out of junior Marlon Lucky and others, they could be a force.

Defense (B)
Nebraska's defense has a ton of experience, and two exciting sophomores to fill in the gaps. Three seniors each start in both the linebacking group and in the secondary, and 3 juniors have spots on the d-line. Keep an eye on sophomores Suh and SS Larry Asante, who may push this unit to a new level.

Special Teams (B+)
A solid group of kickers, with a redshirt freshman at placekicker and a junior punting.

Overall (B)
The Huskers are the defending division champs and the favorites until someone proves otherwise. When or if that happens is a mystery.

2) Missouri Tigers (#37)

Last Season Record: 8-5 (4-4 Big 12)
Postseason Result: Lost 39-38 to Oregon State in Brut Sun Bowl

Top Players
DT Evander "Ziggy" Hood [JR]
TE Martin Rucker [SR]
WR William Franklin [SR]
TE Chase Coffman [JR]
QB Chase Daniel [JR]

Offense (B+)
Missouri's offense could challenge anyone in the conference. Daniel is a top-notch leader and has plenty of playmakers to connect with. Rucker, a Preseason All-American, and Coffman form the nation's best TE tandem and the receiving group is outstanding. Senior RB Tony Temple will provide them the run game and balance they need, and the o-line looks very stout. Watch out for freshman WR/KR Jeremy Maclin, who could be a game changer.

Defense (B-)
Missouri's offense may look great, but their defense raises a few concerns. The Tigers have a bunch of great players, like Hood, junior FS William Moore and sophomore OLB Sean Weatherspoon, but is this unit good enough to challenge for the North title?

Special Teams (A+)
Junior kicker Jeff Wolfert and senior punter Adam Crossett give Missouri one less thing to worry about.

Overall (B+)
Missouri has a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, and could be a legit threat to knock off the Huskers. Can they really do it though?

3) Kansas State Wildcats (#46)

Last Season Record: 7-6 (4-4 Big 12)
Postseason Result: Lost 37-10 to Rutgers in Texas Bowl

Top Players
WR Jordy Nelson [SR]
DE Rob Jackson [SR]
QB Josh Freeman [SO]
SS Marcus Watts [JR]
DE Ian Campbell [JR]

Offense (B)
Kansas State has a pretty good offense. Freeman is a very solid signal-caller, and Nelson will be a player opponents gameplan for. The o-line isn't bad and has some good experience (4 juniors, 1 senior), but I'm a little concerned with the run game. Is senior RB James Johnson good enough to give them balance?

Defense (C+)
The Wildcats' DE tandem, group of corners and Watts at safety give them items to be thankful for. The rest of the defense? Awful. The linebackers are particularly bad and the DT group isn't very good.

Special Teams (A-)
Senior punter Tim Reyer seems competent.

Overall (B-)
Kansas State has a lot of talent, but it seems top-heavy. Big 12 opponents could exploit their weak spots and ruin their shot quickly.

4) Colorado Buffaloes (#58)

Last Season Record: 2-10 (2-6 Big 12)
Postseason Result: DNQ

Top Players
OLB Jordan Dizon [SR]
CB Terrence Wheatley [SR]
OLB Brad Jones [JR]
RB Hugh Charles [SR]
WR Dusty Sprague [SR]

Offense (C+)
Things that are decent: The o-line and receivers. Things that are good: Charles anchoring a potentially strong run game. Things that aren't good: Sophomore QB Cody Hawkins, son of head coach Dan Hawkins, and depth beyond the starters.

Defense (B-)
Dizon, Jones and Wheatley are solid talents but the rest of the defense looks pretty weak. The d-line isn't bad but it isn't good either.

Special Teams (A)
Sophomore punter Matthew DiLallo is very solid.

Overall (B)
Colorado just looks too average to compete with the big boys. A bowl game is not out of the question though.

5) Kansas Jayhawks (#60)

Last Season Record: 6-6 (3-5 Big 12)
Postseason Result: DNQ

Top Players
CB Aqib Talib [JR]
TE Derek Fine [SR]
WR Marcus Henry [SR]
SS Darrell Stuckey [SO]
DT James McClinton [SR]

Offense (B-)
Kansas has a decent offense ready to roll this season. Sophomore QB Todd Reesing will step into the starting role this year, and has a few solid weapons to use. Henry and Fine captain a nice receiving corps, and watch for true freshman WR Dezmon Briscoe and QB-turned-WR Kerry Meier to play a role. The o-line looks very good, and should help the RB tandem of senior Brandon McAnderson and sophomore Jake Sharp rack up tons of yards.

Defense (B-)
CB Talib is one of the nation's top corners and was voted a Preseason 1st Team All-American. The rest of the defense looks a little shaky, so it will be interesting to see how they perform. Stuckey is an exciting player that does well in coverage and against the run, so the Jayhawks could have something cookin'.

Special Teams (B+)
A pair of seniors will handle the kicking duties.

Overall (B-)
I like what Coach Mark Mangino is building out of a perennially lousy program. The Jayhawks have a lot of pieces in place to make some noise, but my guess is it won't happen until next season.

6) Iowa State Cyclones (#83)

Last Season Record: 4-8 (1-7 Big 12)
Postseason Result: DNQ

Top Players
OLB Alvin Bowen [SR]
DT Ahtyba Rubin [SR]
OLB Jon Banks [SR]
WR Todd Blythe [SR]
TE Ben Barkema [SR]

Offense (C)
The Cyclones have a few good players on offense, like Blythe, Barkema and senior QB Bret Meyer, but overall the package isn't very promising. The run game looks especially weak, and the o-line will have lots of trouble against some of these dominating Big 12 d-lines.

Defense (C+)
Bowen, Banks and Rubin anchor an average front seven, but they won't be able to overcome a brutal secondary. The Cyclones may be able to limit rushing attacks, but should get shredded through the air.

Special Teams (B+)
Sophomore punter Mike Brandtner is not bad at all. In fact, he's pretty good.

Overall (C)
Expect the cellar-dweller Cyclones to get buried below their Big 12 rivals again.