Greg (@devywarehouse) had the idea to tackle one burning question for each college football team in 2020. We’ll break these up by conference and/or division. Greg asked Kyle (@FranchiseKF) and Brad (@DW_BMack) to join him for the Big 12 editions. We’ll tackle the Big 12 conference alphabetically in two parts. The questions will either reference college fantasy football, Devy, or real-world gameday or locker room topics.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Where do Oklahoma State’s triplets rank among the school’s best trios? @DW_BMack
Let’s meet the contestants.
2020
QB Spencer Sanders
RB Chuba Hubbard
WR Tylan Wallace
Spencer Sanders was a true freshman in 2019. He only played 11 games due to injury. He threw for 2065 yards, 16 TDs, and 11 INTs. Honestly, he was all over the place as a starter – up and down, hot and cold. Even though he’s not a polished passer, he is an incredibly fun dual-threat QB to watch. Chuba put together a season for the ages in 2019. He was second in the nation in carries…9 behind AJ Dillon. He led the nation in rushing yards with 1,936. He was second in rushing TDs behind WMU’s LeVante Bellamy. Tylan Wallace suffered an ACL tear in 2019 after he was already on his way to a big year. He led the Big 12 with 1,491 receiving yards on 86 catches. Only seven WRs scored more touchdowns than Wallace in 2018.
1987
QB Mike Gundy
RB Thurman Thomas
WR Hart Lee Dykes
Mike Gundy was an incredibly productive college QB. I did not realize that until writing this. Thurman Thomas was talented enough to hold off Barry Sanders for two seasons. Hart Lee Dykes had his second-best statistical season in 1987, setting the tone for 1988.
1988
QB Mike Gundy
RB Barry Sanders
WR Hart Lee Dykes
Barry Sanders’ 1988 season will forever be a GOAT season. Even if Gundy and Dykes were JAGs, this group would have made the exercise.
2002
QB Josh Fields
RB Tatum Bell
WR Rashuan Woods
This trio was probably one of the lesser-known groups, but they were paced by Rashuan Woods’ 107 catches, 1,695 yards, and 17 TDs (all tops in the Big 12 that season).
2008
QB Zac Robinson
RB Kendall Hunter
WR Dez Bryant
I don’t think Zac Robinson ever lived up to the hype, but he did enough to throw the 2008 team in the mix here. Kendall Hunter put up the first of two 1500-yard, 16-TD seasons. Dez Bryant only caught 87 passes, but he was responsible for almost half of Robinson’s passing yards and 19 of Robinson’s 25 passing TDs.
2010
QB Brandon Weeden
RB Kendall Hunter
WR Justin Blackmon
Weeden led the Big 12 in passing yards and passing TDs. Kendall Hunter’s 1548 rushing led the Big 12. Justin Blackmon’s slash line of 111/1782/20 was tops in every category for receivers.
2011
QB Brandon Weeden
RB Joseph Randle
WR Justin Blackmon
Weeden put up monster yardage numbers again but stayed in the same neighborhood as far as TDs and INTs. Joseph Randle rushed for 1200 yards and found the end zone more than anyone else not named Barry Sanders. Justin Blackmon somehow managed to increase his reception total from 111 to 1212. His yardage and TDs dipped ever so slightly though.
2017
QB Mason Rudolph
RB Justice Hill
WR James Washington
All three of these guys still have jobs in the league. Rudolph was the most productive passer in this exercise. Justice Hill was a threat as both a runner and receiver. James Washington was more on par with Hart Lee Dykes than Justin Blackmon statistically.
Now that we know the players, here’s my completely subjective take on where the 2020 triplets rank in the school’s history. Full disclosure, I came up with these triplets off the top of my head. I didn’t go full historian on this, so it’s possible that I missed a year that should have qualified. Alright, my rankings:
- 1988 – Mike Gundy led the Big 8 in passing yards and TDs. Hart Lee Dyke set the all-time Big 8 records for receiving yards and TDs. Barry Sanders’ 2628 rushing yards and 37 TDs still stand as the most ever by an RB in a single season.
- 2010 – Brandon Weeden, Kendall Hunter, Justin Blackmon
- 2017 – Mason Rudolph, Justice Hill, and James Washington
- 2020 – Spencer Sanders, Chuba Hubbard, and Tylan Wallace are back for one more run at it and their schedule is favorable enough to give them a shot at winning the Big 12. I think anything short of playing for the Big 12 championship will be a disappointment for the 2020 squad.
- 2011 – Brandon Weeden, Joseph Randle, Justin Blackmon
- 2008 – Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter, Dez Bryant
- 1987 – Mike Gundy, Thurman Thomas, Hart Lee Dykes
- Josh Fields, Tatum Bell, Rashaun Woods
TCU Horned Frogs
Who do the Horned Frogs turn too at QB? @DevyWarehouse
Incumbent starting QB Max Duggan will miss the 2020 season due to a heart condition that he’s had since birth that was recently discovered. Over the last two years the Horned Frogs have lost four QBs. Two to injuries (Max Duggan and Matthew Baldwin) and another two to transfers (Shawn Robinson and Justin Rogers). Former walk-on Matthew Downing is expected to be the man come week 1 against SMU. Downing’s high school coaches compares his playing style to a Baker Mayfield or Johnny Manziel. “He’s got the same type of game as those guys,” said Jacob Nichols, the high school coach. “He can extend plays and make plays with his legs when needed. “Matthew’s also one of the hardest working, most dedicated kids I’ve ever coached. He’s not the guy who’s going to blow you away with a measuring tape or stopwatch. He’s just a ballplayer and gets the job done no matter what the circumstance.” At one-time Downing was the third stringer behind Jake Fromm and Justin Fields as a true freshman walk-on in 2018. A lot of TCU’s season will ride on how much Downing can step up in such a short period of time. He will get to throw to an eligible JD Spielman this fall.
Texas Longhorns
How does the backfield shuffle out? @DevyWarehouse
The Longhorns have one of the better backfields in the nation. They have junior, Keaontay Ingram, who’s looking to make a big name for himself this fall in attempts to work himself into a day 2 NFL Draft pick. Right on his heels will be freshman, Bijan Robinson, one of the more gifted runners to enter college in recent seasons. A dark-horse is former QB, Roschon Johnson who was forced to move to running back last fall due to low numbers and injuries. One Texas source says that Roschon is the best running back on the roster right now. Very lofty praise for somebody who’s only been talking snaps as a back for less than a year now. For college fantasy purposes this might be a spot to avoid. This looks like it might be a three-headed monster all fall. All three will get their opportunities this year, but it will be hard to determine who breaks out each week.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Is Alan Bowman a bona fide Devy asset? @FranchiseKF
Not yet, but he probably will be after the 2020 season. That’s obviously assuming that we play one. Lack of opportunity has killed Bowman to this point in his career. He suffered injuries in both his freshman and redshirt freshman seasons. He started at a P5 school as a true freshman and was hand-picked by Kliff Kingsbury as a recruit. At 6’3” and 215 pounds, he will be big enough for every front office to give him a stamp of approval. With only three big conferences playing in the fall of 2020, the spotlight will burn even brighter for Bowman’s rSO year. Even if he has a good year, I think he’s likely to hang out and play in college for another year or two. If he can perform at the levels that I think he’s capable of and remain healthy, then I think we can safely say that Bowman is a future NFL asset. There is probably still a one year buy-low-window on Big Red.
West Virginia Mountaineers
How many games will WVU win this season? @DW_BMack
It seems West Virginia caught the raw end of the new Big 12 schedule. They have home games against Oklahoma, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, and TCU. Going on the road in conference play is tough enough as is, but their road schedule is not favorable – Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Texas, and Iowa State.
The Mountaineers were 3-6 in conference play in chapter one of Neal Brown’s tenure in Morgantown. All three wins came on the road. To end 2019, they hung with Oklahoma State and picked off Kansas State and TCU by 4 and 3 points respectively. Looking ahead to 2020, the most winnable games are at home versus Kansas, Kansas State, and TCU. Their best chance for a road win will come at Texas Tech. That leaves probable losses to Oklahoma, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas and Iowa State. Throw in a win in their non-con game and a 5-5 conference record is not what they hope for, but would be a mathematical step in the right direction…and maybe even enough to go bowling this season. Who knows.
