2010

Here is the schedule:

@ Rice
Wyoming
@ Texas Tech
UCLA
Oklahoma (in Dallas)
@ Nebraska
Iowa State
Baylor
@ Kansas State
Oklahoma State
Florida Atlantic
Texas A&M

Here are the notables we lose:

WR Jordan Shipley
OL Adam Ulatoski
OL Charlie Tanner
OL Chris Hall
QB Colt McCoy
K Hunter Lawrence
DE Sergio Kindle
DT Lamarr Houston
LB Roddrick Muckelroy
S Earl Thomas
DT Ben Alexander

Obviously my expectations are lower for next year's team versus this year's team. I think a Big 12 Championship would be a great accomplishment for this team. For the first time in a few years, spring practice holds real intrigue as we'll all be eager to hear how Gilbert and the receivers are meshing.

The line gets battered a bit, but much like a certain linebacker leaving a couple of years ago, it is almost addition by subtraction. Mason Walters is said to maybe be the best OL on this team, and he probably slides right into either LT or LG. Tray Allen gets his shot. David Snow has had playing time. And we might have another OL coach to teach them all.

Losing Shipley is huge. We missed Quan Cosby for much of this season, and next year we'll miss Shipley even more. But Gilbert has all spring/summer to find his own security blanket, and I'm sure he will.

I'm worried about the DL, but I was worried about it coming into this year and it turned out fine. In Muschamp I trust. One of either Alex Okafor and Eddie Jones needs to turn into that dominant pass rusher in the Orakpo/Kindle mold. We get Jared Norton back at linebacker, and that will help that young unit tremendously.

The secondary might be the strength of the team next year despite the loss of Thomas. One of the Scott/Brewster/Vaccaro trio will likely replace him, but Aaron Williams is a man among boys, and another off-season will do wonders for Curtis/Chykie Brown. Blake Gideon improved so much from freshman to sophomore, if he does that again he'll be a dominant safety.

I have zero idea who will be kicking next year. Justin Tucker will have first crack, I suppose, but if he doesn't work, who? Travis Smith? MIchael Summerville? You click on those guys' bios on the team website and you get an empty screen for Smith and you find out that Summerville likes The Office on his.

As for the schedule, these are the games that scare me, in order:

@ Nebraska
@ Kansas State
Oklahoma

Nebraska and KSU will fight for the Big 12 North, and Oklahoma is Oklahoma. Tech doesn't scare me with the transition to Tubberville, UCLA has an awful offense that Muschamp will destroy, Oklahoma State might be the worst team in the Big 12 South next year, and I'll run a lap around campus if Jarrod Johnson has a game like he did against Texas this year in Austin next year.

Sigh....8 months....