Big 12 roundup: Who has the best special teams in the conference?
By Brian Spaen
In today’s Big 12 roundup, we rank the conference’s special teams units, review the busy Iowa State men’s basketball offseason, and dive into the Cyclones’ football schedule.
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FanSided’s Talking 12 ranked all of the Big 12 teams by special teams. Oklahoma got the top spot, followed by Kansas State and Baylor. Iowa State checked in at eighth as they venture into a new world without Kirby Van Der Kamp.
"There is no Kirby Van Der Kamp, who has been a fixture back in punt formation for four seasons, in 2014. True freshman Colin Downing, rated the top punter/kicker in the state of Wisconsin in high school, takes over the punting duties for the Cyclones. Field position has been an important part of coach Paul Rhoads’ game plan with Van Der Kamp’s leg. Whether Downing can do the same remains to be seen. The Cyclones were average or just below in about every ST category, and this shouldn’t change much in 2014."
To add to that, Cole Netten will be a year improved and will hopefully improve his field goal make percentage. At least it looks like extra points won’t be an adventure.
Other Big 12 news
— Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has Oklahoma in with Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon in the inaugural College Football Playoff. In the hunt is Baylor, Ohio State (mmmm…), Stanford, Auburn, Michigan State, UCLA, South Carolina, and LSU.
In comparison, we have FSU, Bama, and two Pac-12 teams — Oregon and UCLA — in the playoff.
— The Muscatine Journal reviews how busy the offseason was for Iowa State men’s basketball. You smell that? That’s right, basketball season’s around the corner.
— Randy Peterson of The Des Moines Register talks about why Iowa State playing Kansas State in week two favors the Cyclones compared to the original lineup. And, he reviews how crappy last season’s schedule was.