Oklahoma State Football Season Preview

Oklahoma State football is just right around the corner, but the media is chomping at the bit after today's Big 12 Media Day festivities. Next week, I'll be in Stillwater covering Oklahoma State Media Day, but wanted to go ahead and post my thoughts on the season beforehand, as I'll most likely be writing a ton for the O'Colly after that.

Key Players In 2011

The Obvious: Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon
The duo is back for another year, and on just about every College Football promo on ESPN. I'm hoping to see Blackmon with another big year, but he won't be under the radar as he was at the beginning of last year. Weeden in my opinion is incredibly underrated. Who wouldn't want a guy who's the age of an NFL Quarterback in his prime playing in college? Although secondaries will be after Blackmon like bounty hunters, I still firmly believe OC Todd Monken is capable of using Weeden to get Blackmon the ball... Somehow.

Markelle Martin and Shaun Lewis
With Orie Lemon graduated, these two have become the new anchors of the Cowboy defense. Shaun Lewis broke onto the scene last year as a freshman, and might be one of the most physically gifted players I've ever seen. I saw him at the end of the Spring semester when I was at a friend's apartment and he had gotten even bigger. Add that in with Markelle Martin coming in even better than he was last year and you've got a defensive core that even I'm comfortable with... And that's saying something. We'll just see if the guys around them fall into place.

The Undercover: Joseph Randle and Hubert Anyiam
Jo Randle now carries all of the running back duties. In 2010, he excelled as a wild-card running back that countered Kendall Hunter. Now, Monken is hoping that Randle and his backup Jeremy Smith will be the 1-2 punch that Randle and Hunter were last year. The other key to the offense is Hubert Anyiam. Weeden already has two proven tools in Blackmon and Josh Cooper, if Anyiam returns to his 2009 form and proves himself as another legitimate threat... Well, let's just hope the ROTC guys who do pushups for points are in shape. We could see some consistent 60+ scores. I'll go ahead and give Anyiam the benefit of the doubt though, he had a bum ankle in 2010, and I'd love nothing more than to see him come off that year and have an incredible 2011.

THE GAME:
Bedlam is big... Obviously. But this year, there might be a game even bigger, and it will be played in College Station. To those of you who haven't looked at schedules yet, THIS IS THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP.

But why? It's simple; Whoever wins this game has a pretty easy route to the crown. After A&M, OSU has two potential opportunities to slip up: Texas and Missouri, both of which are away games. Texas is a big game because it's Texas. They may have been a losing team last year, but any program that consistently brings in a Top 10 recruiting class has the talent to beat anyone else in the country, especially when Mack Brown is on the sideline. Missouri has the same explosive offense that the Cowboys posses, and that game easily turns into a shootout. We saw how shootouts can end in 2010's edition of Bedlam. Oh, and speaking of Bedlam, it's in Stillwater again. Maybe this time we can fill up those seats in the corners and bring even more noise? Talk to your trusty Cowboy athletic director.

After Oklahoma State, A&M has to go to Norman. What that means is: A&M is guaranteed a loss. The Green Bay Packers would have a tough time winning in Norman because of the simple fact that OU doesn't lose at home. Ever. Obviously the Packers is a bit exaggerated, but I hope you get what I mean by that. Besides OU, A&M has to travel to Lubbock to play Tech, a team that always gives them fits for some reason, and they also have Texas in College Station.

That being said, matchup on September 24th is THE GAME. I'm not one to dub a game that early in the season as the most important game of the year, but this is an exception. This game is huge, and my Tivo is already set to record it. Judge me.

Storyline Of The Year: Justin Blackmon's Final Act?
Let's start this with a question. Does anyone here think Blackmon will be back his senior year?

*Crickets*

Okay, so we're all on the same page. Strictly from an athlete and future standpoint, it'd be foolish for Blackmon to be back in 2012. He'll have another stellar year in 2011 with one of the best quarterback's in football throwing to him, and he'll be the best receiver going into the 2012 draft. I can't see him coming back to have a first-year quarterback throwing to him in what would be the most important year in his football career. He would have to do more with less in 2012, and with an unproven arm, it's just too much of a risk.

That being said, I can also easily see Blackmon coming back. Confusing? Absolutely. Anyone who has been to anything that is Oklahoma State related knows the same thing. Blackmon goes to every Basketball game, most baseball games, and a ton of social functions. My first memory as an official Poke was at Camp Cowboy last summer, when Blackmon, Jarrod Fields, Brodrick Brown, and Andrew McGee came to talk to us one night. I had to go back home and get on my NCAA game to even see what position Blackmon played. 6 months later, he's hoisting the Biletnikoff. But it gets even better, the other day I saw via twitter that Blackmon was going BACK to speak at Camp Cowboy. He's not too big for anything, and that's why he is the perfect player for Oklahoma State. Not only is he one of the best players to ever grace Boone Picken's Stadium, but he gives back to OSU more than ever.

So will he be back? No. But maybe. But probably not. Oh, who knows. I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's enjoy 2011!

Go Pokes, Go Rangers, Go Cowboys (Finally Unlocked!), and Go 2011 World Champion Mavs