Phil Steele Added to the Mix and Summer Magazines See Pokes High Middle

STILLWATER – My friend Phil Steele is a football maniac. He is and very proud of it. It takes a football maniac to put out America’s largest and most thorough college football preview magazines. Steele pumps so much information into his magazines that he has his own language with some 229 abbreviations that he uses in order to fit all of the information in his pride and joy publication that is hitting Barnes and Noble bookstores and home mailboxes as we speak.

I’m a preseason football magazine-aholic and by helping Phil with Oklahoma State and the Big 12 for his magazine I get a few sent my way. On Friday (June 25) I had Phil Steele on my radio show and asked the question I had been anxious to hear him answer.

What does he think of the Big 12 this season?

PhilSteele.com

Steele seehe Big 12 as a big headache for teams except when they play Kansas.

“I think the top nine in the Big 12 are really good,” Steele answered. “Kansas is in for a rebuilding year this season, let’s face it. Lance Leipold comes in after spring practice basically, brings in new coordinators on both sides of the football. Granted their interim coach is back with them, but you are talking about brand new systems and Kansas is going to take some time. Everybody else in the Big 12 is dangerous.”

Unlike most of the magazines, Steele, who has had it documented that his magazine has been the most accurate over the past 23-years, doesn’t mind picking ties. He did that for the Big 12 with Texas Tech, Kansas State, and Baylor in a tie for seventh just above Kansas.

“You’re looking at a Baylor team that I’ve got slated as tied for seventh and that was a team three years ago that was 11-3 and highly-ranked,” Steele said. “When I talked to Dave Aranda he told me that last year he felt like a stepdad and this year he feels like the dad. He knows the players and he is making adjustments and I think Baylor is going to be an improved team.”

I think Kansas State is going to be the biggest surprise team in the Big 12 and I have the Wildcats in the upper division, Steele has them dangerous.

Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer

Skylar Thompson has been a Cowboy and a Sooner killer going 4-1 as a starter against them.

“Kansas State is loaded for Chris Klieman. They have 16 returning starters and remember last year they lost their quarterback in Skylar Thompson early in the season,” Steele explained. “Will Howard went through some growing pains and Thompson is a legitimate NFL-caliber quarterback. They have Deuce Vaughn at running back, Malik Knowles at receiver, and a good defense.”

Texas Tech is a team that I’m not sure about, but Steele thinks they poised to improve.

“At Texas Tech we’ve been waiting, and this is year three for Coach (Matt) Wells and usually coaches hit their stride in year three,” Steele said of the Red Raiders, another team he picked in a seventh place tie. “He has Tyler Shough in as quarterback, the best receivers he’s had in his time there and a defense that is the best that he’s had.

“West Virginia is ready to make a move,” Steele added. “I think all of the top nine teams in the Big 12, sorry Kansas, are bowl caliber teams, so I love the depth that is in the Big 12 this year.”

TCU, the other shade of purple in the Big 12 is Steele’s surprise team and he has the Frogs jumping up to fourth place in the conference. He sees year one as better than I think it will be for new Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian as he picked Texas third. He has the Cowboys fifth. Steele sees the Cowboys schedule and sees some challenges that could keep Oklahoma State from battling for the Big 12 title.

No surprise, he sees Oklahoma at the top and is amazed they keep getting help through the transfer portal.

“It is pretty remarkable getting Eric Gray in there, and the players coming in (transfers) all seem to be coming in the right spots,” Steele said of the influx of transfers to Oklahoma. “The difference I think in this year and any of the other Oklahoma teams for Lincoln Riley is going to be that defensive side of the ball. They showed improvement last year, but they were not dominant and I see another big step forward this year. They have eight starters back and they have my number three defensive line in the county, my number nine linebackers and my secondary that is third-ranked. Spencer Rattler, and anytime Lincoln Riley has a veteran quarterback they are good, the running backs are there with Brooks and Gray, and they have the receivers. Oklahoma is a loaded team.”

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Rodriguez on his way to scoring with the pick six against Iowa State in 2019.

Steele has Iowa State as the top challenger for the Sooners, but did tell me that the Oklahoma State visit to Ames where his selection for All-Big 12 linebacker this year in Malcolm Rodriguez had the pick six late in the game to knock off the Cyclones in 2019. Iowa State may be his top linebacker unit in the Big 12, but rightfully so he has Rodriguez All-Big 12 first-team and the others do not. As you can see below, it might because Steele has four linebackers on his All-Conference team. 

“Matt Campbell has done a phenomenal job at Iowa State and he has all the big names back,” Steele said with excitement. “You talk about big name there’s Brock Purdy at quarterback, Breece Hall at running back, the best tight end room in the nation with Charlie Kolar and Chase Allen. The offensive line last year was young and this year they are all back. On defense they have my second best linebacker corps in the country with Mike Rose, O’Rien Vance, and Jake Hummel. Iowa State beat Oklahoma in the regular season last year, so I agree with you this is going to be a league where every game is tough except when you play Kansas.”

I agree with that. I think Steele has it picked the way he should. Oklahoma State is a very good team for this year,  but coming out of the weeds or off the radar screen has generally been a good thing for the Cowboys and I think it could be again in 2021.