The Big 12 preview continues with a look at the Big 12’s south division, which opens the season featuring two teams in the Top 20, lead by Texas A&M at No. 6.

And that’s right where the preview starts. The Aggies return 16 starters from a team that upset Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game. The bad news is, all six who left were drafted. However, A&M remains very deep and should be the best team overall in the conference.

Randy McNown, who finished fifth in the league in passing efficiency while sharing duties with Brandon Stewart last year, will be back behind center. Dante Hall, who rushed for 1,024 yards a year ago, is back to tote the rock, and the offensive line features two NFL prospects, Semisi Heimulu and Seth McKinney.

“The Wrecking Crew” will be back in full force, as eight of 11 starters return from a unit that placed fourth a year ago. That includes all four men on the defensive line and both starting cornerbacks. Many are looking upon the Aggies as a candidate for a national title.

While Texas A&M represents the present of the Big 12, the Longhorns of Texas figure to have a stranglehold on the future. Second year coach Mack Brown just finished recruiting the best class in the nation, and he also has a number of youngsters that contributed a year ago.

The big question, of course, is how Texas will manage to replace Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams. The answer could come in the form of redshirt freshman Victor Ike, who was impressive last year on the scout team and convinced coaches in spring ball that he could carry the load.

Back at quarterback is Major Applewhite, who finished second behind Michael Bishop in passing efficiency, particularly impressive considering his freshman status.

The defense provides more questions than answers, as the unit really had its ups and downs a year ago. Senior All-American candidate Aaron Humphrey will anchor the defensive line, which should be decent. The question marks will come in the secondary, where a young backfield will face several stern tests.

Oklahoma State suffered a couple of last-play losses that turned a 8-3 season into a 5-6 campaign. This year, the Cowboys have the experience and talent to make a run in the Big 12 south.

On offense, junior quarterback Tony Lindsey will return for his third year of starting, while Nathan Simmons is coming off a 937-yard season at tailback.

Defensively, the Cowboys lost their two top defensive lineman but should be stacked at linebacker with All-Big 12 Kenyatta Wright, and Chris Massey is one of the most highly touted recruits in Cowboy history who should contribute in the secondary.

Texas Tech will return 15 starters from a team that quietly went 7-5 a year ago. Ricky Williams, the Red Raider feature back, will be the leading candidate to replace his namesake as the conference’s leading rusher.

Rob Peters will be a solid QB, while the receiving corps could struggle with the loss of Donnie Hart.

The defense is filled with question marks, and this is really the only reason that the squad is not predicted to be a strong contender for the title.

Montae Reagor, the All-American DE, will have to be replaced, while the rest of the unit seeks better depth.

The Oklahoma Sooners will be led into the campaign by new coach Bob Stoops, whom many figured was ticketed for Iowa City to coach the Hawkeyes. He will have a stern test facing him as the team that went 5-6 a year ago lost more than half of their starters.

They will enlist the help of junior college transfer Josh Huelpel to man the duties behind center, while the running game will probably be left in the hands of Michael Thornton, who contributed a bit last year behind NFL draft pick De’Mond Parker.

The defense, which finished a surprising second in the league and sixth in the nation last year, took a couple of hits with the graduation of productive lineman. However, they should still be strong with the return of key players LB Brandon Moore and CB Mike Woods. Depending on the new offensive backfield, the Sooners could surprise.

The Baylor Bears once again figure to be the cellar-dwellers in the south. They do have a new coach in Kevin Steele and 19 of 22 starters back, but the cupboard is still a bit bare.

To lead the offense, Odell James will be back and running the option for the Bears. The highly touted Ben Gay will be carrying the ball for Baylor, while the receiving corps is going to be forced to start virtually from scratch.

The defense will be led by CB Gary Baxter, who is one of the best defensive backs in the country. Beyond that, however, the squad expects to struggle.

Combined that with the fact the Bears will face five teams that went to bowl games last season, and it figures to be a long season in Waco.