Oklahoma State shocked the college football world in 2010. Expected to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 South, the Cowboys quieted doubters with an 11-2 campaign that was capped off with a 36-10 victory over Arizona in the Alamo Bowl.

Dana Holgorsens offensive scheme figured largely into the success of the team. Now that he is hanging his hat at West Virginia, it will be up to new coordinator Todd Monken to keep the offense humming.

Offense: Brandon Weeden took the Big 12 by storm in his first season as starting quarterback. He threw for 4,277 yards with 34 touchdowns and 13 interceptions one of the best seasons an Oklahoma State signal caller has ever had.

The 27-year-old former pro baseball player will be back slinging it from the shotgun, joining six other returning offensive starters who helped the Cowboys lead the conference in scoring and total offense last season with 44.2 points and 520.2 yards per game.

Biletnikoff Award winner Justin Blackmon is Weedens go-to guy. Blackmon caught 111 passes for 1,782 yards and 20 touchdowns a season ago.

All-American running back Kendall Hunter is gone, but Joseph Randall and Jeremy Smith should have no trouble finding running lanes behind an experienced line that is anchored by All-Big 12 tackle Levy Adcock.

As long as Monken doesnt mess with Holgorsens spread, the Cowboys should remain one of the most explosive offensive teams in the country.

Defense: Oklahoma States defense, which returns six starters, ranked eighth in the Big 12 last season with 409.5 yards allowed per game. The unit ranked sixth in scoring defense with 26.4 points allowed per contest.

Oklahoma States pass defense left plenty to be desired a season ago. It ranked 11th in the league and 115th nationally with 275.9 yards allowed per game. Led by hard-hitting safety Markelle Martin, there is enough talent in the defensive backfield for the Cowboys to make progress against the pass.

Unfortunately, a front seven that must break in two new defensive tackles and two new linebackers could halt the progress. Linebacker Shaun Lewis, the Big 12s 2010 Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year, will be asked to carry the load in the second layer of the defense.

Oklahoma State must also find a way to generate a pass rush that extends beyond ends Jamie Blatnick and Richetti Jones, who combined for 10 sacks in 2010.

Prediction: 3rd Place Big 12 The Cowboys bring back a lot of key pieces from last years squad, which set a school record for wins in a single season, but it will be extremely difficult for them to improve on last years results. For one thing, the schedule is not as favorable. Oklahoma State only had five road games in 2010, and it has six this year. The Cowboys get rival Oklahoma at home again but must make trips to Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri, Texas Tech and Iowa State in Big 12 play. The offense should be as good as any in the country, but the defense could keep the Cowboys from bringing home a Big 12 title. College football lines makers have listed Oklahoma State at 30/1 to win the BCS championship.

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