Spanning the Big 12: Five questions with Lubbock Avalanche-Journal beat writer Nick Kosmider

Continuing our series checking in with the beat writers who cover Oklahoma State’s conference opponents as we march closer to the start of college football season.

Previously
Texas with ESPN.com HornsNation’s Carter Strickland
Kansas with the Lawrence Journal-World’s Matt Tait

Today
Texas Tech with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nick Kosmider

Here’s our exchange:

Gina Mizell: Let’s just get this out of the way — How hot is Tommy Tuberville’s seat going into the season?

Nick Kosmider: There’s no doubt there is heavy pressure on Tuberville to author a turnaround this season. Coming off a 5-7 finish in 2011, the program’s first losing campaign in 20 years, fans certainly don’t want to stomach those sorts of results again. That said, athletic director Kirby Hocutt has a lot of faith in Tuberville and has been pleased with his recruiting efforts the past two seasons. So I’m not sure it’s necessarily a “go to a bowl game or else” scenario, but Tuberville will be in trouble should Tech lose games in blowout fashion like it did often the second half of last season.

GM: Where does Seth Doege rank in the pecking order of Big 12 quarterbacks?

NK: I think Doege is in the upper echelon of passers in the league, perhaps just a tick below Oklahoma’s Landry Jones and West Virginia’s Geno Smith. Starting for the first time since his sophomore year in high school last season, Doege threw for 4,004 yards and 28 touchdowns, only to be overshadowed by the brilliant performances of Brandon Weeden and Robert Griffin III. Teammates have noticed a big difference in Doege’s confidence level this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a big year out of him, especially with a deeper pool of playmakers around him.