Athlon hands out its awards from the 2014 season.
Certainly, Big 12 fans feel jilted by the inaugural College Football Playoff Committee.
Both TCU and Baylor were worthy candidates for the national championship tournament. But being left out of the bracket and the subsequent finger pointing has taken away from what was a remarkable season in the Big 12.
The 2014 season was one filled with remarkable comebacks, record-setting performances, historic storylines and a lot of purple.
2014 Season Awards and All-Conference Teams:
ACC | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC
Big 12 2014 Season Awards
Coach of the Year: Gary Patterson, TCU
In just three short seasons, Patterson took his program from the Mountain West to the top of the Big 12 ladder. After losing close game after close game and finishing 4-8 a year ago with no quarterback play, Patterson reinvented himself on offense by hiring two new coordinators. With a wide receiver playing quarterback and his best defensive player lost for the year in the summer months, all Patterson did was win a share of the Big 12 title. The Frogs were picked sixth in the Big 12.
Offensive Player of the Year: Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU
What else can be said about Boykin’s remarkable season? He led the Big 12 with 3,714 yards passing, 30 passing touchdowns and was top 10 nationally in both categories. He also led the Big 12 and finished third nationally in total offense per game at 363.0 yards per game. Of the 11 players with at least 30 touchdown passes, Boykin was one of five with fewer than 10 interceptions. For good measure, he was 10th in the Big 12 in rushing and sixth in rushing touchdowns. This was a no-brainer.
Defensive Player of the Year: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
Brown was downright unstoppable this season for what turned out to be a bowl team in Austin. He anchored a unit that led the league in total defense and passing defense. The massive nose guard is a likely first-team All-American and finished his fine season with 62 total tackles, 12.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks to go with two forced fumbles. He was the most dominant defensive player in the league this year.
Newcomer of the Year: Tyreek Hill, AP, Oklahoma State
Hill was the No. 3-rated junior college prospect in the nation according to 247Sports and proved he was worth the lofty expectations. He finished second in the Big 12 with 150.9 all-purpose yards per game and made the biggest play of the Pokes season by tying The Bedlam Series with less than a minute away with his unforgettable punt return. Hill finished with 534 yards rushing on 102 attempts, 281 yards receiving on 31 catches and scored on three different returns (2 kick, 1 punt).
Freshman of the Year: Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma
The burly true freshman carried his way into the NCAA record books this fall. Perine led the Big 12 with 240 carries, 1,579 yards and 21 touchdowns. He posted three 200-yard games and set the NCAA single-game rushing record with 427 against Kansas. He was never the unquestioned starter but was asked to carry the load when Oklahoma dealt with injuries. The Texas native rose to the occasion and finished eighth nationally in rushing and was one of seven players to rush for at least 20 TDs.
Coordinator of the Year: Doug Meacham, TCU
He lost out on the Frank Broyles Award given to the nation’s top coordinator (Ohio State’s Tom Herman) but that shouldn’t diminish the work Meacham did in Fort Worth. The Broyles finalist, along with co-coordinator Sonny Cumbie, took an offense that ranked 106th in total offense (344.8) and 88th in scoring offense (25.1 ppg) and turned it into one of the most prolific units in the nation. TCU averaged 542.2 yards and 46.8 points per game, ranking fourth and second nationally, respectively.
Breakout Player of the Year: Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU
Boykin pretty much deserves every award possible. He’s the offensive player of the year, he’s the most improved player of the year and is clearly the breakout player of the year. Entering the summer, Boykin was a long shot to start at quarterback and was more likely to be a first-team All-Big 12 wide receiver than Heisman Trophy signal-caller. It was a remarkable year for the TCU QB.
Big 12 2014 All-Conference Team
| First-Team Offense | Second-Team Offense |
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QB Trevone Boykin TCU
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QB Bryce Petty Baylor 
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RB Samaje Perine Oklahoma
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RB DeAndre Washington Texas Tech 
|
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RB Shock Linwood Baylor
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RB Aaron Green TCU
|
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WR Tyler Lockett Kansas State 
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WR Sterling Shepard Oklahoma |
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WR Kevin White West Virginia 
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WR Corey Coleman Baylor
|
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TE E.J. Bibbs Iowa State 
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TE Jimmay Mudine Kansas 
|
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C B.J. Finney Kansas State
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C Joey Hunt TCU
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OL Spencer Drango Baylor
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OL Cody Whitehair Kansas State
|
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OL Daryl Williams Oklahoma
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OL Quinton Spain West Virginia 
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OL Le'Raven Clark Texas Tech
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OL Tayo Fabuluje TCU
|
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OL Mike Glowinski West Virginia
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OL Tyrus Thompson Oklahoma
|
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AP Tyreek Hill Oklahoma State
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AP Aaron Wimberly Iowa State
|
| First-Team Defense | Second-Team Defense |
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DL Malcom Brown Texas
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DL Andrew Billings Baylor
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DL Shawn Oakman Baylor
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DL Ryan Mueller Kansas State
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DL Chucky Hunter TCU
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DL Cedric Reed Texas
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DL Emmanuel Ogbah Oklahoma State
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DL Jordan Phillips Oklahoma
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LB Paul Dawson TCU
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LB Eric Striker Oklahoma
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LB Ben Heeney Kansas
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LB Bryce Hager Baylor
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LB Pete Robertson Texas Tech
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LB Jonathan Truman Kansas State
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CB Zack Sanchez Oklahoma
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CB Quandre Diggs Texas
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CB Sam Carter TCU
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CB Nigel Tribune Iowa State
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S Chris Hackett TCU
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S Karl Joseph West Virginia
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S Orion Stewart Baylor
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S Jordan Sterns Oklahoma State
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| First-Team Specialists | Second-Team Specialists |
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K Josh Lambert West Virginia
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K Jaden Oberkrom TCU
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P Trevor Pardula Kansas
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P Spencer Roth Baylor
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KR Alex Ross Oklahoma
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KR Mario Alford West Virginia
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PR Tyler Lockett Kansas State
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PR Tyreek Hill Oklahoma State
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