The Sunday Morning Quarterback wrote up a very long article on what Red Raider fans can expect from their team in 2008. You can read the entire article here. But if you’re interested in only what they had to say about Michael Crabtree, then here’s an excerpt:

Obviously, to say Michael Crabtree took the Big 12 by storm or something would be an understatement. He set freshman records for everything, came pretty close to setting national records for everything, regardless of class, and won the Biletnikoff Award. Better defenses caught on later in the year and held him somewhat in check –– 17 touchdowns in the first six games declined to five TDs in the last seven –– and there was the flatly dropped touchdown on fourth down that would have beaten Oklahoma State, after he’d caught three scores earlier in the game. But Crabtree still had 64 catches in those last seven, dominated Texas and Oklahoma (21 for 349 and 3 TDs in back-to-back games) and is a good bet to go toward the top of next year’s draft, if he wants. All things considered, the best receiver in the country.

This came from a piece on who the best player is, that’s why it starts out with “Obviously.” There’s no doubt Red Raider fans are expecting big things from their team. Some ESPN experts are even picking them for the Sugar Bowl.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders are known for running a pass heavy offense. Quarterback Graham Harrell threw the ball 713 times during the 2007 season. Compare that to Heisman winner Tim Tebow’s 350 attempts, Chase Daniel’s 452 attempts, or John David Booty’s 436 attempts. The Red Raiders clearly love to launch the ball up and down the field.

So that begs the question, is Michael Crabtree is a “product of the system”? Would Crabtree be as dominant a wide receiver if he played for another team, like the Miami Hurricanes or Florida State Seminoles?

I think answer is somewhat of a yes/no. Yes Crabtree benefits from the pass-heavy system he is in, but also he is a very talented and gifted wide receiver. Let’s not forget that he was on of the most highly recruited players out of high school and put up nearly 2,000 yards receiving as a true freshman. I believe he could have succeeded in any system on any team. He may have had a ton of catches and yards, but his average per catch was still only 14.6 yards. That’s less then Limas Sweed and Mario Manningham’s YPC, and comparable to Percy Harvin’s 14.5.

A true measure of how great Michael Crabtree really is, will be if he can increase his yards per catch in 2008 to something like 16.0 ypc. If given the same number of receptions, he could break the single season NCAA receiving yards record (2060 yards).

Because Michael Crabtree red-shirted his freshman year, he can technically leave for the NFL after the upcoming 2008 season. Players need to be out of high school for 3 seasons before they can enter the draft. There’s no doubt in my mind that Crabtree will go pro after the 2008 season, but let’s take a look at a couple of things that might cause him to stay.

1. Injury - If Michael Crabtree suffers a knee or ankle injury that causes him to miss significant time, he may consider staying for one more season. If would have to be an injury bad enough to knock him out of the first round in the draft.

2. Close to a Championship - If Texas Tech is somehow extremely close to a National Championship and they feel they’ll have a legitimate shot in 2009 to win it all, then he may stay for another season. Remember Matt Leinart stayed for his senior year to chase a championship.

3 Academics - Maybe Michael Crabtree is unlike any other college athlete and wants to actually stay in college to receive a degree?

Honestly, there really aren’t that many things that could keep him here for another year. The millions of dollars has a big draw on college athletes. They want to take the money while it’s there. I’m guessing a very serious injury is the only thing that could keep him in a Red Raider uniform for 2008 and 2009.

About a month ago, Chris Steuber from Fox Sports interview Michael Crabtree. You can read the entire interview here. It’s a must read for anyone wanting to know more about the red-shirt freshman standout from Texas Tech. He dives into what it was like playing high school football in Texas and how he became a wide receiver after playing quarterback while growing up. Below is a small excerpt from the interview:

Chris Steuber: What went into your decision to go to Texas Tech?

Michael Crabtree: They throw the ball, and I wanted to be a receiver. They say that this system only has system players. It doesn’t matter what the system is, if you’re a football player, you can ball.

CS: Was there another school that you were strongly considering?

MC: Kansas was the other school, but everyone was saying that Kansas wasn’t good. Everyone was telling me that Kansas is just a basketball school; don’t go there, don’t do that.

CS: They finished 12-1 last year and won the Orange Bowl.

MC: Yeah, I know.

Pretty funny huh? At the end of the interview, Michael describes what is most important to him and what his goals are for 2008. He’s not worried about his personal stats, he just wants to get his team to a BCS game.