This week, we're taking a closer look at one specific area each Big 12 team needs to improve before 2015. We continue the series with the Oklahoma State Cowboys:

Position to improve: Offensive line

Why it was a problem: Injuries and graduation caught up with the Cowboys up front in 2014. And after longtime assistant Joe Wickline bolted for Texas, replacement Bob Connelly struggled to put a coherent offensive line together with a collection of unproven performers. Oklahoma State actually ranked next-to-last in the Big 12 in career offensive line starts heading into the opener. As a result, for much of the season, the Cowboys failed to keep immobile quarterback Daxx Garman upright, while the running game stagnated, as Oklahoma State dropped five games in a row.

How it can be fixed: The fix began to occur late in the season. Zachary Crabtree returned from an injury to give the Cowboys a solid pass-protecting tackle. And the emergence of Mason Rudolph at quarterback gave the Cowboys a little more mobility in the pocket, taking the pressure off the rest of the line. Other young players up front like center Paul Lewis and tackle Michael Wilson began to emerge at the end of the season. That culminated with Oklahoma State controlling the line of scrimmage in a 30-22 TicketCity Cactus Bowl win over Washington, which coming in boasted one of the top defensive fronts in the country.

Early 2015 outlook: The line should return to being a strength for the Cowboys again. Crabtree, Lewis, Wilson and guard Jesse Robinson are all back. Oklahoma State also expects to sign a total of seven offensive linemen, including a trio of junior-college recruits as well as transfer Victor Salako, who manned left tackle for UAB last season. Add that all together, and the Cowboys figure to be seasoned and deep in 2015.