ESPN College Football

We're back chatting in our usual slot this week, so come have fun with us.

We'll get started at 3 p.m. ET.

Here's the link.

We'll start at 3 p.m. sharp, but I'll get to your questions if you send them in early and keep them coming once we start.

See you all there.

After a brief hiatus, it's back.

Want the "ESPN College GameDay" crew comin' to your city to film a commercial?

Vote.

You'll need to log in to Facebook to cast your vote, but the school with the most votes will host Chris, Desmond, Kirk and Erin to shoot the next "GameDay" commercial that will air throughout the next year.

Very cool contest. Voting ends at midnight on May 10, and you can vote once a day until then.

If Football Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners and the sport's other power brokers approve a four-team playoff to determine college football's national champion, the semifinals and the national championship game will be played at neutral sites and the BCS bowl games will be played closer to New Year's Day, a source familiar with the negotiations told ESPN.com on Tuesday.

Commissioners of the 11 FBS conferences, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick and other network TV and college football officials are meeting in Hollywood, Fla., this week to discuss the future of the BCS.

See more on this story here.

I'm not fancy like that, Jack. If I get thirsty, I'll just drink the water from lunch I saved in my cheek.

• Maybe Missouri and Kansas shouldn't rush back to reignite the Border War. Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star tells you why.
• Character concerns for Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon? Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman says that's a whole lot of spin doctoring from the NFL level.
• Iowa State made 87,000 on its trip to the Pinstripe Bowl, despite expenses exceeding $1 million, reports Tom Witowsky of the Des Moines Register.
• TCU is studying the Air Force option to prepare for the Big 12? Say what? Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram explains.
• Where is West Virginia making progress during the spring? It's hard to tell sometimes, writes Dave Hickman of the Charleston Gazette.
• Sporting News ranks the nation's top basketball/football programs.
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman has more from Clint Chelf on OSU's quarterback competition and replacing Brandon Weeden. Even the team's receivers and center don't know who's ahead in the competition yet.
• Texas Tech safety Cody Davis will go through a lot of "Lasts" during his senior year. He updates you on his first one on his blog.
• West Virginia's move to the 3-4 defense will pay off in the Big 12, writes Chip Fontanazza of WV Metro News.
• Iowa State tells you the story behind the maturation of tight end Ernst Brun, who I feel may have been snubbed from my All-Big 12 Name Team.
• Oklahoma's board of regents approved upgrades to the Sooners' stadium, and the new linebackers' coaching salary.
• I'm fascinated by this idea.

The BCS commissioners met again and they look like they've taken another step toward installing a playoff. Here's the full statement from the 11 commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick:

As part of our continuing discussions about how to decide college football's national champion while maintaining the best regular season in sports, we met today in Dallas. The meeting was constructive and highly detailed.

While no decisions have been made about the overall structure, our talks have entered the "brass tacks" level. For every concept that enjoys broad support, there are a host of intricate details that we're talking through.

For example, if we change the current format, would we play some games on campus or all games on neutral sites? If some games are on campus, is that too much of a competitive advantage? If all games are at neutral sites, would fans be able to travel to two games in a row? How would teams be selected? By a committee, by the current ranking formula, or by a different formula? When exactly would games be scheduled, considering finals, holidays and our desire to avoid mid-January games?

As we discuss the upsides and downsides of our decisions, we are united in our desire to protect our great regular season and honor the bowl tradition, while maintaining the collegiate nature of our sport.

We're making good progress toward our self-imposed goal of making a final recommendation this summer to our governing bodies.

Here's more on Monday's meeting and what it all means.

Like I've said before, it's hard to imagine a four-team playoff not happening now. Discussing specifics is a good sign, too.

Remember: we won't see any changes until after 2014, but I'd say it's safe to get your hopes up about change coming to the game very soon.

If you are interested in participating in a survey on the BCS, here's where you can do it.

You know there's some things I miss about being with you ... like having somewhere to hook my Sega up to.

I got this new business where I burn your old DVDs onto laser discs.

• TCU is aiming for 30,000 season tickets in its new stadium this year, which would be a school record.
• West Virginia AD Oliver Luck spoke to a room full of natural gas men, and found a way to link in the Mountaineers' move to the Big 12.
• Should Big 12 fans cheer for Louisville to make the Final Four? Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman examines the pros and cons.
• West Virginia defensive lineman Imarjaye Albury should still be in high school. That's not stopping him from trying to win a job in the Mountaineers' new defense, writes Mike Casazaa of the Charleston Daily Mail.
• Get to know Texas Tech coach John Lovett, who'll coach defensive backs in Lubbock.
• A judge has ruled in favor of the University of Texas in a lawsuit filed by ESPN against the university in December 2010.
• Chris Williams of CycloneFanatic has some thoughts on Iowa State's first open practice.
• Former Texas QB Connor Wood is taking all the first-team reps in Colorado as he tries to win the Buffs' job.

AUSTIN, Texas -- College football's going to look a little different next year, and Mack Brown isn't so sure the new rule changes are going to benefit the game.

Texas' coaches spent an hour with officials on Monday, and Brown left with several concerns.

Perhaps his biggest complaint?

The ambiguity of the new helmet rule, which Brown says is "a little gray."

Next year, if a player loses his helmet, he has to sit out a play, but that's not the only rule change. Depending on the situation, the play can be stopped, or a player who loses his helmet can't continue playing.

When play will be stopped or a player made to quit playing, though, is a difficult judgment call with a 15-yard penalty at stake.

"If I'm a defensive end rushing the passer, supposedly I can rush him, but quarterback steps up, I can't continue to rush or it's a penalty," Brown said. "If you lose your helmet, you have to come out of the game for a play, regardless. So, your quarterback could lose his helmet on the next to the last play of the game and he's out for the last play. And also if you lose your helmet within  in the last minutes of the half at the end of the game, you can have the 10-second runoff rule."

Brown used the example of last year's last-second win over Texas A&M. The game-winning field goal was kicked with three seconds left, but if Texas hadn't had a timeout late, a player's helmet coming off could force a 10-second runoff and end the game.

While Brown, and I would assume most people, agree with the rule's intent -- protecting players -- the regulations could have some troubling consequences.

Brown wants to take some action before the season and get Big 12 Coordinator of Football Officials Walt Anderson involved.

"What you have is about nine coaches from all different divisions that are in a group with Safeguards Committee and they sit and make these rules. I really wish we would have more input instead of just being told, because we didn't even understand some of these until yesterday," Brown said. "What we've done when we make rules and make the official's judgment in a tough spot, I think we're hurting ourselves because how in the world are you going to know when to blow that whistle?"

Brown also took issue with the new, re-instituted halo rule that requires players to provide a one-yard buffer zone in front of players returning punts.

"Now, if [a defender is] covering me and I'm returning the punt and I bobble it and go toward him and he's within a yard of me and doesn't touch me ... it's a 15yard penalty," Brown said. "I really hope that we'll relook at some of those things and try to make a difference."

The halo rule applies to more than just punts now, too. Next year, onside kicks must hit the ground twice, or kick return teams can call fair catches and prevent defenders from trying to retain possession for an onside attempt.

"They're protecting the guy that's standing there getting ready to catch the pop up and everybody's running over him," Brown said. "If it touches the ground once I can call a fair catch now on the kickoff on the onside kick. You'll have to kick the ball on the ground. If you hit it twice, can bounce it twice, get it to jump, then there's no fair catch."

That's a tall order for kickers, and expect to see a lot more onside kicks on the ground next year. But where is the line? What if a player is bent over trying to pick up a kick and suffers a serious neck injury? Do you just ban onside kicks altogether?

Brown made a whole lot of good points and questioned the right things with the new rule changes.

Here's hoping his campaign for clarification, alteration or outright change is successful.

Texas transfer Connor Wood is fighting to win the starting job at Colorado this spring, but he may soon be joined by another Big 12 quarterback.

Jordan Webb started all 12 games at Kansas last season but left the Jayhawks after Charlie Weis arrived with Dayne Crist (Notre Dame transfer) and Jake Heaps (BYU transfer) in tow.

Webb's opportunity to start looked minimal, and now he tells the Boulder Daily Camera he's looking at Colorado.

Webb told the Camera in an interview today he is interested in the Buffs because he sees opportunity in Boulder. None of the active quarterbacks on the CU roster this spring have ever played in a college game. Sophomore Nick Hirschman is out this spring after undergoing surgery on his broken right foot, but when he returns this summer, he only adds five partial games of experience to the group.

"That's the main reason I'm leaving Kansas because I want playing time or at least an opportunity for it and if I go in and work hard at learning the offense and things like that I could have a good shot," Webb said.

The experience he earned at KU, along with more offensive weapons, could make it a good move for Webb. And what a weird quarterback competition that would be, no?

Two Big 12 transfers vying for a job at an old Big 12 school?

Webb, a Union, Mo., native, said he's planning on spending two days in Boulder. He'll graduate from Kansas in May, which allows him to transfer without sitting out an NCAA-mandated season, as long as he enrolls in a graduate program not offered at Kansas. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Webb threw for 1,884 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2011.

Before a couple years ago, few had much intimate knowledge of the Big 12 bylaws.

The league's recent spate of misfortunes and schools leaving has changed all that, particularly in regard to Section 3, which deals with the complicated matters of team exits.

Reads section 3:

Each Member Institution agrees that in the event such Member desires to withdraw from the Conference, that it will in good faith give Notice not less than two (2) years before the end of the Current Term or any Additional Term, as the case may be.

...

If, other than by giving a proper Notice pursuant to Section 3.1, a Member Institution (a “Breaching Member”) withdraws, resigns, or otherwise ceases to participate as a full Member Institution in full compliance with these Rules, or gives notice or otherwise states its intent to so withdraw, resign, or cease to participate in the future (a “Breach”), then the Member Institutions agree that such Breach would cause financial hardship to the remaining Member Institutions of the Conference, and that the financial consequences cannot be measured or estimated with certainty at this time.

Therefore, in recognition of the obligations and responsibilities of each Member Institution to all other Member Institutions of the Conference, each Member Institution agrees that after such Breach, the amount of Conference revenue that would otherwise have been distributed or distributable to the Breaching Member during the two (2) years prior to the end of the Current Term or the then-current Additional Term, as the case may be, shall be reduced by an amount that equals the sum of the aggregate of such revenues times the following percentages (such sum being the “Aggregate Reduction”); ... if Notice is received less than twelve months but on or before six months prior to the Effective Date, 90%.

It's a lot of words. In short, you're supposed to give the conference two years notice before leaving. Nobody's doing that in the Big 12.

If you don't give two years' notice, you're going to pay.

For Texas A&M and Missouri, two years' worth of conference revenue would have been in the ballpark of $30 million. Thus, 90 percent of that money would equal something close to $27 million.

Missouri will see $12.41 million withheld under a settlement announced Tuesday. Texas A&M will have the same amount withheld, but receive considerations from the conference money that leaves just a $9.31 million hole in Texas A&M's bottom line.

Nebraska paid 47.6 percent of the approximately $20 million it would have owed by the letter of the Big 12 bylaws. That totaled $9.25 million.

The precedent had been set.

Like Nebraska and Colorado, Texas A&M and Missouri can consider this a win.

I'm no lawyer. I like to think I can make some sense, though. The Big 12 bylaws say to pay one number. Four teams leave the league and all four pay less than half of what the bylaws say?

That is a problem. A big, big problem.

When West Virginia left, the Big East bylaws required schools to pay $5 million and give 27 months' notice. That number has since been raised to $10 million.

West Virginia didn't give 27 months notice, announcing in October that it would join the Big 12 on July 1, 2012. After months of legal wrangling, the Mountaineers announced they'd be leaving on time, but would pay $20 million.

Everyone has their price.

For the Big 12, though, that price seems to be well below what the rules require.

Why don't the laws have teeth? That's for the Big 12 to dig through the legalese and figure out.

Instituting changes to the bylaws after Nebraska and Colorado left had been discussed in the league, but never came to fruition. By the time A&M and Mizzou left, it was too late to make any new changes.

With the recent grant of media rights to the conference, the Big 12 won't have to worry about losing any members for at least six years. After granting the media rights to the Big 12, the league's current 10 members only hold any value for the Big 12 for the next six years. That's plenty of time.

Between now and then, change must happen. Maybe no one leaves the league ever again. No one can say with any certainty whether or not that will happen.

The league better make sure that if it does, its bylaws have the ability to flex.

So far, they've been nothing but steamrolled.

It's not really about preventing teams from leaving the league anyway. If a program wants to move conferences and has a viable new home, it will find a a way to leave. Public demand, among other things, assures that.

Tightening up the league's bylaws is more about getting the money that rightfully belongs to the conference members, according to rules they agreed to when the conference was formed, or in the cases of TCU and West Virginia, when they joined the league.

If the bylaws were tighter, the league's members would have shared just under a combined $100 million from outgoing Texas A&M, Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado. Instead, it withheld a total of just $37.83 million.

That's unacceptable.

Gabby's mom's a hoarder. That essay practically writes itself.

• Call Texas a bully, but AD DeLoss Dodds says the Longhorns did what any other school would have done in its situation, writes Harry Plumer of the Columbia Missourian.
• Austin Meek of the Topeka Capital-Journal tells the story of K-State CB Nigel Malone's difficult background.
• Three plays could have changed Texas A&M's season. Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News looks back at them.
• Don't be too worried, Oklahoma fans. The BCS has always been kind to the Sooners, writes Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch lays out the difficult challenges ahead of Missouri in the SEC.
• Baylor and Missouri have given plenty of evidence of the Big 12's unpredictability, writes Vinnie Duber of the Columbia Missourian.
• The experts agree: Win out, and OSU will play for the national title, writes Gina Mizell of The Oklahoman.
• Tom Kensley of the Denver Post checks in with a man who might have gotten his shot this year: Colorado transfer and former UT quarterback Connor Wood, who transferred this offseason.
• A Kansas player began tweeting and was suspended for a violation of team rules, but the team says he was not suspended for tweeting. Kansas coaches identified 211 blitzes in watching Texas game tape. For Iowa State, they identified 36.
• West Virginia's entrance to the Big 12 is not contingent upon joining the league in 2012.
• Kansas State's classic uniforms will meet the ingenuity at Oklahoma State this weekend, writes Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle.
• Iowa State quarterback Jared Barnett is a freshman, but doesn't react like one, writes Andrew Logue of the Des Moines Register.
• Here's the episode of the KU reality show, "The Gridiron," from the Texas week.
• A Texas receiver announced his transfer on Wednesday.
• Missouri running back Henry Josey doesn't fit any ready-made mold, writes Mike DeArmond of the Kansas City Star.

The Big 12 has made its next move in expansion official.

West Virginia is joining the Big 12.

The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors have voted unanimously to accept West Virginia University as a full conference member effective July 1, 2012. The Mountaineers will begin competing in the Big 12 beginning with the 2012-13 athletic season.

The entry date for the Mountaineers should be interesting. Big East bylaws require a 27-month notice before members can leave the league, but it's clear that West Virginia and the Big 12 have no intention of adhering to that portion of the bylaws.

Big East commissioner John Marinatto released a statement on Friday acknowledging the Mountaineers' withdrawal from the conference, and made his own intentions clear.

"West Virginia is fully aware that the Big East Conference is committed to enforcing the 27-month notification period for members who choose to leave the conference," the release stated.

Should be an interesting couple of weeks to follow.

"We are excited to add West Virginia to our exceptional lineup of conference members," Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas said. "They bring an excellent overall athletic program to the Big 12 and allow the league to expand into an area that boasts a passionate group of fans and alumni throughout its region."

Here's the full release from the Big 12, complete with more information about West Virginia.

West Virginia's on again, off again move to the Big 12 is back on again.

West Virginia, a member of the Big East Conference since 1995, was formally invited on Friday to join the Big 12.

Big East spokesman John Paquette confirmed that the Mountaineers have notified the conference of its intentions.

The Big 12 plans to remain at 10 schools.

On Wednesday, West Virginia was told that the Big 12's expansion plans were put on hold as Missouri's likely exit to the SEC had yet to become official. Additionally, reports indicated that some Big 12 members preferred to add Louisville over the Mountaineers.

On Tuesday, though, West Virginia officials were told it would be accepted into the league pending formal approval.

After getting the brakes applied, it looks as if the Big 12's expansion plans are back to full speed.

Here's what I learned from Saturday's games.

Are you guys on board the K-State bandwagon yet? Four consecutive weeks of being outgained and playing as underdogs. Four weeks of wins and Kansas State is 6-0 with a road game against Kansas standing between it and a mammoth showdown with Oklahoma in two weeks. The Wildcats are the antithesis to the Big 12 chuck-and-duck offense, taking their time and focusing on controlling the ball. Despite running 31 fewer plays than Texas Tech, the Wildcats had the ball for seven more minutes. Bill Snyder's teams slowly squeeze you, then take advantage of opportunities. Texas Tech provided them with three fourth-quarter turnovers. Seth Doege had just one interception all season to 17 touchdowns. K-State picked him off three times. And ... here we are. Respect this team, or else.

Missouri really is underrated. The Tigers looked respectable in losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma and nearly beat Arizona State in Tempe, but a 2-3 record is a 2-3 record. Was Missouri really a good team that came out on the short end against two other good teams and one better? It looks that was the case after Saturday's game. Mizzou looked like it belonged in a different league in a 35-point win over Iowa State. And hey, pretty soon, maybe Mizzou might actually be in a different league than the Cyclones.

Oklahoma State isn't letting up any time soon. The Cowboys weren't at their best, but still went into Austin and put an end to any talk of hexes or Mack Brown mojo after Red River. A rough game offensively still resulted in 38 points on the board, and the Cowboys were still in control and led by double digits for all but four minutes in the second half. That's eight consecutive road wins for Oklahoma State. This team is unflappable.

Kansas has a pulse. Saturday night's game against Oklahoma turned out to not be R-rated television, censored for violence. Kansas lost convincingly, but the Jayhawks showed up and hung with the Sooners for most of the game. This was certainly not expected after Kansas gave up 66 points to Georgia Tech and 70 to Oklahoma State last week, and found themselves at the bottom of college football in total defense and scoring defense. Look past the final score, and you might see progress for Turner Gill's team at Kansas. Can they continue it next week in a rivalry game against Kansas State? The Wildcats won last year's game 59-7.

Texas A&M is dangerous when it all comes together. Hold your second-half Aggies jokes for another week, and maybe longer, folks. Texas A&M finally put two strong halves together against a legitimate opponent, and the second half was the best. The Aggies outscored a dangerous Baylor offense 31-14 after halftime, and shut it out in the fourth quarter while Robert Griffin III tried to rally his team. That included a huge goal-line stand with lots of pressure on RG3. A solid, solid day from Texas A&M in its best performance of the season. Beware, Oklahoma. If Texas A&M plays like this in Norman, the Sooners will have a fistfight on their hands.

I'm up and heading to Kyle Field bright and early for what may be the last Battle of the Brazos in a long, long time. The two teams have played 107 times, dating back to 1899.

It's sad, but it might also produce a pretty unbelievable atmosphere. We'll see later today what awaits RG3 & Co. in Aggieland, where Aggie legend and Denver Broncos rookie Von Miller made a surprise guest appearance at Midnight Yell.

We'll have plenty of coverage of that game and the rest of the Big 12 slate today, but if you haven't been our most faithful reader this week, here's a few links to get you caught up.

• When and where to find today's games
• My predictions for today's games
• What to watch in today's games
• Big 12 Week 7: By the numbers
• Fun facts about today's games
• Friday Four Downs -- the week's major storylines
• Previewing the second half of the season
• Every Big 12 team's midseason review
• My take on TCU joining the league

A few more links than usual, but hey, it was a busy week. I'll see you right here throughout the day. Enjoy the games, everybody.

The Big 12 has held onto the spot as college football's top conference via ESPN Stats and Info four several weeks now, but that lead grew in the past week.

Here's where it stands now:

Six Big 12 teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 for the second-straight week as Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Baylor and Texas A&M all took care of business against conference opponents. For the first time this season, the Big 12 has more teams ranked in the AP Top 25 (6) than the SEC (5) despite having two fewer teams in the conference.

Not a bad showing. Could the national title game solve this once and for all if Oklahoma or Oklahoma State meet Alabama and LSU?