ESPN College Football

If you pay attention to this blog, you've surely seen our Big 12 post-spring power rankings for 2013. But seven months later at the end of the Big 12's regular season, how accurate do they end up being? During the season, power rankings are more of an exercise in taking the temperature of every team in the league, but before the season, they're more of a prediction.

So how have we done on the blog in the past two seasons? How accurate are the predictions? Let's take a look back.

• My 2011 post-spring power rankings
• My 2012 post-spring power rankings

BAYLOR

• 2011: Picked fifth in the Big 12, finished at 10-3 and tied for third in the Big 12.
• 2012: Picked seventh in the Big 12, finished at 8-5 and a four-way tie for fifth in the Big 12.
• 2013: Picked fifth in the Big 12.

IOWA STATE

• 2011: Picked ninth in the Big 12, finished at 6-7 and eighth in the Big 12.
• 2012: Picked ninth in the Big 12, finished at 6-7 and ninth in the Big 12.
• 2013: Picked ninth in the Big 12.

KANSAS

• 2011: Picked 10th in the Big 12, finished at 2-10 and 10th in the Big 12.
• 2012: Picked 10th in the Big 12, finished at 1-11 and 10th in the Big 12.
• 2013: Picked 10th in the Big 12.

KANSAS STATE

• 2011: Picked eighth in the Big 12, finished at 10-3 and second in the Big 12.
• 2012: Picked third in the Big 12, finished at 11-2 and tied for first in the Big 12, though it held the tiebreaker vs. Oklahoma.
• 2013: Picked sixth in the Big 12.

MISSOURI

• 2011: Picked fourth in the Big 12, finished at 8-5 and fifth in the Big 12.

OKLAHOMA

• 2011: Picked first in the Big 12, finished at 10-3 and tied for third.
• 2012: Picked first in the Big 12, finished at 10-3 and tied for first in the Big 12, though K-State held the tiebreaker for the league title.
• 2013: Picked fourth in the Big 12.

OKLAHOMA STATE

• 2011: Picked second in the Big 12, finished at 12-1 and first in the Big 12.
• 2012: Picked sixth in the Big 12, finished at 8-5 and tied for third in the Big 12.
• 2013: Picked first in the Big 12.

TEXAS

• 2011: Picked seventh in the Big 12, finished at 8-5 and tied for sixth in the Big 12.
• 2012: Picked fifth in the Big 12, finished at 9-4 and tied for third in the Big 12.
• 2013: Picked third in the Big 12.

TEXAS A&M

• 2011: Picked third in the Big 12, finished at 7-6 and tied for sixth in the Big 12.

TCU

• 2012: Picked fourth in the Big 12, finished at 7-6 and tied for fifth in the Big 12.
• 2013: Picked second in the Big 12.

TEXAS TECH

• 2011: Picked sixth in the Big 12, finished at 5-7 and ninth in the Big 12.
• 2012: Picked eighth in the Big 12, finished at 8-5 and in a four-way tie for fifth in the Big 12.
• 2013: Picked seventh in the Big 12.

WEST VIRGINIA

• 2012: Picked second in the Big 12, finished at 7-6 and in a four-way tie for fifth in the Big 12.
• 2013: Picked eighth in the Big 12.

I thought West Virginia would handle the transition very well in Year 1 and hit some lean years as it adjusted to the Big 12 in the big picture. The latter is looking true for now, but that former prediction crashed and burned with a five-game losing streak last season.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops stirred up a healthy debate this week when he took a few shots at the SEC, the same league that's captured the last seven national championships.

"So they've had the best team in college football," Stoops told the Tulsa World. "They haven't had the whole conference. Because, again, half of 'em haven't done much at all. I'm just asking you. You tell me."

Stoops, who recruits players to Oklahoma and as such, the Big 12, has a responsibility to defend the league he coaches in, but he may have gone a little too far.

"So you're listening to a lot of propaganda that gets fed out to you," he said. "You're more than smart enough to figure it out. Again, you can look at the top two, three, four, five, six teams, and you can look at the bottom six, seven, eight, whatever they are. How well are they all doing?"

What I don't understand about the ensuing uproar is this: People don't want to buy three statements I believe are true and far from being mutually exclusive:

1. The Big 12 has the strongest bottom half of any conference in football.
2. The SEC is the nation's best conference on the football field.
3. Considering its reputation and the way people refer to it, the SEC is far overrated.

I agree with Stoops that the gap isn't as wide as people think, but fresh off a 28-point beatdown to an SEC team in the Cotton Bowl, now is probably not the time to be making that argument.

Fortunately, our colleagues at SportsNation have stepped in and taken Stoops' points to the people. How would you rank a Big 12/SEC 24-team superconference? You can fill out your own ranking here, but here's how I'd slot it:

1. Alabama
2. Texas A&M
3. Georgia
4. South Carolina
5. Oklahoma State
6. Florida
7. TCU
8. LSU
9. Texas
10. Oklahoma
11. Baylor
12. Kansas State
13. Texas Tech
14. Vanderbilt
15. Ole Miss
16. Mississippi State
17. Auburn
18. Missouri
19. West Virginia
20. Arkansas
21. Iowa State
22. Tennessee
23. Kentucky
24. Kansas

Thoughts on my ranking?

Texas has been caught in a bit of a funk since reaching the 2009 title game with an undefeated regular season and a Heisman finalist in Colt McCoy.

Texas has averaged just over seven wins in the three seasons since, but don't let DeLoss Dodds catch you comparing these recent down years to some of college football's lesser powers.

“We’re going to have good years again,” Dodds told the Austin American-Statesman. “Our bad years are not that bad. Take a school like Missouri. Our bad years are better than their good years. But we’ve created a standard.”

West Virginia's Tavon Austin is one of three finalists for the Jet Award, given annually to college football's best return man.

Hawaii's Mike Edwards and Missouri's Marcus Murphy join him on the list of finalists. The award gets it's name from Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers, who won the 1972 Heisman Trophy at Nebraska.

Austin averages 26.36 yards on his 28 kick returns, including a touchdown. He also has a punt return for a touchdown and averaged 11 yards on his 15 returns.

This is just the second year for the Jet Award, which went to Arkansas' Joe Adams in 2011.

Offensive tackle Jake Campos was the No. 4 player in the state of Iowa. He'd also been committed to Missouri since May 10.

Campos, however, took a visit to Ames last week and pledged his commitment to Paul Rhoads' Cyclones, canceling an upcoming visit to Missouri.

He spoke with RecruitingNation's Damon Sayles:

“It is the greatest fit for me,” said Campos, who is ranked the No. 4 player in Iowa and the No. 75 tackle in the nation in the Class of 2013. “The academics are outstanding on the team. They have over 15 engineers with a 3.2 GPA. That’s huge to me, because I want to be an engineer.”

Campos talked more about the academic side of Iowa State, noting that a retired professor of engineering works with players, too.

It's not a huge surprise to see him elect to stay home, but could the recent success of the Cyclones and shortcomings at Missouri have been factors, too? I have a hard time believing they weren't.

And who can remember the last time Iowa State stole a commit from Mizzou? Have to think it's been a while.

I mean this as an honest question, and not necessarily a leaning one: Who goes to more bowl games over the next decade? Iowa State or Missouri?

You could make a case both ways.

A year ago this Thursday night, I was roaming the sidelines at Kyle Field with a belly full of turkey and a gut full of anticipation.

You could feel it anywhere you went in College Station the whole day, whether fans were wearing maroon or burnt orange. There's a special atmosphere that looms over any game like that.

Fans want it more than any game on the schedule and the last century of college football has given us only a handful of games like that between teams of two fan bases who truly despise one another 365 days a year, culminating on one night to decide bragging rights for the next 365 days.

Texas owns those bragging rights for now via a 27-25 win last year that happened somehow, apparently. Looking back on it, I'm still not sure how.

This year, TCU comes into town to face Texas on Thanksgiving night. Texas A&M hosts Missouri two days later.

It's not the same. TCU's all well and good and it should be a fun game. They're not Texas A&M. The crowd in Austin will tell you that from start to finish.

Despite what either side will tell you, it's both of their faults this game isn't happening this year. Texas warned Texas A&M: Leave the Big 12, and this rivalry is over.

Texas A&M left the Big 12. Texas stuck to its word.

Now, here we are.

(For the record, these same things apply to Missouri and Kansas. KU, call me when you win a Big 12 game. Missouri, call me when you stop losing to Vanderbilt and Syracuse at home. Texas A&M and Texas could both still crash the BCS this year.)

It's pettiness on both sides. Texas A&M's first year in the SEC has been a fun one, but they're also living in a world in which No. 9 in the BCS is good for third in its division and fifth in its conference. Winning its second conference title in almost two decades will be an uphill battle, even if the Aggies are most certainly headed in the right direction under new coach Kevin Sumlin.

Texas is headed in the right direction, too, and a Big 12 title remains a possibility. Still, this weekend lacks the punch it has for the better part of the past 100 years.

College football fans are suffering because of the bickering of two high-powered programs.

Texas A&M left, but Texas holds the key to bringing back one of college football's greatest rivalry games on an annual basis.

As much as Texas fans are looking forward to Ole Miss coming to Austin next year, I think they'll be forgiving if you replace the Rebels with the team folks in Austin love to pretend they don't care about.

It's good for the bottom line. It's good for the state of Texas. It's good for the game of college football.

Texas wants to stick to its word. It doesn't want to look wishy-washy. I get that. Truth is, neither team needs this game more than the other. Both want it, though, as much as Texas fans want to pretend they don't.

Pretend you're taking the high road if you'd like, but just bring it back. A world of thanks from the world of college football awaits.

The Big 12 lost its lead last week, but the SEC gained four full points on the Big 12 in this week's Conference Power Rankings from ESPN Stats and Info.

The Big 12 was hurt most by West Virginia’s loss to unranked Texas Tech Red Raiders," wrote Stats and Info's Sharon Katz. "West Virginia fell from fifth to 17 in the AP Poll and no Big 12 teams was able to regain the points lost by the Mountaineers."

Here's the full rankings:

That's a troubling trend for the Big 12, but Oklahoma will have a big chance to earn the Big 12 some nonconference respect next week when Notre Dame makes a trip to Norman.

The Big 12's held on all season, but the SEC finally passed it for the No. 1 spot in the ESPN Stats & Info Conference Power Rankings.

The Big 12 still has the No. 1 spot in the computer polls, but the Big 12 took a hit in the human polls after just four Big 12 teams showed up in Sunday's AP rankings. The SEC took the lead by a full point after steadily creeping up on the Big 12 since the rankings debuted.


What was the biggest factor for the move? From the Stats & Info Blog:

Losses by Top-5 teams LSU and Georgia did not impact the SEC’s conference ranking because they lost to teams that were also in the Top 10.

On the other hand, losses by TCU and Texas Tech impacted the Big 12 in the rankings since they lost to teams with worse records entering the game.

The computers still favor the Big 12 over the SEC due to the depth of the conference, but the gap has narrowed. The SEC’s dominance in the polls has vaulted the conference into first place for the first time since the final conference power rankings of the 2011 season.

It's going to be a tight race all season, but for now, the SEC's pulled ahead by a nose.

ESPN Stats & Information has released its latest iteration of the college football conference rankings, and the Big 12 has officially lost its lead over the SEC in the human polls.

The Big 12 still holds the overall lead, but it holds the No. 1 spot by only 0.9 points. Conversely, the Big 12 and SEC are ahead of the Pac-12 by nearly 11 points.

The Big 12 has a 25-3 record in nonconference play, the best of any conference, and two of those losses came by Kansas, the Big 12's 10th-place team.

Still, the SEC grabbed four of the nation's top six spots, and you can see that progress in the new conference rankings.

TCU and West Virginia gave the Big 12 a pair of wins over the ACC.

ESPN Stats & Information College Football Conference Power Rankings

 

Thanks for all the emails today. I'll be back tonight with some thoughts on Baylor's game vs. Louisiana-Monroe. You can follow along with me on Twitter here and check the blog after the game for coverage.

Here's where you can reach my Mailbag if you've got more to say.

Keith Hurlbut in Fort Worth, Texas, writes: Your article Challenged at Home talks of Oklahoma's at home stance against RANKED Teams. Lets not ignore TCU's 2005 victory in Norman, even though TCU was unranked at the time.

David Ubben: Ha, I'm not ignoring it, but my point with all that coverage today is pretty simple. When Oklahoma loses it home, it seems to do so against teams that sort of sneak up on it. The Sooners are 77-3 under Bob Stoops at home (Yes, I know they don't play Texas there. Anyone who knows anything about OU understands this and sees Stoops' home record through that prism), and all three losses have come to teams that Oklahoma understandably wouldn't be up to play. The Sooners have to care about TCU now, but back in 2005? That's not exactly going to be an opponent that gets the Sooners fired up.

It would have been easy to overlook a pretty mediocre Oklahoma State team back in 2001. That in-state rivalry was hardly a rivalry back then. Texas Tech last year? Oklahoma had completely stomped the Red Raiders in Norman for nearly a decade and Tech was coming off two losses heading into Norman. Not exactly a game the Sooners will be easily motivated for.

Coaches say they'd love for their players to look at every opponent equally. A realist says it's obvious that games like Florida State in 2010 and Texas every year mean more to teams like Oklahoma. That's natural. The point? When Oklahoma gets challenged at home, it answers the bell quite loudly every single time under Stoops.

John Lockett in Wichita, Kan., writes: Hi David:I was just curious about your comment about K-State can gain respect by playing Oklahoma. I think most of that respect storm has passed over the years. Oklahoma no doubt is an excellent ball club, but in my mind no different than playing OSU, WVU, TCU, Baylor, or Texas. Win or lose Saturday, K-State is undefeated and ranked 13th nationally in one poll, and came within one play in 2011 at OSU from being the Big 12 champs. From 1993 to 2000 K-State was one of the top schools in the nation, winning more than 9 victories almost every year. So to my point, playing Oklahoma is not about gaining respect, but competing and winning a game against a very good and respected ball club. Knowing the Stoop brothers as I do, I suspect they feel the same way about K-State and the respect is mutual.

DU: I'm not talking about respect as in recognition, I'm talking about people taking this team seriously as a Big 12 title contender. If you didn't hear the K-State skepticism this preseason, you weren't listening. People talked endlessly about the close losses last year.

"It'll catch up to them. Expect K-State to come back to earth this year," was the most common complaint. That's not to say the criticism was unfair, but I don't necessarily buy it. I'm not taking the Cats to win the Big 12, but not one of the top 20 teams in the nation? The sixth-best team in the Big 12?

Please.

If Kansas State goes into Norman and gets a win, they'll shut pretty much everybody up in just one game. That's the kind of respect I'm talking about.

Chad in Des Moines, Iowa, writes: Hey Ubbs, few questions or thoughts on Iowa State. If Coach Rhoads can get this team to 8-4 or 9-3 this year would you hand him Big 12 Coach of the Year Trophy? Also programs are always trying to improve the program to attract better recruits, examples for Iowa State, new video board to enhance game day experience, add-on to indoor practice facility... what do you think needs to be done next for Iowa State to take the next big step forward? Always talk about bowling in south end of the stadium... heard it would add 5-8,000 more seats. Thanks ISU #1 Fan.

DU: We'll see. He'd definitely be on the short list. It'll depend on what everybody else does. If K-State wins the league or if any coach can get through this season without a loss, I'm probably giving it to them. That said, Rhoads will get a huge chunk of votes if that happens.

I've talked a little about this in the past, but for Iowa State, getting better is pretty simple in theory and more difficult in practice. Growing a program isn't so much about seats, it's about winning.

How do you do it? I always use Oklahoma State and Missouri as examples.

They did it slowly, and by replacing a players at (almost) every position who were better than the guys before them. They did it in a lot of places, but for our purposes, we can talk quarterbacks. You saw the biggest jumps when those programs replaced "franchise" quarterbacks with guys who ended up playing at the next level.

Zac Robinson's gone? Hello, Brandon Weeden and a Big 12 title. Brad Smith gone? Hello, Chase Daniel and a No. 1 ranking and two Big 12 North titles.

It's more complicated than that, but getting a coach in place who's there for the long haul and gets his expectations in place is the first step. Iowa State has that in Paul Rhoads.

Kyle in Kansas City writes: Since there is no Cyclone game to discuss this week, I figured I'd drop off a little bit of awesome for you. Did you know Steele Janz's father is named Foxx? He also has an uncle named Wolf, another uncle named Stig, and a brother named Truk. And, boom goes the dynamite...

DU: I did know that, but I suspect plenty of our readers didn't. Thanks for reminding us. I'd like to be an honorary member of that family, if only so I could be gifted a sweet name. David's OK, but what can you folks come up with?

So, it's that time of year again, Brian. Let us kneel by this bushel of corn and debate the merits of two men on Iowan sidelines. Ultimately, we're debating Paul Rhoads versus Kirk Ferentz, but let's start with the basics.

Ferentz is the guy whose name seems to come up every other offseason for an NFL opening, but yet, here he is well beyond the seven-year itch in Iowa City. How would you describe his place in the collective opinion of the Hawkeyes fan base?

Brian Bennett: Unless you're winning national titles every other year like Nick Saban, it's hard to coach somewhere for 14 years and not hear some grumbling. I don't think you could have found many Iowa fans who would have been upset with Ferentz in 2009, when the team started 10-0 and won the Orange Bowl. Unfortunately, the Hawkeyes have stalled a bit since then, going 7-5 in the last two regular seasons. There are some who want to see a more dazzling offense -- even though James Vandenberg threw for more than 3,000 yards last season -- or bigger-name coordinators. Iowa fans have high expectations for a guy who makes $3.8 million and is one of the top 10 best paid coaches in the country. But I think most reasonable Hawkeyes fans know, at least deep down, that they'd be hard pressed to land a better coach in Iowa City.

I know you're very high on Rhoads, and not just because he's highly quotable. He's masterminded some great upsets in his short tenure with the Cyclones. Still, he's got a 19-20 record. Should we be that excited about him?

David Ubben: It's unfair to look simply at his overall record and draw conclusions from there. Simply put: It's hard to win at Iowa State. Maybe harder than any other school in the Big 12, though Kansas State and Kansas have a strong argument. All you need to do is look at history.

Iowa State's been to 11 bowls in a little more than a century of college football. Rhoads has brought the Cyclones to bowl games in two of the past three seasons, and almost made it 3-for-3 if not for a missed throw on a windy day against Nebraska in 2010. Nobody knows the danger of crossing paths with Rhoads more than Nebraska. Find me another coach who could lose his starting quarterback, running back and a handful of linemen, but still go into Memorial Stadium and beat a Big 12 North (check your history books if y'all don't know what that is) champion like Nebraska for the first time in Lincoln in more than three decades. (I don't care how many turnovers Nebraska had in that game, by the way. Somebody had to force them, no?)

Rhoads is unbelievable. Coaching is all about getting the most out of what you have. Rhoads does that as well as anybody in the country. Gene Chizik won a national championship at Auburn ... and went 5-19 in two seasons in Ames before he did it. Rhoads took the same two-win team from Chizik and turned them into a seven-win team, winning the first bowl game for the school since 2004. Not many guys can do that.

You also have to consider the kinds of coaches Rhoads has brought on his staff. He's only been at Iowa State a little more than three years and Urban Meyer already jacked his offensive coordinator, Tom Herman. For the uninitiated among us, who are a few coaching names we'd recognize from Kirk Ferentz's coaching tree?

BB: Ferentz's coaching staff at Iowa has been so strongly-rooted that no new tree has needed to sprout. He had the same offensive and defensive coordinators for his first 13 years at Iowa before Norm Parker retired and Ken O'Keefe left for the NFL this past offseason. Many of his other assistants are also virtual Hawkeye lifers, like new defensive coordinator Phil Parker, who's in his 14th year with Ferentz. I guess you could point to his son, Brian, who was an offensive assistant with the New England Patriots before moving on to -- you guessed it -- Iowa this offseason.

Ferentz must be doing something right for all those coaches to want to stay on his staff for so long. Besides, wouldn't you rather have long-term stability with your coaches instead of assistants who can't wait to jump at the next opportunity? Continuity has been a hallmark of Ferentz's tenure, as has tremendous player development. NFL scouts know they must make a stop in Iowa City, because Hawkeyes players are so well-coached and prepared for the pro game. Iowa has had 18 players selected in the NFL draft in the past three years alone, which is pretty impressive. Can Rhoads make the same claim?

DU: He can't, but you could make the argument that it only makes Rhoads' accomplishments at Iowa State even more impressive. He's only had two players drafted since he arrived, highlighted by second-rounder Kelechi Osemele last year, a four-year starter along the offensive line for the Cyclones.

Bottom line: Iowa State is the school with less tradition in a state that doesn't have a ton of Division I talent. Rhoads has to go elsewhere, and most often for him, that means Texas. He's found some gems down there, including Jared Barnett, the guy who engineered last year's upset against No. 2 Oklahoma State--the best win in school history. Rhoads is a great developer of talent, but ultimately, the NFL loves its measureables. Iowa State doesn't churn out many players that wow you with their physical skills. Still, the wins come, and last year, his linebacker, A.J. Klein, shared Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors. Klein and teammate Jake Knott may have NFL futures, and future Cyclones may as well, but Rhoads is still building. That NFL pipeline is still under construction.

The thing that ISU fans have to love most about Rhoads, though, is how much he's changed the perception of the school. It's similar to what Mike Leach established at Texas Tech. Teams fear Iowa State, and after last year's win over Oklahoma State, how could they not? Iowa State's anything but a gimme win these days. That alone is worth a lot.

What's Ferentz done for Iowa's perception across the Big Ten?

(Read full post)

The Big 12 is known for its quarterback play, but not every five-star recruit meets his potential.

Not every two or three-star is a diamond in the rough.

Sometimes, careers require a restart.

The most prominent case this weekend? Former Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who left high school as the nation's No. 2 quarterback and No. 11 overall prospect.

Gilbert showed limitless promise when he was rushed into duty against Alabama for the Longhorns in the national title game to close the 2009 season. Colt McCoy suffered a shoulder injury on the opening drive, and the rest of the game was Gilbert's.

After struggling early, he hit Jordan Shipley for a pair of scores, and looked the part of McCoy's heir apparent in 2010, despite struggling with turnovers against the Tide. (What redshirt freshman wouldn't?)

He never fixed it. Gilbert threw 17 interceptions a year later as the Horns fell to 5-7, and he was benched in the second game of 2011. He never saw the field again, transferring to SMU after rushing to complete 27 hours at Texas.

That allowed him to graduate and play immediately for June Jones at SMU, where he'll get a shot against more Big 12 competition on Sunday when the Mustangs travel to Waco to face Baylor.

"That says a lot about how badly he wants to be here and what kind of person he is," Jones told reporters this offseason.

He's not the only former Big 12 quarterback getting shot against Big 12 competition in Week 1.

Cody Green signed with Nebraska in 2009 after visiting Lincoln and only Lincoln, despite interest from other major programs.

He earned playing time in 2010 and 2011, but transferred to Tulsa in July 2011 after it became clear Taylor Martinez was Nebraska's future at quarterback.

Green threw for 657 yards and five touchdowns in two seasons for the Huskers, but he's found a new home with the Golden Hurricane, who travel to Iowa State on Saturday.

After redshirting in 2011, Green is the new starter for Bill Blankenship's team.

He's already beaten Iowa State once. In 2010, he completed 7-of-12 passes for 79 yards in a 31-30 overtime win to deny Iowa State an upset win and keep Nebraska in the driver's seat for its eventual Big 12 North title.

Green's squad is once again the favorite, and a Tulsa team that has won 10 games in three of the past five seasons could make more noise with the former Husker at the helm. A win against Iowa State would be the perfect start to a season, and the Golden Hurricane were picked to finish second in the C-USA West division.

Former Missouri quarterback Ashton Glaser, who transferred to Missouri State, could jockey for time on Saturday against Kansas State. Because the Bears are an FCS program, Glaser is immediately eligible.

Glaser appeared in just one game for the Tigers over his three years in Columbia, but the Wildcats will be a familiar opponent across the sidelines in his first game at his new home.

For Gilbert and Green, the same is true.

The season is almost here, and today should be one of the most fun chats of the year. Be sure to make your presence known.

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

Here's the link.

Drop your questions in early, keep them coming once we start and I'll see you there.

One more time, for good measure: Here's where you can find our chat.

Have you missed our weekly chats? Today is your lucky day, my friends. The season is nearing, and the Big 12 blog weekly chat is back.

We'll start it back up at 3 p.m. ET today.

Here's the link.

As always, you can leave your questions there before we start, and I'll get to them once I arrive at 3 p.m. ET on the dot. Keep them coming once we start, and I'll see you there.

Can't wait.

Good grief, this is painful to see.

• The Big 12's coaches talk anonymously about each other's teams here from Athlon. Nothing very incendiary, but somewhat interesting.
• Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal profiles safety Austin Stewart, who got hit by a bus while on a scooter this offseason. Here's the policy coach Tommy Tuberville has on scooters now. "If you’re 320 pounds you don’t get on a scooter. You get in a car." Classic.
• Dana Holgorsen's new contract? Just more of the price of admission to the Big 12, writes Dave Hickman of the Charleston Gazette. He also breaks down the big task in front of the Mountaineers' cornerbacks.
• The next step for the Mountaineers? Lock up their big-name athletic director, too.
• TCU coach Gary Patterson was worked up about a very bad practice on Wednesday, writes Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• How likely is a breakout season for Texas QB David Ash? Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News dug through the history books to try and find out.
• First-year QBs generally do well in the Air Raid offense, so doubt Wes Lunt's ability to rack up big numbers at OSU at your own risk, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.
• Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman reminds you that quarterback is far from the only question on Texas' offense.
• Iowa State's Jacques Washington takes you behind the scenes of Iowa State's media day.
• One of Texas Tech's best recruits from the 2012 class is moving positions.
• Can the Big 12 win the national title? And what about OU's recent losses? SI.com's Stewart Mandel weighs in with his latest mailbag.
• Iowa State running back Shontrelle Johnson battled a neck injury and depression. For now, it looks like he's done with both.
• Linebacker Anthony McDonald followed Charlie Weis from Notre Dame to Kansas. It wasn't a tough decision, writes Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World.
• Count OSU coach Mike Gundy among those who wants to see the Pokes wear some orange helmets soon.
• Oklahoma running back Dominique Whaley has come a long way from last season, when he felt everything go numb, writes Guerin Emig of the Tulsa World.
• OSU offensive coordinator Todd Monken isn't shy. Jonathan Rush's torn ACL last year will be helping this year's team immensely, writes John Helsley of The Oklahoman.
• Kansas State's Tyler Lockett is officially back from a scary injury of his own, writes Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star.
• Jason Kersey of The Oklahoman takes you inside Sooners' kicker Michael Hunnicutt's offseason work.
• Dustin Garrison is one more running back coming back from a serious injury this offseason, but he's living in the present, writes Mike Casazza of the Charleston Daily Mail.