ESPN College Football

Today concludes "Coaches you love to hate" week at ESPN.com, and we'll conclude it with your take. Who gets your blood boiling?

Here's what you wrote.

Matt in Wrightsville, N.C., wrote: Rich Rod. It pains me to go into detail: WVU had the best team in 2008 and lost in a game that WVU fans shall not speak of. This team was roughly 30 point underdogs and Rich Rod didn't prep for this game because his head was in Michigan as he already made up his mind (he already contacted a real estate agent in Ann Arbor obviously without anyone knowing at WVU). Loyalty is something WV residents hold higher than most and Rich Rod proclamed his loyality for his alma mater earlier in the year because he was a Mountaineer "For a long, long time". WVU probably would have won the national championship as they destroyed a heavily favored, and #3, Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl behind the late Bill Stewart... Ohh yeah after his departure WVU immeditely dropped out of the Julio Jones and Terrelle Pryor recruiting picture (On the bright side we got Gino Smith).

Brad in Manhattan, Kan., asked: I know he is no longer in our conference but I can not stand Bo Pelini. His arrogant persona and his on and off the field tirades drive me insane. I love watching him lose and will forever cheer against him and any time he is affiliated with. The fit he threw at Snyder after the pounding K state gave Nebraska definitely does not help one bit. Especially considering he has done the same thing to other teams that he was complaining about. The guy is a clown

Joey Machak in Herndon, Va., asked: Once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer.... except you Rodriguez.

Sayres in Hershey, Pa., wrote: I hate Rich Rod. He ruined my 20th birthday on December 1, 2007. It should have been the happiest day of my Mountaineer life, but as we all know it didn't quite turn out that way. All we had to do was beat Pitt... PITT!!!

Steve in Phoenix, Ariz., wrote: My blood boils when I see Bob Stoops get that cry baby look on his face when a call goes against him. This is especially true when the replay shows an obvious Oklahoma penalty. He looks as if he is going to cry and starts yelling at the referee as if it's possible that his "super star" loaded team could never do anything wrong. Truth be told, he kicks the snot out of K-state every year and it's frustrating but he looks like a two year old. His brother does the same thing. It will be double cry baby faces this year in the big 12.

Lucien in Omaha, Neb., wrote: I hope that ISU can win a Big 12 championship if only to beat Gene Chizik in the new Champions Bowl. Anyone who says one day that they are fully entrenched in Ames then three days later bolts for "greener pastures" has no integrity.

Aaron in Owasso, Okla., wrote: How can anyone say Bob Stoops get their bloodboiling??? Stoops has consistantly been a great role model, he always puts family first and never puts up with players crap. He's not afraid to make tough decistion i.e. Rhett Bomar. Bob Stoops changed a culture of poor character coaches like Switzer to a stand up program.

Jordan in Chanute, Kan., wrote: Charlie Weiss... This guy thinks (or has implied) that he will beat K-State this year... Really? He can consider it a blessing if the Cats and Snyder dont embarrass him with another 38 or 52 point drubbing. With the game at Snyder Stadium I predict 59-3, I'll give there kicker a little credit

Jerry in Ames, Iowa, wrote: Snyder. I respect the crap out of him for how well he can coach and teaching fundamentals and taking ksu to levels that no one thought was possible, but when he makes comments about how theyre in the big 12 and should get all nonconference games at home or how he wanted farmageddon to stay in kansas city every other year rotating between manhattan and arrowhead i started hating him

Richard in Orlando, Fla., wrote: Tommy Tuberville...the defensive genius who has had 2 top 25 recruiting classes makes my blood boil. Most will say he fought injuries. I will say Tuberville lost the top strength and conditioning coach in all of college football in Bennie Wylie who could have prevented some of these injuries. Couple that with the 4th defensive coordinator in his short tenure and I will present you a coach who just doesn't have it anymore.

Hunter in Waco, Texas, wrote: GUY MORRIS. His best player during his tenure was probably Daniel Sepulveda...a punter. Thank the Lord things have changed.

PDXKSUFAN in Portland, Ore., wrote: Coach I hated: Remember when Rick Neuheisel roamed the Big 8/12 sidelines? He was a coach that everyone loved to hate. His sweater-vests, his smug grin, his deadly recruiting, his cocky attitude, sarcastic wit, and his winning teams (at first anyway). He is the only coach that I remember LOVING to beat.

Earlier today, we looked at the pay for athletic directors around the league, but what about the men up top?

USA Today researched and released the pay for each conference commissioner, and former Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe earned $1.7 million in 2010 after receiving a 70 percent raise.

He was relieved of his duties in fall 2011.

Here's how he ranked among his peers:

• Larry Scott, Pac-12: $1.9 million
• Jim Delany, Big Ten: $1.8 million
• Beebe: $1.7 million
• John Swofford, ACC: $1.5 million
• Mike Slive, SEC: $1 million
• John Marinatto, Big East: $600,000

The Big 12 has since moved on from Beebe, and no salary information was available for interim commissioner Chuck Neinas.

In USA Today's survey of athletic director salaries, new commissioner Bob Bowlsby's salary was unavailable, because Stanford is a private institution.

Either way, I'd expect the first-time commissioner to easily clear a seven-digit salary in his new gig.

For reference, Texas AD DeLoss Dodds made just under 1.1 million last year. Not exactly helping that whole "Texas runs the Big 12" perception if he makes more than the Big 12 commish, no?

USA Today released its annual survey of athletic director salaries, noting that they're rising almost as fast as coaching salaries. How did the Big 12 stack up?

Here's how they ranked:

• DeLoss Dodds, Texas: $1,095,756
• Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma: $975,000
• Bill Byrne, Texas A&M: $690,000
• Mike Alden, Missouri: $659,775
• Kirby Hocutt, Texas Tech: $580,000
• Jamie Pollard, Iowa State: $450,000
• Sheahon Zenger, Kansas: $450,000
• Ian McCaw, Baylor: $423,449
• John Currie, Kansas State: $412,500
• Mike Holder, Oklahoma State: $387,560

I kept old Big 12 schools in this list because they were in the Big 12 when these numbers were taken.

For the new schools?

• Oliver Luck, West Virginia: $405,600
• TCU's Chris Del Conte was paid $115,639 for a partial-year salary. He took over in October 2009, and his full salary was not available on public tax returns.

The most surprising name on the list was Mike Holder, who is at the bottom of the list, despite holding the position since 2005. Oklahoma State's not exactly starved for money these days, either.

Kansas State's John Currie is a newcomer to the job, and a first-time athletic director who has helped K-State become the most profitable athletic department in the country. You've got to expect a raise is coming his way, even though he had a high-profile gaffe when hoops coach Frank Martin exited stage right all the way to South Carolina.

Not surprising to see Texas and OU at the top, but that's a pretty big gap between Dodds, Castiglione and the rest of the league, especially now that Missouri and Texas A&M are gone.

Dodds is only the fourth-highest paid AD, behind Vanderbilt, Florida and Louisville's athletic directors.

What else stuck out to you?

Guess what, suddenly you're 60 years old, wandering toothless and alone in a post-apocalyptic wasteland!

• A year ago, the Big 12 was being left for dead. Now, it holds in its hands the fates of the Big East and ACC, writes Matt Hayes of Sporting News.
• Yahoo! Sports' Pat Forde has a series of humorous realignment emails from administration in this piece of historical fiction.
• Texas' newest quarterback commit wants to be the next Vince Young.
• As realignment spins, new Kansas coach Charlie Weis doesn't have to worry about uncertainty, writes Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star.
• Tommy Tuberville's business associate has been indicted, but Tuberville was not listed on the indictment.
• Skip Holtz's son -- and, thus, Lou Holtz's grandson -- is walking on with the Texas Longhorns, reports Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
• Charlie Weis is changing things at KU, but he doesn't like the term "change of culture," writes Kevin Haskin of the Topeka Capital-Journal.
• Just when you thought the State Fair of Texas couldn't get any more delicious ...

The web was abuzz after what sounded like a slip of the tongue by TCU AD Chris Del Conte at an event in Lubbock on Wednesday.

A report surfaced that Del Conte confirmed -- albeit accidentally -- that Florida State, Clemson and Miami had interest in joining the Big 12 while answering a question from an interviewer.

Del Conte spoke with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram later in the day and clarified his comments.

Del Conte told the Star-Telegram he was not substantiating the rumors. The radio host interjected Miami into the group of schools rumored to be mulling a move to the Big 12. Del Conte said he was just referring to the rumors when he mentioned that Miami and others were interested in joining during the breakfast gathering, which came after the radio interview.

"If you listen to the radio interview my comments were in reference to where [the Big 12] was a year ago and now we’re being talked about by all these schools,” Del Conte said. “It’s gratifying because a year ago we were talking about the Big 12 not being around. It’s just a remarkable the transformation in less than a year. That’s all I was addressing."

It seemed pretty obvious to me that Del Conte was just talking on Wednesday, not confirming any rumor, but you knew a storm was coming when the comments first surfaced.

Del Conte also told the Telegram that no one from the Big 12 contacted him or told him to retract his comments.

No harm. No foul. Time to move on with this one.

We did it last year, and it's time to rev up the engines one more time.

The Big 12 had five passers top 3,000 yards in 2011. WVU's Geno Smith also topped 3,000 yards, but Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill did, too. The league breaks even in that sense.

College football had 39 passers top 3,000 yards last year, up from 27 in 2010.

Which ones will crack the mark in the Big 12 next year? I'm glad you asked.

Remember: This isn't so much a ranking of the Big 12's best quarterbacks, but the QBs with the best chance to break the benchmark for a great season.

1. Geno Smith, West Virginia: Smith had his first season over 3,000 yards last year, and did it by a long ways, racking up 4,385 yards, which was 1,781 more than any other Big East QB. That's nuts. He may throw for more yards than any Big 12 QB this year, but it won't be that wide of a margin. He's got one of the best receiving corps in the league. Injury would be the only thing that could keep him under 3,000.

2. Landry Jones, Oklahoma: Jones has big question marks at receiver. Three of his top four returning targets are currently suspended. Still, he has Kenny Stills and hyped newcomer Trey Metoyer headlining the best class of incoming receivers in the country. He'll top 4,000 yards for the third consecutive season, and 3,000 for the fourth.

3. Seth Doege, Texas Tech: Doege took his place as the next in a long line of successful Tech QBs, throwing for 4,004 yards despite losing the heart of his running game and his two most talented receivers. Tech will throw it enough as always to make this one a no-doubter.

4. Nick Florence, Baylor: Florence will top 3,000 yards in his first full year as a starter with time to prepare for becoming one. He earned seven sudden starts when Robert Griffin III tore his ACL in 2009, Florence's true freshman season. He's got more experience now and arguably the best receiving corps in the league. That's a heck of a combo.

5. Wes Lunt, Oklahoma State: Lunt is a true freshman who better brace for growing pains, but he'll have plenty of great moments in OSU's loaded, pass-first offense. He'll top 3,000 yards by a narrow margin, but the biggest key for Lunt will be keeping his interception total low. If he does that, OSU could be scary.

6. Casey Pachall, TCU: Pachall will have to balance out TCU's running game, which should take advantage of some Big 12 defenses' weak interiors. He'll need to chuck it a whole lot more this season if TCU gets into shootouts or needs to come from behind. That'll happen a lot more in the Big 12 than in the Mountain West.

Just missed: Dayne Crist, Kansas. (Simply put, not enough offensive weapons to top 3,000 yards.)

The Big 12 season is approaching, and there's no league in which the quarterback position is more important. Want success? Experience is a good place to start. How do the QBs rank in experience? Let's take a look.

1. Landry Jones, Oklahoma (37 starts): Jones is the league's elder statesman by a long, long ways. He took over as a redshirt freshman in 2009 when Sam Bradford injured his shoulder, and didn't miss any of his 27 starts in 2010 and 2011.

2. Geno Smith, West Virginia (26 starts): Smith has been the team's unquestioned starter for each of the past two seasons, and should be ready for a big 2012 after topping 4,000 yards in 2011.

3. Collin Klein, Kansas State (15 starts): Klein had two more starts at receiver earlier in his career, but we're not counting those. Klein was a gadget QB in 2010, but took over as the team's offensive workhorse in 2011, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the team's total offense.

4. Casey Pachall, TCU (13 starts): Pachall played well in his first year as a starter, but often relied on his three star running backs in the offense and didn't top 3,000 yards. He's ready for more responsibility if necessary this year.

5. Seth Doege, Texas Tech (13 starts): Doege earned one start all the way back in 2009, but ceded that spot by the end of the game. He did no such thing in a strong 2011 season, though Tech missed a bowl game and had a losing season (5-7) for the first time in almost two decades.

6. Dayne Crist, Kansas (10 starts): Crist's 10 starts all came at Notre Dame, but there doesn't look to be much challenge from any other QBs on the roster this season. Does he have the offensive weapons to be productive?

7. Nick Florence, Baylor (seven starts): Florence started seven games in 2009 when Robert Griffin III suffered a knee injury, and earned a half of playing time last season against Texas Tech that cost him his redshirt season.

8. Steele Jantz, Iowa State (seven starts): Jantz got off to a strong start, but never figured out his very serious turnover issues. That cost him his starting job in midseason, despite three fourth-quarter comebacks to begin the 2011 season 3-0.

9. David Ash, Texas (six starts): Ash was the fourth-string QB last summer, but when Garrett Gilbert and Connor Wood transferred, it was up to him and Case McCoy to carry the load. By season's end, Ash had established himself as the future at the position, at least immediately, but Texas' coaches haven't given him the official designation yet.

10. Jared Barnett, Iowa State (six starts): Barnett took over for Jantz in the middle of the season and engineered wins over Texas Tech, Kansas and a historic win over No. 2 Oklahoma State, but struggled with inconsistency late and opened up the competition to Jantz in a Pinstripe Bowl loss to Rutgers. There's no assurance for either to be the starter after the spring.

11. Case McCoy, Texas (five starts): McCoy's gutsiest performance came in a comeback win over Texas A&M, but his lack of arm strength limited what the Longhorns could do in 2011. McCoy's got all the heart you could ask for, but his physical attributes bring about plenty of questions about his ability to carry the team over the course of his career.

12. Wes Lunt, Oklahoma State (zero starts): Lunt shocked even his own offensive coordinator by beating out junior Clint Chelf and redshirt freshman J.W. Walsh in the spring to earn the starting job. He still has to validate that spot in the fall, but Lunt is in a class of his own at the bottom of the Big 12 when it comes to experience. He's a big, NFL-sized QB with a big arm, though. Can his mind catch up fast enough to help the Cowboys defend a Big 12 title?

If I wanted to run a monkey hotel, I'd install a banana buffet.

• Does the recent Big 12-SEC partnership inspire some buyer's remorse at Mizzou? Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star examines the issue.
• Texas AD DeLoss Dodds is against expansion, but openly courted Notre Dame, writes Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.
• The Big East and ACC had their chance and missed it. The Big 12-SEC deal has shut the window on the lesser conferences, writes Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports.
• Recent suspensions bring about a comparison to Bob Stoops' first team at Oklahoma, writes Jason Kersey of The Oklahoman.
• Florida State was supposed to save the ACC. When it moves to the Big 12, it will kill the ACC, writes Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com.
• TCU players had a big impact on a local eight-year-old boy's life.
• KU running back James Sims entered into a diversion agreement for his OWI arrest earlier this spring.
• Here's an update on Iowa State's brand-new facility.
• Is a KU offensive lineman commit angling to move to BYU?
• Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal introduces you to the newest Red Raider, Baylen Brown.
• Gina Mizell of the Oklahoman breaks down Tracy Moore's assault on the record book.
• K-State AD John Currie talks a bit more about the Big 12-SEC bowl game that will begin at the end of the 2014 season.
• OSU DT Christian Littlehead was arrested for public intoxication, his second arrest in six months.
• Iowa State receiver Albert Gary was sentenced after a robbery incident, and four teammates were with him during the arrest.
• What about a scheduling alliance with the SEC for the Big 12? Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman pitches the idea.

College football guru Phil Steele is previewing his must-read offseason magazine, and with it, he's releasing his all-conference and All-America teams.

Here's who he slated as his first-team All-Big 12 squad:

OFFENSE

QB: Landry Jones, Oklahoma
RB: Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State
RB: Malcolm Brown, Texas
WR: Tavon Austin, West Virginia
WR: Kenny Stills, Oklahoma
WR: Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
TE: Jordan Najvar, Baylor
C: Ben Habern, Oklahoma
OL: Lane Taylor, Oklahoma State
OL: Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma
OL: LaAdrian Waddle, Texas Tech
OL: Cyril Richardson, Baylor

• I'd probably go with Geno Smith ahead of Jones, but it's close. You could definitely make a compelling case for both.
• I'd also lean more toward Terrance Williams at Baylor for that third receiver spot ahead of Stills. Stills' upside is still really high, but again, it's close between those two.
• Good grief, the tight end spot in the Big 12 is a rough. Navjar is a good selection. Travis Tannahill at Kansas State could grab that spot, too. You're almost better off picking a sixth offensive lineman or a fullback like Trey Millard at Oklahoma, who's more valuable than any of the league's tight ends.

DEFENSE

DL: Alex Okafor, Texas
DL: Stansly Maponga, TCU
DL: Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas
DL: Jamarkus McFarland, Oklahoma
LB: Jake Knott, Iowa State
LB: Tom Wort, Oklahoma
LB: A.J. Klein, Iowa State
LB: Arthur Brown, Kansas State
CB: Nigel Malone, Kansas State
CB: Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State
S: Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
S: Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma

SPECIALISTS

P: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
K: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
PR: Tavon Austin, West Virginia
KR: Tyler Lockett, Kansas State

• No complaints among the specialists, but I'd definitely have kept a more traditional three linebackers. You could afford to leave Tom Wort off that list. Not so with the other three.
• After a sad group of cornerbacks in 2011, the position looks pretty loaded this year. There's no fewer than five guys in my book who deserve strong consideration and probably a spot on the first team. It's too bad there are only two spots. Clearly, Malone and Brown are deserving, but so are Justin Gilbert, Carrington Byndom and Quandre Diggs.
• Safeties are both loaded. Maybe two of the best defenders in the league.

Here's who Steele tabbed as All-Americans, too.

FIRST TEAM

• Alex Okafor, DE, Texas

SECOND TEAM

• Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
• Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• Quinn Sharp, K, Oklahoma State

THIRD TEAM

• Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma
• Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia
• Lane Taylor, OL, Oklahoma State
• Quinn Sharp, P, Oklahoma State
• Tyler Lockett, KR, Kansas State

FOURTH TEAM

• Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
• Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
• Gabe Ikard, OL, Oklahoma
• Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas
• A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
• Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma
• Tavon Austin, KR, West Virginia

We're looking at coaches you love to hate this week, and today, it's all about the guys who left programs with a bad taste in its mouth.

Mike Leach and Mark Mangino certainly had contentious exits from Texas Tech and Kansas, but they're hardly hated by the schools they left behind. Dennis Franchione and Ron Prince simply didn't win enough and left programs frustrated, but far from angry.

In the Big 12, there's really only one coach that fits the bill.

Are you "All In" on making Gene Chizik the lone man on the list?

Chizik earned a reputation as one of the nation's best defensive coaches as the coordinator at Auburn first, and then moved to Texas under Mack Brown.

That earned him enough accolades for Iowa State to take notice, and the Cyclones hired him in November 2006 to take over for the legendary Dan McCarney. McCarney went to five bowl games in his final seven seasons, including a top 25 finish in 2000. That's unheard of in Ames.

Chizik? Well, it didn't go well.

He won three games in his first season, including two conference games and a win over Iowa, and improved the defense. The next season, though?

Nightmare. Iowa State began the year 2-0 and proceeded to lost its final 10 games, leaving Chizik with a 5-19 record in two seasons. Chizik fired two assistants and demoted his offensive and defensive coordinators, and looked like he was digging in his heels for the long haul.

Nope.

Auburn fired Tommy Tuberville (now at Texas Tech) after the 2007 season and gave Chizik a call. He took it, and eventually took the job of replacing his former boss at his former stop in Alabama. Auburn caught lots of flack for hiring a coach with a 5-19 career record, but it has paid off.

Chizik made a struggling Iowa State program flounder even more, and making matters even more infuriating, Chizik won a national title at Auburn in 2010.

That seemed pretty hard to believe for the Cyclones, but it's not all bad at Iowa State. They've found a match made in heaven with Iowa native Paul Rhoads, another former defensive coordinator at Auburn. He's 18-20 in three seasons and put Iowa State in a bowl twice, winning once. That's a whole lot more than Chizik ever accomplished, and Rhoads signed a mammoth contract extension for 10 more years in December.

We're taking a look at the coaches that fans love to hate this week on the college football blog network.

What about you? Which coaches (your own or rival) get you fired up? Why do you hate them? What have they done to make that the case?

Let us know here.

It can be a current coach or someone from throughout history. We'll take it all and run your responses later this week.

Hey, you stay at the top long enough, people get tired of seeing you there.

Such is life as Mack Brown and Bob Stoops.

This year, we asked who got you fired up the most, and Brown and Stoops ran away with the poll.

Stoops hauled in 39 percent of the vote, while Brown checked in with 37 percent.

They couldn't be any more different in personality, but they have one big thing in common: They win. If a coach kept beating your team, you wouldn't like it much, either.

Stoops got the OSU faithful fired up last season when he needled them for recognizing a co-Big 12 South title in 2010. He's won the biggest of any coach in the Big 12, and until the past two seasons, Brown had won with the most consistency.

That streak of nine consecutive 10-win seasons came to a screeching halt with a 5-7 campaign in 2010, leading more than a few to question Brown's coaching prowess. Could he be as effective at another school? What if you plopped him right in the middle of Ames? Would you still be impressed?

And at Texas, which has all the resources -- both financial and recruiting -- anyone could ever want, shouldn't a coach win more than one national title in 14 seasons?

Maybe that's fair. Maybe it's not. Only eight coaches currently coaching college football even have one national title. Stoops and Brown are both in that group.

The duo has outlasted every other Big 12 coach. No one in the league has been at their current schools longer. (Yes, Bill Snyder's three-year sabbatical disqualifies him.)

Before last season, Snyder was the only coach to swipe a Big 12 title from Brown and Stoops since 2001.

Hate them if you must. Pardon them if they don't stop winning long enough to notice.

As part of “College Football Live’s” 100 Days Till Kickoff countdown, here’s a look at the top 10 players in the Big 12.

Note: This is a separate list from our preseason top 25 players. We'll tackle that later. It might be a lot different. It might be much of the same.

1. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia: Geno's a newcomer to the Big 12, but putting up big numbers is nothing new for the senior, who threw for 4,385 yards last season. Only one quarterback threw for more, but Smith had two more touchdown passes and eight fewer interceptions than the No. 2 quarterback on this list. Smith also completed nearly 3 percent more of his passes.

2. Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma: Jones checks in at No. 2 as the Big 12's leading returning passer, and will try to climb back in 2012 to give the Sooners another Big 12 title. Jones is the Big 12's most experienced quarterback, which should pay off the fall.

3. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State: Klein was the league's No. 4 rusher and threw for 1,900 yards? You can't argue with that production, and Klein accounted for 69.8 percent of the Wildcats' offense. That's insane. His importance to K-State can't be understated.

4. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia: Austin's the most dangerous playmaker in the Big 12, a true triple threat as a receiver, runner and kick/punt returner. He's the Big 12's No. 2 returning receiver, but he also returned two kicks for touchdowns in 2011, joining two other Big 12 returners who duplicated that feat last season.

5. Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State: Knott was outplayed by teammate A.J. Klein last season, but not by much. Knott was also playing through injuries. He's a superior talent, and like Klein, there's no arguing with his production. He's made 244 tackles in the past two seasons.

6. Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State: Randle is the Big 12's leading returning rusher and should see an increased workload from his 208 carries last season. He turned those into 24 touchdowns to come three short of the Big 12 record.

7. Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State: Brown's one of the league's most impressive freak athletes, a cruise missile of a linebacker who doesn't miss tackles in the open field and gets there faster than any true linebacker in the league. (You nickelbacks don't count.)

8. Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas: Vaccaro's the most versatile talent on a loaded Texas defense, and as a roaming nickelback, offenses must account for where he is on every snap. He's also got a case as the hardest hitter in the Big 12.

9. Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas: Who has two last names and is the Big 12's returning sack leader? This guy. His 8.5 sacks were 1.5 more than any other returner in the Big 12, and he made four more tackles for loss (17) than any other returner, too.

10. Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia: Bailey's a more traditional receiver in WVU's offense and he's taken advantage. He's the league's leading returning receiver and offers the Mountaineers a steady, dangerous target with sure hands who will help make WVU arguably the league's most dangerous offense.

I've stepped out for a couple days for an extended wedding weekend (not mine) in the Sooner state, but I'll be back in the blog saddle on Wednesday.

There will be posts throughout the day today and on Tuesday until I make my triumphant return. See you all again soon.

And, perhaps ... Jimbo Fisher?

Thanks for all your mail this week. Here's where you can reach me if you've got more to say. On to your emails!

Justin in Austin, Texas, wrote: I'm sure I am not alone in disagreeing with your OOC Rankings by team (aside from OU, no team with an FCS opponent should be above those without one), but you are certainly right in the idea that this year's OOC schedule as a whole is pretty weak. With that said, what do you think the overall record will be for the Big 12? Care to take the time and break down what you think are the most likely losses?

David Ubben: Yeah, I see your point, but I don't think you can simply move a team below because it's playing an FCS team. You've got to take into account the top games on the schedule, too. The Big 12 went 33-5 in nonconference games last year, and very well could improve on that in 2012. Missouri and Texas A&M suffered two of those five losses last year, to Arizona State and Arkansas. To the second part of your question, here are the five games the league's most likely to lose in 2012:

• 1. Kansas at Northern Illinois: KU will still be finding its footing, and Northern Illinois' stabilized a solid program. On the road, too? KU needed some late-game heroics to win this one in 2011, but don't be surprised if the Jayhawks are an underdog.
• 2. Iowa State at Iowa: The Cyclones sprung a triple-overtime upset to give Paul Rhoads his first win over the Hawkeyes, but ISU hasn't won in Iowa City since 2002. At least ISU gets to keep the one-year redone version of the Cy-Hawk trophy either way.
• 3. Oklahoma State at Arizona: OSU will be finding itself on offense, too, and ask Missouri how early season trips out west go, even for good teams. Has Wes Lunt ever seen a 3-3-5? Better study up.
• 4. Miami at Kansas State: Miami is still growing under Al Golden, but the Hurricanes will be good enough to win this one. If they do, it'll be the first sign that the 2011 surprise was a whole lot of fool's gold.
• 5. TCU at SMU: SMU loses J.J. McDermott, who beat TCU in Fort Worth in overtime last year in a game SMU dominated. Ever heard of Garrett Gilbert? He might be the guy lining up across the Frogs this year.

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DoDoDo the Gundy in Tulsa wrote: I am the biggest Cowboy fan on your wonderful Blog, but I got into an OU argument with a guy at the bar last night. He said Mack Brown was a better coach than Bob Stoops because of recruiting. Again, don't know why I keep sticking up for OU, but you have to give credit where it is due. So, I told him he was crazy. What do you think David?

DU: Yeah, no question about it. Bob Stoops is unquestionably a better coach than Mack Brown. There's no question that Texas and Oklahoma have been the two best programs in the history of the Big 12, but Oklahoma's the school with seven Big 12 titles to Texas' two. Granted, Texas played for a national title in both of those seasons (2005, 2009), but Oklahoma's played for a national title four times since 2000.

Recruiting is also easier for Texas. That's not to say it's difficult for OU, but more kids from Texas grow up wanting to be Longhorns than Sooners. Such is life as the flagship of a state like Texas.

Brown's streak of 10-win seasons is remarkable, but you can't discount the program's recent fall, either. To me, there's no debate. Stoops tops Brown.

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Pablo in Lubbock, Texas, wrote: Still hating on TTU..... Thus you only post in big print negative stuff most of the time.Yet TTU had a major media day with 3 recruits. Stormy Butler and Darren Dotson scholarship guys along with believe it or not Tuby's son as a preferred walkon

DU: Yes, I'm positively brutal to the Red Raiders. Outside of links, you won't find much coverage of commitments on the Big 12 blog. There's simply too many to warrant a post for every one. If it's one of the nation's top recruits or an interesting situation, I'll post about it, but other than that, you won't see many commitments get a full post on the blog.

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Klocke in Athens, Ga., wrote: What is more likely? FSU/Clemson are actually considering joining the Big 12 OR that over the past two years, sports writers have become addicted to filling summer columns with realignment speculation? I don't even remember what you guys used to write about in the offseason before the past two summers, but now I read everyday. Well played, hype-machine.

DU: Ha, well, in our defense, Klocke, it's been a lot more than talk these past two years. The Big 12 lost two teams in 2010 and two more in 2011 before adding TCU and West Virginia. It'd be one thing if nothing ever happened, but these reports are a lot more than media rumormongering.

So, the chances of us filing summer columns without realignment speculation is pretty much nil. Florida State is still a possibility for the Big 12, though the two sides still have reportedly not discussed a partnership.

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Matt Rob in Pittsburgh wrote: David; Holy moly, I just read your post on Big 12 nonconference schedules. Quite a list of cupcakes and guaranteed wins.As a WVU fan, I thought this year's nonconf sched was weak (especially compared to last year's), but good gravy, it's like a murderer's row compared to most teams. Although, true be told, the conference schedule will be absolutely brutal, so maybe it is for the best.

DU: Yeah, it's a delicate balance. I think some schools definitely took a second look at how they scheduled once the Big 12 added a ninth conference game. There's no question that West Virginia is in that group. If the Big 12 had eight games or WVU is still in the Big East, the Mountaineers are probably still playing Florida State. They already went out and suited up against LSU last season. They're not shy.

With that ninth game, though, I think you're going to see more Big 12 teams back off scheduling tough games out of conference. That's especially true among teams who aren't exactly guaranteed a bowl game every year. For schools like Texas and Oklahoma and West Virginia, too, they need those strong out of conference games to state their case at the end of the season. But for others who won't be making cases for a BCS playoff? Where's the payoff?

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Holland Humphrey in Kansas City, Mo., wrote: Ubbs: Were you really born in 1957? In your blog about FSU (and if they match-up in the big 12) you say FSU last played TCU in 1965 and you were 8 years old. Surely you are joking because you look about 30 to me.

DU: Oh, readers. The number of emails I got with a similar sentiment made me very sad. I hoped we'd understood each other's senses of humor better by now.

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Carson in Fort Worth, Texas, wrote: Hey David, TCU fan here. I've been reading about how you think the players in the DFW metroplex could put TCU on par with some of the league powers, and I've got to agree with all that you have said. My question is, how long do you think it takes TCU to start pulling in the majority of top talent from DFW, and how long will it be before the Frogs win their first conference championship in the Big 12?

DU: Glad you feel that way, Carson. I also feel like you feel a certain fondness for purple, as well. It all comes down to if TCU can win consistently in the Big 12. Not necessarily win big, but win like Oklahoma State did before last year. Nine wins or so consistently. That's going to offer some feeling to recruits that they can be the guys who put TCU over the top. I'd expect the Frogs to win a Big 12 title within the next five years.