ESPN College Football

From Carter Strickland: College coaches are required to take a yearly test to recruit. How well would a sportswriter do with the official NCAA? We find out.

From Max Olson: Q&A with offensive tackle Kennedy Estelle. The incoming freshman is ready to get to Texas and take on the challenge of transitioning to left tackle.

From William Wilkerson: Incoming freshman linebacker Peter Jinkens talks about his close relationship with Thomas Johnson, who decommitted from Texas.

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.

"College Football Live" breaks down the top returning Big 12 players, including Texas defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat.

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.)

Coaches we love to hate week is rolling on at ESPN.com, and today, it's familiar territory for the Big 12.

Some coaches are hated because they simply win too much. For the Big 12, it seems like that's the only reason why any coaches earn the hatred from fans.

For the most part, the coaches in the Big 12 are a civil bunch, with hardly a heated rivalry between them that inspires hate from the fans.

Nobody catches more flack for winning than Bob Stoops and Mack Brown. That's what happens when you win and do it for a long, long time.

Stoops has been accused more than once of running up the score in some of those wins, and when you look back on the 2008 season, it's easy to see why some might feel that way. The Sooners memorably scored 60 points in five consecutive games leading up to the national title, and scored at least 52 points in four more games.

The "leaving starters in" debate is a timeless one, and I tend to fall on the side of, "If you don't like it, stop them." Others don't, and Stoops catches the flack for it.

Simply put, Big 12 teams love beating OU and Texas more than any other school, and those winning traditions are the biggest reason why.

Stoops and Brown also have to deal with the incessant chorus from fans who argue that coaching at Oklahoma and Texas is simple: You get the best players, and you get the best record, regardless of your coaching acumen.

That couldn't be further from the truth. Brown and Stoops both inherited losing teams, and turned them into perennial winners who do recruit well and sign the best players in the Big 12 every season. To think that happens automatically is silly. You need good coaches to make it happen, and Brown and Stoops have personified that, even if Brown hasn't won as big as some expect with the type of talent Texas reels in.

In this debate, though, I'd argue Stoops and Brown aren't alone. In recent seasons, they've been joined by none other than Art Briles at Baylor.

The former Texas high school coach is quick with one-liners that earn the media's favor, but he talks about doing big, big things at Baylor. Things like Big 12 titles and telling players they can win Heisman trophies.

To those on the outside, it sounds like crazy talk.

Then, he goes and inches closer to those goals. He achieved the second one last season, and does anyone want to rule out a Big 12 title for the Bears?

The same people who want to do that probably would have done the same for Oklahoma State. Mike Gundy equaled or surpassed his win total in every season at Oklahoma State.

Briles has done the exact same, even while losing Robert Griffin III in a four-win campaign in 2009.

He won seven games the following year, and did the unthinkable by winning 10 games in 2011. Losing RG3 is a big blow, but he's stocked his team with loads of offensive talent, and signed five-star talents like safety Ahmad Dixon and running back Lache Seastrunk.

It's a new day at Baylor, and thanks to Briles, the Bears will soon be playing in a new stadium, too. As much as the rest of the Big 12 wants to pretend BU will go back to the same ol' Baylor without RG3, Briles will soon prove that no such thing's going to happen in Waco.

A word of advice on how to view the trio? Don't hate. Appreciate.

Joe Schad, Jesse Palmer and Ed Cunningham discuss conference expansion and if Notre Dame should remain independent.

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?

Texas will be starting from around the top 20 this season, and is coming off an eight-win season, but are the Longhorns a BCS title contender?

We're breaking down 20 teams' chances this year, and the Longhorns are first on the list.

The knee-jerk reaction to the Longhorns' chances is no, but I recall a team all the way back in 1999 that went 7-5 and all of a sudden, racked up a 13-0 record the following year to win a national title.

Texans, you may have heard of them. Most refer to them as the "Sooners."

But what about Texas? Let's dig in.

The first reason Texas could win it: A defense that could be "truly elite."

Seven of 11 starters are back on what was the No. 11 defense nationally in 2011. In fact, for a five-game stretch of the schedule from Kansas through Texas A&M, only Alabama and LSU proved to be tougher when it came to yielding yards than Texas. The Horns were by many metrics the best defense in the Big 12 over the course of the season, and they ranked second in Football Outsiders' defensive efficiency numbers, behind only Oklahoma State.

Like the Tide and the Tigers, only twice did the Longhorns allow a touchdown pass of 20 or more yards. For Texas, both came against Baylor in the final regular-season game, with defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat playing sparingly due to a shoulder injury that would eventually require surgery.

The other reason? The running game could be one of the nation's best.

There's no escaping the biggest reason why Texas may not win the title: quarterback play.

For Texas to win in 2012, the quarterback play has to provide at least a modicum of production. Game management has become the catch phrase among the coaches, especially given the potential of the team's running game (for more on that, see above). Similar to 2011, they will run the ball on at least 65 percent of their plays in order to showcase this talent and hide the aforementioned deficiency.

Here's the good news: While still not having the confidence to name Ash the starter, the coaching staff has praised the rising sophomore's understanding of the offense as well as his increased maturity in the pocket. Ash no longer throws the ball just for the purpose of throwing it, but instead throws it with purpose. Couple that with an increased awareness of when to throw the ball away and Texas believes it might have a quarterback who can manage the game.

The piece from Carter Strickland and Football Outsiders' Brian Fremeau takes a long look at some advanced statistics, and I'd encourage you all to give it a read.

Do that before you answer the question I pose to you: Is Texas a BCS title contender?

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.