Happy Friday afternoon.

I couldn't get away for Waco this afternoon before answering a few of the letters and e-mails I received over the past few days.

Steven Johnson from Ada, Okla., writes: Tim, just curious which team you would choose as your biggest disappointment for the season and what has been the overriding trend in the Big 12 this season?

Tim Griffin: I would select Oklahoma as the biggest disappointment, although Bob Stoops can’t really be blamed for his team’s struggles. The Sooners were picked No. 3 in the preseason poll and were expected to challenge for the national championship. But their rash of injuries has left their current roster looking little like it was expected to be earlier this season.

I would also consider Kansas to be another major disappointment. Most preseason observers had the Jayhawks set to challenge for their first trip to the Big 12 championship before the season. Saturday's game against Nebraska was expected to settle the Big 12 North champion. Instead, Nebraska is challenging for the title and the Jayhawks are battling for their bowl eligibility. Like I expected, the Jayhawks would struggle with their cross-division games from the South. But I didn't expect them to have those problems carry over to their Big 12 North games.

And the biggest trend in the Big 12 has been how injuries and suspensions have played a part in how the season has played out. I think it can be argued that if Sam Bradford, Jermaine Gresham, Robert Griffin, Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter all had been playing, the Big 12 would have had a higher national profile. Who knows, if the missing players on Oklahoma and Oklahoma State had all been playing, those teams along with Texas might be restaging the epic Big 12 South battle we saw last season when Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech all were in the hunt for the South title and the national championship at this point of the season.

We’ll never know. But I do think that those players absences have marked the Big 12 as its major story to this point of the season.

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Chase from Denver writes: Tim, what do the Big 12 North two-way scenarios look like? It's my understanding that as long as Nebraska beats KSU it can lose to either Kansas or Colorado (assuming CU doesn't win out) and still take the North due to the tiebreaker. Is this correct?

Tim Griffin: Chase, you are correct. Unless Colorado wins its last three games, the winner of the Nebraska-Kansas State game next week would be in the driver’s seat for a berth in the Dec. 7 championship game. Colorado is eliminated from bowl contention if it loses tomorrow at Iowa State or any of their other remaining games. Iowa State, Kansas and Missouri are all out of the race with four losses unless there are some wild scenarios happen with a three- or four-way tie.

But knowing how the North has played out this season, nothing would surprise me during the rest of the year.

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Lance Robertson from Edmond, Okla., writes: Tim, how do you think Oklahoma State will finish out their season and which bowl game would you expect the Cowboys to go to? I appreciate your thoughts.

Tim Griffin: Lance, I see them going 2-1, with home victories over Texas Tech on Saturday and Thursday against Colorado. I think they will lose at Owen Field -- like almost every other Big 12 opponent that has faced Bob Stoops there over the years.

That would leave them with a 9-3 record. I think the other two teams in the mix for the Cotton -- Texas Tech and Oklahoma -- both also will lose a game at least a game during the rest of the season. The Cowboys’ record should push them above the other two.

As such, I think the Cowboys are most likely to go to the Cotton Bowl. I'm sure that OSU fans would revel in a chance to play Les Miles and LSU in that game, wouldn't they?

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Steve Shipston from Arvada, Colo., writes: Tim, I wonder if you could analyze the play of Texas defensive tackle Lamarr Houston. Does he have any shot for All-Big 12 honors this season?

Tim Griffin: I think that Houston might be the most underrated player on the Texas defense. He’s been a key producer at defensive tackle during the past two seasons and is really an anchor inside as far as stopping the run. He sometimes gets overshadowed at times by Sergio Kindle or the Acho brothers who play around him, but I’m sure that Will Muschamp realizes his value.

As far as All-Big 12 selection goes, I think it's going to be difficult for Houston to crack the logjam of top players in front of him. He might merit a choice on a team where there’s no designation of positions among defensive linemen, but on teams where two defensive tackles are going to be picked, I see where it would be very tough for him to nose out Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick of Nebraska and Gerald McCoy from Oklahoma.

It can be argued that the defensive tackles in the Big 12 might be as good as any conference in the nation. That might be among the reasons why defenses seem to have bitten back a little against their offensive counterparts in the Big 12 this season.

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David Kassabian of Austin writes: Tim, I follow your blog and like most of your content. I take exception to your comments though that it's a near tie in quarterbacks comparing the '05 and '09 Texas teams. Watch the Rose Bowl again and tell me five minutes where Colt McCoy has shown that poise -- just an intangible presence -- in the pocket like Vince did during the whole game and for much of the season. Keep up the good work and decorate your living room some more for the podcasts.

Tim Griffin: David, I think that McCoy has been as clutch as Young at many times in his career. Remember how he performed last season in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State? By my count, he has led Texas to victory seven times in his career helping the Longhorns overcome a fourth-quarter deficit.

I think Young’s profile as a big-play producer was magnified because he also ran the ball and threw it. Young also had the benefit of a deeper supporting cast -- particularly at running back.

McCoy is going to go down in history as the most statistically proficient quarterback in Texas and Big 12 history. He’ll likely be the winningest quarterback in the history of college football by the time the regular season finishes for him Thanksgiving night against Texas A&M. And he’s had his clutch moments as well and could be the first Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in school history. Because of that, I think he merits mention in a near-tie with Young.

And thanks for your interior decorating tips. My wife, otherwise known as my trusty camerawoman for those fine features, tells me that we’ll be shooting from my office next week. So prepares yourself for a brace of media guides and bobblehead dolls in the background if you look closely enough.

Again, thanks for all of the good questions and check back again next week. And be sure to enjoy the games Saturday across the country and in the conference.