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We'll move on to the cornerbacks today in our position rankings across the Big 12.

Here's what we've covered so far:

• Quarterbacks
• Running backs
• Receivers/tight ends
• Linebackers
• Safeties

This group? Well, it's not very good. And considering the crazy depth in the Big 12 at receiver, it could be a long season for cornerbacks in this league. I love the upside of many of the Big 12 corners -- namely the guys at Missouri and Texas Tech (especially working with Chad Glasgow's 4-2-5 in Lubbock). Texas could also develop fast in its new defense, but outside of Texas A&M and Oklahoma, I don't see any Big 12 teams that should be completely comfortable with their cornerbacks.

Of course, for fans who love points, this could be a welcome development. For secondary coaches and defensive coordinators? Not so much.

1. Oklahoma -- Jamell Fleming is the Big 12's top returner at the position and gives the Sooners a huge boost after being reinstated last week. Fleming had withdrawn from the university because of academic problems following the season. Aaron Colvin moved to safety during the offseason, but Fleming will still have to beat out Gabe Lynn in fall camp to start opposite Demontre Hurst. Julian Wilson also adds depth.

2. Texas A&M -- Fleming's return pushed the Sooners over A&M as having the Big 12's best group of corners. But Coryell Judie and Terrence Frederick could both challenge for first team All-Big 12 honors at the position. They are ahead of reserves Dustin Harris and Lionel Smith, who will get plenty of time on the field.

3. Missouri -- Missouri loses starters Carl Gettis and Kevin Rutland, but the coaches consider Kip Edwards a returning starter because of how much he played last season. Edwards could join E.J. Gaines in eventually becoming better than both Gettis and Rutland. Trey Hobson and Robert Steeples will get time in the rotation, too.

4. Oklahoma State -- OSU has to replace the Big 12's interception leader Andrew McGee , but Brodrick Brown's development should continue. He's likely a dark horse to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors after the season. The Cowboys didn't release a post-spring depth chart, but don't be surprised if return specialist Justin Gilbert edges out Devin Hedgepeth for the starting spot before the opener. Andrae May has earned playing time on special teams in both of his first two seasons on campus, but could be counted on for a much bigger role this year as the fourth corner.

5. Texas -- The Longhorns are fairly decimated at corner after losing three to the NFL in one offseason. Curtis and Chykie Brown joined Aaron Williams for one of the most talented sets of corners we've seen in this league, but now, secondary coach Duane Akina will have to replace them. Texas' depth chart is still as in flux as any in college football, but I'd be surprised if Carrington Byndom didn't emerge with a starting spot. True freshman Quandre Diggs might swipe the other, but A.J. White will be on the field, too.

6. Texas Tech -- The Red Raiders are likely to ascend this list by season's end, but for now, find themselves at No. 6. Injuries were costly for the defense last season, but Tre Porter and Derrick Mays should be much better, and Tech fans can be encouraged by the upside in Jarvis Phillips, Jeremy Reynolds and Eugene Neboh.

7. Iowa State -- This group might be a bit underrated, but with Iowa State's defensive problems last season, it's a bit hard to tell. Jeremy Reeves and Leonard Johnson return with loads of experience, and Anthony Young is a great additional piece as the third corner. Matthew Thomas should be in the rotation, too.

8. Baylor -- The Bears return both starters. Chance Casey has 15 career starts to Tyler Stephenson's four, but the Bears secondary struggled last season, especially the corners. Tuswani Copeland should be on the field under new coordinator Phil Bennett, whose work is cut out for him at this spot.

9. Kansas -- Kansas loses Chris Harris from last season's team, but Isiah Barfield is a playmaker at the position. Greg Brown, Tyler Patmon and Anthony Davis fill out the group.

10. Kansas State -- The Wildcats have a huge talent in David Garrett, who led the team in tackles last season and was the nation's leader in tackles for loss, but he's still just one player at a position that needs lots of depth in this league. Also, his coverage leaves a bit to be desired. For now, K-State doesn't look like it has that necessary depth. Terrance Sweeney and Stephen Harrison are gone, but the Wildcats need to find more talents at the position in fall camp. Watch for Thomas Ferguson to emerge as the other starter.

Heading into the season, I see five teams in the Big 12 with a realistic chance to win the league. I'll be breaking them down in order (which won't be the same as my post-spring power rankings) of their chances to leave the season with the Big 12 title.

No. 1 on the list was the favorite: Oklahoma

No. 2 was Texas A&M.

Today, we take a look at the third-most likely Big 12 champion: Oklahoma State.

Why the Cowboys will win the Big 12

1. The offensive line. You could point to a lot of reasons for the Cowboys' success in 2011, but it all started up front on the offensive end. OSU's big men entered the season as a patchwork group, but matured into one of the Big 12's best by midseason. They should be even better in 2011 when all five return, and the group adds juco transfer Michael Bowie, who could blaze his way into a spot into the starting lineup. Levy Adcock is the Big 12's best offensive lineman, and Lane Taylor, Grant Garner, Nick Martinez and Jonathan Rush fill out a unit that could block the Cowboys into their first Big 12 title.

2. It has the best pass-catch duo in the country. The distance between Brandon Weeden and Landry Jones is paper-thin, but Justin Blackmon established himself as a cut above Ryan Broyles during the 2010 season, and earned the Biletnikoff Award for his efforts. The pair had a joint news conference to announce their return, and the ensuing celebration was warranted. If Oklahoma State wins a Big 12 title, those two are taking them there.

3. The defense's rapid improvement could continue. OSU has to replace six starters on defense, but returns three starters in a secondary that matured late last season. Look no further than dominant defensive performances against prolific passing offenses like Baylor and Arizona, who the Cowboys blew out. Both safeties, Johnny Thomas and Markelle Martin, are back and make up a unit I named the Big 12's best. Justin Gilbert may be charged with replacing Big 12 interception champ Andrew McGee across from returning starter Brodrick Brown. OSU also held a high-scoring Kansas State offense (33.6 points, third in the Big 12) to just 14 points at home in a big game without Blackmon. There's a lot of turnover, but if you can stop the pass in the Big 12, you're going to be in good position to win the league.

Why the Cowboys won't win the Big 12

1. Todd Monken is not Dana Holgorsen. Monken may be a great offensive coordinator, but for now, we have no idea. What we do know is everywhere Holgorsen has coordinated the offense has become one of the best in college football. Sure, his system is part of it, but so is the effectiveness of his in-game adjustments. Ask Texas A&M and its 21-7 halftime lead in Stillwater. Monken has learned the system, but when things go badly, how will he adjust? One could argue that was one of Holgorsen's best attributes.

2. It hasn't proven it can beat Oklahoma, and has to go to College Station. Most pundits (yours truly included) were willing to overlook history and pick the Cowboys to finally beat an Oklahoma team that hadn't yet proven it could win big games on the road. OSU was favored and playing better football than Oklahoma, whose two losses earlier in the season came to solid Big 12 contenders in night games on the road. OSU, however, allowed its losing streak to Oklahoma to reach eight years and Mike Gundy is still 0-6 against his in-state rival. Additionally, the Cowboys have to go into Kyle Field, one of the most intimidating venues in the league, to face the other Big 12 contender. That's not exactly a recipe for success.

3. The heart of the defense is gone. Markelle Martin is a good leader, but Orie Lemon was the heart of OSU's defense last season, an experienced player that had been through a lot and made it obvious to his teammates how much playing his final season meant to him. Those kinds of things are always a bit intangible, and hard to peg until the marathon of a college football season kicks off. Can the Cowboys replace his leadership?

OKLAHOMA STATE

2010 overall record: 11-2

2010 conference record: 6-2

Returning starters: Offense (9), Defense (5) P/K (1)

Top returners: WR Justin Blackmon, QB Brandon Weeden, S Markelle Martin, LB Shaun Lewis, OL Levy Adcock, WR Josh Cooper

Key losses: RB Kendall Hunter, OC Dana Holgorsen, LB Orie Lemon, DE Ugo Chinasa, CB Andrew McGee, DT Shane Jarka, LB Justin Gent

2010 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Kendall Hunter (1,548 yards)

Passing: Brandon Weeden* (4,277 yards)

Receiving: Justin Blackmon* (1,782 yards)

Tackles: Orie Lemon (133)

Sacks: Jamie Blatnick (5.5)

Interceptions: Andrew McGee (5)

Three spring answers

1. Offensive vision is clear. Oklahoma State had one of the nation’s best offenses a year ago, and returned nine starters from it. Former coordinator Dana Holgorsen said goodbye, but rather than have 50 players learn a new offense that everyone in the program wanted to stay, coach Mike Gundy brought in Todd Monken to learn the system and call plays. The Cowboys offense should look very similar next year.

2. More depth on the offensive line. The line brings back all five starters this year, but that doesn’t mean all five will start. Juco transfer Michael Bowie crashed the party this spring and is competing for a starting spot, which may mean some shuffling come fall.

3. Budding star at cornerback. Andrew McGee led the Big 12 with five picks last year, but the Pokes may have another great one on their hands very soon. Justin Gilbert contributed most as a kick returner his freshman season, but he drew rave reviews throughout the spring. He gets plenty of work trying to cover the best receiver in college football, Justin Blackmon. We’ll see if that pays off soon.

Three fall questions

1. Can that offensive vision become reality? Oklahoma State knows what it wants to do on offense, but Holgorsen won’t be in the booth running the show. Can talent, which there’s no question OSU has plenty of, outweigh inexperience in playcalling? And how will Monken look as a playcaller? It’s the big variable for the Cowboys this year, and if the offense struggles, blame is likely headed his way. We’ll find out the answers to those questions pretty quick this fall.

2. Can last year’s defensive progress continue? The raw numbers for Oklahoma State’s defense weren’t pretty, but those were over a lot of possessions, thanks to the big-time offense. The defense made big strides in every way late last season, but without two of its leaders, linebacker Orie Lemon and defensive end Ugo Chinasa, will it continue? More responsibility will fall on safety Markelle Martin and linebacker Shaun Lewis.

3. Who are the linebackers? Lewis has locked down the “Star” linebacker position, but the other two spots are up for grabs this fall after Lemon and fellow linebacker Justin Gent moved on. Caleb Lavey and Tyler Johnson are still competing to replace Lemon, and three players are competing to replace Gent as weakside linebacker.

We took a look at the offensive draft boards on Wednesday, and on the day of the draft we'll turn to the defense.

Analyst Todd McShay broke down the skill sets of each draftable player on the board and ranked them by those skill sets, divided up by position.

Here's what he had to say.

Defensive line

• Missouri's Aldon Smith was No. 3 on his versatility list, ranking defensive ends by their athleticism and ability to change direction and play in space.
• Baylor's Phil Taylor ranks No. 3 among defensive tackles as run-stoppers.
• Smith is No. 7 among overall defensive line prospects.
• Taylor is No. 11 overall at the position.
• Texas' Sam Acho is the No. 24 defensive line prospect.
• Oklahoma's Jeremy Beal is No. 25 on the list.
• Oklahoma State's Ugo Chinasa is No. 44.

Linebackers

• Oklahoma State's Orie Lemon is No. 3 on the strength/toughness list among inside linebackers.
• Texas A&M's Von Miller is No. 2 among outside linebackers in range against the run.
• Miller is the No. 1 surest tackler among outside linebackers.
• Miller is the No. 1 overall linebacker prospect.
• Lemon is the No. 22 linebacker prospect.

Defensive backs

• Texas' Aaron Williams is the No. 4 overall defensive back.
• Texas' Curtis Brown is the No. 12 overall defensive back.
• Oklahoma safety Quinton Carter is No. 15.
• Texas' Chykie Brown is No. 33.
• Iowa State safety David Sims is No. 42.
• Oklahoma cornerback Jonathan Nelson is No. 53
• Oklahoma State cornerback Andrew McGee is No. 54.
• Missouri cornerback Kevin Rutland is No. 55.

Scouts Inc. has put together a comprehensive draft board of each position, and as you've seen this offseason, plenty of former Big 12ers should hear their names called next month.

Here's a rough estimate of where each offensive prospect from the league is set to be drafted.

First round:

• Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
• Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
• Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri
• Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor

Second round:

• Danny Watkins, OL, Baylor
• Aaron Williams, CB, Texas

Third round:

• Kendall Hunter, RB, Oklahoma State
• Daniel Thomas, RB, Kansas State
• DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma
• Quinton Carter, S, Oklahoma

Fourth round:

• Jeremy Beal, DE, Oklahoma
• Sam Acho, DE, Texas

Fifth round:

• Orie Lemon, LB, Oklahoma State

Sixth round:

• Detron Lewis, WR, Texas Tech
• Andrew McGee, CB, Oklahoma State

Seventh round:

• Kyle Hix, OL, Texas
• Ugo Chinasa, DE, Oklahoma State
• Kevin Rutland, CB, Missouri
• Carl Gettis, CB, Missouri

Want to see the full boards? Here's the offense and the defense.

The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off Wednesday, and when it concludes next week, draft boards from media and NFL teams alike could look very different.

Physical tests won't begin until Thursday, but the first round of players will arrive Wednesday and take part in various preparatory tests before the real sizing up begins.

A week from now, stocks will be up. Others will be down.

Here are the players from the Big 12 slated to take part, in case you missed it the first time around:

Oklahoma State -- 5

• Dan Bailey, K
• Ugo Chinasa, DE
• Kendall Hunter, RB
• Orie Lemon, LB
• Andrew McGee, CB

Texas -- 5

• Sam Acho, DE
• Chykie Brown, CB
• Curtis Brown, CB
• Kyle Hix, OL
• Aaron Williams, CB

Oklahoma -- 4

• Jeremy Beal, DE
• Quinton Carter, S
• DeMarco Murray, RB
• Adrian Taylor, DT

Missouri -- 3

• Blaine Gabbert, QB
• Kevin Rutland, CB
• Aldon Smith, DE

Baylor -- 2

• Phil Taylor, DT
• Danny Watkins, OT

Texas A&M -- 2

• Jerrod Johnson, QB
• Von Miller, LB

Iowa State -- 1

• David Sims, S

Kansas State -- 1

• Daniel Thomas, RB

Texas Tech -- 1

• Colby Whitlock, DT

We kicked off our top 25 list today, but unfortunately, it's only a top 25 list.

Narrowing it down was incredibly difficult, and there were a ton of talents that didn't quite make the cut.

For that, I'm sorry. I legitimately feel awful about all of them.

Every guy on this list is a top-25 caliber player who just couldn't get inside my list. If somebody else made one, I'd be fine with them being on it. But this time, they didn't make mine. There are a lot of great players in this league, and I could only recognize 25.

But here are the rest who came so, so close, in no particular order.

Rodney Stewart, RB, Colorado: Rushed for 1,316 yards to rank third in the Big 12. My biggest reason for leaving him off? His 4.54 yards per carry ranks 17th in the Big 12. He got it done this year, but he got 290 carries to do it. Other backs were more deserving.

Ricky Henry, OG, Nebraska: Nebraska's running offense was fearsome early this year, and despite some late struggles, still finished No. 1 in the Big 12. Henry was a big reason why, but other linemen slid on the list before him.

Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado: His 68 tackles were second on the team, and he broke up four passes, but it was hard to put Smith on the list over the cornerbacks who made it, even though the position is extremely important in the Big 12.

Roy Helu Jr., RB, Nebraska : Helu finished with another 1,000-yard season, but I didn't have very many running backs on the list. Helu had a great year, and I don't mean this as a knock on him, but I was more impressed with his 1,145 yards last year without much help. Defenses spent so much time defending Taylor Martinez, holes for Helu formed that weren't there in 2009.

T.J. Moe, WR, Missouri: Moe has my title as the toughest cover in the Big 12, and his time in the top 25 is coming. Just not yet.

Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor: Wright's production might have been higher had Baylor not found other receivers to give Robert Griffin III some help, but other emerging receivers pushed Wright off the list after he made our preseason list.

Colby Whitlock, DT, Texas Tech: Whitlock had a nice year with 57 stops and two tackles for loss, but it wasn't a great year for defensive tackles in the Big 12.

Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M and Jay Finley, RB, Baylor: Great years, obviously, but like I said, I just didn't put a lot of running backs on the list.

Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska: Never would have believed in October that he wouldn't make this list, but he wasn't a top 25 player in conference play. He works well for Nebraska in its offense, but plenty of other quarterbacks are above the freshman.

Andrew McGee, CB, Oklahoma State: Led the Big 12 in interceptions, with five, but defending the pass is about blanketing receivers, not picking off passes. That's not to say picking them off is a bad thing, but other corners were better at shutting down opposing receivers.

Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State: Racked up plenty of tackles, third in the Big 12 with 130, and he's a great player, but the book on how to beat Iowa State was out early. Running the ball against the Cyclones weak front four was effective, and opponents did it 512 times this year. Only 22 teams in college football faced more rushing attempts, and no Iowa State lineman made more than 40 tackles this year.

Michael Hodges, LB, Texas A&M: Hodges was the heart of Texas A&M's defense, and racked up 115 tackles, but other linebackers slid above him on the list.

Jamell Fleming, CB, Oklahoma: Fleming was all over the place after some early season struggles, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him on the list next year.

So, that's my list of close calls. Again, I felt terrible about not including every single one of those players, and if you want to make your own top 25 list and put them on it, they all definitely deserve it. But I can only fit 25 guys on my list, and putting one of these players on it would only mean another got snubbed.

The NFL released its list of invitations to the scouting combine late this month, and plenty of Big 12 players should be taking part.

Here's who got invitations:

• Sam Acho, DE, Texas
• Pierre Allen, DE, Nebraska
• Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
• Dan Bailey, K, Oklahoma State
• Jeremy Beal, DE, Oklahoma
• Chykie Brown, CB, Texas
• Curtis Brown, CB, Texas
• Jalil Brown, CB, Colorado (I hadn't realized it until just now. Were there really three NFL-caliber players in the Big 12 with the same last name at the same position in 2010? Seems so. And none of them are related. Odds, anyone?)
• Quinton Carter, S, Oklahoma
• Ugo Chinasa, DE, Oklahoma State
• Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
• DeJon Gomes, DB, Nebraska
• Eric Hagg, DB, Nebraska
• Roy Helu Jr., RB, Nebraska
• Alex Henery, K, Nebraska
• Ricky Henry, OL, Nebraska
• Kyle Hix, OL, Texas
• Kendall Hunter, RB, Oklahoma State
• Jerrod Johnson, QB, Texas A&M
• Orie Lemon, LB, Oklahoma State
• Andrew McGee, CB, Oklahoma State
• Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
• DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma
• Niles Paul, WR, Nebraska
• Kevin Rutland, CB, Missouri
• David Sims, S, Iowa State
• Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
• Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri
• Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
• Adrian Taylor, DT, Oklahoma
• Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor
• Daniel Thomas, RB, Kansas State
• Danny Watkins, OT, Baylor
• Colby Whitlock, DT, Texas Tech
• Aaron Williams, CB, Texas
• Keith Williams, OL, Nebraska

That's a pretty solid (and lengthy) list. Add it up, and it's 36 players from 11 of 12 Big 12 schools, excluding Kansas. It's a little surprising that Missouri center Tim Barnes wasn't on the list. It's possible it was a mistake, but the first-team All-Big 12er and Rimington Trophy watch lister was named as one of the top centers in the draft last spring by Mel Kiper. Barnes had also earned some favorable reviews at the NFLPA Bowl this week.

It was good to see Aggies quarterback Jerrod Johnson get a shot to show scouts if he's regained any more strength in his arm, too.

Here's how it ranks by team, as well.

1. Nebraska - 9
2. Oklahoma State - 5
2. Texas - 5
4. Oklahoma - 4
5. Colorado - 3
5. Missouri - 3
7. Baylor - 2
7. Texas A&M - 2
9. Iowa State - 1
9. Kansas State - 1
9. Texas Tech - 1

Inspired by our friends at the Big Ten and SEC blogs, we'll put together a long-overdue team composed of the league's best seniors.

We made a team full of freshmen, so why skimp on the old guys? Well, we won't.

My All-Big 12 team featured 16 seniors, and they're all on the team below, but plenty of other guys put together distinguished careers and 2010 seasons that deserve recognition.

Their careers may be over, but you can bet all these players will live on in school lore for quite some time. Here goes:

OFFENSE

QB: Taylor Potts, Texas Tech
RB: Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
RB: Daniel Thomas, Kansas State
WR: Lyle Leong, Texas Tech
WR: Detron Lewis, Texas Tech
WR: Aubrey Quarles, Kansas State
C: Tim Barnes, Missouri
T: Nate Solder, Colorado
T: Danny Watkins, Baylor
G: Keith Williams, Nebraska
G: Ricky Henry, Nebraska

DEFENSE

DL: Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma
DL: Lucas Patterson, Texas A&M
DL: Sam Acho, Texas
DL/LB: Brian Duncan, Texas Tech
LB: Von Miller, Texas A&M
LB: Orie Lemon, Oklahoma State
LB: Michael Hodges, Texas A&M
CB: Andrew McGee, Oklahoma State
CB: Prince Amukamara, Nebraska
S: Quinton Carter, Oklahoma
S: Byron Landor, Baylor

SPECIALISTS

K: Alex Henery, Nebraska
P: Derek Epperson, Baylor
Returns: Niles Paul, Nebraska

Selections by school: Nebraska (5), Texas Tech (4), Oklahoma State (3), Texas A&M (3) Baylor (3), Kansas State (2), Oklahoma (2), Texas (1), Missouri (1), Colorado (1)

A few thoughts:

• It was kind of slim pickings at receiver, but only because the Big 12's top five and 11 of its top 15 receivers will be coming back in 2011. Colorado's Scotty McKnight only narrowly missed the team. I'd say he's probably a more talented receiver than Quarles, but Quarles' production was there in 2010. McKnight's, after adding freshman Paul Richardson to the mix, took a bit of a dive in his senior year.
• That's a heck of a defense. All 11 guys weren't very far off from making the regular All-Big 12 team. The same is true of the offensive line.
• Potts' year was a lot better than a few Texas Tech folks would have you believe, but he didn't have a lot of competition to make the cut on this squad. His own teammate, Steven Sheffield, was probably the only guy who could keep him from this squad. The only other Big 12 starters this year were Iowa State's Austen Arnaud, Kansas State's Carson Coffman and Colorado's Cody Hawkins.
• It's a solid group at running back, too. Thomas and Hunter were the same two guys on my All-Big 12 team, getting the nod just over Oklahoma's DeMarco Murray, Nebraska's Roy Helu Jr. and Baylor's Jay Finley. Definitely a great year for Big 12 running backs, especially the seniors.

It's like they say, sometimes God closes a door, but sometimes he closes it so hard, you can't get your wife out.

• Kevin Haskin of the Topeka Capital-Journal shares his humorous travel troubles while trying to get from Kansas City to New York for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
• Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Blaine Gabbert's performance in the Insight Bowl was tantalizing from an NFL scout's perspective.
• It's time for Oklahoma and the Big 12 to embrace the Fiesta Bowl like the Big Ten and Pac-10 do the Rose Bowl, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.
• Nebraska receiver Niles Paul says Washington liked to talk trash the entire game in September, and he's expecting the same this time around.
• Don't count on Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst heading to Texas. At least not yet, according to his comments at the Rose Bowl earlier this week.
• Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville says a domestic violence incident at the home of James Willis had no effect on his subsequent exit from the program, reports Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
• Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III says Baylor has a chance to make a statement on a national stage in the Texas Bowl against Illinois.
• From field conditions to getting around the city, Kansas State is dealing with plenty on a snowy trip to New York City, reports ESPNNewYork.com.
• Tully Corcoran of the Topeka Capital-Journal reviews Lew Perkins' exit as Kansas' athletic director, the paper's No. 2 story of the year.
• Oklahoma State cornerback Andrew McGee came back from a broken neck, but he's still one of the most overlooked All-Big 12 honorees, writes Brandon Chatmon of The Oklahoman.
• The TicketCity Bowl used bikers and military members to boost ticket sales for the inaugural Jan. 1 game at the Cotton Bowl, reports Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

1. Keep Arizona from YAC-ing all over the place. Oklahoma State fans will recognize Arizona's offense quickly. It's a close relative of the Air Raid at Texas Tech, not entirely unlike the Cowboys' own offense. Short, quick passes get the ball in the hands of playmakers who try to break a tackle or make a defender miss to move the ball down the field. If Oklahoma State's secondary, corners Brodrick Brown and Andrew McGee and safeties Johnny Thomas and Markelle Martin, and even the linebackers can get receivers and running backs down quickly, they'll stymie the offense and prevent the big play. Forcing Nick Foles to complete as many passes as possible to win is a solid recipe for a win.

2. Seriously, give Kendall Hunter the ball. Oklahoma State's offense has struggled most when Hunter has gotten the ball the least. Most notably, it happened in the first half against Texas A&M and the entire game against Oklahoma. The Cowboys scored 41 against the Sooners, but 14 of those points were non-offensive touchdowns and Hunter got just 13 carries. Oklahoma State ran only 66 plays in that game to Oklahoma's 107 (most in the FBS in 2010), but Hunter needed to have the ball in his hands for more than 13 of those 66. If that happens against Arizona, the Cowboys, favored by about a touchdown, should be fine.

3. No special teams mistakes. Kicker Dan Bailey won the Lou Groza Award as the nation's top kicker, but he also missed four kicks in the three games before the loss to Oklahoma, including one from inside 40 yards against Baylor. Additionally, punter Quinn Sharp and his long snapper Marc Yerry are ineligible for the game. Bailey might end up with punting duty with a freshman snapping to him. Certainly, the potential for disaster is there. Prevent it, and the Cowboys can keep from giving away points that could come back to hurt them later.

Like it or not, the Big 12 will be without divisions after 2010, no matter how many legends or leaders made their mark in the league's short history as a two-part conference.

Over that history, the South has been dominant with a pair of national powers, Texas and Oklahoma who were consistently racking up big win totals over the last decade while the North has, more often than not, sent a significantly less impressive team to the title game. That's measurable in plenty of ways, but I'll settle for the 11-4 advantage in the championship game and a 13-4 advantage in BCS bowl game appearances.

But what about this year? The South is clearly the deeper division when you talk total teams, but then I got this e-mail, which got me wondering:

John in Omaha, Neb., wrote: Bored at work, thought I'd give you a blog topic idea. If you had to pick two all star teams, one made entirely of B12 north players at each position and then a B12 south all star team at each position and then had them play a game. Who would win and who would be the players. Off the top of my head I'd say the south would but I bet it's pretty close once you break it down player by player.

My interest was piqued. We know what the All-Big 12 team looks like, but what if you broke it down by division? For reference, my All-Big 12 team had 11 players from the North and 15 from the South.

Here are my picks, when broken down by division:

Big 12 South

OFFENSE
QB: Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State
RB: Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State; DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
WR: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State; Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
TE/FB: Bryant Ward, Oklahoma State
OL: Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State; Danny Watkins, Baylor; Eric Mensik, Oklahoma; Matt Allen, Texas A&M, Lonnie Edwards, Texas Tech

DEFENSE
DL: Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma; Lucas Patterson, Texas A&M; Colby Whitlock, Texas Tech; Sam Acho, Texas
LB: Von Miller, Texas A&M; Orie Lemon, Oklahoma State; Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
CB: Andrew McGee, Oklahoma State; Jamell Fleming, Oklahoma
S: Quinton Carter, Oklahoma; Byron Landor, Baylor

SPECIALISTS:
K: Dan Bailey, Oklahoma State
P: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
KR: Coryell Judie, Texas A&M
PR: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

Big 12 North

OFFENSE
QB: Blaine Gabbert, Missouri
RB: Rodney Stewart, Colorado, Daniel Thomas, Kansas State
WR: T.J. Moe, Missouri; Scotty McKnight, Colorado
TE/FB: Michael Egnew, Missouri
OL: Nate Solder, Colorado; Ricky Henry, Nebraska; Tim Barnes, Missouri; Zach Kendall, Kansas State, Ben Lamaak, Iowa State

DEFENSE
DL: Jared Crick, Nebraska; Aldon Smith, Missouri; Brad Madison, Missouri; Pierre Allen, Nebraska
LB: Lavonte David, Nebraska; Andrew Gachkar, Missouri; Jake Knott, Iowa State
CB: Prince Amukamara, Nebraska; Alfonzo Dennard, Nebraska
S: Eric Hagg, Nebraska; Ty Zimmerman, Kansas State

SPECIALISTS:
K: Alex Henery, Nebraska
P: Alex Henery, Nebraska
KR: William Powell, Kansas State
PR: Niles Paul, Nebraska

So, there are my teams. I'll offer some further observations, plus my pick in a post Tuesday. But for now ... who you got?

Oklahoma State looked like the favorites to win the Big 12 in the final month of the season, but a loss to Oklahoma landed them in the Alamo Bowl. Disappointing for the Cowboys, sure, but all things considered, a pretty good finish. Oklahoma State has a chance to win 11 games for the first time in school history when they play against Arizona in San Antonio.

So, who needs to step up for them to get that 11th win?

The secondary. Arizona's Nick Foles missed two games in 2010, but still averaged more than 290 yards a game in 10 starts, up from just more than 200 last season. The Wildcats have eight -- yes, eight -- players with at least 20 catches this season. None were more productive than junior Juron Criner (big points for the top-notch name), a 6-foot-4, 210-pound target who caught 74 passes for 1,197 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead the Pac-10 in receptions and receiving yardage.

Arizona loves the screen game, and Oklahoma State corners Brodrick Brown and Andrew McGee need to shed blocks and make stops to shut down the dangerous Wildcats offense.

The offense is reminiscent of Texas Tech's Air Raid. In fact, Texas Tech is on the only team in the Big 12 to equal Arizona's feat of eight receivers with 20 catches. Baylor is the league's only other team with more than five receivers with 20 receptions.

McGee led the Big 12 in interceptions, with five, but he's not likely to grab one in this game. That's no problem. McGee or Brown racking up tackles typically wouldn't be a good thing, but it might be in this game, depending on how reliant the Wildcats decide to be on those screens.

Safeties Johnny Thomas and Markelle Martin have to prevent the big play. If receivers start reaching the second level of the defense on underneath routes and screens and the safeties are the ones racking up tackles, this could turn into a shootout that takes 40 points to win.

Here's a look back at the best and worst of the week that was in the Big 12.

Best offensive player: Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska. It's pretty simple this week. He broke the Nebraska quarterback rushing record with 241 yards and accounted for five touchdowns. Martinez is the spark that was missing from the Nebraska offense last year, and if the Huskers make a run at the Big 12 title, he'll be the reason why.

Best defensive player: Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska. David was one of the reasons Nebraska managed to bottle up Daniel Thomas so effectively, limiting the Big 12's leading rusher to just 63 yards on 22 carries. The junior finished with 16 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Call it a coming out party for the JUCO transfer and first-year starter.

Best team performance: Missouri. The Tigers could have given up all the Fifth Downs Colorado wanted. The Buffs still probably wouldn't have scored. Runner up: Nebraska. The Huskers ran away with a conference road win against Kansas State, and they did it with tons of eyes watching a national Thursday night telecast.

Best offensive freshman: Past Martinez, there wasn't much, so we'll hand this one to to T-Magic, too. Iowa State running back Shontrelle Johnson was the next-most deserving, but he had 50 yards on five carries in the loss to Utah.

Best defensive freshman: Tre' Porter, CB, Texas Tech. The secondary gave up 384 yards to Robert Griffin, but in a seven-point win, if Porter misses any of his 10 solo tackles, the outcome might have been different. He finished with 12 total tackles.

Best play: Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska. So you say you could run through the kind of holes Taylor Martinez had on Thursday night? Well, could you run through it, split a couple linebackers, a pair of safeties and run 80 yards untouched for a score to put your team up 24-3? No, and neither could 98 percent of the rest of the players in college football.

Best play II: Baron Batch, RB, Texas Tech. Batch broke three tackles and raced to the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown that tied the game at 21 in Texas Tech's win over Baylor.

Best play III: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State. We'll let the decision-making by Brandon Weeden slide on this one.Weeden threw up a deep ball into double coverage for Blackmon, who jumped over a pair of defensive backs, caught it and trotted into the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown.

Worst play: Texas Tech's onside kick team. Are you guys serious? I can't remember the last time I saw an onside kick returned for a touchdown, and now these guys have given one up two weeks in a row? This week's fiasco was way more embarrassing. The kick didn't make it the required 10 yards (bad enough on its own), but the Texas Tech players casually loitering near the ball allowed Baylor's Terrance Ganaway to pick it up and outrun them for a 38-yard touchdown, one of the shortest kick return scores in college football history.

Worst quarter: Iowa State's second quarter. The Cyclones were outscored 31-0 in the quarter (!) after leading No. 10 Utah 14-10 when the first quarter ended. The finished the day with a 68-27 (!) home loss.

Worst team performance: Colorado. Getting shut out in Columbia for the second consecutive time is not exactly the statement you want to send before exiting a league. Ya'll need to watch a few Nebraska games...then do that. Or better yet, take a look at your future Pac-12 buddies, Utah. Ask Iowa State about them. Runner-up: Iowa State. Because...obviously.

Worst call: The Cowboys almost pulled it off, but why exactly is Oklahoma State trying to sneak in an onside kick up 24-21 in the third quarter? OSU got bailed out by an interception from Andrew McGee on the first play of the following drive, but the Cowboys didn't need any of that to beat the Ragin' Cajuns. Save it for the Huskers, Sooners or Longhorns.

Most poorly thought-out celebration: Kip Edwards, CB, Missouri. Edwards picked off a fourth-quarter Cody Hawkins pass and returned it 49 yards into Colorado territory to preserve Missouri's shutout. He was deservedly jacked up about it, but apparently so jacked up he forgot that cleats and asphalt make poor bedfellows. Edwards' celebration progressed onto the blacktop loop surrounding Faurot Field and took a nasty spill, but shook it off, got up and kept celebrating with his teammates. Nice job, just keep it on the turf next time.

Timeliest redemption: Texas Tech. The Red Raiders had to have a win, and they got one, taking the lead for good with a 21-0 spurt in the second quarter after trailing 21-14 to Baylor. They also scored the first 10 points of the second half to stretch their lead to 17 in the third quarter.

Best game: Texas Tech 45, Baylor 38. Any game that comes down to the final snap is a good one, and Baylor had two chances to win the game late, including a dropped touchdown pass to Kendall Wright on 3rd-and-15 that would have tied the game with under four minutes to play. Baylor let what chances it had slip away, but Texas Tech earned the win. Great game that looked less like arena football after halftime, when the teams headed to the locker room with Texas Tech holding a 35-28 lead.

"We were dying of thirst, stranded on this yacht on a windless day. Steely Dan and a seal in a crown approach on this lifeboat. As they got closer, the breeze picked up, and I hear the smoothest rock I've ever heard in my life come out of this seal king."

• Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson isn't completely recovered from offseason shoulder surgery, reports Brent Zwerneman in the Houston Chronicle.
• Tommy Tuberville has a short message for fans upset that Taylor Potts beat out Steven Sheffield in the quarterback competition: Get over it.
• Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is quite obviously tired of quarterback questions, and says the public will know his starter there and everywhere else when they trot on the field for the season opener. Here's video of his comments.
• Oklahoma State cornerback Andrew McGee broke his neck eight months ago. Now he's ready to be one of the Cowboys' top players in the secondary, writes Brandon Chatmon of The Oklahoman.
• Two voters for the AP poll have been replaced, including one that had Nebraska at No. 17 and Missouri ranked, reports Mike DeArmond of the Kansas City Star.
• Turner Gill and Kansas welcomed a famous Jayhawk fan to campus on Tuesday.
• Missouri linebacker Will Ebner was challenging for a starting spot last week, but he dropped to third string on the latest depth chart. He was also arrested for suspicion of DWI over the weekend. Elsewhere, injured receiver Jerrell Jackson could be back in time for the Illinois game, two weeks ahead of schedule.
• Oklahoma's top reserve running back, Mossis Madu, will be suspended for the Sooners' opening game against Utah State following an earlier DUI arrest.
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman has a solution to solve Oklahoma's kicking woes: stop kicking it and go for it on fourth down as often as former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach used to do.
• Alan Trubow of the Austin American-Statesman checks in with kicker Justin Tucker, who steps in for Texas' Big 12 title game hero, Hunter Lawrence.