ESPN College Football

We're offering up grades for each team in the Big 12 after their seasons conclude, so here's a look at how the 8-5 Missouri Tigers graded out in 2011.

More report cards:

• Kansas
• Texas Tech

OFFENSE: This season was supposed to be all about James Franklin. Could the sophomore -- used almost exclusively as a runner as a freshman in 2010 -- prove his worth as a passer and become the next in a long line of great Missouri quarterbacks?

That answer proved to be yes. Franklin is no Brad Smith: He is a better passer, though he lacks Smith's speed. He is no Blaine Gabbert: He's a better runner, but he lacks Gabbert's accuracy.

Above all, though, Franklin was productive. Missouri's offense flourished for most of the season. It's easy to get frustrated when you see the Tigers were only able to muster a fifth-place finish in total offense in the conference, but consider that is good for No. 12 nationally.

We haven't even talked about Henry Josey yet. Receiver T.J. Moe and tight end Michael Egnew saw their production take a huge dip this season; a predictable result with Franklin carrying the ball 217 times for 981 yards. He threw for 2,872 yards and 21 touchdowns, too, but Josey was the offense's most valuable player this season. De'Vion Moore and Kendial Lawrence went down with injuries, and Missouri found out the Big 12's best running back was third on their depth chart. He led the league by averaging more than eight yards a carry, and despite suffering a catastrophic knee injury against Texas, he led the Big 12 in rushing for three full weeks after the injury.

The Tigers got it done offensively, but unfortunately for them, offenses are graded on a curve in the Big 12. Other teams in the league set the curve very, very high.

GRADE: B+

DEFENSE: The defensive line was the team's most hyped unit, and even though it didn't perform to the level many expected, the rest of the unit overachieved. A secondary that replaced both corners still ranked fifth in pass defense. Texas and Kansas State were the only Big 12 teams better at defending the big play, and the Tigers were among the league's most physical teams.

They did all of this without a single player approaching the top tier of defensive talent in the Big 12 and put just one player on the first-team All-Big 12 defense (DT Dominique Hamilton). The team's top producer in 2010, DE Brad Madison, played with a painful injury to his inside shoulder all season that limited his effectiveness. But the Tigers' unit was certainly solid enough to help support a prolific offense.

GRADE: B

OVERALL: Eight wins is the same result that Daniel and Gabbert endured in their first years as starter. Ultimately, the mark was about where Missouri belonged with the type of season it had. The Tigers missed a game-winning field goal against what ended up being a six-win Arizona State team, and lost a heartbreaker at Baylor, too. It also erased deficits to beat Texas A&M at home and forced a late turnover to beat Texas Tech in the final minute. All four of those games could have gone either way. Missouri split them.

The Tigers are headed to the SEC East next year, where at least in the immediate future, it looks like a division contender. This year wasn't a dream season, but it could set up something special. The Tigers rallied from a 3-4 start to win five of their final six games and salvage a good season. There wasn't a truly impressive win in the bunch, but all five losses came to teams ranked at the time.

FINAL GRADE: B+

We're taking a look around at the biggest debuts in college football today, and although Missouri's Week 1 opponent doesn't jump off the marquee, James Franklin's debut will have a profound impact on the Big 12 race.

Miami (Ohio) will be our first long look at the Tigers quarterback charged with replacing NFL first-round draft pick Blaine Gabbert.

Since taking over as the starter after Tyler Gabbert's post-spring transfer, his teammates have lauded the sophomore's touch passing, ability to pick up the offense and growing leadership.

"I feel really prepared," Franklin told ESPN.com in a recent interview. "I know the offense a lot better; now it’s just learning the other team’s defense and adjusting to what they run and the things they do so we can execute."

Franklin has the advantage of more talent around him than any other new quarterback in the league, which means more responsibility.

"Quarterback transitions are always the focal point, it always has been and it always will be," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel told reporters on Monday. "Especially at our level with the quality of quarterbacks we've had here."

Blaine Gabbert, Chase Daniel and Brad Smith didn't have the luxury of a more complete team, offensively and defensively, waiting for them when it was their turn to lead the Tigers.

Missouri will open the season in the top 25 but with the potential for a whole lot more.

How much more? That's ultimately up to Franklin. Helping him along are his two top pass-catchers, juniors T.J. Moe and Michael Egnew.

Miss a throw?

"Don't worry about it, James," they tell him.

Make a bad read or have a pass picked off?

"Forget about it," they tell him.

The real message is getting through.

"It meant a lot, because I know they’re trusting in me and encouraging me. They want me to get to greater heights," Franklin said. "We have a really good squad this year, and I think we can go far. That’s something they see that as well and they want it to happen and they want to move along faster so we can get there."

The ride starts Saturday.

Thanks for all the emails. Feel free to drop a few more in my box if you've got something to say.

Alex in Waterloo, Iowa, asked: I am a believer that Shontrelle Johnson will be a quality running back in the big 12. you ranked Knott tenth in the top 25. those are just a couple examples of the athletes Rhoads has brought in. Tech, A&M, OSU, MIZZOU and Kansas have all seen success in recent years. Do you see ISU reaching that level soon?

David Ubben: Maybe, but it's going to be awhile. Let's compare them with Missouri.

Missouri's program's rise began with excellence at one position: Quarterback. Obviously, that's the most important position on the field. Brad Smith got it going, Chase Daniel continued it and we saw even more with Blaine Gabbert last year. Missouri hasn't had a dropoff at that spot. If anything, it's gotten better, at least physically.

The Tigers stocked their team with big-time skill position talent around Daniel and saw huge heights for the program. Gabbert had similar talent around him, but he finally had a defense behind him last year. Missouri's built the program over the last 6-7 years piece by piece.

Iowa State? The only place their team stands out is at linebacker, which isn't hugely important in Big 12 play. If one of the new quarterbacks, Jerome Tiller or Steele Jantz, can emerge as a big time playmaker, then maybe, but until Iowa State can see improvement at more of the key positions, I don't see the program building to the point where others like Missouri, Oklahoma State or Texas A&M have gotten.

Tanner Singleton in Baton Rouge, La., asked: I hope you show some A&M love in what's left of the top 25 players count down!

DU: Ha, a warning: I've gotten a lot of emails about this. There won't be as much A&M love in the top 10 as some of the Aggies fans think.

Sorry.

Matt in Anchorage, Alaska, asked: How do you grade yourself on your rankings? Is today's "Top 25 Poll" your belief of how these teams will do this year, or just how good you believe they are right now? In other words, if your preseason picks were perfect, would these 25 teams be ranked in this same position at the end of the year in the "Final 25 Poll"? And if that's true, do you believe that Texas will finish the year outside of the Top 25?

DU: As with my top 25 every week, it's simply a reflection of how good I believe the teams are right now. It's not a prediction for the postseason. If I'm guessing right now, I think Texas finishes just outside the top 25 at the end of the year. I expect them to make it in the preseason poll, though.

Yesterday, you saw our college football blog staff tab one player as the conference's next household name, but what do you think? I pegged Texas A&M running back Christine Michael as the next player folks will know well, but here's a few other suggestions.

Vote in the poll for who you're expecting to see a much bigger profile this time next year:

Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma

Stills caught 61 passes for 786 yards last year as a true freshman, the most of any freshman in Oklahoma history, even with the nation's leader (131) in receptions, Ryan Broyles, across from him on the field. He's got one of the best quarterbacks in the league tossing him the ball, and he'll be back in 2011 with a year of experience under his belt.

James Franklin, QB, Missouri

Franklin is the key to Missouri's rise in 2011. If he plays well, the Tigers should be a strong contender for the Big 12 title, something Blaine Gabbert, Chase Daniel and Brad Smith could never win. This Tigers team might be the best under Gary Pinkel, but there's a gaping hole at quarterback where Gabbert used to be. Will Franklin fill it and become a star as the next in a long line of Missouri quarterbacks.

Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State

Randle caught more passes last year than any running back in the league, other than Oklahoma's DeMarco Murray, and figured to be a big piece of the backfield set to replace Kendall Hunter, who rushed for over 1,500 yards for the second time in his career last season. Randle has the advantage of a passing game that will require tons of attention and the Big 12's best offensive line. Will he hold off Jeremy Smith and become a 1,000-yard rusher?

Seth Doege, QB, Texas Tech

Doege, a junior, hasn't been a full-time starter since his sophomore year of high school, but Texas Tech stayed committed to him through a pair of serious knee injuries, and Doege has done the same. Now, he'll get a chance to do what he grew up wanting to do, carry on the Texas Tech quarterback legacy that guys like Graham Harrell and Kliff Kingsbury helped build. He'll do it under a different coach, but can he still produce the big numbers?

Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas

Brown hasn't even gone through a practice yet, but hopes are high for the incoming freshman who was the nation's No. 7 recruit in the 2011 class. The Cibolo, Texas, native runs with big power and if Texas' offensive line can give him a few holes, should be able to punish defenders with his downhill style. A year from now, will he be the first 1,000-yard rusher at Texas since Jamaal Charles?

Anyone else deserve some consideration?

The best players in football play with something to prove. But some have more to prove than others.

Tevin Elliot, DE, Baylor

Elliot is raw, but the versatile 6-foot-2, 245-pounder led the Bears in sacks as a freshman, with five. Baylor's defense held the team back from achieving much more than a bowl appearance last year, but Elliot could be a big piece of a defensive resurgence under Phil Bennett in 2011. A disruptive pass rush would be a huge help to a pass defense that struggled last season, and one player can make that happen. Can Elliot prove he's the guy to do it and help push the team further than the seven wins it reached in 2010?

Huldon Tharp, LB, Kansas

Tharp showed tons of promise as a freshman, making 59 tackles and landing on a freshman All-America team. He looked like he'd be one of the leaders on Turner Gill's first defense at Kansas, but his season cruelly ended in fall camp with a leg injury. Can he prove in 2011 that he's that leader, and that there's still reason to believe the potential he showed in 2009 is there?

James Franklin, QB, Missouri

The pressure is on for Franklin to continue Missouri's quarterback lineage after Tyler Gabbert transferred following the spring semester. Brad Smith started it, Chase Daniel took the Tigers to new heights and Blaine Gabbert looks like he'll make the biggest impact of the three in the NFL. Where is Franklin's place? This could be his team for the next three years, but he'll step into his new role with one of the Big 12's most complete teams surrounding him. He has sure-handed receivers, a solid running game, an experienced offensive line and one of the league's best defenses. Can he fill the void and help Missouri contend for a Big 12 title, proving that the bloodline will continue?

Hubert Anyiam, WR, Oklahoma State

Anyiam might be the guy who truly makes Oklahoma State's offense unstoppable. He led Oklahoma State in receptions during Dez Bryant's abbreviated 2009 season, catching 42 passes for 513 yards and three scores as a sophomore. Last year, though, he never got started and finished with 11 catches for 135 yards, thanks to an ankle injury similar to the one that ruined Kendall Hunter's 2009 season. The 6-foot, 198-pounder has the potential to be a second game-changing receiver in the Cowboys offense, but can he return to 2009 form and prove he's a dangerous complement to Biletnikoff Award winner Justin Blackmon?

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

Tannehill was a big reason for the Aggies' six-game winning streak to close the regular season, but so was Cyrus Gray's emergence, a rapidly maturing offensive line and a defense that played its best football in the second half of the season. All the pieces are there for Tannehill to lead the Aggies to the BCS, but last year it was obvious: without good quarterback play, the Aggies were not a great team. Tannehill has been on the field for three seasons, but he still has just six career starts at quarterback. And there's that nagging Texas A&M senior quarterback curse that he'll surely be asked about at least a few times next season. Can he prove that his play late last season will continue into 2011, all the way to a possible Big 12 title?

We'll tab a few more later today.

Thanks for all the questions in the mailbag. Don't see yours? We'll have another one soon. Drop it in my mailbag.

Trey Willis in Krum, Texas, asked: Will the Big 12 lose any bowl alliances with the loss of 2 conference members next year? Also, is it conceivable, although unlikely that every Big 12 team could be bowl eligible next year?

David Ubben: I actually asked a Big 12 official about this recently. Right now it's still being ironed out. Those contracts will likely be altered, but this is one more thing that may not be finalized until the league's spring meetings in June. The Big 12 isn't going to be able to fill eight bowl spots next year.

Jesse in Amarillo, Texas, asked: Dear Ubbs, Do you think with all of the "love" Demarco Murray has been getting from Dana White and all of the UFC, that he is setting up something if football doesn't pan out? Would you step into the octagon with Demarco?

DU: I don't think that's really the plan for DeMarco. Football should work out for him. He started doing some MMA training during his summers awhile back, and I think he just developed a love for the sport. On Dana White's side, I'm sure he embraced DeMarco's interest. It's always good to have a high-profile athlete associated with a growing sport.

As for stepping into the octagon, I'd do it. DeMarco wouldn't, though. (Thanks to his NFL contract likely prohibiting it.) Guess that means I win by forfeit, right? I'll keep telling myself that.

Ronnell Lewis in Norman, Okla., asked: STOP! Hammer Time! Is it my time in Norman now that Jeremy Beal is gone?

DU: Now's the time if it's going to happen. I don't see Lewis getting beat out for a starting job across from Frank Alexander, but David King and R.J. Washington could make a push for playing time. The same goes for redshirt freshman Geneo Grissom. Get a nice start on a big year and that playing time will come, of course, but neither of those things is a given. Lewis looked like he struggled a bit with the mental side of the game last year, and the coaches barely even played him against option-attacking Air Force when he was at linebacker. He's a big hitter and a pass-rusher for sure, but to have big success, he's got to become a more complete player who better understands Oklahoma's schemes. That stuff takes time. Lewis has had it. Hammer Time is most likely now or never.

CB in Osage Beach, Mo., asked: David,Once Blaine Gabbert is drafted and signed, he will be the third straight Mizzou starting QB to make (and remain on) an NFL roster. That seems pretty rare, although not unheard-of (I think USC has a similar streak with Palmer, Leinart, and Sanchez right now). Am I right that this is pretty unusual?

DU: Yeah, it definitely is. Brad Smith, now a receiver/return specialist for the New York Jets is somewhat of a technicality, but Missouri's quarterback line is rivaled by very, very few across the conference.

Texas had Vince Young followed by Colt McCoy, but we'll see how five-star recruit Garrett Gilbert's career ends up. He may not even be the starter next year. That's still in flux. Before Young, Chris Simms made his way into the NFL. It seems like his ruptured spleen kind of derailed his career, among other things, but he's on the Titans' roster.

Oklahoma and Texas Tech have had great, great college quarterbacks who have had moderate to no success in the NFL after big college careers. Setting Sam Bradford aside (after all, he was the first Oklahoma quarterback ever to throw a pass as a quarterback in an NFL game since 1949), Jason White won a Heisman and Josh Heupel won a national title. That's pretty dadgum impressive, too.

Missouri's got a good thing going at quarterback, though, and the program has benefited. Their rise is only more evidence that having a great quarterback means wins in the Big 12 pretty often.

Missouri's quarterback race has officially heated up.

Tyler Gabbert outperformed his competition, Ashton Glaser and James Franklin, at the first scrimmage of the spring for Missouri on Saturday, and as a result, debuted on Tuesday as the co-No. 1 quarterback with Franklin.

Last spring, Gabbert was the No. 5 quarterback when he enrolled early along with Franklin as a freshman. Franklin won the No. 2 job and played while Gabbert redshirted and started the spring at No. 3 behind Franklin and Glaser.

Now, it looks like he's neck-and-neck with Franklin to succeed Blaine Gabbert as Missouri's quarterback.

Coach Gary Pinkel downplayed the move, but it's obvious Gabbert has made an impression early.

"We looked at all the practices and scrimmages," Pinkel told reporters after Tuesday's practice, downplaying the big-picture impact of Gabbert's performance on Saturday. "There’s a lot of competition. That’s good. It’s going to be very competitive. Someone’s going to have to pull away. But there’s a long way to go here, you know. A lot of things are going to happen. They’re all great competitors."

What looked like an interesting spring in Columbia has lived up to its billing. Even if Gabbert wins the race, I'd still expect Franklin to get a good amount of playing time. As a freshman, Franklin spelled Blaine Gabbert in a role as a runner.

Chase Daniel did the same for Brad Smith as a freshman and Gabbert did the same for Daniel when he was a freshman in 2008.

That's consistent with what offensive coordinator David Yost told me during my visit to Missouri earlier this month. If a backup quarterback offers something the starter can't duplicate, it's worth getting them on the field. Daniel was a more accurate passer than Smith. Franklin was a much better runner between the tackles than Blaine Gabbert. Yost, in fact, compared him to Tim Tebow. The comparison stretched only as far as Franklin's ability to move the pile as a powerful runner and find creases between the tackles, but even though all three quarterbacks have decent wheels, Franklin, at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, has size and power the other two lack.

Like Pinkel said, there's a long, long way to go. At this point, it seems unlikely that Missouri will definitively settle much at the position by the end of spring, but like you read last week, the players will decide.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri offensive coordinator David Yost sat down in the quarterbacks' meeting room, pulled out his cell phone and fired off a text to his former quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, alerting the soon-to-be first-round draft pick that Missouri's first spring practice was hours away.

"You'd make my life a lot easier if you were sitting here on the right side of me in meetings," Yost wrote.

But Gabbert isn't. He's been preparing for the draft, and Yost -- the Tigers' third-year offensive coordinator -- is preparing for his first season running Missouri's offense without Gabbert behind center.

For Missouri, whose quarterbacks have been coached by Yost since Gary Pinkel and his staff arrived in 2001, it's the first real quarterback competition since some redshirt freshman named Brad Smith beat out senior Kirk Farmer to win the job in 2002.

"Each guy kind of has his own thing that he does really well, but they’re all alike enough, and they can all throw the ball really well, and for the most part, the offense won’t majorly change for whoever wins the job," Yost said.

Sophomore James Franklin is the front-runner after winning the No. 2 job as a true freshman last season and earning spot duty as a runner between the tackles and in short-yardage situations.

Sophomore Ashton Glaser has the No. 2 spot currently after enrolling early in spring 2009 and spending two seasons in the program.

Blaine Gabbert's younger brother, redshirt freshman Tyler Gabbert, entered spring as the No. 3, but possesses the strongest arm in the group, Yost says.

"They’re going to decide it," Yost said. "If one guy would separate themselves, that’d be good, but it’d still probably continue on throughout the summer."

Though the specific experience of a quarterback competition is foreign, Pinkel maintains that competition isn't.

"There’s no difference if we’re talking about this position or if we’re talking about the offensive guard," Pinkel said. "You’ve got to perform and you’ve got to perform consistently, and you’ve got to play better than the guy in front of you. That’s how it works."

Casual Missouri fans may think of Franklin as a runner. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound quarterback did run well last season, albeit with power and shiftiness as opposed to the blinding speed of Smith, who started four seasons at Missouri. But Franklin is plenty more, and now is his chance to showcase it.

"Not that James couldn’t throw it, but we thought, well, if we’re going to throw it, we better let No. 11 [Gabbert] throw it," Yost said. "There's a reason why he was so talented."

A player's potential does nothing to influence the coach's decision. As much as the staff would like one player to separate himself, if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.

Want the job? Show them who you are. Who a quarterback could be doesn't matter at Missouri.

"That’s the beauty of how we do it," Pinkel said, "and the reason we don’t -- I don’t think as coaches, I don’t do it and our coaches don’t do it -- we don’t think in our head, 'Well, this guy might be The Guy, or I might think that guy might be The Guy.' And the reason we don’t is it taints your evaluation. Let the players decide what’s going to happen and we’ll just see it and evaluate it."

As freshmen, Gabbert and his predecessor, Chase Daniel, had potential and talents that differed enough from the starter that they earned meaningful playing time. But once the torch was passed in the spring, they were clearly better than the passers below them on the depth chart.

This time around, it hasn't happened yet. But regardless of how far the separation is, Missouri will have a No. 1, a No.2 and a No. 3 quarterback leaving spring, just like it did to begin spring practice.

"We’re trying to get better because we all want the spot. Even though I'm in the No. 1 spot right now, that doesn’t mean I’m going to keep it," Franklin said. "I know that’s what a lot of people expect, and that’s what their guess is, but that doesn’t mean anything."

He says he feels the added pressure of those expectations, but he also felt more comfortable this spring after getting a chance to adjust to the speed of the college game with an early spring and a season on the field already under his belt.

"It’s kind of hard not to think, 'Oh, I’ve got all this pressure, I’m supposed to be the starter and this and that,'" Franklin said. "I just think it’ll help me have that edge."

He threw just 14 passes last season, completing 11 for 106 yards and a touchdown, in addition to running 23 times for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including one in Missouri's win over then-No. 1 Oklahoma.

Those 14 passes in real games, though, are 14 more than Tyler Gabbert and Glaser have thrown in their careers combined.

"Everyone messes up, but when I go out there, it should look like someone that’s gone through it before," Franklin said. "I don't want to have thoughts like, 'Hey, well, this guy is a sophomore or a freshman and he’s going to make those mistakes,' so I should look maybe not on the level of a veteran, but closer to that than a rookie."

The coaches wanted this competition. They signed two quarterbacks in the 2010 class so this would be a three-man battle instead of a two-man battle. Now, they've got it. All that's left is for someone to win it.

"I think we’re going to be pretty good at quarterback," Yost said. "He’s going to be the least experienced member of our offense, a lot of other guys will be counted on, but I think we’re going to be fine at that position with whichever guy separates himself whenever that happens."

Schedule: Practice opens today, and continues through the spring game on April 16. Practices between now and then are open to fans and media.

What’s new: Not much, really. There will be a quarterback derby, but we'll get to that in a bit. Missouri returns nine starters on offense and six on defense and didn't have a coaching change in the offseason. There will be new faces in the secondary, but Gary Pinkel has established a solid foundation for his program around his quarterback and there shouldn't be much concern about a down year in 2011 with a new passer.

On the mend: Linebacker Donovan Bonner missed all of 2010 with a knee injury, but he looked like a budding star before the injury. He's back this spring and should get a chance to get back to where he was in fall camp.

Key battle: There's plenty to see at quarterback. Pinkel says sophomore James Franklin will enter spring practice as the starter, but Ashton Glaser and Tyler Gabbert will push for the starting gig. This is definitely new territory for the Tigers, who haven't had any real uncertainty about their starting quarterback since Brad Smith took over as the starter in 2002. Chase Daniel and Blaine Gabbert were clear heir apparents, but a quarterback competition should add some new intrigue to the offseason in Columbia.

New faces: Receiver Wesley Leftwich will take part in camp, alongside offensive lineman Michael Boddie and defensive lineman Gerrand Johnson.

Breaking out: When defensive end and likely first-round pick Aldon Smith suffered a broken leg last year, backup defensive end Brad Madison flourished. He had three sacks against Texas A&M and finished with 7.5 sacks to lead the team and with Smith gone. Madison's road to becoming a household name across the conference could begin this spring.

Question marks: Secondary troubles have been a constant for Missouri's defenses over the past decade. Until last year, anyway. The secondary became a strength, but it did it with a pair of experienced, senior corners, Carl Gettis and Kevin Rutland. Now, promising young players E.J. Gaines and Kip Edwards look ready to replace them, but will the excellence on the back line continue under third-year defensive coordinator Dave Steckel, or was last year an anomaly?

Big shoes to fill: All-Big 12 center Tim Barnes is gone, and Justin Britt and Travis Ruth will compete to take his place. Barnes was responsible for a lot of organization for the offense before the snap, not to mention his blocking and snapping talents. A weakness there would throw a kink into Missouri's offense. The Tigers need a solid talent to emerge, and that could happen this spring. The good news is the other four offensive linemen return.

Don’t forget about: The running backs. Missouri split carries between four backs last season, with none receiving more than 100 carries. Pinkel says he wants one to emerge and separate themselves, and if I'm guessing, I'd put my money on sophomore Henry Josey. He's the shiftiest of the four backs, and in Missouri's offense, a scat back can be a big asset. He may not get the goal-line carries (look for De'Vion Moore to take that duty), but he could get the Tigers down there.

All eyes on: Quarterback James Franklin. It sounds like he has a lead to start the spring, but the job isn't his yet. Missouri fans would like to see him (or someone, anyway) grab a firm hold on the job by the end of spring practice and impress them heading into fall camp. Uncertainty may not be the best option for Missouri's offense next fall, but if no one separates themselves, it might be a necessity.

• Missouri quarterback Brad Smith was the foundation of the Pinkel Era at Missouri, writes Dave Matter of the Columbia Tribune. (Personal note: Anyone else feel like there's a definite parallel between Smith and Missouri/Pinkel and Robert Griffin III and Baylor/Briles? Beyond the obvious comparisons I won't entertain, it certainly could be the case. Your thoughts?)
• Texas secured its second, third and fourth commitments of its 2012 recruiting class over the weekend.
• Barry J. Sanders, the son of former Oklahoma State star Barry Sanders, says he's still open to all options, writes Robert Przybylo of The Oklahoman.
• Kansas added a long snapper to its 2011 class, reports Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World.
• Texas defensive backs coach Jerry Gray left Austin for money and a title, but those aren't the only reasons, writes Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman.
• Dave Curtis of Sporting News says Mack Brown was surprised by his departure.
• Texas receiver Marquise Goodwin is setting more records on the track.
• Jenks coach Allan Trimble has plenty to say about his player and Oklahoma's newest running back Alex Ross, a 2012 commit.
• Both the men's and women's athletic directors at Texas got raises. DeLoss Dodds will be making a base salary of $700,000, plus incentives. That's up from $627,000, plus incentives.
• Look out, Florida. Oklahoma State is about to break into the state and recruit, writes Brandon Chatmon of The Oklahoman.

By the way, maybe you don't quite love the Big 12 blog, but you can like it on Facebook over on the right sidebar underneath that goofy-looking mugshot.

Blaine Gabbert made the right decision by declaring for the NFL draft. ESPN's Scouts, Inc. has Gabbert as the No. 20 overall prospect in April's draft, and Gabbert received a first-round grade from the NFL draft advisory committee after he submitted his paperwork.

For every Jake Locker and Jevan Snead, there's a Sam Bradford: There's nothing wrong with sticking around another year if you're projected as a first-rounder, and the risk of injury is somewhat overrated.

Gabbert is a bit different. In Missouri's spread offense, he wouldn't have been much further along as an NFL prospect this time next year, and his size (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) and arm strength (ridiculous) are exactly what NFL teams want in a prospective future starter. His capability to make NFL reads and develop footwork on dropbacks wouldn't have been much further along, and for a guy with a promising future looming like Gabbert, he might as well get a head start. Now was the time.

The lack of an elite receiver like Jeremy Maclin or Danario Alexander kept Gabbert from posting jaw-dropping numbers in 2010, but he played well and notched Missouri's fourth 10-win season in school history. To Gabbert's credit, he didn't force very many plays this year, and did what he needed to do for Missouri to win games. Missouri notched 10 wins because of it.

Gabbert is a competitive guy, and he'd surely like to achieve more than he did -- he never played in a Big 12 Championship or won a bowl game -- but he still had a great career and will go down as one of the best quarterbacks in Tigers history. He'll lack the legacy of Heisman finalist and three-year starter Chase Daniel, but don't be surprised if Gabbert is better in the NFL than in college. He's an Academic All-Big 12 performer and a smart, coachable player who made clear strides for all three of his seasons at Missouri. I'd expect that to continue in the NFL.

For the Tigers, things get a bit complicated.

The knee-jerk reaction for some will write off Missouri as a Big 12 contender in 2011, but that's not necessarily what should happen. It'll be tough for Missouri to win, but they bring back plenty of talent, especially on defense and in a more experienced receiving corps with a stable of young running backs who all got experience this year. Talk about replacing starters all you'd like, but Oklahoma State lost a "franchise" quarterback in Zac Robinson and played a first-year quarterback in Brandon Weeden who had not made a start in nine years. His last start was in high school. That worked out pretty well for them. I'd say 11 wins is a pretty good season.

Replacing Gabbert will be crucial for Missouri not just in 2011, but in retaining its stability as a winner in the Big 12. Tommy Tuberville said it last week at the TicketCity Bowl: In the SEC, you win with running backs and defense. In the Big 12, you win with quarterbacks. That's exactly how Missouri has done it.

In the last four years, Oklahoma is the only team with more Big 12 wins than Missouri.

Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Chase Daniel, Zac Robinson, Graham Harrell, Todd Reesing -- the bar has been set high in this league, even in just the most recent few years.

And for Missouri, any hope they have of being a legitimate Big 12 contender hinges on the guy who steps in for Gabbert. And unlike Daniel and Gabbert were, choosing the next starting quarterback won't be a formality this spring.

James Franklin played more than any of Missouri's other young quarterbacks, but he was used mostly as a runner. He was a miniature version of Brad Smith, at the risk of Missourian heresy.

He has the arm strength, but his decision making ability is a question mark. His coaches probably have only a bit more information from what they've seen in practices. That's what Missouri has to figure out when spring practice kicks off in a couple months.

The true freshman threw all of 14 passes in 2010. That's not much of a sample size.

I'd expect a fierce competition between Franklin and Gabbert's younger brother, freshman Tyler Gabbert, as well as redshirt freshman Ashton Glaser.

Franklin's experience, however limited, gives him the edge. And the Tigers have a few proven playmakers in receiver T.J. Moe, tight end Michael Egnew and receivers Wes Kemp and Jerrell Jackson.

Franklin's legs produced a valuable change of pace, especially in the red zone. He ran 23 times for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

But those legs won't win him the job in 2011. He has to prove it as a passer. Maybe he's Missouri's most accurate passer. Maybe it's the younger Gabbert or Glaser.

We'll find out soon. It should be an interesting spring in Columbia.

Here's this week's collection of tidbits and obscure stats, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information and various sports information departments across the Big 12. Thanks again to all of you.

• Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez is the nation's leader in passing efficiency away from home. He has a rating of 204.9 on the road compared to 119.0 at home. He's thrown seven touchdowns to no interceptions on the road versus two touchdowns and four interceptions in home games.
• In road games, he's completing 72.2 percent of third-down passes, versus 48.6 percent at home.
• When Nebraska has thrown to receiver Niles Paul on third down, it's resulted in a completion on 81.3 percent of attempts, versus 48.1 percent for the rest of the team.
• Nebraska has won eight consecutive road games.
• Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon has at least 100 yards and a touchdown in nine consecutive games this year. The national record is 11, set by Aaron Turner of Pacific in 1991.
• Martinez needs just 43 rushing yards to become the third quarterback all-time to rush for 1,000 yards and throw for 1,000 more as a freshman. Missouri's Brad Smith and Kent State's Josh Cribbs are the only two others to accomplish the feat.
• Nebraska has played in College Station just three times prior to Saturday.
• Landry Jones has never played against Baylor. Oklahoma's 33-7 win in Norman was the only game last year Sam Bradford started and finished.
• Oklahoma opponents average 2.65 yards a punt return, which ranks No. 2 nationally.
• Texas A&M running back Cyrus Gray is the first Texas A&M running back to top 100 yard in four consecutive games since 1993. No Aggies back has done it five consecutive games since Darren Lewis in 1990.
• The last time Texas A&M didn't throw a touchdown pass was a 2008 loss to Arkansas State, a streak of 34 games.
• With a win over Iowa State, Missouri could earn the program's third nine-win season in four years, but it would be just the sixth in the history of the program.
• A win would also make the 2010 senior class the all-time leaders in wins for any class ever at Missouri, with 39.
• Baylor is 5-70 all-time against South opponents, but swept its North slate this year with a 3-0 record to improve to 13-32 against the division.
• The Bears have come within single digits of Oklahoma just three times in 19 games.
• Last season was the first six-win conference season ever for Oklahoma State. A win over Kansas on Saturday would be the second.
• With 121 yards last week, receiver Paul Richardson became the first freshman in Colorado history with two 100-yard games.
• Kansas State's season closes with three road games, the second of which is Saturday in the conference season finale against Colorado.
• Texas receiver Mike Davis set a school record for freshmen with 43 catches after last week's game.
• Texas Tech and Weber State have never met.

I received a slew of comments about some of my early choices for my All-Decade teams across the conference. Hopefully, that will prove as popular during the rest of the week for the rest of the Big 12 teams as they are released.

Here's a representative example of some of the other missives I've received over the last few days.

Mike Heuertz of Iowa writes: Tim, even with Ndamukong Suh leaving Nebraska, as well as a couple other key defensive players, do you think the Blackshirts will be better next season? And what do you think Nebraska's record will be?

Tim Griffin: I talked with several Nebraska fans during my swing through the state last week who seemed almost giddy about the Cornhuskers’ chances next season.

That being said, the loss of Suh will be huge. I think he can be considered the arguably greatest defensive player in the history of the program. The Cornhuskers also will lose Barry Turner, Phillip Dillard, Larry Asante and the heart, grit and talent provided by Matt O’Hanlon.

Now I can see players like Prince Amukamara, Will Compton, Sean Fisher and Jared Crick getting a lot better gaining experience playing Bo Pelini’s defense. But it might be a little wishful thinking to hope for much improvement from this season -- considering the Cornhuskers’ big defensive personnel losses.

As far as their record, I would expect them to be one of the powers of the Big 12. They have a tricky game at Washington which will earn them a lot of national notoriety if they can win. Texas will be coming to Lincoln, as will Colorado and Missouri. A road game at Oklahoma State doesn’t look as daunting as it could be with the Cowboys breaking in a new quarterback. But an underrated challenge for the Cornhuskers might wait at Texas A&M with Jerrod Johnson and all of A&M’s strong returning offensive weapons back for next season.

Looking at that schedule, I’ll pick the Cornhuskers to go 10-2 and finish as the Big 12 North champion. Considering their returning talent and their schedule, I think that’s a relatively conservative pick.

But as far as next year's team being better than the 2009 version of the Blackshirts, that might be wishing for a little bit much -- even for the Pelinis.

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Chris Henson from Salt Lake City, Utah, writes: Tim, a quick addition to the Texas A&M-Oklahoma State tidbit. The Red, White, and Blue Out in 2001 was organized by a group of students first and foremost as a fundraiser for the victims of 9/11. I appreciate you noting this event as it really shows what Texas A&M is all about.

Tim Griffin: Chris, thanks for the clarification. Like you wrote, it was truly an emotional event. There’s a picture of the stadium that is still hung in the press box at Kyle Field of the stadium bedecked for that game. It still gives me goose bumps when I see it.

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Travis from Seattle writes: Tim, the players of the decade category has created quite a stir, with many saying, "...well how could X player be off the list." For the most part I agree with your list if you look at it being, who were great players, AND who did the most to influence their team's success, (thus why Graham Harrell is off, being a plug-and-play quarterback in that system although he did do a fine job).

But I propose a different category. Who were the best ATHLETES of the decade? And how about the best competitors, the ones who did everything to try to win. What are your thoughts?

Tim Griffin: You raise a good point about my list earlier being an all-around grouping of all qualities. As far as the best athletes of the decade in the Big 12 from the last decade, in no specific order I would include Ndamukong Suh, Eric Crouch, Robert Griffin, Chris Brown, Vince Young, Seneca Wallace, Dez Bryant, Dezmon Briscoe, Darren Sproles, Danario Alexander (before and after his injury), Brad Smith, Jeremy Maclin, Adrian Peterson, Brian Orakpo, Michael Huff, Earl Thomas, Reggie McNeal, Robert Ferguson, Sammy Davis and Michael Crabtree.

And among the top competitors I’ve seen include Stephen McGee, Crabtree, Colt McCoy, Roy Miller, Joe Pawelek, Jordan Lake, George Hypolite, Todd Reesing, Chase Daniel, Sean Weatherspoon, Matt O’Hanlon, Suh, Josh Fields, Brian Iwuh, Darrell Stuckey, Steven Sheffield, Wes Welker and Kliff Kingsbury. There are many others, but those are just some of the names that come to me off the top of my head. And the fact that Suh and Crabtree made both of those lists is pretty indicative of how exceptional they really were.

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Fred Dodge of Annapolis, Md., writes: Tim, in reference to your top 10 jobs in college football. You have a good list, BUT the one caveat that I think goes with this list or any list is context. Most of these are still the "right-guy-for-the-right-place" jobs -- as are coaches. Being a Husker, I lean toward Bo Pelini and Nebraska as my first examples. Bo would not be a good fit for many of these jobs...I just can't see Bo fitting at USC or Florida for example; but I also can't see Lane Kiffin or Pete Carroll being successful in Lincoln. And in my opinion there are only a few guys who can shape a program around their personality. Nick Saban could coach anywhere, Urban Meyer probably could, and Jim Tressel could in most places. But I have a difficult time seeing Mack Brown outside the southeast or southwest and Bo Pelini outside the midwest. All of these guys could still coach, but I think they would struggle in fan support -- and so they would also in recruiting.

Tim Griffin: You make an interesting point, although I think that Pelini would work in more places than you might suspect. He’s a dyed-in-the-wool football coach and would succeed at most traditional powers, although I think his style best suits him at Nebraska. But I could see him being successful in the Southeastern Conference, in the Big Ten or even at Notre Dame. Anywhere they have a deep appreciation for football, I can see Pelini working out.

I think coaches like Bob Stoops, Saban, Meyer and Tressel would work most places. I also think you might include some underrated coaches out there like Mike Riley of Oregon State, Gary Patterson of TCU, Jeff Tedford of California and Chris Peterson of Boise State would be adaptable at almost any job in the country. But it does seem that the smart coaches are the ones who pick places where they are comfortable and have the best chance for success.

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Kyle Zander of Fort Hood, Texas, writes: Will Chris Whaley and Desean Hales get playing time for Texas in 2010? I played against Hales in high school and the kid is the real deal, Texas needs to get him involved as soon as possible. And Whaley could help, too.

Tim Griffin: Texas needs to find some help for its running game. Whaley was hurt when he reported to practice last summer and never regained his form. If he’s willing to rededicate himself, there likely is a chance for him to earn some playing time this spring. He needs to have a big spring to get there.

Sales is in a similar situation. The Longhorns have wide receiving talent in players like senior-to-be John Chiles and James Kirkendoll. Malcolm Williams is a big strong receiver who will emerge in coming seasons and should be the team’s featured receiver in 2010. But there are catches – plenty of them -- available for Hales if he can force himself into the mix.

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Brett Stamm from Keller, Texas, writes: Tim, love the blog! Keep up the good work! Has Mike Sherman, or will Mike Sherman, or why will Mike Sherman not, consider Dat Nguyen for defensive coordinator? Talk about a guy who has done an outstanding job in his current position and would bring some instant credibility with players and recruits in a program that has pretty much let a proud defensive tradition die with questionable and mediocre hires. This is a guy who was the face of and exemplified the "Wrecking Crew" tradition for four years! Your thoughts?

Tim Griffin: Brett, Dat Nguyen has been a key member of Wade Phillips’ staff as an assistant linebacker coach and defensive quality control assistant with the Dallas Cowboys. But I would suspect that Sherman probably would like for Nguyen to have a little more seasoning and experience calling defenses before he would give him the responsibility of serving as the Aggies’ defensive coordinator.

In a way, Nguyen reminds me a little of Major Applewhite as they develop in their coaching careers. It won’t surprise me if both become successful coordinators and eventually outstanding head coaches. But they need more experience to get there.

Nguyen seems like a natural to join the A&M coaching staff in the future. But I think it might be a stretch to see him as the Aggies’ defensive coordinator at this stage of his career.

That’s all the time I have for today. Thanks again for all of the good questions and keep the letters and e-mails coming. I’ll check back again on Friday.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe has to be smiling somewhere as he's watching the Saturday afternoon games transpire.

His conference is close to notching two big upsets if Missouri can maintain its stunning 37-9 lead over Illinois and Baylor can hold a 24-14 advantage at Wake Forest.

The Tigers' large victory might be one of the day's biggest stunners. Most observers expected Missouri to decline after key players like Chase Daniel, Chase Coffman, Jeremy Maclin and Ziggy Hood left for the NFL .

Blaine Gabbert has already thrown for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another touchdown. It continues a trend of previous starters like Daniel and Brad Smith, who both led the Tigers to victories over Illinois in their first career starts.

And Baylor's defense has produced four turnovers, including intercepting Riley Skinner three times to pace the Bears' lead.

Most importantly, the performances of Baylor, Missouri and Oklahoma State are showing that the Big 12 can play a little defense

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin There was an outstanding piece of research that appeared over the weekend in the Altoona (Pa.) Mirror that set out to ascertain a question that has been vexing over the years. Namely, which college deserves the title of "Quarterback U" for its proficiency in producing college players who eventually started games in the NFL? The findings were very interesting, particularly in terms of which schools have produced starting NFL quarterbacks and which ones have not in the modern era, starting with the 1966 season. Purdue earns an argument in the "Quarterback U" debate because its alums have started more NFL games (704) than any other school. Also, Purdue is the only school to have four quarterbacks start at least 100 games (Jim Everett, Len Dawson, Drew Brees and Bob Griese). USC leads the list with 15 quarterbacks who have started at least one game, followed by Notre Dame (13) and Washington (12). The Big 12, with its previous tradition of ground-based offenses in the old Big Eight and Southwest conferences, struggles mightily in this comparison. Here's the list of Big 12 schools and their starting quarterbacks. In a way, the numbers are a little skewed because it credits the starts of former college quarterbacks like Colorado's Kordell Stewart and Missouri's Brad Smith. Both have gone on to pro careers at positions other than quarterback. Here's how the Altoona Mirror stacks up the Big 12 programs in terms of starting quarterbacks and NFL starts. Kansas State (249 games, four starters): Steve Grogan 135, Lynn Dickey 111, Dennis Morrison 2, Dan Manucci 1. Kansas (190 games, three starters): John Hadl 135, Bobby Douglass 53, Frank Seurer 2. Colorado (95 games, two starters): Kordell Stewart 87, Koy Detmer 8. Nebraska (79 games, six starters): Vince Ferragamo 53, Jerry Tagge 12, Bruce Mathison 9, Dennis Claridge 3, David Humm 1, Terry Luck 1. Iowa State (52 games, four starters): David Archer 23, Sage Rosenfels 12, Seneca Wallace 12, Tim Van Galder 5. Texas Tech (47 games, one starter): Billy Joe Tolliver 47. Baylor (45 games, five starters): Cody Carlson 19, Don Trull 15, Buddy Humphrey 5, Cotton Davidson 4, Brad Goebel 2. Texas (44 games, two starters): Vince Young 29, Chris Simms 15. Missouri (18 games, three starters): Brad Smith 13, Steve Pisarkiewicz 4, Gary Lane 1. Texas A&M (16 games, three starters): Edd Hargett 7, Gary Kubiak 5, Bucky Richardson 4. Oklahoma State (14 games, one starter): Rusty Hilger 14. Oklahoma (no games, no starters). The study also credits a quarterback with where he finished school rather than started. So, Troy Aikman is considered to have attended UCLA rather than Oklahoma. As the story points out, it's interesting that a Division II program like Texas A&M-Commerce has been able to turn out three starters -- more than traditional powers Texas and Oklahoma combined. The Big 12's recent ascension as the nation's foremost passing conference will help change these statistics quickly in a few years. Because I'm thinking quarterbacks like Josh Freeman, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Robert Griffin and maybe even Austen Arnaud or Zac Robinson will get their shot in the NFL one of these days.