ESPN College Football

Really good set of stuff today, if I do say so myself. And I just did, so...yeah.

Dylan Meier

• Kevin Haskin of the Topeka Capital-Journal has a heartfelt, personal column about the death of former Kansas State quarterback Dylan Meier.
• Meier's former teammates reflect on his death with the Kansas City Star's Kellis Robinett.

Expansion

• Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe isn't expecting to hear more about expansion plans from Big Ten officials at this week's BCS meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz. Beebe also says the timetable has not accelerated, contrary to recent reports.
• With expansion talks swirling, Texas A&M AD Bill Byrne assures the Aggies aren't going anywhere, reports David Harris of the Dallas Morning News.
• Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel clears up some of the FAQs about conference expansion. His guess: Nebraska and Missouri bolt to the Big Ten, along with a NY-area team.

Everything else

• Bill Simmons weighs in on Ndamukong Suh and Sam Bradford to kick off his first ever NFL Mock Draft.
• Father of Texas Tech receiver Adam James and ESPN analyst Craig James discussed the recent Mike Leach controversy at a church in Dallas, tearing up and maintaining that he and his family have done nothing wrong, reports Mark Dent of the Dallas Morning News.
• Former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford will be this week's Sports Illustrated cover boy.

Not a great news day for the Longhorns.

• Texas RB Vondrell McGee was arrested for a misdemeanor DWI charge over the weekend, reports Randy Riggs of the Austin American-Statesman. Coach Mack Brown says he'll be suspended for "at least" the season opener at Rice, and will work with the scout team until then.
• Two Longhorns, DE Russell Carter and S Ben Wells, have elected to transfer in hopes of finding more playing time.

Finally, the endless string of conference tournaments is over and college football can take center stage. Here are some links to get you started.

• Nebraska is using reminders from last year's heartbreaking Big 12 championship game loss as motivation to "finish" this season, writes Brian Christopherson of the Lincoln Journal-Star.
• The Oklahoman's Jake Trotter looks at two of the Sooners' possible stars in 2010: senior defensive back Jonathan Nelson and junior receiver Dejuan Miller.
• Former Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid hasn't played football in over a year, but he'll work out at LSU's pro day today.
• Linebacker Zaviar Gooden has snatched the title of "most athletic Tiger." The Columbia Daily Tribune's Dave Matter examines if that will translate to on-field success.
• Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach was in the room when Craig James gave his testimony in Leach's suit against Texas Tech, but was not when Adam James testified.

Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is scheduled to be deposed on Friday, answering questions from attorneys representing Texas Tech in Leach's lawsuit against the school.

Leach, who moved to Key West after the Red Raiders fired him, alleges libel, slander and breach of contract in his lawsuit, claiming Texas Tech fired him without cause.

The university fired Leach on Dec. 30, and Leach also alleges that an $800,000 bonus, which Leach would have earned on Dec. 31, also contributed to his firing. The move came two days after Leach was suspended amid allegations that he mistreated Texas Tech receiver Adam James, the son of ESPN analyst and former NFL player Craig James.

It's icy and cold across much of the the nation's heartland this morning.

But here's an idea better than tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich for some warming noontime satisfaction.

Why, of course -- a piping hot selection of Big 12 lunchtime links for your edification.

Enjoy.

• The Lawrence Journal-World’s Chuck Woodling pronounces Kansas’ idea of a Gridiron Club as a massive flop.
• The Sporting News’ Matt Hayes ranks East Carolina's hiring of former Texas Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill as the best made by a non-BCS school this season.
• It might be January, but football talk dominated the weekly chat by Austin American-Statesman pundits Kirk Bohls and Cedric Golden.
• ESPN.com’s Ivan Maisel likes the idea of the Hornung Trophy, believing it can honor all-around players who dominated their games like former Missouri player Jeremy Maclin.
• Rising Lakewood (Colo.) linebacker Joe Hemschoot will choose today between Colorado, Oregon and Stanford, Kyle Ringo of the Boulder Camera reports.
• The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports that documents filed by Texas Tech’s attorneys with the state attorney general’s office indicate that Craig James threatened to sue the school if it didn’t investigate his claims that Mike Leach mistreated an injured student-athlete.
• Oklahoma State cornerback Perrish Cox is listed among five rising players at the Senior Bowl by the Sporting News’ Clifton Brown.
• Running back Lucky Hadley of Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Calif., will visit Texas Tech this weekend, Gerry Gittelson of the Los Angeles Daily News reports. Hadley’s other finalists include Clemson, North Carolina and Utah.
• The Lincoln Journal Star's Brian Christopherson writes about some of Nebraska's most notable recruiting losses over the last several years.
• Turner Gill’s $2 million yearly contract makes him the fifth highest-paid coach in the Big 12, according to J. Brady McCollough of the Kansas City Star.
• UTEP athletic director Rob Stull told Zahira Torres of the El Paso Times that the Miners will pocket $1 million for their 2012 game against Texas in Austin.
• John Mackovic of the Palm Springs (Calif.) Desert Sun writes about the nervousness for coaches associated with national signing day.

It's a getaway day from foggy Omaha to rainy San Antonio.

But before leaving for the airport, it's time to provide some tasty lunchtime links.

There's lots going on around the conference today.

Here are some of the major stories.

• Mike Gundy told the Tulsa World’s Bill Haisten said he has no plans to relinquish calling plays in 2010, despite what he called “issues” in his offense last season.
• The Austin American-Statesman’s Kirk Bohls opines that Texas needs to set a timetable for a coaching transition from Mack Brown to Will Muschamp to stop some of the inevitable questioning for him every time a top coaching job comes open.
• Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads looks to future improvement in a wide-ranging interview with Jake Lovett of the Iowa State Daily.
• Sources are telling the Austin American-Statesman’s Randy Riggs that Air Force defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter could be headed to Texas A&M as the Aggies’ new defensive coordinator.
• The Boulder Camera’s Kyle Ringo reports that Darrell Scott is in limbo after not enrolling at Colorado or officially transferring to another school.
• College Football News’ Robert Cirminiello has high early marks for Kansas’ hiring of Turner Gill and Texas Tech’s addition of Tommy Tuberville as new head coaches.
• The maintenance staff at Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts’ apartment foiled an apparent burglary attempt in the quarterback's residence Thursday afternoon.
• Sacramento Bee sports editor Bill Bradley analyzes the recent turnover in college head coaches at jobs including Texas Tech and Kansas.
• Craig James tells the Dallas Morning News’ Robert T. Garrett he thinks his role in Mike Leach’s firing will be “inconsequential” in a potential run for the U.S. Senate.
• The Bryan Eagle’s Robert Cessna reports that Von Miller will become Texas A&M’s first returning position All-America since Leeland McElroy in 1995 when he returns for his senior season.
• The Sporting News reports the Big 12 was involved in four of the top 10 bowls in terms of attendance this season -- the Citi BCS National Championship Game, the AT&T Cotton, the Texas and the Valero Alamo bowls.
• About 500 Texas Tech fans turned out Thursday in Lubbock to rally in support of ousted Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Matthew McGowan reports.

Mike Leach's reluctance to apologize to Adam James and his family led to his school-mandated suspension for the Valero Alamo Bowl.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported Tuesday that the Tech coach did not dispute the facts after ESPN analyst Craig James had complained to school officials about Leach's treatment of his son, Adam, after he suffered a mild concussion last month.

The Avalanche-Journal reported that the school completed an initial investigation before suspending Leach. Leach did not dispute the facts, but also did not believe he had done anything wrong. The Tech coach also told officials that Adam James was "a slacker" and that Craig James was too involved in his son's football career.

Leach had until Monday to write a letter of apology to James and his family. When he didn't, Tech officials took action.

It led to Leach's suspension, with pay, from his job as head coach.

Leach's attorney, Ted Liggett, told the Avalanche-Journal that he hasn't given up hope that Leach will coach the Red Raiders in Saturday night's Valero Alamo Bowl against Michigan State in San Antonio. Liggett said he could consider legal action to get him back on the sideline.

"We're going to do everything we can to see that our client is duly served justice and that he's reunited with his boys as soon as possible,'' Liggett said.

When asked how he planned to go about it, Liggett said, "Through the court system, don't ya?''

If Leach can't coach, it will lead to a unique coaching situation for the Red Raiders in the bowl game. Defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill will serve as Tech's interim coach.

McNeill told reporters Monday in San Antonio it will be the first time he has served as a head coach since he coached a high school team in Lumberton, N.C., in the mid-1980s.

Wide receivers coach Lincoln Riley will take over Leach's play-calling duties for Saturday's game, with staff assistant Sonny Cumbie signaling plays from the sideline.

The Alamo Bowl already had been marked by who wasn't going to be at the Alamodome. Michigan State suspended 11 players and dismissed two others in connection with a Nov. 22 dorm fight. Among the players who will be missing are wide receivers B.J. Cunningham and Mark Dell and starting cornerback Chris L. Rucker, who have all been charged with misdemeanors in connection with the incident.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Today is a special summer day for football fans across Texas and the Southwest.

Today is the annual release date of Dave Campbell's Texas Football, which is the unquestionable college football magazine of record in these parts every year.

This magazine is special because it's the 50th anniversary edition. The first one was laid out on the kitchen table of former Waco Tribune-Herald sports editor Dave Campbell, who started it in 1960.

It's gotten much bigger than that over the years, being read by three generations of football fans over the years. Today, there's a Texas Football classic every year at the Alamodome and even an official Texas Football song.

I first learned about the magazine in the late 1960s when a friend of mine in fifth grade, Richard Jackson, moved to Memphis from Houston. Along with his neat Houston Astros hat that I always was envious of was his copy of Texas Football Magazine. The story and pictures of the guys from Texas, Baylor and Rice were so different than anything I came across in the Southeastern Conference. I wanted mine, too.

My dad occasionally traveled to Texas with his job and soon learned to look at the 7-Eleven on one of his trips to Dallas to see if he could score a copy of Dave Campbell for me.

Later, my family moved to Texas and I learned the excitement of visiting the newsstand in mid-June to pick up the Dave Campbell magazine, which was there to chronicle the demise of the Southwest Conference and the start of the Big 12.

The new one will officially be released today across the area. And the coverboy is Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, who becomes the first individual player to be pictured since Texas wide receiver Roy Williams in 2003.

I picked up my copy and am already deeply into it. It takes me back to my childhood.

The only problem is that I wonder why I couldn't pick up a Grape Slurpee to drink with it like I used to back in the day.

A list of the cover boys in the magazine's history exhibits a unique history of football in the southwest. Here's a list of the players who have graced the cover of the magazine over the years.

1960: Texas RB Jack Collins

1961: Baylor RB Ronnie Bull

1962: TCU QB Sonny Gibbs

1963: Texas coach Darrell Royal and DT Scott Appleton

1964: Baylor coach John Bridgers and WR Lawrence Elkins

1965: Texas Tech RB Donny Anderson

1966: SMU NG John LaGrone, Baylor DT Greg Pipes, Texas DT Diron Talbert

1967: Texas A&M T Maurice "Mo" Moorman

1968: Texas A&M QB Edd Hargett

1969: Texas QB James Street

1970: Texas RB Steve Worster

1971: Texas Tech QB Charles Napper

1972: Texas A&M LB Brad Dusek

1973: Texas LB Glen Gaspard

1974: Texas coach Darrell Royal

1975: Baylor coach Grant Teaff

1976: Houston coach Bill Yeoman

1977: Texas Tech QB Rodney Allison

1978: Texas A&M K Tony Franklin and Texas K/P Russell Erxleben

1979: Texas DT Steve McMichael

1980: Baylor LB Mike Singletary and Texas A&M QB Mike Mosley

1981: Baylor RB Walter Abercrombie and SMU RB Craig James

1982: Texas A&M QB Gary Kubiak

1983: SMU QB Lance McIlhenny

1984: Texas A&M DE Ray Childress

1985: TCU coach Jim Wacker and TCU RB Kenneth Davis

1986: Texas A&M coach Jackie Sherrill

1987: Texas QB Bret Stafford and Texas coach David McWilliams

1988: Texas RB Eric Metcalf and Texas A&M LB John Roper

1989: Houston coach Jack Pardee and SMU coach Forrest Gregg

1990: Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes

1991: Houston QB David Klingler

1992: Rice RB Trevor Cobb

1993: Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum

1994: Texas QB Shea Morenz

1995: A collage of Southwest Conference historical figures including Texas RB Earl Campbell, Houston coach Bill Yeoman, Baylor LB Mike Singletary, TCU QB Sammy Baugh, Texas coach Fred Akers, Texas coach Darrell Royal and SMU RB Doak Walker.

1996: Baylor coach Chuck Ready, Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes, Texas coach John Mackovic and Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum

1997: Texas QB James Brown and Texas RB Ricky Williams

1998: Texas A&M LB Dat Nguyen, Texas RB Ricky Williams and Texas coach Mack Brown

1999: Texas coach Mack Brown and TCU coach Dennis Franchione. Note: Alternative cover for those magazines sold outside the state featured Dallas Cowboys QB Troy Aikman

2000: Midland Robert E. Lee H.S. RB Cedric Benson

2001: Texas QB Chris Simms, TCU QB Casey Printers, Texas A&M QB Mark Farris and Texas Tech QB Kliff Kingsbury

2002: Texas Tech QB Kliff Kingsbury, Celina H.S. coach G.A. Moore, Dallas Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith and Baytown Lee H.S. QB Drew Tate.

2003: Texas WR Roy Williams

2004: Texas Tech DE Adell Duckett, TCU S Marvin Godbolt, Houston QB Kevin Kolb, North Texas RB Patrick Cobb

2005: Texas QB Vince Young and Texas A&M QB Reggie McNeal

2006: Former Texas RB Earl Campbell, Mansfield Summit H.S. QB John Chiles, Texarkana Texas H.S. QB Ryan Mallett and Gilmer H.S. QB G.J. Kinne

2007: Texas A&M QB Stephen McGee, Texas QB Colt McCoy and TCU DE Tommy Blake

2008: Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell and Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree

2009: Texas QB Colt McCoy

Source: ESPN.com research

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

At least one Big 12 team is guaranteed to drop from the unbeaten ranks when Texas and Oklahoma State meet Saturday in Austin. The Longhorns have to be hoping for a turnaround after two previous Texas teams saw their unbeaten hopes halted on Oct. 25 in the past.

Here's a look at those earlier Texas struggles.

Oct. 25, 1958 -- Rice 34, No. 4 Texas 7 (Houston): The Owls jumped to a 34-0 lead and cruised to an easy victory, ending the unbeaten hopes of the 5-0 Longhorns. Quarterback Alvin Hartman and running back Jon Schnable dominated play, blowing the game open after turning a Texas interception and fumble into short third-quarter touchdown marches. The Longhorns failed to advance inside the Rice 24 and accounted for their only score on Clair Branch's 90-yard interception return with 39 seconds left to play. Texas finished the season 7-3 and failed to make a bowl trip.

Oct. 25, 1980 -- SMU 20, No. 2 Texas 6 (Austin, Texas): Freshman quarterback Lance McIlhenny directed a stunning upset in his first career start to ruin the Longhorns' 5-0 start. Craig James rushed for 143 yards and added a 53-yard TD run. Safety James Mobley added the clinching touchdown on a 22-yard interception return to help the Mustangs notch their first victory in 14 seasons against the Longhorns. Texas finished the season 7-5, ending with a loss in the Bluebonnet Bowl to North Carolina.

Could similar Oct. 25 struggles haunt the Longhorns today in Austin against the Cowboys? We'll see.