ESPN College Football

Missouri had its day on Tuesday. Today, it's Texas A&M's turn.

The SEC welcomes both schools into the league this coming football season, and consider this our introduction to the Aggies on the SEC blog. We get an assist from Big 12 blogger David Ubben.

Let's get right to it.

Chris Low: It wasn't a big secret that the SEC wanted to get into the state of Texas, and there were rumblings that the SEC had an offer on the table for both Texas A&M and Oklahoma two summers ago. Did you think it was a foregone conclusion that Texas A&M was going to join the SEC at some point?

David Ubben: I don't know if I'd call it a foregone conclusion, but nobody in the league was more tired of the often Texas-driven nature of the Big 12 than the Aggies. The SEC, from its perspective, was a way to surpass the Longhorns, too. Although I think Missouri's move was more about leaving the Big 12, I think the Aggies really wanted to be in the SEC as much as they wanted to leave the Big 12. If Mizzou had its way, it would probably be in the Big Ten right now. For A&M, there's been an SEC lust for decades. Now, it's happening. The Aggies couldn't be happier. We'll see whether that happiness sticks around on game Saturdays in the fall.

CL: David, my take on this round of expansion for the SEC is that Texas A&M fits culturally a lot better than Missouri. Maybe that's just me, but Texas A&M has the feel of an SEC school with its passion for football. That said, I'm probably one of those rare people who's been to a Texas A&M basketball game in College Station but never to a football game at Kyle Field. It was back when Bernard King (the other one) was playing for the Aggies, and it was the night before Dennis Franchione left Alabama to take the Texas A&M head football job. I'm sure this will shock you, but nobody was out on press row during the basketball game. Instead, all the Texas A&M-based media members were on their phones back in the media work room trying to track down the Franchione story. I can assure you that something like that would never happen in the SEC during a hoops game. Well, at least not at Kentucky.

DU: That sounds about right. And you're definitely in the minority on that one. Kyle Field was the best game atmosphere in the Big 12 by far, and it'll be missed. In that sense, it definitely fits in the SEC. I'd agree with you on the cultural aspect. We'll see how the SEC takes to the Aggies' Yell Leaders aka lack of cheerleaders. It's an old joke in the Big 12, but I guarantee a few SEC fans will be in for a rude awakening next season after failing to do their homework before game day. Unlike Mizzou, the Aggies don't have to deal with a big shift in recruiting strategy. They'll have more access to Louisiana, I think. They also play a physical brand of football, unlike Mizzou. What's the biggest challenge facing the Aggies as they leave for a new league?

CL: Just managing the grind of the SEC and going through those three- and four-game stretches when you're playing Alabama one week, Florida the next, then Auburn and then Arkansas. The Western Division is stronger than it's ever been. You're talking about three teams from one division that finished in the top five nationally this past season in the final polls. You can be a pretty decent football team in that division and struggle to win six games. Just ask Mississippi State. Especially with a new head coach and putting in new systems on both sides of the ball, I wonder whether this first season for the Aggies will be rough. Simply making a bowl game may be an accomplishment. What would be your prediction, David, for the Aggies in Year 1 in the SEC?

DU: Agreed on that front. I felt bad for Arkansas this year. The Razorbacks were a heck of a lot more than a decent football team but finished third in the division, getting boxed out of the BCS thanks to arbitrary rules. I predict a rough start for the Aggies. I'll give them a break and say 6-6 with a spot safely in the bottom half of the SEC West.

You're counting down the days, I'm sure. We're so close, and yet so far from the season's opening weekend. I can't wait for it, and I'm sure every player in the Big 12 can't either. So, despite being a bit far off, we'll take a look at each team's opener, inspired by our friends over at the Big Ten blog.

We started this series at the top of the alphabet, and it's time for the Red Raiders.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Week 1 Opponent: Texas State

Coach: Dennis Franchione, first year

2010 record: 4-7 (1-6, Southland)

Returning starters: 18 (seven offense, nine defense, two specialists)

About the Bobcats: This season begins the second go-around for Franchione in San Marcos. He was the coach there in 1990 and 1991 back when it was called Southwest Texas State, but after stops at Alabama and Texas A&M in the last decade, followed by three seasons away from the sideline, he's back with the Bobcats.

He inherits a team with Tyler Arndt at quarterback, who threw for 1,364 yards and nine touchdowns last season. He'll be needed since the Bobcats' running game has big question marks. Quarterback Tim Hawkins played quite a bit as well, rushing for 394 yards and two scores on 75 carries. He also threw for 694 yards and seven touchdowns.

Sophomore running back Dexter Imade, last year's second-leading rusher with 433 yards, won't be suiting up after tearing his ACL. The team's leading rusher, Karrington Bush, exhausted his eligibility, and the Bobcats don't have an experienced replacement.

Texas Tech will be able to put up big points, and this is an FCS team. The Bobcats will likely have problems keeping this one close in Lubbock.

Random factoid: Texas State's university seal is a five-point star. Atop Jackson Hall on Texas State's highest hill, the star is lit up when any Bobcats team wins, home or away.

Totally unscientific percentage chance Texas Tech wins: 93 percent. You never really know with first-year quarterbacks, but even with loads of turnovers, this one won't be close. It's more about Seth Doege getting comfortable than the Red Raiders really competing. Don't expect to see that star lit up on Sept. 3.


More Week 1 previews:

• Baylor
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Missouri
• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma State
• Texas
• Texas A&M

Patrick Peterson won the Thorpe Award last year as the nation's best defensive back and currently sits atop Mel Kiper's Big Board as the best prospect for the upcoming NFL draft.

He could have played for Texas A&M -- for a price.

According to a report by colleague Kelli Naqi, a Texas football trainer under scrutiny for his practices while running a recruiting service, asked Texas A&M for money to secure Peterson's commitment to the Aggies in 2007.

From the story:

Van Malone, the former defensive secondary coach at Texas A&M, told ESPN that [Will] Lyles phoned him in 2007 after Peterson had visited the College Station campus.

"A few days after the kid's visit, Will calls and says, 'If you want this kid, there are other schools that want this kids as well. They're willing to pay a certain amount of money, around the $80,000 mark,'" Malone said. "He said that was something we were going to have to beat as a university to be able to obtain the services of this kid."

Peterson originally committed to Miami before playing out his career at LSU, who coincidentally beat Texas A&M in last year's Cotton Bowl, but Malone, now at Tulsa, told Lyles that Texas A&M doesn't pay for players.

Lyles' services have been under scrutiny lately after a report surfaced that Oregon had paid $25,000 to a recruiting firm that employs Lyles. Subsequently, Lache Seastrunk, a running back from Temple, Texas, signed with the Ducks.

Malone chose not to tell then-coach Dennis Franchione or anyone else at Texas A&M about the request from Lyles.

"A Texas A&M spokesman said the university was unaware of Malone's comments about Lyles. Malone said he never told then-Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione about Lyles request because he planned to continue to recruit Peterson without going through Lyles."

Telling Lyles no? Good decision, clearly. Not telling compliance or any other Texas A&M higher-ups about the proposition? Not a good decision. The pressure every coach feels to succeed, especially that which Franchione and his staff felt in their fifth year of an unremarkable run at Texas A&M, combined with Peterson's clear potential make it obvious why the Aggies continued to recruit him, but letting an overt bribe like that go unreported isn't what any university wants to read.

In cases like this, schools would rather not have their name come up in anything revolving around Lyles. There's been plenty of smoke surrounding his services lately, and now, it looks like at least a little bit has crossed over into Big 12 country.

It should be interesting to see what else emerges from Lyles and his relationships and interactions with others across the league.

Franchione resigned from his post at Texas A&M in 2007 after five seasons coaching the Aggies. He was 32-28 overall and 19-21 in Big 12 play.

He hadn't been a head coach anywhere since, but was hired by Texas State in January 2011.

I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees.

• An appeals court has thrown out former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach's breach of contract claim regarding his 2009 firing.
• Texas Tech has filled the vacancy on its schedule after canceling a series with TCU. The Red Raiders will take on Texas State, coached by former Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione, reports Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
• Texas' new deal with ESPN could be the first step to the Longhorns going independent, writes Ray Buck of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• Don't worry about Texas going independent, writes Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com. The Longhorns are already an independent, using the Big 12 for little more than scheduling.
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman examines if the new UT network will hurt Oklahoma.
• Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops took a new job after the season after all: He'll be coaching the Harlem Globetrotters later this month.
• Nebraska has a new running back commitment for its 2011 recruiting class, giving them 17 commits.
• KCBD in Lubbock, Texas has new details on the situation surrounding defensive coordinator James Willis' exit from Texas Tech's program, thanks to an open records request.
• Kansas State lost its defensive backs coach, Keith Burns, who went to Ole Miss to work for his old boss, Houston Nutt.
• New Oklahoma State quarterback and early enrollee J.W. Walsh says he's ready to go if needed for the Cowboys.
• Texas Tech may be playing another early-season Big 12 game like it did last year vs. Texas, reports Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
• Oklahoma's Cale Gundy made colleague Ryan McGee's list of the nation's top recruiting coordinators. Gundy, the brother of Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, also coaches running backs for the Sooners.
• No guts, no glory, writes Gil LeBreton of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Texas Tech blew a chance to beat a TCU team in 2011 high on respect and low on quality.
• February won't be a quiet month for Kansas' football program.

Courtesy of ESPN Insider LaRue Cook, here's a look at what scouts had to say about Jerrod Johnson entering his senior season.

He may be the most intriguing receiver prospect in this class because just when you think he doesn't have enough speed or elusiveness to play receiver at the college level, he shows flashes that make you believe he might be able to. In all likelihood though, this fantastic athlete is probably destined for the tight end position and he'd be a darn good one.

Well, I guess you can't get 'em all right.

That's no mix-up. They're talking about the same Jerrod Johnson who earned the top spot on our Top 25 Big 12 players list and was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in the Big 12 on Thursday, as a quarterback.

In their defense, Johnson did play tight end for a couple plays (really) his sophomore season when Stephen McGee was the starter for the Aggies. That was Year 1 of the Mike Sherman Era in College Station. In Year 3, Sherman might incite a riot at Kyle Field if Johnson takes a three-point stance on the edge of the offensive line, rather than crouched behind it.

Former A&M coach Dennis Franchione recruited Johnson and knew he had a quarterback on his hands from day one. "He didn't get to play QB as a junior in high school because they had a good one already in place," says Franchione, who got a verbal from Johnson as a sophomore, largely because Johnson's late father played receiver and defensive back for the Aggies. "Then we had him in our camp over the summer before he was a senior; we were still looking at seven or eight other QBs, but I told our QB coach, 'We've already got the best guy.'"

And Franchione, Sherman and A&M fans aren't the only ones who have noticed Johnson's progression from a one-year starter at quarterback in high school who threw for just 1,800 yards to the A&M school record holder for touchdown passes (51) and 300-yard passing games (seven) with an entire season still to play.

A Longhorns' starter, who asked not to be named, ranked Johnson as "the best player in the Big 12" this season. "When he played us as a sophomore, you could just tell he wasn't comfortable," he says, referring to Johnson being benched after a lackluster start to a 49-9 loss in 2008. "Then, last year, you knew he was ready and you could just tell he was the leader of that team."

You have to be an ESPN Insider to read the entire story, but it's well worth it for more on Jerrod Johnson's NFL future and what scouts have told him he has to do in order to improve his stock. Johnson also comments on where he thinks he belongs in relation to the other top quarterbacks in the 2011 class, like Washington's Jake Locker, Arkansas' Ryan Mallett, Stanford's Andrew Luck and Florida State's Christian Ponder.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates had an interesting comment during a recent interview with Time Magazine about the pressures of his current job.

During the interview with Time staffer Elizabeth Rubin, Gates described the pressures of his current job of sending young men and women to war.

But as the interview concluded, Gates said those concerns are little like those he faced when he worked as Texas A&M's president from 2002-06.

"I always used to tell people that Texas A&M football caused me more stress than any job I've ever had. And they always thought I was exaggerating," Gates told Rubin.

Rubin relates that she couldn't believe Gates, but he stood by his statement.

"I asked my wife one time, 'Why is that?' And she said, 'Because you have no control.' "

Gates paused during the interview before relating how different the two jobs are.

"Here, I have a little control," Gates said.

Of course, Gates was in charge at Texas A&M during a tumultuous era in the school's athletic history. He was there for the controversial firing of R.C. Slocum, the winningest coach in school history. Gates helped hire Dennis Franchione from Alabama and saw his program struggle under his watch before he left a season before Franchione was let go after the 2007 season.

But it's still kind of unsettling for one of the most powerful men in the world, one who is familiar with the concerns of keeping this country safe and protected on a daily basis, saying that the pressures of running a Big 12 school and its football program were more vexing than his current job.

At the start of the decade, Texas A&M was at the top of the Big 12 South Division.

The Aggies claimed the Big 12 championship in 1998 after qualifying for the title game in 1997. A&M capped off an emotion-packed 1999 season by beating eventual Big 12 South champion Texas in the "Bonfire Game" to end the regular season.

But the program regressed as Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Texas' Mack Brown built their programs throughout the aughts. R.C. Slocum was let go after the 2002 season and Dennis Franchione was similarly jettisoned after the 2007 season.

Mike Sherman is in place now. The program faces a huge battle to get itself back to the level where the Aggies were at only 10 seasons ago.

Here's a look at some of the top players and moments of the Aggies' last decade.

OFFENSE

QB: Jerrod Johnson

RB: Courtney Lewis

RB: Jorvorskie Lane

WR: Robert Ferguson

WR: Terrence Murphy

TE: Martellus Bennett

OL: Cody Wallace

OL: Taylor Whitley

OL: Lee Grimes

OL: Kirk Elder

C: Seth McKinney

DEFENSE

DL: Mike Montgomery

DL: Rocky Bernard

DL: Ty Warren

DL: Von Miller

LB: Jason Glenn

LB: Justin Warren

LB: Mark Dodge

DB: Sammy Davis

DB: Melvin Bullitt

DB: Terrence Kiel

DB: Jaxson Appel

P: Justin Brantly

K: Todd Pegram

Ret: Cyrus Gray

Offensive player of the decade: QB Jerrod Johnson. It was a tough choice over quarterbacks like Stephen McGee and Reggie McNeal who played for the Aggies earlier in their careers. But Johnson's abilities to develop the most potent passing offense in A&M history -- setting school records for touchdown passes, total offense and passing yards in 2009 -- make him the choice. And he could be poised for even more in his senior season.

Defensive player of the decade: DE/LB Von Miller. The Aggies' proud reputation for tough defenses became forgotten over the decade as spread passing offenses proliferated across the conference. But Miller was decidedly a throwback in a 2009 season where he led the nation with 17 sacks and became the most dominant A&M defensive player since Dat Nguyen. Miller thrived in the hybrid "Jack" position created by former defensive coordinator Joe Kines. He wisely chose to return to college for his senior season next year where he can continue with a new coordinator in place.

Coach of the decade: R.C. Slocum. It was difficult for A&M fans to see the demise of Slocum, perhaps the most popular coach in school history. The Aggies never had a losing record under Slocum and made bowl trips in two of the three seasons he coached them this decade, including the 2001 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl that remains their most recent bowl victory.

Moment of the decade: Stephen McGee's dramatic game-winning drive in a 2006 victory at Texas. Despite vomiting in the huddle throughout the game-winning drive, McGee directed the Aggies on a 16-play, 88-yard drive capped by his own 8-yard touchdown run en route to a 12-7 victory over the Longhorns in Austin. McGee converted five third-down plays on the drive as A&M snapped a six-game losing streak to their most bitter rivals.

I’ve been intrigued by all the commentary in recent days about Lane Kiffin’s move from Tennessee to USC.

Fans and pundits have castigated Kiffin about his move to a job that has to rank among the top 10 in college football -- even after some of the Trojans’ pending dealings with the NCAA.

Soon thereafter, Texas assistant coach Will Muschamp was thrown into the conversation as a potential replacement for Kiffin at Tennessee. Muschamp, who is the coach-in-waiting at Texas, apparently had the chance to make an unprecedented salary for a first-time college football coach if had decided to lead the Volunteers.

Muschamp opted to stay in Texas, which I believe was a wise choice. The promise of the Longhorns’ top job, even if he has to wait on Mack Brown’s retirement for several seasons, is still is better than the Tennessee job will ever be.

And who can blame Kiffin for trading the life at Tennessee for the glitz and glitter of living in southern California? It seems like an easy choice, particularly because the USC program is a better job.

While I was talking with Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini last night, we started ticking off an informal list of the best jobs in college football. Here’s my list of the 10 most attractive head coaching positions in college football. Three of them are in the Big 12.

1. Texas: It’s got it all -- facilities, support, tradition and located within a rich recruiting base. Mack Brown has made this the nation’s best job. Muschamp would be crazy to skedaddle to Rocky Top and leave this behind.

2. Florida: Recruiting might be better than Texas and the location provides a beach lifestyle. The only trouble with this job, compared to Texas, is that Florida’s place in the SEC is a little more tenuous than Texas’ place in the Big 12.

3. Ohio State: Tradition, facilities and an unmatched place in the pecking order of the Big Ten. Some coaches would love the weather in Columbus, while snowbirds might see it lacking compared to places like those at the top..

4. USC: “Tailback U” has returned to the top thanks to Pete Carroll’s transformation. This is the football team for a southern California without an NFL franchise.

5. Alabama: Still wondering why Dennis Franchione left Alabama for Texas A&M. Another stadium expansion after this season’s national championship has made this a job that Nick Saban would willingly leave one of the NFL’s flagship franchises to return to. Considering his college allegiance, he’s a smart man.

6. Oklahoma: Bob Stoops might have the best setup in coaching considering he’s working for Joe Castiglione and David Boren. Recruiting will always be a matter of plucking Texas players and Stoops has done a marvelous job at that over the years.

7. Penn State: It will be interesting to see who follows Joe Paterno when he finally decides to hang up his whistle. This is one of the Big Ten’s best jobs with facilities and history to match. It might be daunting to follow Paterno, however.

8. Notre Dame: Still has the attention of NBC and the tradition of college football’s most storied program. Can they find the right coach to return Notre Dame to its place of dominance?

9. LSU: There’s a reason why Les Miles decided to stay here rather than pursue the Michigan job. Rabid talent base and SEC television money make this one special. And you can eat good crawfish any time you want.

10. Nebraska: The only drawback for this job is its lack of a fertile home recruiting area. But other than that, this job has got it all including one of the nation’s most knowledgeable fan bases. It’s the biggest unifier for the entire state as college football is clearly king here.

I would have a few other jobs like Georgia, Tennessee, Oregon, UCLA and Florida State ranked just below these top jobs. Texas A&M would be in my top 20. Oklahoma State -- as long as Boone Pickens is financially priming the pump -- would be in my top 30.

I’m curious what the readers might think in terms of a top 10 of destination coaching jobs? Please feel free to provide your rationale to back up your assertions.

SAN ANTONIO -- Texas Tech interim head coach Ruffin McNeill left little doubt that he would like to be considered as the Red Raiders' permanent replacement for Mike Leach.

"Yes, I'm very interested in the job. Make that a double-yes with some exclamation marks," said McNeill, who will serve as a head football coach for the first time in a 24-season college coaching career Saturday night in the Valero Alamo Bowl against Michigan State.

McNeill is listed among the early favorites for the job, along with Baylor coach Art Briles, former Auburn and Mississippi coach Tommy Tuberville and Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes.

The game will serve as an audition of sorts for McNeill showing Tech administrators he can handle the job.

"I've felt that my whole career," McNeill said. "My dad taught me when I first got into coaching, every time you step on the field, your product is your resume. I've tried to make sure I adhere to that during my entire time of coaching. I want to make sure my product is my resume."

McNeill becomes the third interim coach to serve in the history of the Alamo Bowl. Bo Pelini led Nebraska to a 17-3 victory over Michigan State in the 2003 game after Frank Solich was fired.

Texas A&M interim coach Gary Darnell wasn't quite as fortunate, losing a 24-17 game to Penn State in the 2007 game after Dennis Franchione was fired.

Former Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione is among two finalists for the vacant head coaching job at UNLV.

New UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood apparently will choose between Franchione, who last coached in the 2007 season at Texas A&M, and Montana coach Bobby Hauck, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Franchione has some attractiveness for the Rebels coaching position because he turned around two previous programs in the Mountain West Conference when he coached at TCU and New Mexico.

Hauck has posted an 80-17 record at Montana, taking the Grizzlies to the NCAA FCS Football Championship game this season. His team dropped a 23-21 decision to Villanova in the title game Friday night.

Franchione and Hauck will reportedly be the only two candidates interviewed by Livengood. A contract for a new coach is expected to be taken to the school's Board of Regents meeting set for Wednesday.

Good afternoon.

Here are some late lunchtime links to catapult us into a busy weekend.

• Oklahoma State is shivering its way through bowl practice as the only Big 12 team without an indoor training facility, the Tulsa World’s Bill Haisten reports.
• Texas center Chris Hall is profiled by the Mobile Press-Register’s Mike Herndon.
• ESPN.com’s Pat Forde predicts a 3-5 season in the bowls for the Big 12 this season.
• Ndamukong Suh gets the three-question treatment with the Sporting News’ Ryan Fagan.
• The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel catches up with Darrell Sheppard and Freddie Sims – two unlikely heroes of Oklahoma’s 1981 victory over Houston.
• The Denver Post’s John Henderson likes the hiring of Turner Gill at Kansas.
• The El Paso Times' Jay Koester has an open letter for Oklahoman fans about their bowl trip to El Paso.
• The Detroit News’ Bob Wojnowski writes that Missouri would be the logical best addition to the Big Ten.
• Dennis Franchione remains the favorite to claim the vacant UNLV coaching job, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
• The Kansas City Star’s Blair Kerkhoff explains why most coaches like the current bowl system over a playoff.

Turner Gill's direction of the Kansas program has already come with a strong start, even before the formal announcement of his hiring.

Hiring proven coordinators like Chuck Long to handle the offense and Carl Torbush on defense is an impressive beginning.

This proves that Gill doesn't have much of an ego, as he's picked two assistants who have been FBS head coaches before.

Long and Torbush both struggled in their stints as head coaches. But both are strong coordinators and will help Gill's transformation of the Jayhawk program.

Long was out of football this season after he was let go at San Diego State. But he was the architect of the Oklahoma passing game that helped make a Heisman Trophy winner out of Jason White. He'll help in the development of Kale Pick and whoever else surfaces at Kansas at quarterback.

The addition of Torbush should do wonders for the Kansas defense. Torbush was the architect of the North Carolina defenses when he coached under Mack Brown (1988-'97). Torbush took the Tar Heels to bowl victories as the head coach before he was let go in 2000. He's been a defensive coordinator under Dennis Franchione at Alabama and Texas A&M, and most recently under Dan Mullen at Mississippi State.

Both coordinators are familiar with the Big 12 and its recruiting nuances. It's a great set of hires to start off for Gill, and should help make his transition as Kansas' head coach that much easier.

Early December and coaching searches go together like Christmas television commercials popping up as soon as the Thanksgiving dishes are done.

So it's really not a surprise that the Big 12 is squarely in the middle of these searches that are such a part of modern college football.

And, yeah, there is that championship game coming up on Saturday night, too.

Here are some of the topics of conversation across the conference this morning.

• Bob Stoops' lack of patience dealing with his limited collection of beat writers at Oklahoma makes the Notre Dame job a bad fit for him, ESPN.com’s Ivan Maisel writes.
• Tulsa World’s Dave Sittler doesn’t believe that Bob Stoops is lying about his lack of interest in the Notre Dame vacancy.
• The Austin American-Statesman’s Kirk Bohls wishes we could see the current Texas dynasty play the “old” Nebraska. And the Omaha World-Herald’s Tom Shatel writes about the tradition of the Texas-Nebraska rivalry.
• The Omaha World Herald’s Lee Barfknecht writes about the Big 12 season that could have been.
• Colt McCoy (offensive player of the year), Ndamukong Suh (defensive player of the year) and Mack Brown (coach of the year) head the honors candidates on the Kansas City Star’s All-Big 12 team.
• Will Muschamp and Bo Pelini share a connection and a healthy respect because of their defensive roots, the Omaha World-Herald’s Rich Kaipust writes.
• The Lawrence Journal-World’s Chuck Woodling defends Mark Mangino’s late-game play calling against Missouri.
• The Bryan Eagle’s Robert Cessna reports that Texas A&M likely would trump Iowa State for the Big 12’s Independence Bowl berth.
• Texas' consistency under Mack Brown is analyzed by The Dallas Morning News’ Kevin Sherrington.
• The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Mark Anderson reports that former Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione is among the top candidates for the vacant UNLV coaching job.

Mike Sherman likes boxing analogies.

The Texas A&M coach who showed his team video of the George Foreman-Muhammad Ali fight earlier this season to spark an upset victory over Texas Tech is looking to another pugilistic reference to describe his underdog team’s chances against Texas on Thursday night.

“This is Rocky Balboa versus Apollo Creed,” Sherman said. “It’s one of those types of deals, where we have a chance to play against a top-notch team that certainly has not stumbled one time this year. They've played very well in every ballgame. It's going to be quite a challenge for us, but it's one we're looking forward to."

The Aggies have proved to be difficult for the Longhorns over the years -- particularly at Kyle Field.

A&M has won eight of the last 12 games over the Longhorns there, including the most recent meeting in 2007.

In that game, Dennis Franchione’s team rediscovered the forward pass too late to save his job, but not before beating the Longhorns, 38-30.

The year before that in Austin, the Aggies physically punished the Longhorns in another striking upset, claiming a 12-7 triumph in a game in which they knocked the Longhorns out of the Big 12 South title chase and Colt McCoy out of the game.

Those memories and others through the years have A&M players excited about playing the South Division championships, despite the fact that most prognosticators don’t give them much hope.

“One of our motivations every year is beating Texas along with every other team,” Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson said. “But for me to say this game doesn’t have a little bit more meaning than the rest, I’d be lying to you. Whatever they do after us, I wish them the best. But when they play us, we definitely like our chances and we’re going to go out there with all we have.”

The 6-5 Aggies qualified for their first bowl game since 2007 with a victory over Baylor last week. But their season has been marked with remarkable inconsistency. They have won games by 35, 37, 22, 25 and 35 points. And they’ve lost games by margins of 28, 48 and 55 points.

But despite that wild variation in performances from game to game, the Aggies are convinced they will be ready for the 11-0 Longhorns.

“Texas is a really good, solid team, but every year when we play them, we feel like it’s even,” Texas A&M defensive end/linebacker Von Miller said. “This year, it’s no different. We’ve got some young guys, but they don’t act like young guys. It’s Texas week, everybody is up for the game and it’s the biggest game of the year for us.”

The Aggies are the only Big 12 South team to have a winning record against McCoy during his career with the Longhorns. Those two earlier losses have marked him with determination to even his mark against the Aggies in Thursday’s game.

“We've got a lot of goals ahead of us and we haven't taken care of business like we wanted to in the past in this game,” McCoy said. “We don't really talk about '06 and '07. We don't like to think about that. We talk about being the best we can be and finishing what we started. That's enough motivation for us. We've got a lot at stake.”

Since 2000, the Aggies are only 56-52 and have fallen far behind the Longhorns and Oklahoma in the Big 12 South’s pecking order. In recent years, even Oklahoma State and Texas Tech have lapped them.

But Sherman is making progress in his second season. He’s already played 19 freshmen and six redshirt freshmen this season, including prime playmakers like running back Christine Michael and wide receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu. Johnson has developed into one of the most statistically proficient quarterbacks in the nation.

“To their credit, these guys have responded to the challenge,” Sherman said. “That speaks volumes. I wish we didn’t have to deal with all of the ups and downs this season has presented to us. But I think they’ve done a great job of handling the adversity they’ve faced in the context of the season.”

Texas coach Mack Brown relishes playing in what he calls one of the most historic rivalries in college football.

“It's great," Brown said. "It's loud. It's a rivalry. They've got great fans and I'm sure it's going to be a great environment."

Other Texas teams have tripped up in that environment, even as heavy favorites.

But senior defensive end Sergio Kindle said this Longhorns team is excited about the challenge of staring down the Aggies in their own backyard.

“Playing at Kyle Field, that 12th Man is serious. And when they get going, A&M starts feeding off of it,” Kindle said. “But we’re ready. We’re looking at that game as the only thing that’s in front of us now.”

The Big 12’s final weekend of the regular season will feature several key games over a three-day period that will have serious national championship and BCS ramifications.

And we might be seeing two coaches riding off into the sunset.

Here are 10 things to look for in the Big 12’s games this week.

Can Texas' tackling problems be resolved? Will Muschamp was very angry with Texas’ missed tackles against Kansas as the Longhorns allowed 97 extra yards on nine whiffs against the Jayhawks. Some of it was because of the athleticism of Kansas players like Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier. But the Longhorns will be facing a stronger unit in the Aggies with skill-position players like Christine Michael, Cyrus Gray, Uzoma Nwachukwu and Jeff Fuller. Muschamp has had his unit working before daylight this week intent on improving their tackling and swarming techniques. It will be an important exercise to get them ready for the better teams they will face during the rest of the season.

Will the Kyle Field jinx bite Texas again? The Aggies will be excited about their chance at springing an upset to ruin the Longhorns’ national title hopes. Kyle Field has been a difficult place for the Longhorns in the past as the Aggies have won eight of the last 12 games there since 1985. But after losing his first game there in the Bonfire game in 1999, Mack Brown won his next three games in College Station before losing there in 2007 in Dennis Franchione’s last game. Texas players say that the incessant noise from Aggie fans makes it difficult to run their offense. Can Colt McCoy do things differently in his second start there after his loss earlier in his career?

How Nebraska reacts to winning the Big 12 North title last week: Bo Pelini started preaching about Colorado soon after the victory over KSU pushed his team into the title game. He’s emphasized that beating the Buffaloes is the final goal his team needs to accomplish before it starts preparing for Texas and the Big 12 title game next week. Despite the coach’s pleading, it would be understandable if the Cornhuskers didn’t approach the road game on a short road week with unbridled intensity. But a veteran defense keyed by Ndamukong Suh, Phillip Dillard, Matt O’Hanlon and Larry Asante should have the Cornhuskers focused against the sputtering Buffaloes.

Dan Hawkins' possible last game in Boulder: The embattled Colorado coach’s job has been in question since a slow start after he boldly predicting his team would challenge for the Big 12 North title. Instead, the Buffaloes were the first team in the conference eliminated from bowl consideration. The Buffaloes showed some promise in last week’s narrow loss at Oklahoma State, although they repeatedly made critical mistakes and penalties that kept them from winning. Will the Colorado coach be able to circle the wagons and get his team to play one final strong performance? Or is it already too late for him to save his job after a disappointing 16-32 career record?

Will Oklahoma State turn the tables on Oklahoma? Throughout the years, the Sooners have been the team playing for championship and BCS bowl opportunities while their cross-state rivals were playing for bowl positioning and winning seasons. The roles have been reversed this season as the Cowboys play their biggest game since the start of the Big 12 in Bedlam this year. If OSU can win this game, they likely will qualify for a BCS at-large berth with a strong shot at the Fiesta Bowl. Whether the experienced Cowboys can snap the Sooners’ nation-best 29-game winning streak remains to be seen. But Mike Gundy’s chances of winning at Owen Field have never looked stronger -- even with quarterback Zac Robinson's uncertain status.

The Oklahoma defense can’t possibly be as bad as the one that showed at Texas Tech, can it? The Sooners suffered through a humbling performance in Lubbock last week, allowing their most points, yards, rushing yards and passing yards of the season. They will be challenged by a determined Oklahoma State team on the verge of its biggest team accomplishment in years. Bob Stoops and Brent Venables will appeal to the pride of their defense, the backbone of the team this season. It will be interesting to see if the Sooners respond “in a big way,” as Stoops likes to say.

Baron Batch versus the weak Baylor rush defense: The junior Texas Tech running back is coming off his best performance of his career after ripping Oklahoma for 136 yards last week. He should find an inviting opponent against Baylor, which ranks 100th nationally in rush defense and ranks last in the conference allowing an average of 185.91 yards per game. He’ll be important in dictating the Red Raiders’ offense as they play for better bowl positioning with a victory.

Baylor’s determined defensive duo plays its last game: Middle linebacker Joe Pawelek and free safety Jordan Lake will never make a bowl trip with Baylor, but both will go down in history among the greatest players in school history at their positions. It will be an emotional game at Cowboys Stadium for both senior leaders. And both will be challenged by Texas Tech’s sizzling offense in a competitive final game in college football.

Danario Alexander’s big-play exploits: Missouri wide receiver Danario Alexander has been the most explosive receiver in the Big 12 this season, ranking third nationally in receptions and average yards receiving. Alexander has two games remaining -- the regular-season finale against Kansas and a bowl game -- to reach the school career record as he needs 297 receiving yards over those two games. Considering his recent surge in Missouri last six games, he’s got a great shot after averaging 160.7 yards per game with 57 receptions for 964 yards (a 16.9 avg. per catch) and eight touchdowns during that period. And he’ll be playing a struggling Kansas secondary that ranks 88th in pass defense and was blistered for season-worst totals of 396 passing yards and four touchdown passes last week against Texas.

Is this the end for Mark Mangino? Embattled Kansas coach Mark Mangino is a victim of a “witch hunt,” according to Texas Tech coach Mike Leach. But the internal investigation into the program appears to have developed enough dirt that likely will have enough substance to cost Mangino his job. The howling became louder when the Jayhawks have lost their last six games after starting the season 5-0. They can still rebound and qualify for a bowl berth by beating Missouri in Kansas City. Mangino has won four of his last six games against Missouri. And none would be sweeter than Saturday’s game if he could pull it off with his team on the mat and claim an upset over his school's biggest rival.