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STILLWATER, Okla. -- The similarities? Well, they're almost too uncanny.

A record-setting quarterback? Gone.

The best receiver in school history? Gone.

And that was in the spring of 2010.

Dez Bryant took a trek south after being drafted in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys. Zac Robinson took his ball and left for the NFL, too.

In the fall, Mike Gundy's Oklahoma State squad was picked to finish fifth out of six teams in something called the Big 12 South.

Instead, the Cowboys won 11 games for the first time, coming a defensive stop or two away from knocking off Oklahoma and playing for the Big 12 title, which also would have been unprecedented for the program.

There are more new faces in the spring of 2012. Could Oklahoma State overachieve again?

"I feel like it’s kind of the same. Gundy said that spring we were so good because we were scared," said sixth-year offensive lineman Jonathan Rush. "I wouldn’t exactly agree that we were scared, but I feel that urgency."

How could he not? Two-time All-Big 12 first-team quarterback Brandon Weeden is headed to the NFL. Two-time Biletnikoff Award winner Justin Blackmon is likely to hear his name called in the top 10 of tonight's first round of the NFL draft.

Oklahoma State's 23 victories in the past two years were the highest total of any two-year period in school history, and Weeden and Blackmon were the two biggest pieces of a team that captured the Cowboy's first Big 12 title.

"It’s real similar, except Weeden was an older guy. Weeden was 26 years old or however old he was back then," Gundy said.

Now, Oklahoma State is left to rely on three inexperienced quarterbacks without the minor league baseball experience that helped shape Weeden's even-tempered demeanor.

The similarities don't end at what's gone, either.

"We’ve got good running backs, good receivers and we’ll be as good on the offensive line as we’ve been," Gundy said.

All-American Kendall Hunter helped carry the 2010 team with a 1,500-yard season, the second of his career. In 2012, Joseph Randle is ready to carry the offense after rushing for 1,200 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2011. Jeremy Smith and Herschel Sims fill out the rest of the Pokes' deepest unit, which also features a fourth underrated, powerful runner in Desmond Roland.

"We’re further along on defense, because we recruited well the '09, '10, '11 and '12 seasons, so we’re further along athletically," Gundy said. "But offensively, it’s about the same."

Gundy is entering his eighth season in Stillwater this fall. In 2010, he credited a system that had been drilled into players for the surprising success. Knowing what was expected helped to soothe some of the growing pains new players would experience in a new system.

That's been drilled only deeper into this year's squad.

"They realize what they have to do personally. How to practice. They realize those things that are essential to be a good team. You have to work hard, show up on time. It’s not even so much a big thing," Rush said of the team's younger players. "They realize how essential little things are. Working hard, not quitting. Finishing."

Said receiver Isaiah Anderson: "I feel like we have a lot more leaders now than people know. It’s not just up to the seniors to lead. The young guys can step in and lead if they need to."

The biggest talents are gone. This year, OSU won't be picked near the bottom of the Big 12. Instead, it will be near the bottom of the top 25.

With the spotlight on teams above OSU, will 2012 be yet another Stillwater surprise for the Big 12?

"Be on the lookout, but they know we’re coming now," Anderson said. "We all know what it takes to get there and willing to do what it takes to get there again."

WACO, Texas -- Nick Florence didn't have to come to Baylor. He didn't have to stay.

If football has been his only reason for coming to Waco, it'd be easy to see why he might've gone elsewhere.

But Florence did.

He stepped in as a freshman when future Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III tore his ACL, then stepped off the stage for the next two seasons while Griffin wrote his legacy.

Plenty of quarterbacks would have waved goodbye.

Florence didn't.

Here's why.

--

Florence didn't lose a game as a freshman at South Garland (Texas) High School. A year later, he took over the varsity squad in midseason and carried the team to a third-round loss in the state playoffs to Lufkin, led by Dez Bryant, now a receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.

"The QB that started the year as the starter, every opportunity Nick had, he would encourage him," said Mickey Moss, Florence's high school coach who now heads up a program in Rockwall, Texas. Throughout his career, Moss has put about 50 players into Division I programs like Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri.

"When Nick took over, he'd lead the senior linemen and just encourage them and give them confidence and praise. I was like, 'I’ve never seen a kid like this who had such confidence and maturity.'"

Florence earned a reputation on and off the field. Before school began, he and teammates would walk through the school's hallways while praying for classmates who would congregate there during the school year, which began in a few weeks. When school began, he'd join his twin brother, Luke, and others to often pray for classmates before class during the week.

"That’s just who he was and he believed in making a difference in the lives of other people," Moss said. "His leadership? He’s just got it."

His youth pastor at Lake Highlands Church in Dallas eventually took a job at Antioch Community Church in Waco, and Florence wanted to join him.

Florence pestered Moss to make a few calls down to Baylor. Moss did so and asked coaches if they'd seen Florence on film.

Minutes later, he got a call back.

Baylor offered Florence his first major scholarship offer, and Florence made it his only one.

"Nick just felt like this was where God wanted him to be, and that’s Nick," Moss said. "He does so much based on faith."

The problem? The coach who called back with that offer was Guy Morriss, who was fired after the 2007 season. Enter Art Briles and a kid from Copperas Cove whom nobody thought could play quarterback.

Briles, then at Houston, brought Cougars commit Robert Griffin III to Baylor with him, the two having faith of their own that they could win in Waco, which hadn't seen a winning football season since 1995.

Briles had his man, but honored Morriss' offer to Florence, whose playing time looked like it would be sparse.

"If God wanted you to be here and that’s what you believe, he doesn’t change his mind," Moss says he remembers telling Florence. "Knowing Robert Griffin was going to be the quarterback didn’t faze him."

Along the way, Florence kept working. He earned the respect of teammates. In the meantime, he got his business degree, worked closely with his church and married his wife, Rachel, last May. The two plan to enter the ministry whenever Florence's football career is over.

"His pastor told me, in all the locker rooms he’s been in, he’s never let his eyes view another naked woman in his life in print on TV or anywhere else until his wedding day. That says a lot about who he is, but also how others respect him," Moss said. "He doesn’t throw his faith in your face. Not at all. He has a genuine care, concern and love for people, and he’s always looking to make a difference. ... He’s going to compete, but the biggest thing I always believed he was going to do was make an impact in the locker room with his character and integrity."

Florence had been on campus a couple of years but RG3 was proving his mettle as the man at Baylor. Briles met with Moss and gushed about his backup.

"That kid is a winner," Moss recalls Briles saying.

He's done it since he was a freshman in high school, and now that the starting job at Baylor is nearly Florence's officially, he doesn't plan on that changing.

"You watch him play and it’s like, what’s special about him?" Moss said. "He wins. He leads. He makes plays. His throwing motion wasn’t the greatest. His speed wasn’t the greatest. His strength wasn’t the greatest. But the kid won, and then he influenced everyone around him."

When Griffin's knee injury meant Florence had to step in as a wide-eyed freshman, it also meant winning wasn't going to happen. It didn't. Baylor fell to 4-8 and won just one conference game, at Missouri when Florence set the school record for passing yards.

"He’s a different guy, just like I am since 2009 and like everybody. As you grow you mature, you learn to get better in everything you see act or do," Briles said. "He’s a guy that was thrown into a fire as a true freshman. Now, he’s had a chance to sit back and learn the system, understand what his strengths are, how to use them and what he needs to do to help this team grow."

Said Florence: "I'm not that 180-pound freshman anymore."

Baylor got a preview of its 205-pound senior in November when a concussion sidelined Griffin at Cowboys Stadium, near Florence's hometown.

Florence hopped off the bench just before halftime and completed 9 of 12 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns to help Baylor keep its winning streak alive with a 66-42 victory over Texas Tech. That streak reached six games by season's end, the longest current string among AQ schools in college football.

Florence logged a memorable moment, but he also logged enough playing time to burn his redshirt and leave him with just one year of eligibility remaining entering 2012.

"He’s a guy who’ll do whatever and whatever happens in life, he’ll deal with it. If that means he has one year left to play, that means that’s what God’s will is. He’s obedient," Moss said. "If the team needed him to come in there and help win that game and burn his redshirt and then not play again the rest of the year, that’s OK with him."

Baylor needed Florence to come in and win that game. He did it. Now it's time to take over the full-time job of being the man who follows the man who did the unthinkable: winning a Heisman Trophy at Baylor.

"We don’t talk in terms of replacing. It’s just, what do we need to do now to do what we need to do at the end of July?" Briles said. "That’s the most important thing. We may not be able to do some of the same things we were able to do prior, so we’ve got to figure out different ways to do things and still have success."

Florence is no hurdler. He can't run 40 yards in 4.4 seconds and doesn't have an arm that will have NFL scouts drooling. For the time being, though, he does have the keys to Baylor's offense.

"It’s a great opportunity not everybody gets. I want to make the most of it and take advantage," Florence said.

That offense is going to look a little different now. Briles says time will show just how different it'll be.

"That’s the exciting part about it," Briles said. "We’ve got to expand and become better in all other areas scheme-wise, coaching-wise, player/individual technique-wise, and so that to me is the very exciting part, because we have to become a better football team."

Florence wants his chance to show he's the man to make Baylor a better team. Florence has proved his intangibles since high school, and as he's gotten older, they've only become more ingrained. Now is his chance to show them off to everyone outside of Baylor's practice field.

"When guys come in the huddle they have great confidence and respect in him. They know who he is. They know there’s not a selfish bone in his body, but at the same time, they know he’s a heck of a competitor," Moss said. "I’ve never been around a kid like Nick Florence, and I imagine I never will again."

Finally, these two lovebirds made it official.

Really, though, it was a matter of time. Flirtations with A&M? An eventual breakup?

Please.

Mike Gundy loves Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State loves Mike Gundy.

They'll be together for eight years and Gundy will be paid among college football's top 10 coaches after agreeing to a contract extension and a big raise. As it should be.

That's what happens when one pays for the other's education and hires him as a 23-year-old assistant coach and 27-year-old offensive coordinator.

And that's what happens when a 44-year-old head coach (yes, he's a man) guides his alma mater to the two best seasons in school history in consecutive years.

These two belong together. Gundy, who hired agent Jimmy Sexton, grew uncomfortable as the process dragged on during his team's preparations for its Fiesta Bowl date with Stanford.

The Cowboys won to cap the first 12-win season in school history, which coincided with the school's first BCS appearance ever.

Uncomfortable or not, it shouldn't have come to this. "This," though is in the past and Gundy's gotten what's coming to him.

How many coaches have held the same job for seven years and had an equal or better record every season?

Not many, and Gundy's being paid like one. His deal reportedly averages out to about $3.75 million per year, up from $2.1 million this past season.

Kansas' Turner Gill and Texas A&M's Mike Sherman were paid more in 2011. They were both fired after the season. Now, only Texas' Mack Brown and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops are paid more in the Big 12.

Gundy was the 29th-highest paid coach nationally this season, according to USA Today's coaching salary study. His new raise puts him at sixth, ahead of guys like Bobby Petrino at Arkansas, Chip Kelly at Oregon and Bret Bielema at Wisconsin.

Gundy kicked off his career with a four-win season and two seven-win seasons. For some who saw those years, its hard to see Gundy, who first burst on the scene with his polarizing rant, as a coach who has ascended to the coaching elite.

But consider also: Gundy has as many BCS wins now as Petrino and Kelly, who both have earned reputations as offensive virtuosos. He has one more than Bielema, who is 0-2 in two Rose Bowl appearances.

He's developed offensive talent with the best of anyone in the country, sending stars like Dez Bryant, Kendall Hunter, Zac Robinson, Russell Okung and soon to be Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon to the NFL. On the way, he collected bushels-full of wins that Oklahoma State has never seen before.

This has been the best four-year period in the history of Oklahoma State football. Gundy is the biggest reason why.

This took too long. Why Oklahoma State wouldn't want to pay up for as long as possible, especially with more Big 12 money on the way, I have no idea.

But it's done now.

Oklahoma State paid up. Gundy is paid like one of college football's best coaches.

With a résumé like he's put together, with 41 wins, a Big 12 title, a BCS bowl win and a share of the Big 12 South all in the past four years, how else should he be paid?

I stopped reading after she talked about suing her book club.

• Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson didn't crack the All-Big 12 team, and he wasn't too happy about it.
• If you're unfamiliar with Cowboys Stadium, where the Cotton Bowl is played, Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle gets you acquainted.
• Even early in his career, before the rest of us knew about him, Dez Bryant saw greatness in Justin Blackmon, writes Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman.
• The Big 12 coaches did Missouri wrong, writes Mike DeArmond of the Kansas City Star.
• David Whitley of Sporting News tells you why Robert Griffin III should win the Heisman. Jeff Miller of ESPN Dallas places Griffin's context in Baylor's program history.
• After surviving the Big 12, Cal's Zach Maynard won't be asking a lot from Texas' secondary, writes Mark Rosner of the Austin American-Statesman.
• Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World keeps you updated on the Kansas coaching search. If you've got a secret, Kansas AD Sheahon Zenger is the man to tell after this tight-lipped search.
• Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports tries to unearth a bit more of the mystery behind the National Coach of the Year, Kansas State's Bill Snyder.
• Baylor's already sold out its allotment of Alamo Bowl tickets.
• Future Big 12 member TCU lost it's co-OC, former OU quarterback Justin Fuente, who will be the head coach at Memphis.
• I didn't do this.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy built his program, now in its seventh year, on four principles.

Character, accountability, structure and discipline. Every year since he took over for Les Miles in 2005, the Cowboys' record has improved on or equaled the previous year's win total.

"You’ve got to show up, you’ve got to do the right thing, you’ve got to go to class," Gundy said. "I bit my lip and we held our breath a lot of times when we suspended players."

The stat Gundy might have been most proud of after Saturday's 52-45 win over Kansas State? The team had just one missed class reported all week.

Maybe Gundy's four building blocks are only a fourth of Bill Snyder's 16 Goals for Success, but it's paying off in Stillwater.

And those blocks aside, there's no doubting the factor that's aided the Cowboys along the way, too.

"We got a little bit lucky," Gundy said, later adding, "Anybody that says you don’t have to have a little luck? They’re crazy."

Recruiting these days is "easy to do," Gundy says, and the program's growing credibility is a huge reason why.

"We hit on a Dez Bryant, we hit on a Kendall Hunter, we hit on a Brandon Weeden. We hit on a Blackmon," Gundy said. "Nobody recruited [Justin] Blackmon.

"Weeden walked on,” Gundy said with a laugh. “So, we had a little luck.”

Blackmon blossomed from a modest recruit into the nation's best receiver and an early first-round draft pick.

What if Weeden had come to Oklahoma State instead of playing baseball? What if baseball had worked out? What if Weeden had come to Oklahoma State a year earlier? What if he'd come a year later?

"My Dad was just telling me the other day, 'Man, what a perfect time for you to decide to come back.'" Weeden said. "And it is, because I mean, who would have thought this in 2007 when we won seven games and we were excited to go to a bowl game? I’m telling you, the players get better every year and it gets more and more fun to come to the field and especially when you win big ones like this."

Oklahoma State's team will lose Weeden and almost certainly will lose Blackmon after this season, as well as most of its offensive line. Sound familiar? The Cowboys lost first-round pick Dez Bryant and one of the program's best quarterbacks ever, Zac Robinson, after the 2009 season.

They won 11 games the next season.

Is Oklahoma State building into a perennial power?

"We’ve got a lot of great guys in this program that are really young. We haven’t ever had kids like this around here," Gundy said. "I see a lot of things changing. It’s just different than it ever has been."

They're here and they know what's required of them. Gundy pounds it into them from Day 1. Run astray, and you don't play.

So sure, luck's played a big role in Oklahoma State's rise to the elite. But if it stays there, point to Gundy's building blocks as the biggest reason.

"The core values of this system are in place and the players know them," Gundy said. "That’s just the way it is. It’s the only way, because when you go to bed at night, if you don’t have that, you can’t sleep."

After wins like Oklahoma State enjoyed Saturday night, here's guessing Gundy slept pretty well.

For so long, it was so cruel. This "rivalry," if you could even call it that.

Colt McCoy and Vince Young tormented Oklahoma State, rescuing Texas from 28, 19 and 21-point deficits in a span of just four years.

OSU had beaten Texas just once in Big 12 history, back in 1997 in a harmless game in Stillwater between two teams that would combine for 12 wins that year, the last time Texas (4-8) saw a losing season.

The Cowboys program rose, winning as many or more games than the previous year in each season under Gundy. But no wins over Texas as Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant tried to help OSU climb among the nation's elite.

Until last season, when OSU took its biggest leap into national relevance with 11 wins and Texas plummeted to its first losing season under Mack Brown.

Oklahoma State was the better team, by far. The Cowboys won easily, racing to an early 33-3 lead and beating Texas in Austin for the first time since 1944.

"When you have played at a high level like we had over the last few years, having so many close games and not being able to get over the hump. It made it a good win for our team and the university," Gundy told reporters this week. "For everyone involved it was very positive. I am sure it had some effects on our recruiting. It also changed the way we were perceived across the country. The win was another step in our goal, to hopefully win a championship."

A kink in switching 12-team Big 12 schedules to 10-team schedules means Oklahoma State travels to Texas again and hosts Oklahoma to close the season.

Once again, Oklahoma State is the better team.

This time, Oklahoma State stands in the way of Texas' attempts to re-join the nation's best. The Longhorns were embarrassed a week ago by No. 3 Oklahoma.

"Things are always better when you watch the video. It’s hard to make a 55-17 loss to a good team where you played poorly good, but what you do as a coaching staff is you go back and find the things that are good," Brown said. "They did try hard. They did a lot of things good, but we made so many mistakes, we never had a chance in the game. You can’t lose five turnovers to a great team."

That's the first goal. With an opponent like Oklahoma State -- the Cowboys are ranked No. 2 in total offense, even higher than Oklahoma -- the Longhorns will need more from their offense than a late touchdown if 45 points are separating the teams.

"You use caution when talking about Texas football and needing to get better. I think Oklahoma played very well. Once the game got rolling, the momentum changed," Gundy said. "I cannot speak for Texas, or their staff. I do know that there is some youth in key positions. That can factor in situations when things do not go well."

Texas' secondary will have to grow up fast.

So will quarterbacks Case McCoy and David Ash.

If not, another beating like last week is waiting, and a chance to country's top squads may prove to be another season away.

Today, we're taking a look at the tease teams across the Big 12, and the past three seasons, we've seen a good number of cases in the Big 12.

These three programs find themselves in the top 10 again this year, but here's what's happened lately. Is one of these squads simply a tease in 2011?

2010: Texas A&M

The Aggies, coming off a 6-7 season in 2009, weren't convincing enough to earn preseason top 25 honors, but the potential for a big year was there, and anyone paying attention knew it. The offense was loaded, led by the league's preseason offensive player of the year, Jerrod Johnson. Johnson, however, struggled early, throwing four interceptions in consecutive games against Florida International and Oklahoma State, turning the ball over five times in a loss to the Cowboys. The Aggies were embarrassed on their home field by Missouri to fall to 3-3, and despite a late-season rally, couldn't qualify for the Big 12 championship game.

2009: Oklahoma State

The offseason crescendo built to a pressure-packed season opener against SEC foe Georgia, but Dez Bryant and the Cowboys knocked off the Bulldogs to land in the top 5 and on the cover of Sports Illustrated. A week later, however, Case Keenum (and Dana Holgorsen, by the way) waltzed into Stillwater and gave the Cowboys a nasty buzzkill in the form of a 45-35 upset, officially derailing a championship season. OSU also suffered a pair of embarrassing 27-point losses to Big 12 South rivals Oklahoma and Texas, including a 27-0 shutout loss to Oklahoma. Kendall Hunter (ankle), Zac Robinson (shoulder) and Dez Bryant (NCAA suspension) were all forced off the field at times, but there's no doubt: That team was a tease.

2008: Missouri

The Tigers reached No. 1 heading into the Big 12 championship game in 2007, but a loss sent them to the Cotton Bowl and hoping for better luck next year. Chase Daniel and Co. opened the season at No. 6 and ran off a 5-0 start, including a 52-17 obliteration of Nebraska in Lincoln, the first win for the Tigers there since 1978. A week later, though? A program-defining win for Oklahoma State on Missouri's field, followed by an absolute undressing by Colt McCoy and Texas in Austin a week later, featuring a 35-3 halftime deficit. The Tigers were upset by Kansas before being rolled over 62-21 by Oklahoma and settling for an appearance in the Alamo Bowl. Quite the tease, Tigers.

So, which of the Big 12 teams ranked this year looks like a tease?

Justin Blackmon exploded to become Oklahoma State's No. 1 receiver from the season opener, when he caught three touchdown passes, more than he'd previously had in his entire career.

As the season progressed, Josh Cooper became the team's obvious second option, finishing with 68 catches for 736 yards and five touchdowns.

But one receiver's absence was rendered more inconspicuous by the offense's rise to one of the best in college football: Hubert Anyiam.

Could the OSU offense be even better in 2011 with Anyiam as an addition, perhaps overtaking Cooper as the team's No. 2 receiver? After finally recovering from a nagging ankle injury, that might be the case.

"I hope so," Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. "Hubert, I think he's healthy for the first time in 12-15 months. Two years ago, he carried the load for us."

NFL first-round pick Dez Bryant was suspended by the NCAA for the final 10 games of the 2009 season, and Anyiam stepped into the role as the team's go-to receiver. No other Cowboys receiver had more than 25 catches, compared to Anyiam's 42 for 515 yards and three touchdowns. All three of those scores, and 31 of his receptions came in a five-game stretch in conference play that featured wins over Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Missouri. A lone loss to national runner-up Texas sent the Cowboys to a 4-1 finish during the stretch.

"When we lost Dez, he made a ton of plays for us. We beat A&M on the road and he makes two big catches. We beat Missouri on the road and he catches a fourth-down pass right before halftime," Gundy said.

Anyiam caught 10 passes for 119 yards against the Tigers, both career highs. Gundy would love to see both of those numbers cease to be career highs this season.

"I think he's kind of back into the groove of being ready to play, both mentally and physically," Gundy said.

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.

Only in 2011 could a light-hearted cultural reference about this photo be interpreted as me implicating Oklahoma was committing recruiting violations. Sheesh. Chill out. And watch more "Friday Night Lights."

• In the wake of Jim Tressel's dismissal, Bob Stoops says he can't play babysitter for his team, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. Tramel also gives a look inside the mission trip to Haiti a few Oklahoma athletes took.
• Is a national championship in store for Oklahoma State? Former receiver Dez Bryant seems to think so.
• Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal looks at the changing culture of college football. Namely, the expectation of players to stick around campus for summer workouts.
• Texas reeled in a top-flight offensive lineman on Sunday for its latest 2012 commit, one Randy Riggs of the Austin American calls a big piece of Texas' 2012 recruiting puzzle.
• Stoops says finding the right time to talk about filling Austin Box's void won't be an issue, reports Jake Trotter of The Oklahoman.
• Brandon Chatmon of The Oklahoma has a look at the recruiting improvements under Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State.
• Andy Staples of SI.com ranks the top 20 most desirable coaching jobs in college football. Texas comes in at No. 1, and two other Big 12 teams make the cut.
• Kansas' Tunde Bakare, a juco linebacker, former Maryland signee and strong candidate for the all-name team, hopes to crack the starting lineup in Lawrence, writes Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World.
• Dave Matter of the Columbia Tribune has the 10 players with the biggest shoes to fill in the Big 12 and a collection of photos from Missouri's trip to Joplin. Additionally, here's some video.

Dominance last April meant irrelevance this January for the Big 12.

The NFL draft is just hours away, and this time last year, the league was bracing for a historic night. By the end of the night, nine Big 12 players were first-round draft picks and five of the draft's first six selections were from Big 12 programs.

But last season, the Big 12 paid the price for the talent drain.

Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Gerald McCoy left school early. As did Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant. All three were first-round picks.

Heading into 2011, the league looked like it would be lacking a real national-title contender. By Halloween, it proved it.

Missouri trailed 24-0 after the first quarter of a loss Nebraska on Oct. 30.

With five weeks still left in the season, the Big 12 didn't have an undefeated team remaining, left far on the outside of a national-title race that ended with three undefeated teams heading into the bowl season.

No team finished with fewer than two losses, and just one team earned a BCS bowl bid. Oklahoma's 48-20 trouncing of UConn was easily the least attractive matchup on the BCS docket, too.

For a league that had a participant in the national-title game in five of the past seven seasons, even the parity that produced five top 25 teams by season's end did little to prevent 2010 from being cast as a down year nationally.

That likely won't be the case next season.

Tonight, the Big 12 could have as many as five first-round picks. Of those five, though, just three left school early, and of those three, none came from the favorites to win the Big 12 crown in 2011.

Texas A&M will say goodbye to a program legend in Von Miller. Missouri will do the same for Blaine Gabbert, who left after his junior season.

But besides that pair, the league returns nearly all its premier stars.

Oklahoma's Travis Lewis and Ryan Broyles decided to stick around for their senior seasons, giving the Sooners a pair of four-year starters bent on making a second appearance in the national-title game during their careers--and winning it this time. They'll likely start the season atop the polls.

Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden, the Big 12's first-team all-conference quarterback, and his top receiver, Biletnikoff Award winner Justin Blackmon, returned to give the Cowboys' high-powered offense a good shot of starting inside the top 10 and possible national-title hopes.

Texas A&M receiver Jeff Fuller followed his teammate Miller's lead, returning for his senior season to help the Aggies offense chase the Big 12 title that narrowly eluded them last season -- and perhaps more.

Gabbert and Miller could both be gone in the top five picks on Thursday, but the real story for the Big 12 this time around is who isn't in the draft.

Next fall -- or January, rather -- those decisions could pay off for everyone.

For just the second time ever, the first round of the NFL draft will be the only part of the draft's first day, set for primetime on Thursday night.

This year, the Big 12 could have as many as five first-round picks, and five players from the league are in New York for the draft.

So, let's take a look back. Since the first NFL draft of the Big 12 era, who has the most first-rounders?

Texas: 16

• 2010: S Earl Thomas, 14th overall, Seattle Seahawks
• 2009: DE Brian Orakpo, 13th overall, Washington Redskins
• 2007: S Michael Griffin, 19th overall, Tennessee Titans
• 2007: CB Aaron Ross, 20th overall, New York Giants
• 2006: QB Vince Young, third overall, Tennessee Titans
• 2006: CB Michael Huff, seventh overall, Oakland Raiders
• 2005: RB Cedric Benson, fourth overall, Chicago Bears
• 2005: LB Derrick Johnson, 15th overall, Kansas City Chiefs
• 2004: WR Roy Williams, seventh overall, Detroit Lions
• 2004: DT Marcus Tubbs, 23rd overall, Seattle Seahawks
• 2002: OL Mike Williams, fourth overall, Buffalo Bills
• 2002: CB Quentin Jammer, fifth overall, San Diego Chargers
• 2001: OL Leonard Davis, second overall, Arizona Cardinals
• 2001: DT Casey Hampton, 19th overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
• 1999: RB Ricky Williams, fifth overall, New Orleans Saints
• 1997: CB Bryant Westbrook, fifth overall, Detroit Lions

Oklahoma: 12

• 2010: QB Sam Bradford, first overall, St. Louis Rams
• 2010: DT Gerald McCoy, third overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 2010: OT Trent Williams, fourth overall, Washington Redskins
• 2010: TE Jermaine Gresham, 21st overall, Cincinnati Bengals
• 2007: RB Adrian Peterson, seventh overall, Minnesota Vikings
• 2006: OL Davin Joseph, 23rd overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 2005: OL Jammal Brown, 13th overall, New Orleans Saints
• 2005: WR Mark Clayton, 22nd overall, Baltimore Ravens
• 2004: DT Tommie Harris, 14th overall, Chicago Bears
• 2003: CB Andre Woolfolk, 28th overall, Tennessee Titans
• 2002: S Roy Williams, eighth overall, Dallas Cowboys
• 2001: Stockar McDougle, 20th overall, Detroit Lions

Oklahoma State: 6

• 2010: OL Russell Okung, sixth overall, Seattle Seahawks
• 2010: WR Dez Bryant, 24th overall, Dallas Cowboys
• 2009: TE Brandon Pettigrew, 20th overall, Detroit Lions
• 2004: WR Rashaun Woods, 31st overall, San Francisco 49ers
• 2003: DE Kevin Williams, ninth overall, Minnesota Vikings
• 1998: CB R.W. McQuarters, 28th overall, San Francisco 49ers

Missouri: 4

• 2010: LB Sean Weatherspoon, 19th overall, Atlanta Falcons
• 2009: WR Jeremy Maclin, 19th overall, Philadelphia Eagles
• 2009: DT Ziggy Hood, 32nd overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
• 2001: DE Justin Smith, fourth overall, Cincinnati Bengals

Kansas State: 3

• 2009: QB Josh Freeman, 17th overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 2003: CB Terence Newman, fifth overall, Dallas Cowboys
• 1997: DB Chris Canty, 29th overall, New England Patriots

Texas A&M: 2

• 2003: DT Ty Warren, 13th overall, New England Patriots
• 2003: DB Sammy Davis, 30th overall, San Diego Chargers

Texas Tech: 1

• 2009: WR Michael Crabtree, 10th overall, San Francisco 49ers

Kansas: 1

• 2008: CB Aqib Talib, 20th overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baylor: 1

• 2009: OL Jason Smith, 2nd overall, St. Louis Rams

Iowa State: none since 1973 (George Amundson)

A few thoughts and observations:

• I doubt many would be surprised that this list is also a reasonably accurate reflection of overall success since the Big 12's inception in 1996. Obviously, Texas and Oklahoma have dominated. Since 2000, Texas has the nation's fourth-most first-rounders. Oklahoma is No. 6. Their success has paralleled that, along with recruiting rankings.
• In that same breath, it's impossible to look at this list and not once again be impressed with what Mike Leach did. He obviously has the reputation as an overachiever, but looking big picture, he was able to do it with one first-round pick. Nobody beat Texas and Oklahoma more and Leach helped put together what is still the Big 12's longest bowl streak.
• Texas' consistency sticks out, too. Since just 2001, Texas has had two first-rounders in six different seasons. If you've got two first-rounders on your team, you're probably going to be pretty good. The Longhorns, if you haven't noticed, have been. Those two first-rounders in six seasons are more or as many as half the league has in the history of the Big 12. What else you should note? Texas is unlikely to have a first rounder this year, and after Aaron Williams is drafted, Sam Acho probably will be the next to go, which won't be until the third or fourth round.
• Oklahoma State and Missouri's rise over the past three seasons has paid off in the NFL draft. Missouri had three first-rounders in the last two seasons and figures to add two more this year after having just one in the 12-year history of the league before 2009. That's quite a streak, and even more proof of what Gary Pinkel has built at Missouri. One more piece of evidence? Despite losing those two first-rounders, Missouri should be back in the preseason polls next year after losing two of its top players. That's definitely something new in Columbia. The Cowboys figure to add more soon with Justin Blackmon at least. As long as Pinkel and Gundy are at the helm for their respective programs, expect them to continue to rise.
• Don't be surprised by Texas A&M's swoon following R.C. Slocum's departure. From 1990-1998, the Aggies won nine games every season but one. From 1990-96, the Aggies had eight first-round picks. Since 1998? Two seasons with at least nine wins and just two first-round picks.
• More evidence you can't underestimate the importance of having first-round picks? None for Baylor in the history of the Big 12 before Art Briles. In just three years, Briles may have three if the Bears add two more this year with Phil Taylor and Danny Watkins. Taylor and Watkins both came from unlikely sources. Taylor was a Penn State transfer and Watkins a juco transfer that formerly worked as a fireman in Canada.

Mike Gundy has been through this before.

After a 9-4 season in 2008, Oklahoma State brought back quarterback Zac Robinson and receiver Dez Bryant, one of the nation's best. The team also had an All-America running back coming off a 1,500-yard season.

The Cowboys opened the season at No. 8 and rose to the top five after a season-opening victory over Georgia in one of the most anticipated season openers in school history.

Oklahoma State's opener isn't quite as attractive this year, but the build-up to the season?

"Very similar," Gundy said.

Oklahoma State won a school-record 11 games in 2010 and returns one of the nation's best quarterbacks, Brandon Weeden. Justin Blackmon exceeded anything Bryant ever did, leading the nation with 20 receiving touchdowns. He also had 1,782 yards on 111 catches to win the Biletnikoff Award.

Hunter is gone, but in his place, a capable duo with loads of potential in Jeremy Smith and Joseph Randle.

In a recent preseason poll by "College Football Live," the Cowboys rolled in at No. 8.

"We’re so well-received across the country right now and hopefully, the experience we had in the summer prior to 2009 will help our players understand the importance of staying focused and getting ready for a good season," Gundy said.

But back in 2009, after the win over Georgia, the Cowboys' lofty hopes of a title crumbled with a series of setbacks. First, they suffered a loss to Houston the following week. An ankle injury slowed Hunter, and forced senior Keith Toston to fill his role. The NCAA suspended Bryant for the remainder of the season after three games for lying about his relationship with Deion Sanders.

Late in the year, a shoulder injury to Robinson contributed to the Cowboys getting shut out in a loss to Oklahoma and scoring just seven points in a Cotton Bowl loss to Ole Miss.

Two years later, they're trying to avoid the problems that arose during that 9-4 season in 2009, and apply the lessons learned.

"It takes a lot to maintain. They’ve worked extremely hard to raise the level to where they’re at now, but they have to stay focused and have a great offseason," Gundy said. "There’s so many distractions out there nowadays, and it’s important to avoid distractions and take care of everything that’s important off the field as well as on the field."

Last year, the Cowboys were picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 South after losing Robinson, Bryant and four offensive linemen, but with the hype of this offseason, things will be different this fall.

"We’re not going to have the opportunity to sneak up on anybody," Gundy said. "People are obviously aware of who we are, and so we have to go back and earn our stripes each summer and prepare for kicking it off in September."

• A receiver, the younger brother of one of the Red Raiders' running backs, is transferring to Texas Tech from Florida.
• Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown has been compared to Von Miller by at least one teammate, writes Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star. Cue Aggie rage.
• Yes, Missouri and Texas A&M had division champion rings made. Here they are.
• Bob Stoops once hitchhiked several hundred miles to a Bob Seger concert. This time around, he'll probably just drive to Tulsa to see him, reports Dave Sittler of the Tulsa World.
• Texas A&M added a top quarterback and running back to the nation's largest 2012 recruiting class.
• Speaking of the Aggies future, could Texas A&M name defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter the coach-in-waiting? Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman wonders.
• Is an inoperable foot condition poised to push Baylor DT Phil Taylor out of the first round and down teams' draft boards?
• Oklahoma State added a safety from Fort Worth to its 2012 class.
• Dez Bryant settled one of the two lawsuits against him.
• Kansas State quarterback Justin Tuggle is a quick learner, writes Austin Meek of the Topeka Capital-Journal.
• Mike DeArmond of the Kansas City Star says the aerial circus has left Missouri. The Tigers are also looking forward to round-robin play in the Big 12.
• Receivers will be key for Missouri as it breaks in a new quarterback next year, writes Joan Niesen of the Columbia Missourian.
• Missouri also hauled in one of the nation's top running backs over the weekend.
• Oklahoma linebacker Travis Lewis was his entertaining post-spring game self on Saturday, writes John Hoover of the Tulsa World.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- I hope you've all enjoyed our coverage from my visit to Oklahoma State this spring. We'll have some more from Oklahoma in the next week or so, but here's what you've missed from OSU if you're not my most faithful reader.

• Looking back on a visit to Stillwater
• Video: Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon
• OSU's biggest question became strength
• Cowboys have budding star in Shaun Lewis
• Old offense fits new playcaller at OSU

Of course, that's not all. Here's a few more things that didn't fit in any of our previous coverage.

Based on what we saw from him last year, I came to Stillwater with the tentative belief that sophomore cornerback Justin Gilbert could be the fastest player in the Big 12 next season.

He's close, but might not even be the fastest Cowboy, according to Justin Blackmon. Look out for Isaiah Anderson, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior receiver.

"Isaiah might be able to beat him. I’d put my money on Isaiah."

As a sophomore in 2010, Anderson caught 12 passes for 216 yards, but he's impressed Blackmon this spring. A race between the two hasn't gone down, but hey, Cowboys: There's time after practice. Make it happen and get back to me.

A race has already happened at least once. Running back Jeremy Smith lined up for a sprint against receiver Hubert Anyiam this summer. No shocker here. Anyiam took it home.

"I think Hubert is pretty up there when he’s at full strength, but I’d like to see Isaiah and Gilbert race," Weeden said. "[Anderson] was the Texas state sprint champion."

Gilbert?

"He’s definitely one of the quickest, he’s just so smooth," he said.

I'll eagerly await the results of that run-off. Gilbert's been one of the standouts of spring camp, impressing just about everyone. Blackmon was reserved about taking credit for that development in making Gilbert cover him every day, but it definitely can't hurt.

"I just go out there and compete. He does the same thing. I’ll let him know when he does something good and it’s just on and on," he said. "He’s probably the most improved, the guy to look out for most next year."

Weeden and the OC selection

I was curious as to how much say either of the two stars had in coach Mike Gundy selecting Todd Monken as his offensive coordinator. The short answer: Some, but not a ton. Weeden spoke with Monken for about 45 minutes during the interview process, and after the conversation, the quarterback hung up and called Gundy right away to offer his endorsement.

"He was pretty intense," Weeden said.

Monken did most of the talking, while Weeden soaked it up.

"He was excited about the opportunity and wanted to give me a feel for the type of person he was," Weeden said. "We talked a little bit X’s and O’s but more just shooting the bull. I felt good about it."

Blackmon and Monken didn't have any contact until Monken had been hired. They first met during an offseason workout.

Early in the process, Gundy showed Weeden a long list of a few candidates, providing some brief background on each.

"I met with him probably 6-7 times about the whole process," Weeden said. "He’d say, here’s the guys I’m thinking."

Eventually, Gundy narrowed it down to two or three candidates and told Weeden to research them and tell him what he thought.

"Not that my say would have had any matter; he was going to hire who he wanted, but I think he just wanted me to be sure that we weren’t going to change anything for one, and it was going to be a guy I was going to be dealing with," Weeden said. "He wanted to hire a quarterback coach, not a guy who would go and coach receivers. I think that had more to do with [why and how often we met] more than anything."

I don't entirely agree that Weeden's say had no impact, but it's got to feel nice to even have as much say as Weeden did. I highly, highly doubt that Gundy would have hired a coach that Weeden didn't feel comfortable with or didn't feel fit the culture of the program.

Granted, I also imagine Weeden and Gundy had a similar picture of what they wanted in a new hire as well.

On the lockout

Weeden and Blackmon had big decisions to make, but even as players needing information pretty badly, they didn't know much more than the rest of us did when it came to the NFL lockout looming over the end of the season.

"All I heard was that nobody knew what was going to happen," Blackmon said.

The lockout is well past the 30-day mark now, but neither player has spent much time tracking when it will end.

"I'm not following it at all," Weeden said. "Whatever is on SportsCenter, if they say anything."

Anyiam back on track

Anyiam led the team in receiving in 2009, when Dez Bryant missed the final 10 games of the season after lying to NCAA investigators about his relationship with Deion Sanders.

Anyiam looked poised for a big year last year, but tried to play through an ankle injury. His situation was similar to the one Kendall Hunter played through in 2009, and instead of Anyiam, Blackmon emerged as the go-to receiver for the Cowboys.

This spring, though, Anyiam is back on track. Blackmon agreed that Anyiam could be a player who hauls in 60-70 receptions next season.

"I think so," he said. "His confidence is back and I think he’s full speed."

Blackmon emerged early on

Oklahoma State's practices are almost entirely closed, but Missouri's spring and fall camps are both open. As such, it was obvious pretty early that T.J. Moe, who caught two passes as a freshman in 2009, would be a much bigger part of the offense in 2010. He led the team with 92 catches and 1,045 yards.

Was the same true for Blackmon, who had just 20 catches as a freshman but finished with 111 last year in his Biletnikoff Award-winning season?

"On certain days, probably," he said.

Weeden wasn't buying it.

"I disagree. Blackmon’s always been that guy that practices harder than any other guy, even now," he said. "I’m not saying the other guys don’t practice hard, but he’s always balls to the wall. Once we knew Dez wasn’t coming back, we knew somebody had to step up, and Hubert was hurt."

Blackmon and Weeden developed an early connection

Weeden seemed to trust Blackmon enough last year to throw the ball up in plenty of situations you don't see balls being thrown often.

We had a busted play one time [against Louisiana-Lafayette], and every other receiver was on a screen. I saw him throw his hand up and I was like, 'Well, let’s see what happens,' Weeden said. "I figured either he’s going to catch it or nobody’s going to catch it."

Blackmon hauled it on for a 37-yard touchdown in the middle of three defensive backs, his second score of the game.

Weeden said that play cemented his trust, but when did Blackmon know?

"For me, it was that play," Blackmon said.

"And every play on the goal line," Weeden added.