ESPN College Football

The comparisons to the upcoming 2011 season and what Oklahoma experienced in 2009 have been unmistakable.

Now, after the latest news emerging from fall camp in Norman, the similarities have become a bit eerie.

The Sooners opened 2009 as a top-five team with a Heisman-winning quarterback leading a loaded offense with a defense good enough to win a national title a year after coming up short against Florida.

This year, the Sooners opened the coaches' preseason poll as the nation's No. 1 team with a Heisman favorite leading a loaded offense and a defense likely better than the 2009 team. Additionally, the Sooners are coming off a 12-win season that culminated in a BCS bowl win against Connecticut.

But before the 2009 season, just days before the opener against BYU, news leaked that senior tight end Jermaine Gresham, named an All-American after his junior season, had suffered a knee injury. The severity was unknown, but it seemed likely he could return at some point.

Gresham never played again for OU after tests revealed torn cartilage in the knee, and the Sooners suffered a season-opening loss to BYU in Cowboys Stadium. In that loss, Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford played with a shoulder injury that he never fully recovered from. He had midseason surgery and ceded control of the team to Landry Jones.

Which brings us to today. Jones is still healthy. So is the rest of the team.

But linebacker Travis Lewis' toe injury can't help but conjure up scary images of a chase for a title gone awry before it even had a chance to begin.

Unlike the loss of Gresham, the Sooners have a fit replacement for Lewis with tons of promise.

Tight end essentially became irrelevant in Oklahoma's offense, which scored more points than any team in college football history during the run to the national title game in 2008.

Lewis, the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, leaves a void at weakside linebacker, but he's backed up by touted blue-chip recruit Corey Nelson. The only thing keeping Nelson off the field was Lewis, who chose to turn down NFL money and chase a title, just like Gresham, Bradford, Gerald McCoy and Trent Williams did in 2009.

Now is Nelson's opportunity. Fans will get a chance to see him work at his natural position instead of the nickel back spot he'd been working at during fall camp.

This isn't 2009 yet, though it certainly smells similar.

Oklahoma finished 8-5 that season, hurt further by a rash of injuries on the offensive line that at one point forced defensive tackle Stacy McGee (a backup on this year's team) to move to offensive line.

The Sooners can still rise above Lewis' injury. They're good enough everywhere else to beat ranked teams Florida State and Missouri, who have September dates with the Sooners. Lewis could return in October, and until then, weakside linebacker could still remain a strength.

There's no replacing Lewis' experience, or his on-field energy, where he's one of the most talkative players in the league and the defense's unquestioned leader. Nelson can hold things together with his talent, though.

Barring further injury, Nelson and the Sooners have a chance to rewrite the forgettable history of 2009. In September, we'll find out if they can do it.

Thursday morning, Oklahoma senior linebacker Austin Box was found unresponsive and was rushed to a hospital, where he died.

Later that evening, his defensive coordinator and position coach, Brent Venables, eloquently answered questions through tears about his former player.

"Every parent's worst nightmare is to get that call," he said. "We're numb, heartbroken."

On Friday, Venables learned that his brother had died.

"My brother passed away (Friday) unexpectedly. Young, 43 years old. Had to leave town immediately," Venables texted the Tulsa World on Saturday.

Venables and his brother are natives of Salina, Kan.

That concluded an unthinkable week for Venables and the Oklahoma program.

"You can't plan for this," Venables said on Thursday. "There's no blueprint for it. We just know that a young man was tragically taken from us today."

Box's former teammate, Gerald McCoy, was in Oklahoma City last week to donate four new bass drums and new uniforms to the band at his former high high school, and spoke to The Oklahoman about Box.

"I was driving when I got a text from one of my friends that said, ‘Did you hear about Austin Box?'" said McCoy, a teammate of Box's from 2007-09, and now a defensive tackle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “I typed his name on Google, and it said they found him unresponsive at his house and flew him to a hospital. First thing I did was immediately start praying, because unresponsive was already not good. Once I started praying, I simply said, ‘God, just let him wake up, let him respond, let his heart beat, something.'

"When they finally said what they said, it was like shock. I watched the guy when he got recruited, I played with him. We weren't necessarily the closest of friends, but he was my brother because we were teammates.

"He was a great guy to be around, a lot of fun."

Coach Bob Stoops was in Europe last week, but will surely face a trying few months -- if not longer -- when he returns.

Box's funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday in his hometown of Enid, Okla.

Officials began an autopsy on Box on Friday, but the cause of death might not be known until later this week, according to reports.

A group of former Oklahoma players founded the group, "Pros for Africa" and colleague Bruce Feldman profiled the group, which provides water, food, medicine, schools and other humanitarian needs to the war torn continent, specifically Northern Uganda.

The non-profit organization is based in Oklahoma City, and was founded by Roy Williams, Adrian Peterson, Tommie Harris and Mark Clayton.

You'll need ESPN Insider to read the full story, but the group recently took a larger contingent of pro players to Africa, which included another former Sooner, Gerald McCoy, who just finished his rookie season with Tampa Bay.

Says Williams:

"It is so sad," he said. "There are kids everywhere. When you driving along the road to go to Gulu (Uganda), you see kids sharing watering holes with livestock. People always ask, 'Why do you have to go to Africa?' Well, until you see what it's really like over there, you don't realize how huge the need is. If you see how bad they are living, you'll think our homeless here in the States are living in luxury. They can put their hand out and people may give them money. They can go to a Salvation Army and someone will give them food. They can go to a shelter and have a roof over the heads. In Africa, it's so sad. Those are ever-lasting memories.

"I was just looking at some of the pictures we have with the kids. In spite of all the hardships that they go through, they still smile. We complain about a car cutting us off or traffic, where we honk our horns, but come on now. We worry about petty stuff. They have huge problems over there and they don't even complain about anything."

The group raised over $100,000 in 2010, and recently joined up with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which fitted over 2,000 hearing aids for the nation, where hearing loss due to what would likely be a routine ear infection elsewhere is common.

"I tell people all of the time when I speak to kids: It's not about how much money you have in the bank or what kind car you drive. Life is about the kind of impact you have on other people's lives while you're here. I ask them, 'What kind of legacy are you going to leave when you're dead and gone?' I want my legacy to live on through these young kids and women that we're helping so they can bless somebody else."

Good stuff from the former Sooner star most known for his "Superman" play in the Red River Rivalry. Check it out.

For more information on how you can help, check out the Pros for Africa website.

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.

On Wednesday, we wrapped up our look back at the last five years of ESPNU 150 recruits that signed with Big 12 teams.

Here's a quick refresher course on every Big 12 ESPNU 150 signee:

• Big 12 signees in the 2006 ESPNU 150
• Big 12 signees in the 2007 ESPNU 150
• Big 12 signees in the 2008 ESPNU 150
• Big 12 signees in the 2009 ESPNU 150
• Big 12 signees in the 2010 ESPNU 150
• Big 12 signees in the 2011 ESPNU 150

I learned a lot in looking back on these classes, and the spectrum of results was fascinating. Here are a few thoughts:

• There wasn't a Heisman Trophy winner among the bunch -- Oklahoma's Sam Bradford was a three-star recruit -- but there were plenty of All-Americans and All-Big 12 talents, as well as a few draft picks. It's interesting to note that the 2010 class was the only one in which more than one Big 12 Freshman of the Year came to campus as an elite recruit. Oklahoma State linebacker Shaun Lewis and Oklahoma safety Tony Jefferson shared the defensive honors last season.
• I'll count probable draft picks, but here's how many NFL draft picks emerged from each class. Obviously, the most recent classes won't be included, and it tapers off quite a bit as you reach the '08 class, which will have a few more drafted eventually. Any players after the 2008 class are ineligible for the draft.
• 2006: 8
• 2007: 3 (Dez Bryant, Sam Acho, Curtis Brown)
• 2008: 1 (Blaine Gabbert)
• Additionally, I don't have a ton to say about the 09-11 classes because, well, at this point, you can't have much to say. Oklahoma or Texas don't have too many four-year, or even three-year starters at too many positions. It's still very, very early to pass judgment on those guys.
• Obviously there's still time, but the 2008 class looking back was pretty weak in comparison to those around it. It's easily the worst of the four classes, not including 2011. Two of the top five recruits have transferred. The other three in that group have yet to make significant contributions. Players like Jon Major, Cyrus Gray, Emmanuel Acho, Kendall Wright and Landry Jones join Gabbert as some of the best in the class, but guys like Jameel Owens, Kye Staley, Lynn Katoa and Justin Johnson aren't even with the teams they've signed anymore. Plenty of others haven't come close to the projected impact others would hope.
• Compare that to the accomplished 2006 class, which was loaded at the top of the board. DeMarco Murray, Sergio Kindle, Jevan Snead, Gerald McCoy and Eddie Jones won't make anybody say, "Who?" That's a strong top 5. Mike Goodson, Jeremy Beal, Josh Freeman, and Jermaine Gresham could all have solid NFL careers, too. In my book, this is the class others will have to live up to.
• One quick thought: Are Jevan Snead and Josh Freeman's careers the inverses of each other?
• I'll give a full breakdown of the team totals later on next week, but I was shocked at how few Nebraska reeled in. From 2006-10, they had just three. S Rickey Thenarse signed in '06, OT Baker Steinkuhler signed in '08 and OG Andrew Rodriguez signed in '10. Steinkuhler, of course, has moved to defensive tackle since. For a team that's won the North the past two seasons and at times looked like a national title contender in 2010, that's a pretty solid endorsement of Bo Pelini's coaching. He's won 29 games in his first three seasons, and his nationally-ranked class in 2011 signed four ESPNU 150 recruits alone. For all you non-mathematicians out there, that's more than 06-10 combined. That has to give Nebraska fans a whole lot of confidence about the program moving forward, even if three of those four signees are from Texas, where Nebraska may struggle to recruit after its move to the Big Ten. That, however, is a whole different post and discussion.
• As an overview of all this, I can't stand it when people decry the recruiting rankings system all together, declaring it worthless. It's not. I also can't stand it when others contend the rankings mean everything. They don't. The truth is right where it usually is: somewhere in the middle. Cite all the two-star recruits you want. I can come back with 10 more that showed in their college careers why they were two-star recruits. You can build a successful program on three and four-star signees, but the facts are this: if you keep reeling in top-level recruits, you've got a much, much greater chance of having big success. Bottom line, that's the truth. You'll encounter some busts among the five-stars. You'll encounter some gems in the two-stars. But recruiting rankings mean something, just not as much or as little as people like to think sometimes.

ESPN the Magazine had a fascinating feature looking back at the past 25 No. 1 high school recruits, where they are now and what the ranking meant to them. With apologies to Vince Young, there aren't a ton of Big 12 talents on the list, but there have been plenty of great recruits to come through the Big 12. We took a look on Thursday at how the All-Big 12 team stacked up as recruits, and you saw quite a mixed bag.

Well, it's the same for the recruits who came to campus with high rankings and high profiles. Going back to 2006, here's how every Big 12 commit from the ESPNU 150 turned out. We'll look at 2006 in this post before eventually reaching 2010 and the current class, 2011, by signing day.

2006

No. 6: DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma. Murray set the school records for touchdowns (64) and all-purpose yards (6,498) as a Sooner. He's projected to be drafted on the first day of this year's NFL Draft.

No. 7: Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas. Kindle was a finalist for the Butkus and Hendricks Awards and was a two-time All-Big 12 performer with 176 career tackles. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round last year's NFL Draft, but missed his rookie season after fracturing his skull in a fall on the stairs at his home.

No. 13: Jevan Snead, QB, Texas. Lost a quarterback battle to Colt McCoy following the 2005 season. Played sparingly as a freshman before transferring to Ole Miss. Went undrafted in 2010. Now plays for Arena League's Tampa Bay Storm.

No. 21: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma. McCoy was a Lombardi finalist, a three-time All-Big 12 performer, a two-time All-American who left Oklahoma after his junior season and was selected No. 3 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2010 NFL Draft.

No. 22: Eddie Jones, DE, Texas. Jones just finished his career at Texas with an All-Big 12 honorable mention year in 2010. Finished his career with 111 tackles and 13.5 sacks.

No. 34: J'Marcus Webb, OT, Texas. Webb played one year at Texas before transferring to Navarro College and eventually West Texas A&M. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2010 draft and spent the season with the Chicago Bears.

No. 36: Adron Tennell, WR, Oklahoma. Tennell finished his four-year career at Oklahoma with 40 catches, 505 yards and five touchdowns.

No. 42: Dustin Earnest, LB, Texas. Earnest finished his career in 2010 with 84 tackles and a sack for the Longhorns.

No. 45: Mike Goodson, RB, Texas A&M. Goodson was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2006 with his career high 847 yards. He finished with 1,966 yards and 13 TDs in three seasons before being drafted in the fourth round by the Carolina Panthers.

No. 67: Phillip Payne, WR, Texas. Caught his first career pass in 2009, his third year at UT, before transferring after the season.

No. 75: Derek Burton, DE, Oklahoma State. Started 15 games in four years for the Cowboys, recording 67 career tackles.

No. 82: Ben Alexander, DT, Texas. Made four career starts, with 51 tackles and half a sack in 38 career appearances.

No. 104: Terrance Anderson, CB, Oklahoma State. Made 96 tackles in four years with the Cowboys. Had four career interceptions.

No. 110: Jonathan Nelson, CB, Oklahoma. Started all 14 games in 2010 for the Sooners after earning All-Big 12 honorable mention as a junior in 2009. Finished career with 155 tackles and five interceptions.

No. 111: Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma. Caught 111 passes for 1,629 yards and 26 touchdowns in three seasons, including an All-American season in 2008. Missed all of 2009 with knee injury. Drafted No. 21 overall in the 2010 draft by Cincinnati Bengals.

No. 137: Jeremy Beal, DE, Oklahoma. Had 224 tackles, 58.5 tackles for loss, and 29 sacks in four seasons, including three All-Big 12 seasons, an All-American season and was a Hendricks Award finalist in 2009. Projects as middle-round pick in 2011 NFL Draft.

No. 141: Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State. Threw for 8,078 yards and 44 touchdowns and 34 interceptions in 35 career games. Also ran for 404 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior. Drafted No. 17 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2010 NFL Draft.

We've seen this show before.

This time two years ago, Oklahoma was beaming. Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford announced his intention to return to Oklahoma for his junior season, despite being a possible No. 1 pick.

Tight end Jermaine Gresham, offensive tackle Trent Williams and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy elected to do the same.

Their intentions were clear: national championship or bust.

The Sooners had been denied by Florida in the title game weeks earlier, but looked in position for a second run in 2009.

Fresh off a dominant 48-20 win over 8-4 Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl, linebacker Travis Lewis elected to return for his senior season. Coach Bob Stoops advised both Lewis and receiver Ryan Broyles to stay at Oklahoma.

"I’m coming back to win a national championship," Lewis said. "Anything else would be a disappointment."

Sound familiar? It should.

Even with Broyles, Oklahoma won't look the part of the defending national runner-up that came back for the 2009 season. But one thing is certain, it'll be a whole lot better than the Oklahoma team that finished the 2009 season in the Sun Bowl.

Gresham never made it to the season opener, tearing cartilage in his knee just days before and missing the entire season. Bradford's season was derailed in the first half of the opener when he sprained his AC joint in his throwing shoulder and eventually required surgery.

Williams and McCoy had solid seasons, but with apologies to Ndamukong Suh, offensive and defensive tackles don't win ballgames in the Big 12.

Now, a year after beating Stanford in the Sun Bowl, Lewis is willing to risk injury in the pursuit of the Sooners' first title since 2000.

Despite Gresham and Bradford's serious injuries, both remained first-round picks. Bradford was drafted No. 1 and looks like a favorite for the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Broyles is still undecided, but Stoops' recommendation that he stay has to weigh heavily on the receiver. Considering the past, why wouldn't it?

Lewis wasn't scared, and if Broyles commits to being a Sooner in 2011, you can be sure, any memory of those costly injuries is distant.

I'll take a page from fellow blogger Chris Low out east in the SEC and take some time to recognize the elder statesmen of the Big 12. We'll tackle the South right now and if you missed it, here's who deserved recognition from the North.

There's plenty of talented underclassmen across the Big 12 -- 10 members of the All-Big 12 first team carry the designation -- but every program needs solid seniors on the field and in the locker room.

With the exception of junior college transfers, these are players who gave everything they had to a program for four and five years. As such, here's a salute to guys who meant a lot to their teams this year:

Danny Watkins, LT, Baylor: The former fireman and Canadian native has been a mainstay on the Bears' offensive line the past two seasons after transferring from junior college. He turned 26 last month, and for all the attention that a quarterback in the Big 12's age has gotten this year, Watkins was pretty valuable to his team, too. The perspective that comes with having gone into the work force after high school rather than straight into big time college football can be passed down to Baylor's young talent. Watkins, in fact, never even played football until he went to junior college.

Jeremy Beal, DE, Oklahoma: Beal has quietly gone about his business the past three years, while others around him like Gerald McCoy, Sam Bradford or Travis Lewis have become perhaps more well-known Sooners during his time. Beal came to Oklahoma in 2006, but in his final three seasons, he never had fewer than 8.5 sacks, and developed a reputation as one of the league's best pure pass rushers, earning the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year nod from the media.

Kendall Hunter, RB, Oklahoma State: Hunter's well-known for being a man of few words, but his play did plenty of talking in 2010, giving the Cowboys an edge on the ground that few spread offenses possess. Returning from a frustrating ankle injury, he ran for 1,516 yards to lead the Big 12 in rushing, his second career season with at least 1,500 yards. That earned him Doak Walker Award finalist status, and a trip to the college football awards last week.

Sam Acho, DE, Texas: Texas had a year to forget in 2010, but Acho didn't play like it. He was certainly one of the only ones, and at the Longhorns' team banquet over the weekend, earned at least a share of nine of the 14 awards given out to the Longhorns players. There was plenty of distinction elsewhere, including the distinguished, so-called "Academic Heisman" and All-Big 12 honors for a year with eight sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, and five forced fumbles. He also earned a spot on the AFCA Good Works Team for his work with his parents as missionaries in Nigeria.

Jerrod Johnson, QB, Texas A&M: Johnson grew up an Aggie outside Houston, and if his teammates weren't as sure about what that really meant, Johnson took it upon himself to educate them. Then, when faced with the toughest situation of his life on the field, Johnson lived it. He was benched midseason for Ryan Tannehill, but spent the last half of the year doing nothing but helping Tannehill succeed and supporting his teammates on the sidelines. Texas A&M had one of its best seasons in Big 12 history this year, and though Johnson wasn't playing, his off-the-field efforts had a lot to do with the successes of the Aggies on it.

Colby Whitlock, DT, Texas Tech: Whitlock was one of the most important pieces of Texas Tech's defense up front, helping plug up the middle with 8.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. That's nothing new, of course. Whitlock's been a consistent contributor for the Red Raiders defense for four seasons. In those years, he's racked up 31 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.

The Oklahoma Sooners earned an unfavorable reputation as the 2009 season dragged. With a perfect 6-0 record at home, the Sooners looked almost invincible at Owen Field. Away from home, Oklahoma was just 2-5.

This year's Sooners are different and they have plenty to prove -- only part of which is shedding that tag of a team that leaves its best play at home. Oklahoma already outlasted Texas in the Cotton Bowl earlier this month and beat Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati in September.

"We’re staying healthy and we’ve got the whole nucleus from last year back this year. We’re just a tougher team," said linebacker Travis Lewis. "We learned from those close games, those tough losses. Then you mix that with this team this year and we're just a tougher, more healthy team."

This team will face its toughest road test of the season so far on Saturday when it travels to No. 11 Missouri to play the Tigers.

Win this game, and any talk of a team that struggles on the road should end immediately. Last year's offense was hit the worst by the injuries: shuffling out offensive linemen nearly every week, and playing without two of its best players in tight end Jermaine Gresham and quarterback Sam Bradford for almost the entire season.

This year's defense lost both cornerbacks, two linebackers and three defensive linemen to the NFL, including Gerald McCoy, who was picked third overall in April's draft. After early struggles by the unit, including giving up more than 350 yards on the ground to Air Force and more than 340 yards through the air to Utah State, the defense is finding the consistency to keep its winning streak alive.

"We've always known we were capable of being a great defense, we just haven't been consistent, and we've been giving up some big plays," Lewis said.

That wasn't the case last week, when the Sooners shut out Iowa State and looked more like their dominant selves in 2009, when they recorded shutouts against Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Idaho State.

"That bye week helped," Lewis said. "It helped settle us down, brought us back to health and helped us get a reality check."

And after that performance, the Sooners bring a No. 1 rank in the BCS standings to take on the Tigers. On Monday, the day after the Sooners won the meaningless midseason crown, Lewis, a team captain, exercised some leadership.

"It’s great from a recognition standpoint, but it can also be a bad thing. Some guys can become complacent. I just stressed to our players, don’t talk about it, don’t think about it, you still have to win every game. Go out there and play," Lewis said. "I told them I've been on No. 1 teams, I've played No. 1 teams ... Ohio State lost last week. Alabama lost the week before. No. 1 means nothing. It just means you've got a bigger target on your chest and you have to work that much harder."

And when Lewis looks back on how his team has played through its first six games, it's hard to find any satisfaction in the ranking.

"We’ve still got a lot to prove. Especially from a defense standpoint. We're ranked like 80th or 90th in the country, so we don't have much room to be complacent," Lewis said. "We all feel the same way, that we haven’t played like the No. 1 team in the nation."

1. Horns cannot live on defense alone. Texas' offense was bad for 60 minutes, and the defense looked ordinary for the final 30. It all added up to a 22-point home loss to a 16-point underdog in UCLA -- a Bruins team that was shut out at home to weeks ago by Stanford. Texas failed to run the ball effectively, never put together a drive through the air and looked inexperienced after UCLA scored on its opening possession of the second half to take a 20-3 lead. Nebraska's poor offense tried to rely on a world-class defense last year and finished with four losses. Texas might face the same fate this year, or worse, if the defense plays like it did in the second half. A 13-10 loss to UCLA because of an inept Texas offense wouldn't have surprised me. But the defense looked ordinary in the second half and if the unit doesn't return to form quickly, we may have to reconsider whether the Longhorns are actually any good.

2. It's good to have a zero in the loss column. Take deep breaths and don't worry about style points, you unblemished Midwestern squads. For now, that's Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. Texas proved everyone is vulnerable with one bad day, but so far this season Nebraska (SDSU), Missouri (the other SDSU), Texas A&M (FIU), Oklahoma (USU) and Oklahoma State (Troy) survived their bad days. Quality of opponent certainly had a lot to do with that, but if any of those other five teams struggled against a better team, they'd be carrying a loss into conference play, too.

3. Hold the phone on January hotel reservations in Phoenix, Nebraska fans. The defense looked vulnerable to the running game for the third week in four outings so far this season and Taylor Martinez morphed into a mistake-prone redshirt freshman. Nebraska's a great team with the potential to make a title run, but everybody would agree that another day like Saturday for the Cornhuskers will mean a loss in conference play. With a young front seven and the ball so often in the hands of a freshman, it's a real possibility for Nebraska. Everyone saw the best version of the team last week in Seattle. Based on coach Bo Pelini's comments after the win over South Dakota State, we saw the worst version on Saturday. (Side note: After what happened to Kansas, do the Dakota states have some sort of vendetta against the Big 12?)

4. Oklahoma's defense might get better, but it's not very consistent. Utah State torched them through the air. Then the Sooners effectively ended Christian Ponder's Heisman candidacy. A week later, Air Force rolled up 351 rushing yards. On Saturday, a struggling Cincinnati offense had running back Isaiah Pead rush for 169 yards and Zach Collaros threw for more than 300 yards. Timely turnovers meant a win for the Sooners. But without DT Gerald McCoy and having to break in two new corners and linebackers, this is not the Oklahoma defense that ranked in the national top 10 in total defense in 2009.

5. Kansas State has guts. I swear, there may not be a more boring team to watch in college football, especially when teams bottle up Daniel Thomas, who still is making a strong case as college football's best running back. (Note to Mark Ingram, Kendall Hunter, John Clay, DeMarco Murray, Noel Devine and Jacquizz Rodgers: Look at what is around you. Look at what is around Daniel Thomas. Then look at his numbers. Then look at yours.) But twice this season, Kansas State has needed big plays. Both times, it's gotten them. No team has been in tighter games more constantly than the Wildcats, and for as underwhelming as its win over UCLA looked after the Bruins lost to Stanford, check out how it looks now. I already christened the game-winner on Saturday as the "Drive of the Year" in the conference, and the confidence Carson Coffman gained from it might mean it'll happen again. Pair that up with Nebraska's vulnerability to the run, and I'll say it: On October 7, Huskers beware.

Not everything can fit neatly into a feature like the one you read on Tuesday about Oklahoma linebacker Travis Lewis. Here's a few tidbits that didn't make the story:

• Important news first: Lewis plans on sporting a Mohawk for the 2010 season, most likely one of the broad, short variety. "I’ve still gotta look good. The ladies still gotta like it," Lewis said. "It’s going to be the nice, casual thing."
• Conversely, freshman linebacker Tom Wort, who sported a bright red Mohawk for the spring game, has lost his. "He cut it off because he dyed it red and it looked ridiculous, but I think he might go back to it," Lewis said.
• On the subject of young linebackers, Wort and sophomore Ronnell Lewis have Travis Lewis excited for the defense's potential in 2010, even if the other two linebacking spots haven't been sewed up. "Those guys love football. They love to be out there, they love to hit. Both of them, they’ll bring the hat to you every time," Lewis said. "The way they prepare, being in the film room, they’re not making the same mistakes every day. They’re working on it and you could see it in practice. They’re wanting to get better, other two backer jobs are up in the air, and I don’t think Coach V [defensive coordinator Brent Venables] has made any kind of decision as to who he wants out there. And that’s going to be good for our team because that’s going to take us into two-a-days and they’re really going to have to compete if they want it."
• Gerald McCoy's outgoing nature inspired part of Lewis' move to become more vocal this year, but it's also part of why he wasn't last year. "GK was definitely that guy. You can see with every interview he does and just being around him, he brings that enthusiasm anywhere he’s going to be," Lewis said. Now, it's Lewis' turn to be that guy. "He’s one of those players you love to be around and you love to play next to. He’s going to show up every game and that’s what I want to model myself after."
• Lewis is well aware his antics might come off the wrong way, and stressed that he's always been a trash talker. He just kept his mouth shut until he felt he was established both as a force on the field and in the locker room for his team. "I don’t think I’d proven myself to joke around to the extent that I do now. I made a couple first-team selections, but as far as how I thought I played, and how Coach [Venables] thought I played, there was room for a lot of improvement," Lewis said. "The whole spring ball, we saw flashes of that first-team all-conference linebacker. And that’s the main thing. Once we saw that and kept working, and I was able to gain the respect of the coaches and players, and they saw how I worked, how I prepared and how I practiced. And then, when it was time to let loose and do our thing, I wanted to show them 'let's have fun with it.' In the end, it’s all a game and we love to play."
• Lewis is in the middle of a three-week "vacation" at home in San Antonio before returning to campus later this month. "My little three-week vacation consists of maybe going to the river, but mainly working out, getting ready for the season."

The talk began as soon as the teams were divided. Travis Lewis promised a shutout for his team in Oklahoma's spring game. Give the linebacker three points and you guaranteed yourself a win, he told his offense -- and anyone else who would listen.

Lewis backed up his talk on a rainy spring Saturday, leading the White team to a 23-0 win, but he saved his most talked-about performance for the postgame.

The junior strolled into the interview room with a backward white hat, a white shirt, white pants and white shoes. He also wore a wide smile underneath a big pair of dark sunglasses that glared across the room at the losing Red team. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables was one of the first to get a look at his defense's new leader.

"Coach V loved it, he broke out laughing, he went crazy.

"Coach [Bob] Stoops was in there, and his face lit up," Lewis said. "But the main reaction I got was, 'Is this guy serious?'"

Lewis plans to tone it down -- at least off the field -- once his opponents aren't also his teammates. But with Gerald McCoy gone to the NFL, Lewis plans on being a new, even more animated mouthpiece for the Sooner defense.

"I might bring out the shades after a win -- a big win, I’ll definitely bring out the shades and have that swag out there," Lewis said. "Definitely if we beat Texas, you will definitely see the glasses."

Lewis has backed up his talk in his two years at Oklahoma. A 6-foot-2, 232-pounder from San Antonio, he was named Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2008 and has earned All-Big 12 first-team honors in both of his seasons in Norman.

"I know what to do and since I’m taking more control of the defense, I’m able to have more fun out there. I’m able to go out there and get the guys riled up, and having fun playing football. I think it’ll make our team better, when people are having and fun flying around and not thinking about being tired or what to do, just thinking about going out there and getting the next hit -- or big hit -- it just makes your team better," Lewis said. "I’ve always been a pretty vocal guy a guy who goes out there and definitely likes to talk trash and you know, get other players thinking about me. That’s always been a part of my game."

But the motivation to take his swagger over the top still needed to arrive. ESPN's recent 30 for 30 documentary, "The U," provided the extra motivation for Lewis.

"I want us to have that Miami swag of old," Lewis said. "The swag they went out there and played with, and the confidence they went out there and played with, I want that. I want that for this team. I want players to go out there and have fun. There’s no doubt in my mind that we can beat and we can shut out anyone that we play.

"I want us all to talk a little mess. Have fun with it. You only get to play this game for a short time, you don’t play forever so go out there and have fun."

The way Oklahoma's defense played last season, especially near the end, gives Lewis faith that he and the 10 guys around him can back up future smack. The Sooners shut out rival Oklahoma State in the regular-season finale and Lewis said Oklahoma kept Stanford's offense "in check" in a 31-27 win in the Sun Bowl.

For the season, they gave up just 14.5 points per game, seventh-fewest nationally and No. 2 in the Big 12, behind top-ranked Nebraska.

"We don’t want to give up anything," Lewis said. "We want to be the best defense in the Big 12 and the best in all of football, the goal hasn’t changed."

Even if Lewis' attitude -- at least on the outside -- has.

Here, we'll take a look at a couple of key players going, staying and coming for each team in the Big 12.

Going:

Trent Williams, OT

Before last season, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson called Williams the best lineman he'd ever coached. Even though the offensive line heard plenty of criticism during last season, Williams parlayed his performance into a top-five selection in the NFL draft. He and Gerald McCoy were the only ones among Oklahoma's Big Four who came back after a national runner-up season in 2008 that didn't suffer a serious injury. The first-team All-American showed he was the nation's best offensive tackle last season, which was confirmed in April's draft.

Gerald McCoy, DT

McCoy was the heart of Oklahoma's top-10 defense in 2009 and stayed healthy throughout the season, unlike fellow first-round draft picks Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham. McCoy was drafted No. 3 in last month's draft after starting every game for three seasons and notching 15.5 tackles for loss in 2009.

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Staying:

Ryan Broyles, WR

Broyles enters his junior season as the top returning receiver in the conference. His 1,120 receiving yards on 89 catches helped spur Landry Jones' development, and he did it while missing almost two full games and playing with a still-healing fractured shoulder blade against Texas. The speedy, 5-foot-11 Broyles is one of the most dangerous players in the conference after the catch and in the open field, and could continue his punt-returning duties (first-team All-Big 12) in what should be another big year in 2010.

Travis Lewis, LB

Lewis embraced his role as the new voice and leader of the Sooners defense this spring, gearing up for a season alongside two newcomers at linebacker. Lewis led the team in tackles as a freshman (144) and sophomore (109) and could do it again in 2010. Lewis was named to the All-Big 12 first team in both seasons and it'd be surprising to not see him there again this season.

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Coming:

Kenny Stills, WR

Stills could help bolster a unit that, outside of Broyles, struggled in 2009. The Sooners worked all season to find a second target opposite Broyles, and may have done it in junior Dejuan Miller, but Stills showed he had potential to be an impact player as a true freshman. The early enrolling freshman came to Oklahoma as the No. 36 receiver in his class, according to Scouts Inc., but he could end up being the No. 2 receiver for the Sooners. He led all receivers in the spring game with 84 yards and a touchdown on six catches.

Bronson Irwin, OL

Oklahoma's offensive line was forced to enlist the services of walk-on Brian Lepak late last season. Irwin, who also enrolled early, could give the line the additional depth it could have used last season, but might need to use this season. The 6-foot-5, 322-pound Mustang, Okla., native came to Norman as the nation's No. 22 offensive tackle prospect, and got a jump start on his fellow incoming linemen with his work this spring.

More Revolving Door:

• Baylor
• Colorado
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Missouri
• Nebraska
  

2009 overall record: 8-5

2009 conference record: 5-3

Returning starters: Offense (9), Defense(4) P/K (2)

Top returners: QB Landry Jones, RB DeMarco Murray, LB Travis Lewis, S Quinton Carter, WR Ryan Broyles, DE Jeremy Beal, DE Frank Alexander

Key losses: DT Gerald McCoy, OL Trent Williams, QB Sam Bradford, RB Chris Brown, DE Auston English, OL Brian Simmons, OL Brody Eldridge


2009 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Chris Brown (774 yards)

Passing: Landry Jones* (3,198 yards)

Receiving: Ryan Broyles* (1,120 yards)

Tackles: Travis Lewis* (108)

Sacks: Jeremy Beal* (11)

Interceptions: Brian Jackson (4)

Three spring answers

1. O-line no longer offensive. Coach Bob Stoops tabbed his offensive and defensive lines as two of the most improved units on the team, a big difference from a year ago when Stoops called out his offensive linemen for not working hard enough. Part of the problem last season was injuries, and right guard Eric Mensik was lost for six weeks with an MCL injury, but even without their three best blockers from a season ago, the line is further ahead as a unit than they were last spring.

2. Young talent rising. Plenty of young players didn’t get on the field in 2009, for various reasons, whether it be injury, more experienced talent, or still being in high school. But linebackers Tom Wort and Ronnell Lewis, along with cornerback Demontre Hurst and receiver Kenny Stills could be big parts of Oklahoma’s 2010 team. Lewis will help replace one of the linebacker positions vacated by Ryan Reynolds and Keenan Clayon, but moved around in the spring. Wort is a likely starter as well after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. Hurst will help replace one of the corner positions vacated by Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson. And Stills could start for a receiving corps that struggled in 2009.

3. Lewis takes the reins. Oklahoma’s defense won’t be short on talent, headlined by defensive ends Jeremy Beal and Frank Alexander. But junior linebacker Travis Lewis, the team’s leading tackler as a sophomore, is ready to take over as the voice of the team, talking plenty of trash before the spring game and backing it up with his play, helping his team pitch a shutout. Gerald McCoy was the heart of the defense last season. This year, it’s Travis Lewis.

Three fall questions

1. Can the Sooners stay healthy? The theme for last season was injuries everywhere for the Sooners. Stoops says confidently he isn’t changing a thing, and it’s the right move. But it won’t stop fans—and maybe a couple of coaches—from cringing every time a player goes down awkwardly. Injuries turned the Sooners from a national title contender into an eight-win team a year ago, and another year of getting beat up could add to the frustration.

2. How much better will Landry Jones be? Jones played well when forced into action early by Sam Bradford’s injured shoulder. He played poorly in games against Texas and Nebraska, but finished the season with a career-high 418 yards and three touchdowns against Stanford. Jones is loaded with potential, and Stoops is optimistic at how Jones will look after a full spring and fall as starter.

3. Do the Sooners have a kicker? Jimmy Stevens lost his job to walk-on Patrick O’Hara late last season, but the two combined were just 1-of-8 from beyond 40 yards last season. A rainy spring game did little to settle the spring debate, and a couple misses on reasonable kicks by whoever wins the job in the fall could lead to another switch.