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It's always fun looking back on what we thought in the preseason, and today, we'll take another look.

Here's who made the postseason team.

How did our All-Big 12 preseason team stack up at season's end?

DEFENSE

DL: Brad Madison, Missouri

• Madison ranked 11th in the Big 12 with 4.5 sacks and 16th with 8.5 tackles for loss and didn't earn a spot on any All-Big 12 first or second teams, though his teammate, Jacquies Smith, cracked the media and coaches' second team.

DL: Tony Jerod-Eddie, Texas A&M

• Jerod-Eddie had four sacks and six tackles for loss with 47 total stops, but didn't crack any All-Big 12 first or second teams.

DL: Kheeston Randall, Texas

• Randall was eighth on the team with four tackles for loss and had 29 tackles with one sack. He wasn't named to any All-Big 12 first or second teams.

DL: Frank Alexander, Oklahoma

• Alexander led the Big 12 with 18 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by the media and shared the coaches award with A.J. Klein of Iowa State. He, of course, was a unanimous All-Big 12 first-team selection.

LB: Travis Lewis, Oklahoma

• Lewis suffered a broken toe in preseason camp, and finished second on the team with 79 tackles, his first season at OU with fewer than 108 tackles. He made the media and coaches' second Big 12 teams.

LB: Jake Knott, Iowa State

• Knott finished third in the Big 12 with 107 tackles and made the media any my first Big 12 teams. The coaches put Knott on the second team.

LB: Keenan Robinson, Texas

• Robinson finished second on the team and 10th in the Big 12 with 90 tackles and made the coaches' second Big 12 team.

DB: Coryell Judie, Texas A&M

• Judie fought a hamstring injury all season and didn't make any All-Big 12 teams after making 21 tackles and forcing one fumble.

DB: Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State

• Martin made a few All-American teams and earned All-Big 12 first-team honors from the coaches and me after making 65 tackles and breaking up 11 passes. The media voted him second team.

DB: Trent Hunter, Texas A&M

• Hunter made 73 tackles and broke up eight passes, but didn't earn any first or second-team honors.

DB: Demontre Hurst, Oklahoma

• Hurst earned second-team honors from the coaches after making 51 tackles and having 10 pass breakups. He also returned his lone interception for a touchdown against Texas.

SPECIALISTS

K: Grant Ressel, Missouri

• Ressel didn't earn any first or second team honors after making just 9-of-16 kicks and making all 30 of his extra points.

P: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State

• Sharp earned All-Big 12 first team honors from the media and coaches after averaging over 46 yards on his 42 punts.

KR: Coryell Judie, Texas A&M

• Injuries prevented Judie from returning more than eight kicks this season. He averaged 25 yards per return on his eight returns and didn't make any All-Big 12 teams.

PR: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

• Broyles returned 19 punts at an average of just over 10 yards, and didn't earn any All-Big 12 teams as a punt returner.

AWARDS

Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Blackmon, WR, OSU

• Blackmon got surpassed by Heisman winner Robert Griffin III. No shame in that.

Defensive Player of the Year: Travis Lewis, LB, Oklahoma

• An injury derailed Lewis' season and he never looked like his usual self during the season, ceding Player of the Year honors to his teammate, Frank Alexander.

Newcomer of the Year: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State

• Brown won my Big Newcomer of the Year Award and the Defensive Newcomer of the Year from the coaches and media.

Some surprising news before we've even hit high noon in Big 12 country.

Texas A&M will be without star cornerback Coryell Judie, who's been battling a nagging hamstring all season. Judie also returns kicks for the Aggies. The injury has slowed him all season, but Lionel Smith got his second start of the season today against Missouri.

Not only will the Aggies miss Judie's playmaking ability on special teams today, but the last time he missed a game, the Aggies suffered a come-from-ahead loss to Oklahoma State and gave up 439 passing yards to Brandon Weeden.

Granted, they gave up 510 to Arkansas with Judie in the lineup the next week in a similar loss, but he'll be missed dearly against Missouri's passing offense.

The Tigers, though, are dealing with a big injury of their own.

Struggling kicker Grant Ressel is out today with a hip injury, and the placekicking and kickoff duties will go to punter Trey Barrow.

Ressel was one of the league's most reliable kickers until this season, when he's made just 9-of-16 kicks.

We'll see how Barrow does, but those two talents will leave pretty big holes in their respective teams.

Five Big 12 players are semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, given annually to the "absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation."

There are 127 semifinalists for the award.

The Big 12 nominees:

• Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
• Tysyn Hartman, S, Kansas State
• Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
• Grant Ressel, K, Missouri
• Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State

Texas DE Sam Acho, Emmanuel Acho's older brother, won the award in 2010.

Here are the criteria:

Nominated by their schools, candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.

Texas' Dallas Griffin in 2007 is the only other Big 12 player to win the award.

Anyone who stayed up and watched that AFC West pillow fight last night deserves some sort of subsidy.

• Monday's announcement from the SEC could mean change is afoot for the Pac-12, writes George Schroeder of the Eugene Register-Guard.
• For Texas? Its realignment options look like they're down to three.
• Saturday was a big win for Iowa State, but it has its sights set on more, writes Andrew Logue of the Des Moines Register. Two Iowa State players were charged over the weekend, too.
• How in the heck didn't Sooners star Dominique Whaley start at running back at NAIA Langston? Because of this guy, writes Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman.
• Missouri kicker Grant Ressel isn't making any excuses for his big miss on Friday, writes Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• Why hasn't anybody told Baylor president Kenneth Starr he needs to either shut his mouth or tell the truth, writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
• Oklahoma State swiped a recruit from Texas A&M's commitment list.
• How much are top-tier athletes worth?
• Two injured starters are back for Missouri.
• Is Baylor the most disrespected team in this week's poll? Bryan Fischer at CBSSports.com says so.
• Oklahoma officially won't have star linebacker Travis Lewis when it plays Florida State on Saturday.
• Texas' QB change came at the right time, writes Cedric Golden of the Austin American-Statesman. Whoever keeps the job will be the guy who moves the chains and scores points, writes the Statesman's Kirk Bohls.
• A long day on Saturday means lots of time to kill. Gina Mizell of The Oklahoman tells you how Oklahoma State will spend it before Saturday's kickoff after 10 p.m. ET.
• A Kansas safety was booked into jail on Friday.
• Dave Sittler asks former OU coach Barry Switzer what he thinks about a possible move to the Pac-12.

Our weekly look back at the games that were:

Best offensive player: Steele Jantz, QB, Iowa State. The quarterback accounted for 321 yards of total offense in just his second start, a three-overtime win over in-state rival Iowa. He threw for four touchdowns and 279 yards on 25-of-37 passing and ran for 42 more yards, making a handful of clutch plays late to extend the game and, eventually, win it.

Best defensive player: Zaviar Gooden, LB, Missouri. There weren't any huge games in the Big 12 this week, but Gooden filled up the stat sheet with a nice performance, notching nine tackles (all solo), a sack and blocking an extra point. Those are kind of big when a game goes to overtime, even if the Tigers lost.

Best team performance: Oklahoma State. The Cowboys were the only team whose game didn't go down to the wire this weekend, but the Cowboys thoroughly dominated a pretty good Arizona team, albeit one that wasn't at full strength. The 37-14 win was reminiscent of its bowl win over the Wildcats, but the offense was as advertised and the defense was solid.

Best game: Iowa State 44, Iowa 41. If you didn't see Saturday's early game, you missed a thriller. Iowa led 10-0. Then Iowa State tied it. Then Iowa led 16-10. Then Iowa State took a 17-16 lead. Then Iowa led 24-17. Then Iowa State tied it at 24 with 77 seconds left. The two traded touchdowns in the first two overtimes before Iowa State's James White clinched the win with a four-yard touchdown run and the stands at Jack Trice Stadium emptied onto the field.

Best place to be: Iowa State's locker room after the game. Paul Rhoads is an emotional guy, and is perhaps best known for his memorable postgame speeches after wins against Nebraska and Texas, and though we haven't seen a YouTube yet, Rhoads' voice was already cracking a bit in a postgame TV interview. "He was passionate,” LT Kelechi Osemele said of the postgame speech. "He cried. A lot of players were in there crying. He talked about playing with a chip on our shoulder and how proud he was. Ranking his great speeches, I think this one was the best."

Best ability to do nothing right: Everyone behind the Cy-Hawk trophy. So, to summarize: The Cy-Hawk trophy was already kind of terrible. Then the fine people at Iowa Corn unleashed this monstrosity/embarrassment. Which met strong, deserved backlash, and was replaced with this interim trophy, which was moderately terrible and generic but not "We Must Replace" bad. And when Iowa State won, its players sprinted to the opposite sideline to retrieve it, but the top half of the trophy atop the base broke off in about a minute. Let's give these guys a round of applause.

Worst quarter and change: Garrett Gilbert. Gilbert looked OK last week against Rice, but against BYU, he was 2-of-8 for eight yards and two interceptions. That is just an epically bad stat line. It's nothing personal against Gilbert, but his benching was long overdue. As odd as the two-quarterback approach may be for Texas, with Ash's limited packages and strong legs and Case McCoy's care with the ball, I expect to see both on the field for the foreseeable future.

Biggest overreaction: Everyone, to Gary Pinkel "icing" his own kicker. Pinkel's explanation (he was trying to draw Vontaze Burfict offsides) was questionable, but far from boneheaded. Grant Ressel is the best kicker in the Big 12 and not a guy who's going to get rattled. Beyond that, the entire concept of "icing" a kicker is faulty and unproven. Ressel missed a 49-yard kick. The real mistake was not making a more concerted effort to get him closer. James Franklin was rolling, and Missouri got too conservative late, unwilling to try and ride that momentum while risking a turnover.

Best revelation: Jaxon Shipley and Case McCoy are roommates. Hey, here's the deal: If you can't laugh at this by now, I don't know what to tell you. This admission was my favorite part of postgame at BYU-Texas.

Catch of the week: Jaxon Shipley, Texas. Facing a six-point deficit late in the 17-16 win over BYU, Shipley caught a pass while hurdling two defenders to reach further into BYU territory as part of the go-ahead drive.

Biggest rebound: Oklahoma State's fashion sense. The white pants, white helmets and gray jerseys were a terrible look. This week? The black pants, black jerseys and white helmets, which have become kind of a Thursday night tradition for OSU, were much, much better.

Second-biggest rebound: Jordan Webb, QB, Kansas. He was part of a trio of unremarkable passers for Kansas last year, but Webb was outstanding in a 45-42 win over Northern Illinois and got no help from his defense. He finished with 21-of-30 for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Nobody saw those kinds of numbers at Kansas last year.

The Tigers erased a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit on a pair of James Franklin touchdown passes, but the offense stalled in overtime in a 37-30 loss.

No. 21 Missouri drops to 1-1 on the season. Missouri kicker Grant Ressel missed a 48-yard field goal with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter after coach Gary Pinkel used a pair of timeouts when the Tigers lined up for the kick.

I've got lots of thoughts coming, but quite a finish on another thrilling Friday night. Unlike Baylor last week, though, Missouri and the Big 12 didn't come out on top. It's the Big 12's first loss of the season.

The Big 12 has released its All-Big 12 preseason team as voted on by the media, including yours truly.

Here's my ballot, for reference.

And here's the preseason team, in all its glory.

OFFENSE

QB: Landry Jones, Oklahoma
RB: Cyrus Gray, Texas A&M
RB: Bryce Brown, Kansas State
RB: Roy Finch, Oklahoma
WR: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
WR: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
TE: Michael Egnew, Missouri
OL: Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State
OL: Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State
C: Ben Habern, Oklahoma
OL: Lonnie Edwards, Texas Tech
OL: Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M

DEFENSE

DL: Brad Madison, Missouri
DL: Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma
DL: Kheeston Randall, Texas
DL: Frank Alexander, Oklahoma
LB: Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
LB: Jake Knott, Iowa State
LB: Keenan Robinson, Texas
DB: Coryell Judie, Texas A&M
DB: Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State
DB: Blake Gideon, Texas
DB: Demontre Hurst, Oklahoma

SPECIALISTS

K: Grant Ressel, Missouri
P: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
KR: Coryell Judie, Texas A&M
PR: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

AWARDS

Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Blackmon, WR, OSU

Defensive Player of the Year: Travis Lewis, LB, Oklahoma

Newcomer of the Year: Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas

Selections by team: Oklahoma (9), Oklahoma State (4), Texas A&M (4), Missouri (3), Texas (3), Iowa State (2), Kansas State (1), Texas Tech (1)

And a few thoughts:

• Generally, I agree with most of the selections. Nothing was really shocking. Brandon Weeden vs. Landry Jones is pretty close to a coin flip, and let's not act surprised that the quarterback from the bigger program got the nod. Perception is reality, even if the numbers are so, so close. Jones has the Heisman hype coming into the season, certainly more than Weeden, based on little more than the possibility his team runs the table.
• Running back is going to get a lot of attention, but let's not get riled up. This is going to sound bad, but believe me when I say I don't mean it to: Bryce Brown's selection is more an indictment of the returning talent at running back in the Big 12 than an endorsement of the hype surrounding Brown, who isn't even the clear-cut starter at K-State just yet. Here's what I wrote when I posted my ballot earlier this month. "The second running back spot is near impossible. Just about anyone might get it on the official vote when its revealed by the Big 12. You could realistically make a convincing case for James Sims, Eric Stephens, Joe Randle, Roy Finch and even newcomers like Malcolm Brown, Bryce Brown or Oklahoma's Brandon Williams. And that's the first team!" Well, there you go. For the record, I voted for Christine Michael, and still feel good about it.
• Finch and Brown tied for votes, giving the Big 12 three running backs. There weren't three spots on the ballot. And it also explains how Malcolm Brown got Newcomer of the Year and Bryce Brown got first-team All-Big 12 running back, despite both being newcomers. It's a little confusing, I suppose, and maybe not everyone did it, but my guess is a lot of ballots had Finch as the first-team running back and Malcolm Brown as the Newcomer of the Year. Not all that surprising.
• I originally had Luke Joeckel on my ballot, but took him off for Missouri's Elvis Fisher. I think Joeckel will end up being better, and maybe even by the end of this year, but right now, Fisher is the better lineman, and that's how I define the ballot. Perhaps others see it differently. There's no concrete rubric for this.
• I'm not very surprised to see Ronnell Lewis and Blake Gideon grab spots on the team, though I voted for Tony Jerod-Eddie and Trent Hunter in those spots on my ballot. Second safety and defensive line were pretty tough for me to fill out. Neither spot is very deep in this league, and both Lewis and Gideon have two of the biggest names, which matters in a media vote.
• Quite a huge gap between Oklahoma and the rest of the league. The Sooners had a lot of guys on my ballot that were close, but five more selections than anyone else in the league? That's impressive, and if ballot deadlines had been after Jamell Fleming's reinstatement, Oklahoma might have had 10 guys on the team. My ballot had Oklahoma State leading the way with seven selections, followed by Texas A&M with six and Oklahoma with five. My ballot also only had six teams represented. The media's Bryce Brown vote put Kansas State on the board, and Lonnie Edwards at Texas Tech made it eight teams represented on the official team.

The Lou Groza Award is given annually to college football's best kicker. Here are the Big 12 players on the watch list:

• Randy Bullock, Texas A&M
• Aaron Jones, Baylor
• Grant Ressel, Missouri
• Jimmy Stevens, Oklahoma
• Justin Tucker, Texas

The Groza Award is reasonably stat-based each year, so it's hard to peg true favorites. Grant Ressel is probably the most likely of this group to string together a good season, but Baylor's Aaron Jones got off to a strong start before struggling late in the year.

Oklahoma State's Dan Bailey won the award last year, over Nebraska's Alex Henery. He became the Big 12's second winner in the 19-year history of the award and the first since K-State's Martin Gramatica in 1997.

Florida State has three winners and is the only program with more than one, which, considering, you know, their righted tendencies, is a bit surprising.

Every player on the watch list would be the first Groza Award winner in their program's history.

The Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's best punter, also announced its five-man list.

Oklahoma State's Quinn Sharp was the only Big 12 player to make the cut.

The Big 12 asked for preseason All-Big 12 ballots this week in preparation for the team announcement, and here's what mine looked like.

The full team will probably be released some time before Big 12 media days on July 25-26 in Dallas.

OFFENSE

QB: Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State
RB: Cyrus Gray, Texas A&M
RB: Christine Michael, Texas A&M WR: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
WR: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
TE: Michael Egnew, Missouri
OL: Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State
OL: Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State
C: Grant Garner, Oklahoma State
OL: Lane Taylor, Oklahoma State
OL: Elvis Fisher, Missouri

DEFENSE

DL: Brad Madison, Missouri
DL: Tony Jerod-Eddie, Texas A&M
DL: Kheeston Randall, Texas
DL: Frank Alexander, Oklahoma
LB: Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
LB: Jake Knott, Iowa State
LB: Keenan Robinson, Texas
DB: Coryell Judie, Texas A&M
DB: Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State
DB: Trent Hunter, Texas A&M
DB: Demontre Hurst, Oklahoma

SPECIALISTS

K: Grant Ressel, Missouri
P: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
KR: Coryell Judie, Texas A&M
PR: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

AWARDS

Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Blackmon, WR, OSU

Defensive Player of the Year: Travis Lewis, LB, Oklahoma

Newcomer of the Year: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State

Selections by team: Oklahoma State (7), Texas A&M (6), Oklahoma (5), Missouri (4), Texas (2), Iowa State (2)

And a few thoughts:

• Before we get into this, let's talk philosophy for a bit. There's no concrete rubric for filling this ballot out, but my approach might be in the minority. This is not a prediction. I'm not a believer in that. That's what the postseason ballot is for, i.e., what actually happened. I'm not predicting anything. My ballot is a reflection of who I see as the best at the position entering the season. This comes into play at the very top of my ballot. Do I think Landry Jones will have a better 2011 than Brandon Weeden? Well yes, yes I do. But coming into the season, I thought Weeden was more impressive than Jones in 2010, if only just barely. For more explanation on this, head over here. I've discussed it at length several times. Check the Weeden or Jones player tags on the blog for even more discussion.
• Tallying up the team counts, I feel bad that only six teams are represented on my ballot, but I'm not trying to achieve balance. I'm trying to achieve a ballot with the best player at each position heading into the season. That's just how it shook out. I'm surprised no one from Baylor cracked my ballot, and Kansas State, Kansas and Texas Tech went without any first-teamers on my ballot.
• That said, a few guys who came close: Kansas running back James Sims, Texas Tech running back Eric Stephens, safety Cody Davis and Kansas State cornerback David Garrett. I nearly had Davis on my ballot, but narrowly went with Trent Hunter.
• On that subject, the biggest observation I had filling this out: The second running back spot is near impossible. Just about anyone might get it on the official vote when its revealed by the Big 12. You could realistically make a convincing case for Sims, Stephens, Joe Randle, Roy Finch and even newcomers like Malcolm Brown, Bryce Brown or Oklahoma's Brandon Williams. And that's the first team! Unbelievable. Rex Burkhead and Rodney Stewart...where are you? If NU and CU were still in the Big 12, I'd probably put Stewart in that spot.
• They're not, though. So, I went with Christine Michael. Why? Well, before Cyrus Gray went nuts last season, Michael was significantly better than Gray was. It was obvious. Then Michael broke his leg. Now, based on what I saw this spring and hear from summer workouts, he's back to full strength and even better. Can any other running back in the league say they were better than Cyrus Gray at any point? Much less last season? Absolutely not. So, I went with Michael. Heading into the season, he's the second-best back in the Big 12 when he's healthy. Consider, also: None of those other candidates have topped Michael's 844 yards in 2009 in any of their seasons, and Michael was probably on his way to a 1,000-yard season last year with 631 yards in just over seven games before the injury. So, not only is he what I believe to be the next-best back, he also has had the most impressive career.
• I wasn't a big fan of putting three tackles and one guard on my ballot, but I did it. Deal with it. Originally, I had Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M on my ballot, but switched him out with the experienced Elvis Fisher, whose career to this point has been more impressive to me. I think Joeckel will be better eventually, but Dave Matter of the Columbia Tribune chimed in on Twitter and reminded me of Joeckel's early season struggles, and I recalled just how dominant Fisher was against some of the best defensive ends around, specifically Iowa's Adrian Clayborn and Oklahoma's Frank Alexander. I'm a bit embarrassed I even considered Joeckel over Fisher, to be honest.
• I feel pretty good about my ability to evaluate tackles, but interior linemen? Not so much. There's a lot of other things to watch during live games. So when it comes to guards and centers, I tend to rely more on coaches' evaluations, guys who spend hours in the film room evaluating. Oklahoma State offensive line coach Joe Wickline isn't one to blow smoke, and he's one of the most respected position coaches in the league. He's also been incredulous this offseason that Grant Garner is criminally underrated at the conference level. So at a position that isn't very strong in the Big 12, I gave Garner the nod.
• Some of the Big 12's strongest positions? Linebacker and receiver, clearly, where there were big snubs. (i.e., Jeff Fuller, Shaun Lewis and Emmanuel Acho). Some of the weakest positions? Defensive line, where I had some trouble finding four guys I really felt deserved a spot.
• As for my newcomer of the year, Arthur Brown? Speed kills. K-State didn't have it last year. Brown does. He'll be great.
• A few minor beefs with no real solution: I'd like to see the Big 12's ballot more reflect the style of play in the league. Not many teams are running two-receiver sets and not many teams are putting three true linebackers on the field. I'd like to see an option for a third receiver on the ballot, either in a WR/TE flex slot or by eliminating one of the running back spots. Big 12 teams aren't putting two backs on the field too often. I'd also like to see a space for a nickel back. Do I think Tony Jefferson or Ahmad Dixon are one of the best linebackers or safeties in the league? No. But at their position, they probably will be by season's end. However, they might get left off all-conference teams because of the ballot's set up.

College football pundit Phil Steele has released his All-Big 12 team, and on the first and second teams, you'll see plenty of names you recognize.

Oklahoma's Landry Jones snagged the first-team quarterback honors, joining the league's three top receivers, Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State, Ryan Broyles of Oklahoma and Jeff Fuller at Texas A&M.

Broyles and A&M cornerback Coryell Judie even appear on the first team twice, as punt and kick returners, respectively.

But the story of Steel's team is no doubt his confidence in a handful of unknowns, headlined by Texas incoming freshman Malcolm Brown grabbing a first-team spot at running back.

Brown, the nation's No. 2 running back in the 2011 class and No. 7 overall prospect, is expected to arrive on campus next month.

His spot seems reminiscent of North Carolina basketball player Harrison Barnes, the first freshman to be named a preseason All-American since 1986.

As Texas struggled to run the ball last season, failing to have a 600-yard rusher for the third consecutive year, Brown's commitment was welcome news. The Longhorns' 5-7 season placed even more hopes on Brown, who will compete with Fozzy Whittaker and Cody Johnson for carries once fall camp begins.

The uncertainty of the depth chart, which currently resembles an amorphous blob, will help Brown make it on the field, but he's apparently earned Steele's confidence.

He's not the only one.

Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown, a Miami transfer who made waves this spring, cracks Steele's first team, too, despite not playing a snap of Big 12 football. His brother, Wildcats running back Bryce Brown, made the second team without playing a down in the Big 12, too.

Oklahoma safety Aaron Colvin, who spent last season as a backup cornerback, is on Steele's second team. Sooners freshman running back Brandon Williams enrolled early and also has never played, but made the second team.

All of those players should have an opportunity to make an impact, and Steele believes they'll all take advantage. Looking back at Steele's preseason team last year, he didn't always take these kinds of chances.

Missouri tight end Andrew Jones was the only player on the first team before last season that would have drawn a gasp, and his teammate, Michael Egnew, ended up being a finalist for the Mackey Award as college football's best tight end.

Last year's preseason team didn't have a single newcomer or freshman on the top two teams, but could the Big 12 be chock full of new faces this time around?

I'd say about half of those players make the postseason All-Big 12 teams, but Steele sees big seasons in store for players that you ought to know before September.

Here's the first team (notoriously potent offenses and stingy defenses, thanks to 12-man sides) in its entirety:

OFFENSE

QB: Landry Jones, Oklahoma
RB: Cyrus Gray, Texas A&M
RB: Malcolm Brown, Texas
WR: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
WR: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
WR: Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M
TE: Michael Egnew, Missouri
C: Ben Habern, Oklahoma
G: Lonnie Edwards, Texas Tech
G: Lane Taylor, Oklahoma State
T: Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State
T: Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State

DEFENSE

DE: Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma
DT: Kheeston Randall, Texas
DT: Tony Jerod-Eddie, Texas A&M
DE: Brad Madison, Missouri
LB: Arthur Brown, Kansas State
LB: Keenan Robinson, Texas
LB: Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
LB: Zaviar Gooden, Missouri
CB: Coryell Judie, Texas A&M
CB: Demontre Hurst, Oklahoma
S: Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State
S: Blake Gideon, Texas

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Grant Ressel, Missouri
P: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
KR: Coryell Judie, Texas A&M
PR: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

Here's how many players each program had on the Steele's All-Big 12 first-fourth teams combined:

1. Texas A&M - 19
2. Oklahoma - 16
3. Missouri - 11
3. Oklahoma State - 11
3. Texas - 11
6. Baylor - 7
7. Kansas State - 6
8. Iowa State - 5
8. Kansas - 5
8. Texas Tech - 5

Our friends in the Big East kicked off this idea, and it'll suit the Big 12 well. The All-Big 12 preseason teams are still a long way away, but which units in the Big 12 are the best entering 2011?

Here are my votes, and I feel pretty good about all of them. Which would you pick?

Quarterbacks: Oklahoma State

The Cowboys return All-Big 12 first-teamer Brandon Weeden, and the senior will have his top target back, Biletnikoff Award winner Justin Blackmon. He threw for 4,277 yards last season and his quarterback rating of 154.11 was eight points higher than any passer in the Big 12.

Honorable mention: Oklahoma, Baylor

Running backs: Texas A&M

Cyrus Gray was the Big 12's best back late in the conference season, and his running mate re-joins him in the backfield this year after breaking his leg midway through 2010. Christine Michael and Gray form perhaps the best backfield duo in the nation, but by far the best in the Big 12.

Honorable mention: Oklahoma

Receivers: Oklahoma

This one's close, but Oklahoma's depth gives them the edge. Ryan Broyles is narrowly the Big 12's No. 2 receiver and a Biletnikoff finalist in his own right, but Kenny Stills could sneak up on a 1,000-yard season as a sophomore in 2011. Dejuan Miller and Trey Franks are two more solid options, and the Sooners could add a pair of talented freshmen to the rotation in Trey Metoyer and Justin McCay.

Honorable mention: Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Baylor

Offensive line: Oklahoma State

The line helped running back Kendall Hunter finish second in the Big 12 with 1,548 yards last season, and all five starters return from the unit that gave up the fewest sacks in the Big 12. That's aided by the quick-release approach in the Air Raid offense, but the line boasts the Big 12's best returning lineman, tackle Levy Adcock.

Honorable mention: Texas A&M

Defensive line: Missouri

The Tigers have the Big 12's returning leader in sacks, defensive end Brad Madison, but the unit is deep and talented and could get even more so next season. DT Terrell Resonno, DE Jacquies Smith and DT Dominique Hamilton are all experienced, and defensive ends Michael Sam and Kony Ealy should provide very little dropoff when they're on the field as part of the rotation. The Tigers also welcome a possible game-changer in Sheldon Richardson, a light-footed 6-foot-4, 296-pound defensive tackle and St. Louis native who is the nation's No. 3 juco recruit.

Honorable mention: Texas

Linebackers: Oklahoma

The Sooners have one of the favorites for Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in senior linebacker Travis Lewis, who is likely to be joined by some combination of Tom Wort, Corey Nelson and Jaydan Bird. Nickel back Tony Jefferson could be poised for a break out year on a national scale after sharing Defensive Freshman of the Year honors last season.

Honorable mention: Iowa State

Cornerbacks: Texas A&M

The Aggies have two of the Big 12's best in Dustin Harris and Coryell Judie, who doubles as perhaps the Big 12's most dangerous return man. The pair combined for eight interceptions last season and 21 passes defended. Terrence Frederick defended 10 passes of his own. Health was a concern for this group in the spring, but they should be ready come fall.

Honorable mention: Oklahoma

Safeties: Oklahoma State

Markelle Martin is a future draft pick and one of the Big 12's hardest hitters, but Johnny Thomas played some of his best football late last season. They combined for 118 tackles last season, and 100 of those were solo stops.

Honorable mention: Kansas State

Punter: Oklahoma State

Quinn Sharp has been one of the Big 12's best punters for the past two seasons, and led the league in punting average at 46.2 yards in 2010.

Kicker: Missouri

Grant Ressel has made 43 of 46 field goals over the past two seasons, and the former walk-on should be a contender for the Lou Groza Award as a junior in 2011.

The first round of the NFL draft is in the books, and there's more on the way today, but what about next year? The Big 12 could be set for another big year, and draftnik Mel Kiper already has his top five for each position heading into the 2012 draft. Here's a look.

Quarterbacks

• No. 4: Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State
• No. 5: Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M

Fullbacks

• No. 1: Cody Johnson, Texas

Wide receivers

• No. 1: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
• No. 2: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

Tight ends

• No. 2: Michael Egnew, Missouri

Offensive tackles

• No. 4: Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State

Outside linebackers

• No. 2: Travis Lewis, Oklahoma

Safeties

• No. 4: Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State

Kickers

• No. 5 Grant Ressel, Missouri

And a few thoughts from yours truly:

• You know what I see in that group? A whole lot of offense and not much defense. That could mean some big fall fireworks. The Big 12 is going to be pretty weak at cornerback and safety next year, but quarterback and receiver? Loaded. Landry Jones and Jeff Fuller didn't even make this list and they'll be some of the league's best at their positions next year.
• I'm pretty surprised to see Tannehill on the list and not Jones. Tannehill should be solid, but from what I saw last year, other than athleticism, there's not much Tannehill does better than Jones. Jones has the experience and accuracy, and arm strength is a wash. Decision-making is pretty close, and Tannehill is exceptional in that regard, but Jones got a whole lot better last year and I figure that continues into 2011.
• I'd be surprised to see Egnew hang on to that spot once he begins the draft process. It's hard to imagine NFL teams didn't learn their lessons from drafting two tight ends from Missouri that were markedly better than Egnew: Chase Coffman and Martin Rucker. Neither has caught on with their NFL teams so far. Coffman won the Mackey Award, was a third-round selection, but the Bengals actually released him after just a year last September. Rucker was an All-American who went in the fourth round but has already bounced around to three teams since being drafted in 2008 and hasn't made a real impact anywhere. The truth is, we have no idea how good of a run blocker Egnew is just yet, but the guess here is, with as little experience as he has doing it in a traditional sense, he'll struggle at the next level. The tight end spot gives Missouri's offense a nice edge, but it hasn't proved conducive to NFL success.

You saw earlier today where ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper slotted Big 12 players in the first round of this year's draft.

But, of course, it's never too early to look ahead. Kiper released his top five at every position for the 2012 NFL draft, so it's always something to keep in mind as you see a few spring practices and games next year.

Quarterback

• No. 4: Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State

Fullback

• No. 1: Cody Johnson, Texas

Receiver:

• No. 1: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
• No. 2: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

Tight ends

• No. 2: Michael Egnew, Missouri

Offensive tackles

• No. 4: Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State

Defensive tackles

• No. 2: Kheeston Randall, Texas

Outside linebackers

• No. 1: Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
• No. 5: Keenan Robinson, Texas

Safeties

• No. 3: Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State

Kickers

• No. 4: Grant Ressel, Missouri

Anybody missing? Anybody not belong?

We haven't had any draft-eligible players across the Big 12 explicitly state their intentions to enter the NFL draft at the end of the season. Only a couple have committed to returning to school in 2011.

Most have given non-committal statements and emphasized a focus on the bowl game, though plenty of players across the league have turned in their game film to the NFL draft's advisory committee, who will then give the players an idea of where they would land in the draft next April. Players can do so by selecting and submitting the game film from their three best games.

ESPN's Mel Kiper named his top five draft-eligible non-seniors at each position, and using it as a guide (plus a couple additions) here are the players across the Big 12 who will probably have a decision to make at the end of the season.

Colorado

• Ryan Miller, OG (committed to 2011 at CU)

Iowa State

• Kelechi Osemele, OT

Missouri

• Blaine Gabbert, QB
• Michael Egnew, TE
• Aldon Smith, DE

Nebraska

• Jared Crick, DT
• Alfonzo Dennard, CB
• Lavonte David, LB

Oklahoma

• Ryan Broyles, WR
• Travis Lewis, LB

Oklahoma State

• Justin Blackmon, WR
• Brandon Weeden, QB

Texas

• Cody Johnson, RB (projected as NFL fullback)
• Aaron Williams, CB

Texas A&M

• Jeff Fuller, WR

With a tip of the hat to The Clash: Should they stay or should they go?

If you walk briskly in a pilot's uniform, you can go pretty much anywhere. I've been upstairs in the White House while the Obamas were sleeping.

• Matt Hayes of the Sporting News says Bo Pelini's postgame meltdown is indicative of a bigger problem at Nebraska.
• Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops is lamenting his decision not to offer Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon a scholarship.
• Oklahoma State's "premium" ticket plan hasn't been popular, but it's worked in helping raise attendance, writes Brandon Chatmon of The Oklahoman.
• Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News talks Texas A&M's rise.
• Texas Tech running back Baron Batch writes about what family means to him in his journal entry this week.
• Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert has seen his share of adversity this year, writes Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• Jordan Webb is back as Kansas' starting quarterback.
• Missouri kicker Grant Ressel revisits his role as the hero in last year's Border Showdown, writes Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• One Colorado fan shares what the Colorado-Nebraska rivalry means to him.