ESPN College Football

Puppies, y'all.

• Feel like you're behind on all this "Florida State to the Big 12?" talk? Coley Harvey of the Orlando Sentinel will get you caught up.
• Could Big 12 expansion be the key to ushering in four major conferences? Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com examines the issue.
• How would the Seminoles fit in the new Big 12?
• The Big 12 needs to explore the idea of admitting Florida State and research their interest, writes the Austin American Statesman's Kirk Bohls. And where does Mack Brown rank among Big 12 coaches recently? Very low.
• The Red River Rivalry is locked into staying at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair of Texas through 2020.
• After last week's receiver suspensions, OU fans should feel even better about having Landry Jones back, writes Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman.
• Former Kansas Stater (and I use that term liberally) Bryce Brown credits Bill Snyder for helping him reach the NFL, but says he'd do nothing differently.
• New Kansas coach Charlie Weis wants to reverse the latest trend of Sunflower Showdown beatdowns, writes Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star.
• Former Baylor receiver Kendall Wright talks about the phenomenon of Baylor not having a playbook.
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman offers up a touching story of former Heisman winner Jason White and his relationship with his late mother.
• Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads can't help but get emotional talking about his mother's death after a battle with Alzheimer's.
• Here's another touching Mother's Day story about Baylor's other Robert Griffin, who played in the Alamo Bowl with a heavy heart few knew about.
• New Kansas quarterback Turner Baty liked what he saw on a visit to KU's spring game, writes Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World.
• Oklahoma is dealing with its suspensions, but they won't be the end of the world, writes Mike Baldwin of The Oklahoman.
• There's a playoff on the way, but it won't fix everything, writes Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• Oklahoma State's offensive line might be its best ever, writes Gina Mizell of The Oklahoman.
• A Kansas State assistant committed a minor NCAA violation, and will have his recruiting restricted.
• The Tulsa World's John Hoover is moving from OU beat writer to columnist for the paper. Congratulations to him, and check out his debut column.

I hope you've enjoyed our Simply Saturday list this week.

It concludes today with the top 10, but only one player from the Big 12 cracked the top 10.

Former Sooners linebacker Brian Bosworth comes in at No. 6 on our all-time list of players best known for their football accomplishments in college.

Reached earlier this week by ESPN.com, Bosworth declined to be interviewed, but former Sooners Heisman winner Jason White answered a few questions this week.

Here's all the Big 12 talents who made our 50-man list.

No. 6: Brian Bosworth, LB, Oklahoma

Best known as "The Boz," the loud-mouthed linebacker sported a Mohawk and a fearsome reputation as a hitter. He won two Butkus Awards as the nation's best linebacker and is still the only player to win the award twice. A shoulder injury ended his career after just over two seasons with Seattle in the NFL. He went on to appear in several movies and was a commentator for the XFL after his career was over.

No. 34: J.C. Watts, QB, Oklahoma

He helped Barry Switzer and Oklahoma in consecutive Orange Bowls in 1980 and 1981, but eventually found success in politics, serving four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

No. 43: Steve Owens, RB, Oklahoma

One of the Sooners’ other five Heisman winners, Owens racked up 17 consecutive 100-yard games and went 19^th overall in the draft, but a knee injury forced him to retire after the 1974 season.

No. 45: Jason White, QB, Oklahoma

The Heisman winner took some time out for us at ESPN.com last week.

No. 49: Hart Lee Dykes, WR, Oklahoma State

He’s best known for getting four schools put on probation, but a broken kneecap ended his career early.

I’m glad you all made it without me. I'm back. Enjoyed the trip to California. Got some surfing and various other beachery in. There was also some Dodgers baseball, some Disneyland, lots of walking and most importantly, some good times with friends.

Anyway, here’s a bit of what we missed while I was away:

Lots of former Big 12ers on “Simply Saturday” list

You probably got a chance to at least gloss over our Q&A with former Oklahoma quarterback Jason White, who came in at No. 45 on our “Simply Saturday” list, which ranks the top 50 players of all-time who are best known for their college careers.

We’ll have more this week as it moves on, including a Big 12 wrap-up, but White’s not the only Big 12 player on the list.

No. 49: Hart Lee Dykes, WR, Oklahoma State

He’s best known for getting four schools put on probation, but a broken kneecap ended his career early.

No. 45: Jason White, QB, Oklahoma

The Heisman winner took some time out for us at ESPN.com last week.

No. 43: Steve Owens, RB, Oklahoma

One of the Sooners’ other five Heisman winners, Owens racked up 17 consecutive 100-yard games and went 19^th overall in the draft, but a knee injury forced him to retire after the 1974 season.

No. 34: J.C. Watts, QB, Oklahoma

He helped Barry Switzer and Oklahoma in consecutive Orange Bowls in 1980 and 1981, but eventually found success in politics, serving four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

We’ll have more at the end of the week after we unveil the rest of the list.

Four from Big 12 on Blue Ribbon top 25

The Blue Ribbon Yearbook released its top 25, and four teams cracked the top 25. Here’s where they landed:

1. Oklahoma

8. Texas A&M

12. Oklahoma State

24. Missouri

It’s an interesting list. You could make a case either way on A&M and OSU, but ultimately, I think when the official AP and ESPN/USA Today preseason polls drop in August, you’ll see those two schools flipped. They’re very close in my book entering the season. Assuming they’re undefeated heading into their Sept. 24 showdown, I’d expect the team that’s simply more impressive in nonconference to hold the higher ranking.

Jayhawks OC Chuck Long sits down with ESPN.com



Kansas offensive coordinator, a former Iowa quarterback, helped us out with our Simply Saturday series by chatting with fans on Tuesday.

A few highlights:

John in Kansas City asked: With a lot of young talented running backs, what will be the approach to handling carries? Running Back by committee?

Chuck Long: Well, we still need to figure that out. That's what our training camp is for. We're all going in wide eyed. Miller was here in the spring and came along in a great way. Training camp will play out. We're not talking redshirting at this time. With the physicality of the Big 12, we'll need the guys. We'll let it play out. We do plan on running the football.

My take: Very interesting that Darrian Miller was the first name that came to mind for Long. I’m not taking any larger truths from that, but it’s very, very obvious that he’s going to be a big part of what they do this year.

Daniel in KC asked: How are the quarterbacks progressing this year?

CL: The QBs have been progressing very well. I think they've made some steps forward from last year. They had some rough experiences at times, but experience is experience. They have it under their belt. I thought in the spring that Jordan and Quin improved. We are starting to develop a better foundation there. We feel good about where they're at.

Jeff in Kansas asked: Do you feel the offensive line that will not only allow a good running game but enough pass protection to have an effective passing offense

CL: Yes we do. That's one of the things I wanted to mention before, our OL is better. We were going in cold last year. We had some experience on the OL, but not much. We really have that lined up. We know what they can do. We think we'll make some progress there. A lot of that too goes back to the QB position and our WRs getting open. We feel with a good run game, we'll be able to have better pass protection.

Greg in Kansas asked: What are you looking forward to most about 10 teams in the Big 12?

CL: We pick up teams like Oklahoma and Texas this year. Our schedule got tougher. That's the one thing. The other side of it, we play a round robin schedule. Everyone plays each other. That's good, it makes for a more pure champion of the league. This goes back to the Big 10 days when I was there, when there were only 10 teams there. I've gone full circle.

Lots more later today as the Big 12 Blog gets back to full speed.

In 2003, Jason White became the fourth of Oklahoma's eventual five Heisman winners. He came to Oklahoma in 1999 and was a backup on the 2000 national championship team.

Torn ACLs abbreviated his 2001 and 2002 seasons, but in 2003, he led the Sooners back to the national title game and collected the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback. He was granted a medical hardship and a sixth year on campus in 2004, and led Oklahoma to the national title game again. He finished third in the Heisman voting behind Matt Leinart and his teammate, Adrian Peterson. He won the Maxwell Award and became just the third quarterback ever to win the Davey O'Brien Award in consecutive seasons.

Those knee injuries prevented him from being drafted, and he briefly signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans before retiring from football.

Today, with our "Simply Saturday" series, we begin our look at the top 50 players best known for their accomplishments in the college game, and for whatever reason, didn't go on to prolific professional careers.

White comes in at No. 45 on the list.

So, what are you doing these days?

Jason White: I own and operate my store, "Jason White's A Store Divided," with OU and OSU hats, shirts, knick-knacks, all that stuff.

Also, I own and operate Jason White's Corporate Apparel, and we sell logo shirts, hats and all that kind of stuff.

How did this all start?

I did a couple other things before I started this, but I quickly figured out I wanted to work for myself, so this opportunity came about to actually own my own shoe store, and I kind of looked at it, and jumped on board with that. It just kind of grew from that first shoe store to doing OU and OSU apparel and grew from there.

What made you realize you wanted to work for yourself?

My dad, he owned his own company, and I've always kind of seen him get to make the decisions, and decide how things get done. And I've always just kind of liked that. I think that's what was really appealing to me, is I get to make the decisions, and it kind of keeps me close to that competitive nature, too. I can be competitive and I need to call the shots on how competitive we want to be.

What's life like for you now?

Great. I've got two kids. An 8-year-old daughter, Tinley, and a 4-year-old son, Tandon. I've got a wonderful wife, Tammy, and we live in Tuttle [Okla.], and of course the kids are getting into sports now, and I don't have a lot of time on my hands like I used to. So, I'm just enjoying raising kids and enjoying the family and every now and then, try and go do something fun.

What did you learn about yourself at Oklahoma that carries over into today?

Just the never-give-up attitude. I really think that's carried over since my playing days, and knowing that there's not a lot of obstacles that can be put in front of you that can stop you if you really want it. It's just like with the stores. There have been times where you're really wondering, "How are we going to make it to the next month?"

And that's a lot like when I was playing football and I'd have this injury or this injury and be like, "How am I going to make it through this injury?"

It's the same in the business world. You're going to have your down times to where you're scrambling, and I learned in my playing days at OU, just never give up and continue to work hard and eventually you'll achieve the goals you set out to do.

When you think back to your time at OU, what comes to mind first?

The tradition. Walking down the halls, I can remember the first day I was there. I remember walking down the halls and looking at all the pictures of the players who played there and all the bowl championships and Big 12, Big 8 championships, all those championships and thinking, "Wow, to be a part of this is unbelievable." But for my name to be up there on that wall, too, is surreal. That really sticks out the most for me.

As for what sticks out from my playing days, just the time and effort that our teams put into it. There were lots of times when we'd go out without the coaches and we did it as a team and we wanted to get better. We put a lot of time and effort into it, and a lot of times people ask me "What do you remember the most about college football?" and it's really just how much hard work gets put into it. I don't think a lot of fans know exactly what a student-athlete has to do. So I try to explain to them, but until you do it, I don't think people would ever understand.

When you'd go do stuff on your own, outside of summer workouts when coaches are banned from being there, what are some examples of the team working without the coaches?

From the football aspect, there would be a lot of times during the season that maybe the receivers just weren't catching the ball well, or they wanted to work on routes, we'd go up [to the practice field] early during the week and play catch and stuff, or if we felt like we didn't have a good week of practice, as a team we'd split up and watch film. Somebody in the quarterback room would take charge, or somebody in the receivers room would take charge and we'd go watch more film. Stuff like that, that we put a lot of time into and we did it on our own. It wasn't one of those deals where you had to be there. But most of the time, most of the starters showed up, and everybody else, it's just like 7-on-7. You don't have to go if you don't want to, but our team was different in that we knew we needed to do that to compete.

Where's your Heisman?

It's actually in my office at my home. I actually built a trophy case for all that, for all the awards I was a part of. It's actually a pretty neat conversation piece. I do a lot of meetings at the house with different people, and they'll talk about the trophy case more than they want to talk about why they came to the house.

How much attention do you still pay to the program?

I still pay a lot of attention to it. It'll always be very close to me. If things were different for me, as far as, I had a daughter at a young age, and I feel like if my daughter wasn't born when I was in college, I really feel like I would have tried to coach at OU and things like that, but it just didn't fit into my plan to coach.

So, I decided to do something different, but I'll always follow it. And I follow not just OU, I follow college football, because it's something I'm interested in and enjoy watching and enjoyed doing.

If a player coming to campus this fall asked you how to get the most out of their college experience, what would you tell him?

One thing I was kind of surprised by is, as I said earlier, the amount of time that's put into college athletics. When I first started at OU my first year, I can tell you I didn't put in that time and effort. Coming from high school, we didn't put that kind of time in it.

The best advice I can give someone going into college is to jump on board with somebody that's been there for a few years, and figure out what they do on their own for extra work and stuff. Basically, just remember that somebody's always out there working harder than you, so work as hard as you can to get on the field or remain on the field or whatever the situation is. I just don't think that high school kids realize the time and the effort that is put into playing football, and so a lot of athletes are shocked when they get there and they've got to work out every day of the week, and they've got to go to study hall, and they've got to take these tests and that's the biggest shock for a lot of athletes, the time and the effort. Not only with football, but with school, too.

I think once you get that and you get your time management down, the rest is a breeze and you can enjoy your experience.

July Wednesdays! Who knew? Lots going on today.

• Former Oklahoma State and Oklahoma coach Jimmy Johnson (he also coached some NFL team) is scheduled to be a contestant on the next season of "Survivor," reports Mark Francescutti and Barry Horn of The Dallas Morning News.
• Incoming Kansas State defensive end Adam Davis suffered a back injury in junior college and is facing surgery. He may not make it back on the field.
• Nebraska may be flying more after it moves to the Big Ten, but that doesn't necessarily mean higher expenses, reports Kris Knowlton of the Lincoln Journal Star.
• Colorado made a small profit the last fiscal year, but its new budget will be getting a slight trim, reports Kyle Ringo of the Boulder Daily Camera.
• This year is Iowa State cornerback Leonard Johnson's time, writes Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register.
• Ned Seaton at the Manhattan Mercury sheds some light on the legal issues surrounding the Ron Prince buyout case.
• Colorado's thinning receiving corps may get some help in USC's Travon Patterson, who is considering a transfer to Colorado in light of the recent NCAA sanctions, reports Kyle Ringo of the Boulder Daily Camera.
• The Waco Tribune-Herald has more on Baylor's big offensive line commit, Spencer Drango.
• Bill Haisten at the Tulsa World, with Sam Bradford on the cusp of signing a record-breaking contract, catches up with another Oklahoma quarterback, 2003 Heisman winner Jason White, who is out of football.
• Texas Tech running back Baron Batch could be set up for a big year in the Red Raiders' new offense, writes Terrance Harris at AOL Fanhouse.
• Nebraska DB coach Marvin Sanders says if he held a defensive fantasy draft from his team, he'd draft the center of the Peso defense, Eric Hagg, first.
• The Dallas Morning News had five reasons for optimism yesterday. Today, it's five reasons for concern in regards to the upcoming season for Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M.
• Oklahoma and Colorado have two of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country, according to The Sporting News' Matt Hayes. Meanwhile, Missouri and Baylor have two of the easiest. (Missouri's a given, but I can't say I agree with Baylor there, considering it's traveling to TCU.)
• Russ Lande at Sports News ranks Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson as the No. 6 QB prospect in the 2011 NFL draft. Four Big 12 running backs are in his top 10: DeMarco Murray, Daniel Thomas, Roy Helu Jr. and Kendall Hunter.
• Von Miller and some of his teammates fired up a few fans in College Station on Tuesday night, reports Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News.

Monday was a bad day to be a Northwestern baseball fan. I hope the four of you are well on your way to recovery this week. Surprisingly big set of links today, so dig in, there's some good stuff in here.

• Politicians could have a big say in how the conferences realign, just like last time, writes Dave Sittler of the Tulsa World.
• Steven M. Sipple of the Lincoln Journal Star ponders a different kind of expansion: Memorial Stadium expansion.
• Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville is scheduled to leave on Friday for a tour of U.S. military bases overseas with a handful of other coaches.
• ESPN SportsNation wants you to rank college football's best defenders. So, of course, you have to... or else.
• The Colorado athletic department kicked off its tour of the state, and Neill Woelk of the Boulder Daily Camera takes you inside.
• In Hawkins' stop in Erie, Colo., he told fans the Buffaloes are agonizingly close to the national stage, reports the Denver Post's Adrian Dater.
• The difference between Oklahoma Heisman-winning quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Jason White? Health, writes Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman.
• Klint Kubiak, the son of Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak, has joined Mike Sherman's staff at Texas A&M as a quality control coach, reports Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News.
• Kansas State's Brandon Banks and Jeffrey Fitzgerald have signed free-agent contracts.

Oklahoma was the dominant program of the last decade in the Big 12, leading the conference with six titles, seven conference title-game appearances and four BCS title-game appearances.

All of those accomplishments are a testament to Bob Stoops, one of two conference coaches to direct his team throughout the decade.

Setting the Sooners’ all-decade team was difficult. The choice at wide receiver next to Mark Clayton was extremely difficult. Malcolm Kelly, Juaquin Iglesias or Ryan Broyles all would have been good choices. I went with Broyles because of his proficiency despite constant double-team defenses this season when he produced 89 receptions.

And at quarterback, I went with Sam Bradford over Jason White in a tough positional choice between two Heisman Trophy winners.

Here’s my choice for Oklahoma’s all-decade team.

OFFENSE

QB: Sam Bradford

RB: Adrian Peterson

RB: Quentin Griffin

WR: Mark Clayton

WR: Ryan Broyles

TE: Jermaine Gresham

OL: Jammal Brown

OL: Trent Williams

OL: Davin Joseph

OL: Phil Loadholt

C: Vince Carter

DEFENSE

DL: Dan Cody

DL: Tommie Harris

DL: Gerald McCoy

DL: Jeremy Beal

LB: Teddy Lehman

LB: Rocky Calmus

LB: Curtis Lofton

DB: Derrick Strait

DB: Roy Williams

DB: Andre Woolfolk

DB: Brandon Everage

K: Garrett Hartley

P: Jeff Ferguson

Ret: Ryan Broyles

Offensive player of the decade: QB Sam Bradford. He became the first quarterback in Big 12 history to lead his team to back-to-back titles, capping his sophomore season by throwing for 50 touchdowns and earning the Heisman Trophy. His final season in college didn’t go as expected, but he still leaves school as a player who will be immortalized with a statue at Owen Field in the not-too-distant future.

Defensive player of the decade: S Roy Williams. He was such a natural that Bob Stoops created a position “the Roy” especially for his talents. He set the standard as a physical run-stuffing safety and sealed his legacy with the hit on Chris Simms that sealed the 2001 victory over Texas.

Coach of the decade: Bob Stoops. The only coach of the decade for the Sooners had more unprecedented early success than any coach in Big 12 history, winning the national championship in his second season and claiming a record six conference championships. They aren’t calling him “Big Game Bob” as much as before, but Stoops still ranks among the most pivotal figures in Big 12 history.

Most memorable moment of the decade: On a misty night at Pro Player Stadium, the Sooners’ defense turned in a masterful performance to claim the 2001 Orange Bowl and bring home the 2000 national championship. Josh Heupel managed to direct the offense despite a sore elbow and the Oklahoma defense would have pitched a shutout in a 13-2 triumph over Florida State except for a special-teams safety in the final minute of play.

The Big 12 had two national championship teams and five others that played in the BCS title game in the decade.

The two championship teams were the best of the conference's last 10 years. Some of the other BCS title participants were good, but not necessarily among the very best teams during the conference's recent history.

Here's how I rank the Big 12's top 10 teams over the last decade.

1. 2005 Texas: A star-studded team paced by All-Americans Michael Huff, Jonathan Scott, Rodrique Wright and Vince Young ran off 13 straight victories, capping the season with a BCS title-game victory over USC. The team averaged 50.2 points per game en route to a then-NCAA record 652 total points, earning Texas’ first undisputed national championship since 1969. It was the greatest team that Mack Brown ever coached and arguably the best team in the rich football history of Texas.

2. 2000 Oklahoma: Bob Stoops claimed a national championship in his second season coaching the Trojans behind Josh Heupel, who finished second in the Heisman race that season. All-Americans Heupel, linebacker Rocky Calmus and J.T. Thatcher helped the Sooners notch the first undefeated season and national championship in Big 12 history. After winning three of their final four regular-season games by less than five points, the Sooners dominated Florida State in a 13-2 triumph in the Orange Bowl for the national championship.

3. 2008 Oklahoma: Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy with this team, which overcame a midseason loss to Texas and still claimed the Big 12 title in a 12-2 season that was marred by a 24-14 loss to Florida in the national championship game. The Sooners rolled-up a record 702 points as Bradford passed for 50 touchdowns, Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray each rushed for 1,000 yards and Juaquin Iglesias topped 1,000 yards receiving. The Sooners scored 35 points in each regular-season game and finished the regular season with five straight games of at least 60 points before the BCS title-game loss.

4. 2004 Oklahoma: The Sooners charged to 12 straight victories before a dropping a 55-19 decision to USC in the Orange Bowl for the national title. Freshman running back Adrian Peterson rushed for an NCAA freshman record 1,925 yards to finish second in the Heisman. Jason White claimed the Heisman the previous season and his numbers were down with Peterson's arrival, but he still passed for 3,205 yards and 35 touchdowns. This group had strength in the trenches with All-Americans like Vince Carter, Dan Cody, Jammal Brown and Mark Clayton as it claimed Bob Stoops’ third Big 12 title.

5. 2009 Texas: After streaking to a school-record 13-0 mark through the Big 12 title game, the Longhorns dropped a 37-21 decision to Alabama in the national title game in a contest that changed when Colt McCoy was hurt on the fifth play of the game. McCoy became the winningest quarterback in NCAA history during this season, repeatedly hooking up with favorite target Jordan Shipley, who snagged a school-record 116 receptions, 1,485 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Longhorns led the nation in rush defense, and All-American safety Earl Thomas tied a school record with eight interceptions. Lamarr Houston and Sergio Kindle also added playmaking abilities to the defense.

6. 2004 Texas: The Longhorns overcame a midseason 12-0 loss to Oklahoma to finish the season with seven straight victories in a season capped by a dramatic 38-37 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. The Longhorns ranked second nationally in rushing offense and seventh in total offense as Young gradually found his confidence as a passer late in the season. Cedric Benson rushed for 1,834 yards and 19 touchdowns, and Young chipped in with 1,079 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. This team showed a knack for comebacks, overcoming an early 35-7 deficit against Oklahoma State and also coming from behind in an early-season victory at Arkansas.

7. 2007 Oklahoma: Bradford led the first of two consecutive Big 12 championships on a team that enabled the Sooners to become the first Big 12 school to win back-to-back titles. The Sooners dropped road games to Colorado and Texas Tech but still overcame Missouri in the Big 12 title game behind a huge defensive effort keyed by Big 12 defensive player of the year Rufus Alexander. Bradford led the nation in passing efficiency, but the Sooners' bowl struggles continued in an embarrassing 48-28 loss to West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl.

8. 2003 Kansas State: Don’t let the Wildcats’ 11-4 record fool you. After an early three-game losing streak to Marshall, Texas and Oklahoma State (by a combined margin of 15 points), Bill Snyder’s team won its final seven regular-season games by a combined margin of 271-66. That streak was culminated by a stunning 35-7 upset victory over Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game -- the last victory by a North Division team in the title game. The Wildcats ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing, scoring, total defense, scoring defense and pass defense as Darren Sproles rushed for 1,986 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Wildcats dropped a 35-28 Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State in a game they fell into an early 21-0 deficit and had a chance to tie on the final play of the game after a frantic comeback directed by Ell Roberson.

9. 2007 Missouri: Chase Daniel led Missouri into the Big 12 title game for the first time in school history, taking the team to No. 1 nationally heading into the conference championship game. The Tigers lost twice to Oklahoma during a 12-2 season that was capped by 38-7 beatdown over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Tony Temple made that game memorable by rushing for a record 281 yards and four TDs that pushed Missouri to No. 4 nationally at the end of the season. A star-studded collection of talent including Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman, Martin Rucker and Sean Weatherspoon helped the Tigers rank among the top-10 teams nationally in passing, total offense and scoring and 11th in turnover margin.

10. 2007 Kansas: The Jayhawks earned Mark Mangino the national coach of the year award by running to an 11-0 start before losing to Missouri in the regular-season finale. The Jayhawks rebounded for a 24-21 victory over Virginia Tech in their first BCS bowl appearance in school history, finishing a 12-1 season that set a school record for victories. Todd Reesing passed for 33 touchdowns to highlight a high-powered offense that scored 76 points against Nebraska and scored at least 43 points in eight games. The Jayhawks were a balanced team that ranked second nationally in scoring offense, fourth in scoring defense and in the top 10 nationally in eight different team statistics. Anthony Collins and Aqib Talib earned consensus All-America honors.

The Big 12 has had more top three finishers in the Heisman Trophy voting in the last decade than any conference.

And although the Big 12 had three Heisman winners during that time, the three most memorable players of the decade didn’t claim college football’s top individual award.

Here's a look at the top 10 players of the last decade in the Big 12.

1. Vince Young, Texas: Transcendent talent who capped his career by scoring the game-winning touchdown to lead his team to the national championship. Finished his career with a 30-2 record, 6,040 passing yards and 3,127 rushing yards.

2. Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma: Likely would have had a chance for a Heisman if he had stayed for a senior season or not had his junior season marred by injuries. Still finished with 4,045 yards to finish within 73 yards within Billy Sims’ school career record.

3. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska: Destined to go down in history as the greatest Blackshirt of all time. Capped his career by winning the Lombardi, Bednarik and Nagurski Awards, finished fourth in the Heisman and became the first defensive player to win the Associated Press’ player of the year.

4. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: First quarterback to direct his team to back-to-back Big 12 titles, capped by winning the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt sophomore in 2008. Injured early in his junior season, he still finished his college career with 88 touchdown passes against 16 interceptions.

5. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: Claimed back-to-back Biletnikoff awards as the most dominant and productive receiver of his era. Won the award in his second season despite being hobbled by a sprained ankle that limited his productivity.

6. Roy Williams, Oklahoma: Dominant and productive safety who was so good that Bob Stoops created a position, “the Roy,” to showcase his talents. Claimed the Nagurski and Thorpe Awards and was a unanimous All-American in his final college season.

7. Derrick Johnson, Texas: Two-time All-American earned the Butkus and Nagurski Awards in his senior season, capping a career as one of the most illustrious defensive players in Texas history.

8. Eric Crouch, Nebraska: Multi-talented runner/passer cemented his Heisman Trophy in 2001 with his pass-catching abilities against Oklahoma. That big effort helped catapult the Cornhuskers into the national championship game as a senior. Finished his career as the leading rusher quarterback and leader in total offense in Nebraska history.

9. Jason White, Oklahoma: Surrounded by a bevy of top talent, led the Sooners to the national championship game in back to back seasons and claimed the Heisman Trophy Award as a junior in 2003. Claimed back-to-back Davey O’Brien Awards, finishing his career with 8,012 passing yards and 81 touchdowns.

10. Colt McCoy, Texas: The winningest quarterback in college football history, finishing his career with an NCAA record 45 wins. He finished with virtually every passing record in school history winning the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year, Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm and Manning Award in a hard-luck senior season capped by an injury that didn’t allow him to complete the national championship game.

The Big 12 fulfilled its promise and then some during the most recent decade.

Two national championships and five other trips to the BCS title game proved that the conference had earned its rightful position among the nation’s best in its first full decade of play.

How its teams did it was most interesting. The conference was transformed from its run-heavy roots from the Big Eight and Southwest conference beginnings into a cutting-edge passing league where high-powered aerial attacks captured the nation’s attention.

In 2000, the Big 12 had only five teams ranked among the top 54 teams in passing and none higher than 11th. By 2008, the conference had five teams ranked among the top eight passing teams in the nation and 10 among the nation’s top 38.

Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach deserves much of the credit for transforming the Big 12 from a ground-based conference to one where passing predominated. Leach helped convert Oklahoma when he arrived in 1999 as Bob Stoops’ offensive coordinator into the upcoming decade. After a season there, Leach continued his offensive mastery at Texas Tech, where he led the Red Raiders to a bowl game in every season of the decade before he was fired after the 2009 regular season.

That cost him a chance to become a coach who made it through his job during the entire decade. Only Stoops and Texas' Mack Brown remained at their jobs during the aughts -- understandable because of the enviable national programs both developed during the decade.

Stoops claimed six Big 12 titles and Brown won two championships to help account for a title tilt to the South Division as the decade progressed. In the first eight seasons of the conference, the Big 12 alternated between the South and North Division in titles. But since 2004, the Big 12’s title has been won by the South Division champion in every season.

The South has dominated in cross-division games, notching a 13-5 record in the most recent regular season. That continued a trend that has seen the South win the seasonal series against the North in seven of the last eight seasons.

Some of that has been because of the turnover at North programs. Nebraska went from playing for a national championship in 2001 under Frank Solich to seeing the former Cornhusker legend fired less than two seasons later. The Bill Callahan era represented a step backward from that, but Bo Pelini has the Cornhuskers pointed back to national prominence after only two seasons.

Colorado claimed four North titles in a five-season span, but let Gary Barnett go after the last of those championship-game losses. The Buffaloes haven’t been back to the title game since.

And Bill Snyder, the last North coach to win a Big 12 championship, returned to prowl the sideline at Kansas State last season, restarting his career after a three-season sabbatical.

The conference’s star power was best shown in 2008 when Sam Bradford claimed the Heisman Trophy and the conference produced an unprecedented four of the top five Heisman finishers that season. Bradford was one of three Big 12 Heisman winners during the decade joining Eric Crouch in 2001 and Jason White in 2003.

The Big 12’s transition to an offensive juggernaut has helped capture the attention of the NFL. The conference notched a record seven first-round picks in the 2009 draft and likely will produce even more in the upcoming draft.

Kevin Weiberg resigned in 2007 to assume a position helping start the Big Ten’s cable television network. He was replaced by assistant Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe, who immediately inherited the challenge of trying to unify a conference where an uneven revenue sharing plan has been a point of controversy since the conference began. It remains the conference’s biggest trigger point -- as it has since the creation of the conference.

The conference has fallen behind the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten in its national exposure, lagging behind those conferences as they have settled their immediate television concerns.

That proposition will be Beebe’s biggest upcoming challenge into the current decade. A quick and equitable resolution will be a key factor in the Big 12’s potential for growth in upcoming years.

The Big 12 has carved an enviable niche in Heisman Trophy balloting in its short history.

With Colt McCoy's third-place finish and Ndamukong Suh's fourth-place finish last week, the Big 12 has had a top-five finisher in 11 of its 14 seasons of existence.

Included in that mark are winners like Ricky Williams in 1998, Eric Crouch in 2001, Jason White in 2003 and Sam Bradford last season. Additionally, the conference has had six players who finished second and two others who were third.

Despite that history, the early prognosis doesn't look good for duplication by the Big 12 in 2010.

ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman has no Big 12 players among his 10 early Heisman favorites list, which is topped by Jacquizz Rodgers of Oregon State and Kellen Moore of Boise State. Among the players who barely missed his cut are Baylor's Robert Griffin and Texas A&M's Jerrod Johnson.

And the Heisman Pundit lists only two Big 12 players on its list of 17 early Heisman favorites (Johnson and Oklahoma's DeMarco Murray).

It looks like a bleak early season for the Big 12 in 2010 from a starpower standpoint. The conference will need someone to emerge to turn that around.

A candidate who wasn't listed but might be able to surprise is Missouri's Blaine Gabbert. Keep an eye on him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Colt McCoy and Ndamukong Suh are en route to New York City this morning. Both will be part of the Heisman Trophy activities Saturday night.

The Big 12 has featured four winners during its brief history: Ricky Williams of Texas (1998), Eric Crouch of Nebraska (2001), Jason White of Oklahoma (2003) and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma (2008).

The conference also has been involved in two of the three one-two finishes by a conference during that period.

Williams and Kansas State's Michael Bishop in 1998 and Bradford and McCoy account for two of the three instances that a specific conference had the first- and second-place finishers. The only other time it happened during that period was Tim Tebow of Florida and Darren McFadden of Arkansas in 2007.

Here's a look at how Big 12 players have placed since the conference was formed.

1996: Winner, Florida QB Danny Wuerffel; Iowa State RB Troy Davis, second; Texas Tech RB Byron Hanspard, sixth.

1997: Winner, Michigan DB/WR/KR Charles Woodson; Texas RB Ricky Williams, fifth.

1998: Winner, Texas RB Ricky Williams; Kansas State QB Michael Bishop, second.

1999: Winner, Wisconsin RB Ron Dayne; no Big 12 players among top 10 finishers.

2000: Winner, Florida State QB Chris Weinke; Oklahoma QB Josh Heupel, second.

2001: Winner, Nebraska QB Eric Crouch; Oklahoma S Roy Williams, seventh.

2002: Winner, USC QB Carson Palmer; Colorado RB Chris Brown, eighth; Texas Tech QB Kliff Kingsbury, ninth; Oklahoma RB Quentin Griffin, 10th.

2003: Winner, Oklahoma QB Jason White; Kansas State RB Darren Sproles, fifth; Texas Tech QB B.J. Symons, 10th.

2004: Winner, USC QB Matt Leinart; Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson, second; Oklahoma QB Jason White, third; Texas RB Cedric Benson, sixth.

2005: Winner, USC RB Reggie Bush; Texas QB Vince Young, second.

2006: Winner, Ohio State QB Troy Smith; no Big 12 players among top 10 finishers.

2007: Winner, Florida QB Tim Tebow; Missouri QB Chase Daniel, fourth.

2008: Winner, Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford; Texas QB Colt McCoy, second; Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell, fourth; Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree, fifth.

Who knows? Maybe McCoy or Suh will become the fifth Big 12 Heisman winner.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy has been named the winner of the 2009 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award presented to the nation's top senior quarterback.

The award is presented by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc., and Transamerica.

McCoy has led the Longhorns to their first 12-0 regular season in school history as they head into Saturday's Big 12 championship game against Nebraska. He is also the all-time winningest quarterback in NCAA history with 44 victories and the only quarterback in NCAA history to lead his team to four 10-win seasons.

"Wow, what a great honor it is to receive an award named after Johnny Unitas, one of the greatest football players ever,” McCoy said. “I had a chance to talk to John, Jr. and Raymond Berry last night when they told me I was this year's winner and I was pretty speechless.

“With all of the great quarterbacks around the country it’s definitely humbling to be picked as the winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. But, like I told them last night, this is an honor I can't wait to share with my teammates and coaches. Without them I wouldn't be able to accomplish anything, so this is an award that reflects the success we've had as a team and is a tribute to all of them."

McCoy becomes the first Longhorn to win the award, which has been presented since 1987. A ceremony will be held in Baltimore on Dec. 11. Presenters at the awards ceremony will include NFL Hall of Famers Bart Starr and Raymond Berry, along with many other former Baltimore Colts teammates of Johnny Unitas.

“We're so happy for Colt and this team that the Johnny Unitas Gold Arm Award has selected him this year's winner,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “He certainly has had another great year and is deserving of all of the recognition he receives. When you look at the 44 career wins and all of his records, he has been one of the greatest to ever play at Texas and in college football, but he's also a kid that is graduating this semester and is a national scholar-athlete who constantly is giving back in the community. With all of his success on the field, you really have to appreciate what a special person he is off of it to."

McCoy is the fourth player from a Big 12 school to win the Unitas Award. Previous winners include Graham Harrell of Texas Tech last season, Nebraska's Tommie Frazier (1995) and Oklahoma's Jason White (2004).

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was among three finalists announced for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award.

McCoy was joined by Florida's Tim Tebow and Houston's Case Keenum among the finalists for the award given to the nation's top quarterback.

The 2009 O'Brien Winner will be announced live on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The winner will be honored at the 33rd Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club next Feb. 15 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Five former Big 12 players have been honored six times since the conference began play in 1996: Two-time honoree Jason White of Oklahoma (2003, 2004), Kansas State's Michael Bishop (1998), Nebraska's Eric Crouch (2001), Texas' Vince Young (2005) and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford (2008).