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USA Today released its annual survey of athletic director salaries, noting that they're rising almost as fast as coaching salaries. How did the Big 12 stack up?

Here's how they ranked:

• DeLoss Dodds, Texas: $1,095,756
• Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma: $975,000
• Bill Byrne, Texas A&M: $690,000
• Mike Alden, Missouri: $659,775
• Kirby Hocutt, Texas Tech: $580,000
• Jamie Pollard, Iowa State: $450,000
• Sheahon Zenger, Kansas: $450,000
• Ian McCaw, Baylor: $423,449
• John Currie, Kansas State: $412,500
• Mike Holder, Oklahoma State: $387,560

I kept old Big 12 schools in this list because they were in the Big 12 when these numbers were taken.

For the new schools?

• Oliver Luck, West Virginia: $405,600
• TCU's Chris Del Conte was paid $115,639 for a partial-year salary. He took over in October 2009, and his full salary was not available on public tax returns.

The most surprising name on the list was Mike Holder, who is at the bottom of the list, despite holding the position since 2005. Oklahoma State's not exactly starved for money these days, either.

Kansas State's John Currie is a newcomer to the job, and a first-time athletic director who has helped K-State become the most profitable athletic department in the country. You've got to expect a raise is coming his way, even though he had a high-profile gaffe when hoops coach Frank Martin exited stage right all the way to South Carolina.

Not surprising to see Texas and OU at the top, but that's a pretty big gap between Dodds, Castiglione and the rest of the league, especially now that Missouri and Texas A&M are gone.

Dodds is only the fourth-highest paid AD, behind Vanderbilt, Florida and Louisville's athletic directors.

What else stuck out to you?

Charlie Weis marched Justin McCay out alongside quarterback Dayne Crist at a news conference earlier this year. The two faces of KU's renewal under Weis sat and answered questions from the media about their road from blue-chip recruits who signed with traditional powers -- Crist with Notre Dame, McCay with Oklahoma -- before landing at Kansas.

Weis believed McCay would be given a waiver from the NCAA, and indicated as much repeatedly as the application process drew longer and longer. He believed it still after McCay's initial request was denied, but the Jayhawks were encouraged to appeal.

That's over now.

The NCAA Subcommittee for Legislative Relief denied McCay's appeal, and he'll be ineligible for 2012. He'll be a junior with two years of eligibility remaining in 2013.

"They informed our compliance officer that there wasn’t that one catastrophic event evident to rule in his favor," Weis said. "I’m extremely disappointed that common sense did not prevail. I have read all of the information on this case and it is a shame that this case resulted in a rejection. I cannot release all of the details of Justin’s case as it would be an invasion of his privacy. I can only say that the University of Kansas felt the evidence was overwhelmingly in his favor. I also do not understand why the NCAA had us appeal this case to the subcommittee only to have received the same answer with the same rationale."

Those are strong words from the head Jayhawk, but he clearly feels wronged by the NCAA. He wouldn't be the first one. Weis is a straight talker, but those kinds of comments -- especially in a prepared statement -- make it clear how strongly he disagreed with the decision.

You have to feel sorry for McCay, too, who came home to Kansas after two unproductive years at Oklahoma.

"Despite the disappointment I am feeling today, I have no regrets," McCay said in a statement.

He also thanked Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione by name.

"I am very happy to be at Kansas and I am going to go out and work hard every day to be the best teammate I can be. Even though I won’t be playing in games this year I am going to take advantage of every opportunity I have to improve as a player."

Tough result, but the Jayhawks will have to move on with experienced receivers Daymond Patterson and D.J. Beshears leading the way. Kale Pick also played well in Saturday's spring game.

Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops admitted he has some concerns about OU’s 2012 non-conference schedule, as well as the conference schedule, should West Virginia not be added to the league before the season.

If West Virginia can’t leave, “then we have to deal with that,” Stoops said. “But I think the first issue that (athletic director Joe Castiglione) is trying to work out is just the early games, and who will play us. That's the other thing. It's hard to get anyone to come play us.”

If West Virginia is forced to stay in the Big East another year, the Big 12 will have to reconfigure its schedule for nine teams.

Because of realignment, the Sooners now have two open dates in the non-conference. The previously scheduled meeting with TCU became a conference game with the Horned Frogs’ admission to the Big 12.

OU’s lone remaining scheduled non-conference game is with Notre Dame. Stoops said the Sooners are trying to line up a pair of non-conference games for the early part of the season, since the Notre Dame game is scheduled for Oct. 27. So far, that’s been a challenge.

“I think (Castiglione) has done a masterful job of working the BCS and how we've scheduled to help us,” Stoops said. “Joe works hard at it. I've got a lot of confidence he's working it the best he can to help us and protect us that way. But believe me, in visiting with him, it's challenging.”

Stoops said that if West Virginia is added, the Mountaineers could slot into Missouri’s spot on the schedule, with TCU assuming Texas A&M’s.

Stoops said he believes the league can thrive with just 10 teams and no conference championship game because of what West Virginia and TCU bring to the table.

“Let's face it, this year, if you add TCU and West Virginia, two more ranked teams, we're not missing a whole lot,” Stoops said. “Look at the way the guys have been playing in the bowls. We're not taking a backseat to much here. But if everyone wants the conference (championship) game, and if we get two good football teams, that would be great. But I still think we've more than proven we're a lot to deal with, this league, without it.”

Do we really need another politician in Washington married to a pack animal?

• Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones got pranked yesterday. Coach Bob Stoops isn't ready to shill for his team as a title-game participant.
• Missouri and Arkansas may find a chance to finally bond in the SEC, writes Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star.
• Good isn't good enough anymore for Texas' defense. The Longhorns' D must be great now, writes Cedric Golden of the Austin American-Statesman.
• Missouri running back Henry Josey's knee injury is more like something that would be found in a car accident, and was so bad, the major surgery on Sunday couldn't even fix the torn ACL. That will come in three months, writes Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• Brandon Weeden has changed the program at Oklahoma State, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.
• Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star says Kansas may have an advantage over Texas A&M on Saturday.
• Iowa State is prepping to face the league's best QBs in consecutive weeks, writes Andrew Logue of the Des Moines Register.
• Kansas State is attracting attention from some big-name bowl games, writes Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle.
• Texas Tech walk-on OL Dan Guerra wasn't even all-district, and came to Tech so he could learn and become an OL coach. Now, he's enjoying the ride into Tech's two-deep, writes Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
• Big 12 fans: Prepare to hear the names Casey Pachall and Josh Boyce very soon.
• Want to make Sooners players and coaches bristle? Mention the Texas Tech game, writes Travis Haney of The Oklahoman.
• If you love sabermetrics, you'll love that in one particular ranking, only LSU's defense is ahead of Oklahoma State, writes Gina Mizell of The Oklahoman.
• Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione will replace Dan Beebe on the Division I Men's Basketball committee.

Missouri has yet to officially apply for the SEC, although multiple reports on Saturday indicated that the Tigers would have the necessary votes to join the league's Eastern division.

If that happens, the Big 12 would like to move quickly to replace the Tigers, Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione told SoonerNation on Saturday.

If Missouri leaves, Castiglione said the Big 12 has a "Plan A" and "Plan 1-A" but did not discuss specific teams outside of BYU. He also said he was hopeful Missouri would remain in the Big 12.

"I think our intent would be to move as quickly as we could," Castiglione said. "There may be other issues that hinder our ability to move as quick as we want. Behind the scenes we will be doing as much as we can as quick as we can to resolve it."

West Virginia is at the top of a list of possible replacements, a source told ESPN's Andy Katz. That's followed by BYU, Louisville and Cincinnati.

USA Today dug up the salaries for athletic directors at every FBS school, and in the Big 12, it's no surprise who came out on top.

Texas' DeLoss Dodds was one of six athletic directors making over $1 million.

Here's how the Big 12 ranked:

DeLoss Dodds, Texas: $1,095,756

Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma: $975,000

Bill Byrne, Texas A&M: $690,000

Mike Alden, Missouri: $659,775

Kirby Hocutt, Texas Tech: $580,000

Jamie Pollard, Iowa State: $450,000

Sheahon Zenger, Kansas: $450,000

Ian McCaw, Baylor: $423, 449

John Currie, Kansas State: $412,500

Mike Holder, Oklahoma State: $387,560

Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas met with the media on Monday via teleconference for 25 minutes to discuss the future of the league and its decision to share Tier 1 and Tier 2 revenue equally, pending a commitment of each school's media rights to the conference.

"I'm not objective on this, but in an objective view, I think this should be a positive sign for Missouri," Neinas said. "I do think that they'll consider what we're doing. We have some things in mind that I'm not prepared to reveal at this point, but we're working in a very positive way toward improving what is already a good conference.

Neinas continues to be confident Missouri will stay, but the school's board of curators has scheduled a meeting for Tuesday in St. Louis, and will speak with the media following its conclusion. The SEC's presidents will meet on Wednesday.

Neinas will travel to Missouri's campus later this week to speak with officials from Missouri.

"They have to look at not only what the future best interests are for the University of Missouri but for the state of Missouri. There's a lot to be considered, not only for the institution, but for the state," Neinas said.

He cited the school's rivalry with Kansas, which has stretched longer than a century. He also added that Kansas City, a home for many Missouri alums, is the home of the Big 12 Conference basketball tournament. He also expressed worry that Missouri fans' traditions of driving to games in the Big 12 would end if it left to play games in locales like Gainesville, Fla., Tuscaloosa, Ala. and Columbia, S.C.

"Missouri is Midwestern, not Southern," he said.

Missouri balancing both sides?

Despite rumors to the contrary last week, Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton remains chair of the Big 12 board of directors and is on the five-man expansion committee along with Kansas State president Kirk Schulz, who serves as the chair. Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds, Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione and Oklahoma State president Burns Hargis fill the committee.

On Sunday's conference call between the board of directors, though, Deaton recused himself from a part of the meeting at the advice of his legal counsel.

Neinas declined to detail the part of the meeting in which Deaton did not participate.

Expansion committee moves forward

The expansion committee has been reactivated after the drama surrounding Texas A&M's exit subsided, and will meet later this week.

Does Neinas have a sense that his conference knows who is on board and could make offers to others?

"That's a good question, and I think the answer is yes," he said.

The problem, though, seems to be that there is no consensus on how the Big 12 should expand. Neinas said there is still no strong sense of if the Big 12 should remain at nine, add one member to reach 10 or more to have 12, 14 or even 16 members.

Presumably, finding that consensus and recommending a move to the rest of the league's presidents is part of the expansion committee's job description.

Missouri's stance on Big 12 future

Missouri still hasn't said definitively what its plans are, but Neinas clarified a few stances on Monday.

The equal revenue sharing for Tier 1 and Tier 2 rights passed unanimously and had been something Missouri supported.

Neinas reiterated that the Tier 3 money will not be shared equally and didn't envision that changing.

"I don't know that there were specific changes that were put forward by Missouri," Neinas said. "Items regarding revenue sharing were on the agenda before I came. They're just being acted on."

Lots of news from Oklahoma's press conference earlier today, but here are some of the other notes that didn't make the first update.

Oklahoma talks its conference shopping spree

Oklahoma president David Boren opened up about the Sooners' search for a conference, stating that a "stable Big 12" was the first choice, but they had conversations with the Pac-12.

The Sooners didn't use any outside sources for the search, and instead consulted with coach Bob Stoops and athletic director Joe Castiglione.

Stoops clearly had reservations about leaving for a league without Texas, but Boren said the Big 12 proved it could be stable and the Pac-12 and Oklahoma came to a near-simultaneous, "mutual" decision for Oklahoma not to join.

"We achieved substantial reforms and we were able to make very important steps toward greater stability of the Big 12 Conference," Boren said.

I agree with that if the league can get the media rights turned over to the conference for six years, through the renewal of the league's Tier 1 rights in five years, but for now, that's not official. Oklahoma better make it so, because there's no question the wires were crossed regarding how far along that agreement was.

Will it happen? My guess is the Big 12 eventually gets this done, but Missouri, whose chancellor is the chair of the board of directors, wasn't exactly trumpeting the Big 12's stability like Boren was. Not a good sign, but time will tell how major of an issue this becomes.

Boren said the Big 12's nine presidents agreed that they were in the conference, but I'd hold off on declaring this league stable until the media rights are officially given to the Big 12. Texas and Oklahoma are ready to stay in the Big 12.

Is Missouri?

What school is running the Big 12?

Boren took exception to the idea that Texas had been "driving the train" in the Big 12 over the past year, until Oklahoma took over that role in the Pac-12 negotiations, but handed it back to Texas when the Pac-12 announced it would not expand.

Boren went on a measured, mini-rant that made a lot of good points. I'll let him explain.

"The University of Oklahoma does not have any ambition to drive the train anywhere. We have no desire to dominate the Big 12 Conference. None whatsoever. We have a very strong feeling that those conferences that have been the most stable are conferences in which every member feels valued equally," he said, later adding, "We don't want any one school dominating the Big 12 and we have no ambition to dominate the Big 12. ... All we wanted in this conference was stability so that we could concentrate on winning games and providing quality of life for our student athletes and not having drama every year."

He emphasized that more than just Texas and Oklahoma explored their conference options, and he knew of at least four, acknowledging that more might have done so, but he didn't know for sure.

"I hope no one will write in the future that anyone is driving the train in this conference. That's our goal," Boren said. "I don't care whether that's Texas driving this conference or Oklahoma driving this conference or Missouri driving this conference or Kansas with their basketball strength driving this conference. If we get to a situation where anybody drives this conference, then it would weaken us. Strong conferences are the conferences where there's a great amount of partnership and mutual respect and trust across the board."

Oklahoma, Texas still together, on and off the field

Bob Stoops reiterated his belief that the rivalry with Texas is important for the university, and that he didn't want it to go away, which it likely would have if the Sooners went to the Pac-12 without Texas.

For now, that game will remain at the Cotton Bowl, and Boren expressed a strong desire to keep it there.

As it should be. Texas and Oklahoma play that game every year, but the State Fair is what makes that game special. Moving it to JerryWorld would be a colossal mistake.

Lots to get to on the blog tonight.

First off, you can read our news story on tonight's news conference at Oklahoma. Here's an update of what was decided.

More on the way later tonight.

Big 12 headed for binding TV rights

The Big 12's presidents agreed to grant their television rights to the conference for six years, Oklahoma president David Boren said at a news conference on Thursday. Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton said at a news conference also on Thursday night that the agreement was not official, and the league had agreed to pursue such binds.

A source at Missouri confirmed to ESPN.com that they were told "there was no agreement, only an agreement to work toward that as a potential outcome."

The Big 12 signed a 13-year, $1.1 billion deal with Fox Sports last summer for Tier 2 rights and the Tier 1 rights for ESPN/ABC are up for renewal in five years. By signing away the media rights to the conference, any team that left the conference during that period would offer no television revenue to a prospective new league. Any television revenue produced by that team would go to the Big 12.

"We felt that we needed a lot more than an expression of solidarity," Boren said, referencing "unequivocal commitments" that held the Big 12 together in 2010, when the Big 12 last faced near extinction. "It was a very important item to show we mean business about staying together."

Boren added: "That grant of rights really has teeth in it, because when you've granted your rights, it's very unlikely that a member would receive an invitation to another conference."

Texas A&M still headed to the SEC

Tonight's agreement has had no effect on the Texas A&M and its intended departure to the SEC.

Boren said Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin was on the teleconference, but was careful to note that it was "highly likely" that the Aggies would continue to chart their intended course for the SEC. Boren also said the league would not give up on convincing Texas A&M to stay until the Aggies became official members of the SEC.

The league's presidents did not discuss waiving rights to legal action that would allow Texas A&M to continue with its intended move to the SEC after the conference's presidents voted to accept them on the condition that each Big 12 team waive those legal rights.

“Another key to Big 12 stability will be for the league to assist Texas A&M with our departure," Texas A&M spokesman Jason Cook told the San Antonio Express-News.

New interim commissioner officially appointed

Dan Beebe is out, and Chuck Neinas is in. Neinas has dealt with scores of athletic departments around the country, and recommended more than half of the athletic directors in the Big 12 to the administrations in their current schools. Boren lauded Neinas as a figure respected around the country.

Neinas will take over only as interim commissioner, though. He is not a candidate for the permanent job, which may take a "few months" to fill, Boren said, though he established no concrete timeline for the hire.

"We needed someone to lead us through a healing process," Boren said of Neinas. "There's no one better to do that."

Expansion has been re-opened

While the Big 12 nearly broke apart, the efforts of an expansion committee were obviously halted. Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione and Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds are on the committee, which has been re-activated.

The league doesn't know if it will expand to 10 or 12 teams, but will do its "due diligence" and is open to both.

I'd expect negotiations with BYU to be re-opened, and for the Big 12 to seriously talk with remaining teams in the Big East like West Virginia and Louisville, but also seriously talk to schools closer to the Big 12 footprint, like TCU or Houston.

Nothing's off the table yet, though. As it should be this early in the process.

Boren refused to name any names or publish any list of prospective members.

"We want anybody we look at for expansion to know they were our first choice," Boren said.

Big 12 committee formed

This is also an important development. Chairman of the board of directors Brady Deaton is putting together a "committee" to handle a variety of tasks facing the Big 12 currently.

For now, no change in revenue sharing has been enacted, but if it's going to happen, it will be explored by this committee.

Deaton is expected to put it together by the end of the day on Friday.

The league agreed not to air grievances with others in the league publicly, which is necessary for the appearance of stability. It also agreed that any disagreements would be settled privately through the multi-purpose committee that Boren called a "special working group."

Concessions by Texas and Oklahoma?

It's clear so far that Texas and Oklahoma have and are willing to give on some issues. Oklahoma got its wish with Beebe's ouster and a commitment with the media rights that would ensure stability, but Texas AD DeLoss Dodds told local media on Wednesday that he did not want to sign over media rights.

Judging by Boren's comments, that stance has softened. Maybe he was leveraged into it, or maybe it was a measure of good faith. Either way, it looked like it happened.

Oklahoma has also made it clear that it would not stand in the way of equal revenue sharing. The Sooners, as one of the Big 12's top earners, would get less money in that agreement.

"Would equal distribution mean a financial contribution for good of the conference? Yes. Would we be willing to do so? Yes," Boren said. "We would hope that wouldn’t occur overnight."

Boren said he hoped such a plan would be fazed in slowly.

As for Texas? Maybe we'll hear from them soon.

Lots more coming on the blog tonight. Stay tuned.

Oklahoma is ready to install the next piece of Heisman Park outside the east stands of Owen Field.

Sam Bradford's statue, which was unveiled on May 14, will be erected on Wednesday with no formal ceremony, because Bradford is busy gearing up for his second season with the St. Louis Rams.

"Recognizing the statue of Heisman winner Sam Bradford was unveiled this past spring, we are excited for it to be placed alongside our other four winners," said Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione said in a release. "Unfortunately, our home schedule didn't coincide with Sam's, so we're moving ahead with plans to have it installed with the blessing of the Bradford family knowing that we'll hold a formal ceremony later."

Bradford became Oklahoma's fifth Heisman winner in 2008, when he threw for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns on 328-of-483 passing, leading the Sooners to the national title game.

For the Big 12's entire 15-year history, it divvied up 57 percent of the conference's cash equally. The other 43 percent, however, was handed out according to a number of factors, most notably a program's television appearances.

However, at the end of the Big 12's annual meetings, a year after losing two members, it announced that 76 percent of its conference revenue would now be shared equally. (More on what that means here.)

Beebe isn't ready, considering the numerous variables, to venture a guess as to how far the gap will be from the top-earning to the bottom-earning team, but while the percentage of revenue shared equally rises, I'd expect the difference in actual dollars to remain somewhat constant.

So, instead of the $12 million versus $8 million we've seen in recent years, think somewhere along the lines of $22 million versus $17 million or more in the future.

"We’re going to have to see," Beebe told ESPN.com in a recent interview.

Now that all of the Big 12 home games will be televised, bonuses (or unit values, Beebe called them) will be given to teams who earn appearances on over-the-air television, like games on ABC or Fox versus Fox Sports Net, ESPN or FX.

"There were a number of appearances that Nebraska and Colorado had on ABC and where those appearances go will be interesting," he said. "Some schools like Texas and Oklahoma have already maxed out on the appearances, so they’re going to have to go to somewhere else, and those are the games that we pay, that we provide some money, some unit values, for getting on the broadcast."

The idea to amend the Big 12's policy began when the television negotiating committee recommended it to the rest of the conference. That group, which helped negotiate the recent contract with Fox, was made up of two presidents and three athletic directors across the Big 12. The committee members:

• Iowa State president Greg Geoffroy
• Oklahoma State president Burns Hargis
• Missouri AD Mike Alden
• Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione
• Texas AD DeLoss Dodds

With a whole lot more money on the way, the league chose to reassess how it distributed its revenue.

"[The league's members] looked at all different models and decided this was the one that would best accommodate the conference," Beebe said.

The gap will be hard to project, specifically because nonconference schedules fluctuate from year to year, and some broadcasts aren't selected until the season begins, and are tallied up after the year.

Bowl expense reimbursements can also factor into the gap between the highest- and lowest-earning teams in the Big 12, Beebe said.

"It was unanimous; it sailed through pretty easily," Beebe said. "It’s another demonstration, like we’ve said about our television agreement and other things that we’re doing, of how solid this conference is, and how much their probably hasn’t been in the history of the conference, this type of unity and appreciation for each other."

• Old friends will reunite on a bowl licensing task force. Nebraska's Harvey Perlman and Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe are among the members.
• At Big 12 meetings, the Ohio State controversy is a hot topic, writes Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• The league also says talk of trying to stick together is behind them, writes Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News.
• Running back Malcolm Brown was among a group of freshman who officially arrived on campus at Texas on Tuesday.
• After the 2000 season, 25 coaches were hired. Just five remain at the jobs they were hired for, and Missouri's Gary Pinkel is one of them, writes the Columbia Tribune's Dave Matter.
• Matter also reports that Missouri has added a new old quarterback, senior reserve Jimmy Costello, to help with quarterback depth after Tyler Gabbert's transfer this offseason.
• Austin Meek of the Topeka Capital-Journal has more on Carl Torbush's upcoming fight with cancer. And another take from the Kansas City Star's J. Brady McCollough.
• Tom Keegan of the Lawrence Journal-World says Torbush is preaching patience.
• Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman says Ohio State should hire Paul Rhoads and not look back.
• Very cool site here that helps sick kids see their favorite college football teams play.
• Oklahoma's newest coach snagged his first commitment, the sixth of the Sooners' 2012 class.
• NFL.com has a video piece of new Cowboys draft pick DeMarco Murray working out with his former teammate, Sam Bradford.

A year ago, the media room at the InterContinental hotel in Kansas City was fit for around 20 people. When an administrator stepped to the dais, it became overrun with reporters jamming for space in the tiny room.

Not to mention the lurking swarm of reporters eager to fire questions at any administrator leaving the meeting room or chasing others as they made a beeline for the hotel elevator.

"There are fewer media people here than last year. We couldn't get through that hallway last year," Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said with a grin, according to the Associated Press.

To be exact, there were five members of the media at Big 12 meetings this year.

Yours truly is home in Dallas this week, versus the City of Fountains that straddles the Missouri-Kansas border, but the benign topics of discussion this year versus last year seem welcomed by the athletic directors and various other officials who have made their way to Kansas City this week.

"If anything, today we came in focusing on the things that are going to make us stronger going forward," Castiglione said.

Castiglione is serving as as the chairman of the Big 12 athletic directors.

"We've already dealt with a variety of transitional issues through the last 11 months," he said. "We're tweaking, fine-tuning if you will, some of those changes, formats and structures. A few changes to the manual, championship events, all of those types of things."

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe opened up about the discussions surrounding withdrawal fees, and whether or not they will change in the future.

Nebraska and Colorado had $16.1 million of conference revenue withheld for leaving the conference when they did as part of the Big 12 bylaws both schools agreed to abide by, but those bylaws could be changing soon under the new, slimmed-down 10-team setup.

"A lot of it is just operational to go from 12 to 10 in a corporate bylaw structure," Beebe told the Associated Press. "Some of it is going to be more functional in terms of we're going to have a close review of what we've gone through last year in the withdrawal provisions, to make sure they're appropriate, how they should continue. It wasn't a secret. We had a dispute about that. We settled the dispute and everybody moved on. But those provisions were put in place in a different time and era and in a different legal environment."

Three Oklahoma officials released statements on Thursday afternoon in response to the death of Sooners linebacker Austin Box:

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops:

"We're all shocked and heartbroken. Austin was a great young man, a great young man to coach and a great teammate. He played an integral part in our success the last three years and was looking forward to a big senior year. As heart-wrenching as this is for us, we know it's even more difficult for his family. More than anything, our thoughts and prayers are with them."

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione:

"This is a devastating day for the OU family. Austin was incredibly well-liked by his teammates, coaches and fellow students, and will be greatly missed by all of us. We're providing all the appropriate resources necessary to help everyone in his family, and ours, cope during this extremely difficult time."

University of Oklahoma president David L. Boren:

"The University family is deeply saddened by the tragic death of student-athlete Austin Box. Our hearts go out to his family and friends."

The Oklahoma City medical examiner's office told me earlier this afternoon that the cause of death was unlikely to be known before Friday. We'll have more details as they become available.

Caesar in Limbo asked: Is there an increasing trend with coaches losing the battle against whining players? Leach, Mangino and I'm sure there's got to be more. Does a weak player just have to point their finger if they feel mistreated? Do these kids need therapy or a boot?! Why won't administrators back their coaches anymore? Could a coach from 20 years ago make it in today's "coddle" culture?

David Ubben: I don't know if I buy that. To some level, sure, we're more sensitive as a culture than ever before, but I also think those two situations are very different, and the issues with the players weren't the only reason Mangino and Leach were let go.

Mangino's was obviously a big part of it, but that controversy also hit in the middle of a seven-game losing streak to end the season, despite still having Todd Reesing, Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier. Like I wrote yesterday, Mangino's coaching style, which I'll just call intense, doesn't come off as well if he's not winning games. Winning solves if not everything, something close to it. (This is the point when I glare in Columbus, Ohio's direction.) If Kansas won 10 games in 2009, does anyone think Mark Mangino would not still be the coach?

In Leach's case, it was pretty clear that he badly strained his relationship with his bosses during his contract negotiations prior to the 2009 season. That relationship between a coach and the administration often gets overlooked. Leach's wasn't good, and he gave the higher-ups a reason to fire him.

Bob Stoops has a fantastic relationship with his AD, Joe Castiglione and the university president, David Boren. If the Adam James situation happened to Stoops, would he still be around?

I think we all know the answer to that question.

These situations are a lot more complex than just a couple whiny, entitled kids getting coaches fired.

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Mike in Oklahoma City, Okla., asked: Ubbs, do you think Tyler Gabbert leaving MU has anything to do with his brother's "slide" in the recent NFL draft due to the college system he played for? Do you think he will transfer to a pro style team in response to that?

DU: No, and that's not really the reason for his "slide," per se. The way I see his slide is one team saw Jake Locker as a better fit and better talent than Gabbert, which bumped him out of the top 5-7 where he was projected to go, down to No. 10. In the days leading up to the draft, I'd say it was pretty clear that Cam Newton was going to be the first quarterback taken.

Everyone had questions this year. Can Newton be a true NFL passer? Is Locker accurate enough? Can Gabbert be the same kind of passer after a dropback? I really doubt that had anything to do with Tyler Gabbert's decision.

And besides that, from the moment Blaine Gabbert stepped on Missouri's campus, he had NFL written all over him. Guys with big arms that are 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds tend to, at the very least, get drafted. Tyler Gabbert's career is just beginning, but at 6-foot and 190 pounds, he's going to be fighting uphill to get his chance at the NFL level.

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Scott in College Station, Texas asked: David, When do the first 2012 ESPN recruit rankings come out? Thanks

DU: We released them last year around late May and early June, so I'd expect them then, but don't get too worried, Scott. I'm sure your Aggies will be well represented in our ESPNU150, unlike last year.

I'd be very, very surprised if Trey Williams wasn't on it. Matt Davis probably has a good shot, too. Maybe Davante Borque. Our recruiting guys handle that.

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Preston in Dallas asked: If Texas has another bad year, and Texas A&M and Oklahoma St. continue to take the next step how do think this will effect recruiting in Texas?

DU: It would help a little bit, but it's going to take a lot of losing for Texas to not be back on top of the recruiting game. For one, players want to play for Mack Brown.

But more than anything, you're battling Texas culture. Players grow up wanting to be Longhorns. That's just a fact. Not all of them, of course, but certainly a majority of kids in one of the richest recruiting banks in the country.

How many kids grow up in Texas dreaming of playing for Oklahoma State? Texas A&M?

They'll grow up, and some will realize that in their personal situation, maybe either school is a better fit or Texas doesn't want them, but there's no changing that Texas is the flagship program in the state. That's one recruiting advantage that takes a whole heck of a lot to negate.

Another losing season, or even 2-3 more isn't going to suddenly allow either school to consistently outrecruit Texas.