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Colleague Travis Haney kept an eye on the ever-changing national championship odds, and three Big 12 teams made big moves during the spring.

Oklahoma and West Virginia made big moves up the scale.

Oklahoma began the spring at 18-1 and has since moved to 10-1.

Those wondering whether OU would locate playmakers likely noted the spring emergence of receiver Trey Metoyer, a vertical threat from Texas who spent last fall at a Virginia prep school. He could make junior Kenny Stills' life much easier as the No. 1 receiver.

Mike Stoops' imprint has already been seen on a pass defense that was woeful in the losses to Texas Tech and Baylor. For one, all-conference-level talent Tony Jefferson moved from linebacker to free safety, a more natural position.

I could see it for Oklahoma. Last year, there was so much pressure on the preseason No. 1 Sooners. This year, they're still supremely talented, but the expectations aren't as high. OU will kick off the season around the top five, which makes a run to the title still a possibility with one loss. Even coach Bob Stoops admitted to me this spring that there's less pressure this time around, but still a very talented team. The big question for me is can Landry Jones play well for 13 games. He hasn't done it yet in his career, but the time is now. He can look otherworldly at times, but very average at others.

Meanwhile, West Virginia has moved from a 50-1 to 30-1.

What's will be interesting is seeing how West Virginia -- and TCU, in a similar-but-different sense -- adjust to the week-in, week-out challenges of the new league. In the Mountaineers' case, travel will be part of that game. At least one Big 12 peer thought those variables would preclude either of the newcomers from winning the league in year one.

Additionally, no one's really talking all that much about defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel leaving to rejoin Rich Rodriguez in Arizona. There's a sense that the 3-4 installed this spring by new coordinator Joe DeForest will work well in the Big 12. DeForest should know, since he was previously at Oklahoma State (where he coached with Dana Holgorsen).

I could see WVU winning the Big 12, but the national championship? Not happening, and that defense is the reason why. It's not ready yet. You win in the Big 12 with offense, yes. But you win big in the Big 12 with a great offense and a defense to match. That's how Oklahoma and Texas have done it over the years, and even last year, Oklahoma State took advantage with turnovers and nearly reached the title game.

WVU's floor is very, very high. I'd be very, very surprised if they won fewer than nine games, but in a new league, it's hard to imagine them going 12-0.

Kansas State, however, has taken a big step back this spring, according to oddsmakers. They've dropped from 25-1 to 150-1.

Perhaps the correct means of approaching this is to question who would ever see K-State as a 25-1 in the first place. Maybe Vegas realized what many already knew: The Wildcats, grinding out seemingly every game, were extremely fortunate to win 10 in 2011. Take out blowouts of lowly Kent State and Kansas, and the remaining eight victories were all by single digits, by an average of 4.5 points a game.

For me, the troubling sign from 2011 wasn't so much the close wins. Coach Bill Snyder does what he need to in order to win games. The playbook was limited in the first few games.

What makes me worry most about K-State? Losing to Oklahoma at home by 41 points. How many championship teams do something like that?

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

2011 overall record: 10-3

2011 conference record: 5-2

Returning starters: Offense (8), Defense (6), P/K (2)

Top returners: QB Geno Smith, WR Stedman Bailey, WR Tavon Austin, RB Dustin Garrison, RB Shawne Alston, S Darwin Cook, S Terence Garvin

Key losses: DE Bruce Irvin, LB Najee Goode, DE Julian Miller, S Eain Smith, CB Keith Tandy

2011 statistical leaders (*returners):

Rushing: Dustin Garrison* (742 yards)

Passing: Geno Smith* (4,385 yards)

Receiving: Stedman Bailey* (1,279 yards)

Tackles: Najee Goode (87)

Sacks: Bruce Irvin (8)

Interceptions: Keith Tandy (4)

Three spring answers

1. A clear defensive vision: Jeff Casteel packed up for Arizona and rejoined former WVU coach Rich Rodriguez in Tucson. He took the 3-3-5 with him. On the way to the Big 12, coach Dana Holgorsen went away from the defense that made a name for the Mountaineers. Now, he's got co-defensive coordinators Keith Patterson and Joe DeForest getting his team ready to utilize a 3-4 with a pass rush built to confuse and fluster Big 12 quarterbacks.

2. Wealth overflows at receiver: Bailey and Austin make a great case for being the Big 12's No. 1 and 2 receivers entering the 2012 season, but now true freshman Jordan Thompson adds even more depth to the position. He provides another target for Smith.

3. No worries on offense: WVU is already one of the most productive offenses, and any doubt was eliminated during a quiet spring in West Virginia before one of the most anticipated seasons in school history. The passing game should be fine, but Shawne Alston filled in well for Garrison, who was out this spring after seriously spraining a knee during practices for the Orange Bowl.

Three fall questions:

1. Can the Mountaineers handle the heat? West Virginia is no stranger to big games. Its played LSU and Auburn in recent years and is 3-0 on the BCS stage. Can WVU handle the week-to-week grind of the Big 12 and difficult venues every week? The step up from the Big East won't be as great as TCU's from the Mountain West, but it's still going to be more difficult. WVU was the only Big East team ranked in the top 25 for most of the 2011 season. Six Big 12 teams will likely be ranked in the preseason.

2. How explosive is this offense in Year 2? Holgorsen can work some magic with his offense, and he'll have lots and lots of toys in 2012. Brandon Weeden didn't get a second year with the offensive wizard, but Holgorsen has high hopes for special talents in Smith and Austin, two players he can't complement enough. Is West Virginia the best offense in its new conference?

3. A clear vision, but will it work? West Virginia recruited to build a 3-3-5 scheme, but it'll try and piece together the 3-4 in a defense that lost its top three pass-rushers from 2011. Holgorsen knows what he wants to do schematically on defense, but there's certainly reason to doubt whether it can handle the huge jump in quality of offenses from the Big East to the Big 12.

Time to wrap up our series breaking down each team's best and worst positions entering the 2012 season. West Virginia will bring up the rear.

More spring superlatives:

• Baylor
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma State
• Texas
• TCU
• Texas Tech

Strongest position: Wide receiver

The Big 12 has exactly zero returning 1,000-yard receivers in 2012, thanks to Texas A&M's SEC defection. All four 1,000 receivers from 2011 will be in the NFL (Justin Blackmon, Ryan Broyles, Kendall Wright) or the SEC (Ryan Swope).

West Virginia, though, returns two. Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin will start the season as the Big 12's top two receivers, and there's a pretty good chance they'll end the season in the same place. Quarterback Geno Smith is arguably the Big 12's best, and the offense returns eight starters entering Year 2 of Dana Holgorsen's high-powered attack. That's a good sign for Bailey and Austin, a pair of dynamic playmakers. WVU's entire offense is based around getting them the ball, and as long as they stay healthy, both are more than capable of getting open.

Weakest position: Pass-rushers

West Virginia loved watching feel-good story Bruce Irvin hear his name called in the first round of the NFL draft, but it also brings the focus on a stark realization for the Mountaineers: They need a lot of help with the pass-rush. Irvin is gone, but so is fellow defensive end Julian Miller and linebacker Najee Goode. Those were the team's three leading sackers, and leave behind 19 sacks in 2011 that the Mountaineers have to replace in 2012.

They'll do it in a new league with faster offenses and smarter, better quarterbacks. They'll also be breaking in a brand-new scheme. The 3-4 is a big departure from the 3-3-5 that much of the defensive recruits signed up to play when they came to West Virginia. That's an adjustment that won't be quick, but new coordinators Joe DeForest and Keith Patterson worked all spring on installing the system and making sure players can play fast with minimal thinking. Expect a few growing pains early. Everything looks better on defense when you have a disruptive pass-rush, but there are plenty of reasons to believe that element might not be there for WVU in the immediate future.

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- At a recent practice, on the first play of a scrimmage, West Virginia's offense did what West Virginia's offense does: connected for a long pass play.

Echoing from the sidelines, though, were comments that brought a smile to co-defensive coordinator Joe DeForest's face, despite the struggles from the past play.

"Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it," teammates yelled. "Move on to the next one. Move on to the next one."

On the second play, the defense forced a sack.

"When kids start repeating what you’re saying out loud, you know they’re listening to you," DeForest told ESPN.com in a recent interview.

What West Virginia's coaches are saying out loud? A brand-new philosophy and culture for the defense.

The Mountaineers will encounter plenty of new faces, places and experiences in the Big 12, but it doesn't take a pigskin prodigy to see the biggest difference will come in the offenses WVU's defense will match up against.

West Virginia led the Big East in total offense in 2011, but only one other team (South Florida) ranked in the national top 60.

Meanwhile, the Big 12 had two of the nation's top three offenses, and six of the top 13. Missouri and Texas A&M were in the top 13 and will play in the SEC in 2012, but TCU brings the nation's No. 28 offense to the Big 12.

A new Mountaineer mindset was needed, and the spring in Morgantown was bent on pounding that into the defense.

"Guys that put their heads down when they give up a big play are going to be in for a long year when they get to the Big 12," coach Dana Holgorsen said. "You’ve got to develop that culture, which is taking place now."

There's no shame in giving up a big play, and nowhere on DeForest's list of goals is a ranking for total defense. After a decade at Oklahoma State, he's learned to focus on more applicable goals.

West Virginia's defense focuses on a three-letter acronym: EAT. DeForest demands Effort, Attitude and ... Turnovers.

"If we can create turnovers like I did at the previous place I was at, that gives you an advantage. It gives your offense possibly three more possessions a game than they would have," DeForest said. "Whether our numbers are good or not doesn’t really concern me. My numbers are wins and losses and how many turnovers we can get so our explosive offense can have another opportunity to score."

Oklahoma State forced 44 turnovers in 2011, six more than any other team in college football. Those wins and losses? The Cowboys went a hearty 12-1 and won the Big 12, even though they ranked 107th nationally in total defense.

Mission accomplished.

Every day in practice, co-coordinators DeForest and and Keith Patterson demand three turnovers from the defense, and the total number for the spring is compared to a goal set when the 15 practices began.

Not only are Big 12 offenses better, they're run at a faster pace. That means more plays for the defense, which requires DeForest and Patterson to develop more depth, while also making sure the players ready to play are better conditioned.

Four Big 12 teams ran at least 1,000 plays in 2011. Three more ran at least 972.

West Virginia ran 959 plays in 2011, but no other Big East team ran more than 944. Half the league ran fewer than 900.

More plays and better offenses means defenses better learn a new understanding of what to expect come Saturdays.

"It’s not about what happens, it’s about how you react to what happens. You’ve just got to forget the last play and move on to the next one, because the next one’s the most important one," DeForest said. "Whoever we’re playing, they’ve got good guys, too. They’re going to make a play. Just give ourselves a chance to play one more play. Get ‘em down and give ourselves a chance to create a turnover on the next play."

West Virginia's not only thinking differently, it's playing differently. The 3-3-5 that's been in place at West Virginia throughout its rise has been replaced by the 3-4 after coordinator Jeff Casteel left to follow former coach Rich Rodriguez to Arizona.

"We hired guys that understand how to stop our offense and how to play defense [against] an offense like this, which obviously exists in the Big 12 a lot," Holgorsen said. "It’s made us better offensively, because they know how to stop us, and those guys are doing a tremendous job on communicating how to get guys lined up quick, which you have to do when Baylor and Oklahoma are snapping that thing at 32 seconds on the play clock."

In the 3-4, offensive lines are pressed to communicate. Three defensive linemen are traditionally down in a stance, but offenses are ideally kept guessing where the fourth, fifth and sixth rushers will be coming from.

"The flexibility, what we have within our scheme, and our players can help us disguise and create confusion," DeForest said.

The means and attitude are different. The goal is the same.

"You can’t be moaning about what happened last. You’ve got to refocus and move on. Our kids are trying to do that," DeForest said. "Ultimately, it’s making one more stop than [the opponent] at the end of the game."

Miss the new guys' spring game on Saturday? No worries, we've got you covered.

What happened:

• Quarterback Geno Smith completed 23 of 29 passes for 281 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
• Receiver Tavon Austin caught five passes for 47 yards. Receiver Stedman Bailey caught three passes for 51 yards and a 45-yard touchdown, which cracked No. 7 on ESPN's Top Ten plays on Saturday night.
• Terrence Gourdine had a game-high 118 yards on three catches with an 82-yard catch and run from Smith.
• Redshirt freshman Isaiah Bruce had a game-high eight tackles.
• True freshman Jordan Thompson had a game-high eight receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown.
• Reserve freshman quarterback Ford Childress did not play after a DUI arrest last week.

What we learned:

• There wasn't much to learn about the offense, but it's good to see Thompson find his spot in the unit. He's got lots of promise. I wrote about him after my visit to Morgantown and look at the Mountaineers, and he could definitely mature into the next Tavon Austin.
• The new 3-4 defense debuted, but I still think it's too early to get any real read on what we can expect come fall. Coach Dana Holgorsen wasn't pleased at the offense's turnovers, but in a zero-sum game like a spring game, he's got to be at least somewhat pleased with Keith Patterson and Joe DeForest's unit. "To sum it up, we’re about 33 percent into how we’re going to look before we play our first game. Our depth isn’t very good right now, but that will change after we’re able to evaluate everyone."
• Spring games are fun for teams with lots of turnover, but there's not much on offense for WVU. Defensively, there's lots in the front seven and a whole scheme change, but when the changes are that wide ranging, there's still a lot that's going to change by fall.

They said it:

-- Holgorsen, on the spring game

"Coach DeForest has simplified the defense for us, and he just keeps sayingthat as long as I listen to him and the coaches that we will just be a great defense overall. I don’t everlook at it as being an individual but as a unit, and our defense has continued to improve."

-- Defensive back Matt Moro, on the defense

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck would consider himself a man with foresight, but even he has to chuckle when he looks at his football head coach.

The Mountaineers are entering a brand-new world in the Big 12 in 2012, and the man in charge, Dana Holgorsen, happens to have nine seasons of experience in WVU's new conference.

"Dumb luck," says, uh, Luck.

That part may be luck, but the December 2010 hire was about a lot more. Holgorsen was hired as the coach-in-waiting, and 2012 was supposed to be his first season replacing Bill Stewart as head coach until a drama-filled scandal made Holgorsen's time come early.

"I brought Dana in because I thought he was a great, young coach and had tremendous potential," Luck said. "I’d be pulling your leg if I said I had any premonition that we’d be in the Big 12. Having said that, it’s great that both of our major sports -- football and men’s basketball --have coaches who have coached in the Big 12."

Bob Huggins, who spent one season at Kansas State, came to West Virginia in April 2007.

Holgorsen's arrival preceding Big 12 membership was an accident, but Holgorsen's offseason hires were anything but. Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel ended an eight-year tenure at West Virginia to join former Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez at Arizona, and Holgorsen didn't have to look far to find his new coordinator.

Joe DeForest spent 11 years at Oklahoma State before following Holgorsen east to West Virginia, and he'll share defensive coordinator duties with Keith Patterson, who spent time as a high school coach in Oklahoma and Arkansas before stops at Tulsa, Pittsburgh and Arkansas State.

"Dana's put together a great staff with knowledge of the league we’re fixing to enter, which can only help us," said DeForest, who was the associate head coach, special-teams coordinator and safeties coach since 2005 in Stillwater.

Running backs coach Robert Gillespie was at Oklahoma State in 2009 and 2010, and the Mountaineers just welcomed Andrew McGee as a graduate assistant. The former Oklahoma State cornerback led the Big 12 in interceptions in 2010.

"It takes the element of surprise out," Luck said. "There’s a lot of Big 12 coaching experience in the group and an understanding of the conference and a comfort level with all the things you’ve got to put up with, travel and et cetera. Some of the traditions. And I think having some coaches with experience in the conference filters down pretty quickly to the players because they realize that their guys have been there, and it’s not all just brand new."

What can the coaches explain? DeForest will be sure to warn his players about the Paddle People in Stillwater, and the student section that sits just four yards behind the visitor's sideline.

"I’ll have recall on every team we play," DeForest said. "Whether it’s subtle things, tips that we’ve learned from previous years that they’re still giving away, or any possible thing you can use based on the time you’ve been there and the knowledge that you’ve gained, and I think it’s only advantageous for us."

For DeForest, suddenly he's bridging the gap between new guy and know-it-all. Instead of entering a brand-new world in the Big East, he's helping his players dip their toes into unfamiliar waters.

"There’s a comfort level there. I’ve been to every venue. I can relay things to our players about every venue and every crowd and every student body and a lot of the personnel we’re going to face. That excites me that I have knowledge and I’m not walking in here blind coming into the Big East, with them knowing and me not," DeForest said. "Knowledge is king. I’m just excited to see how our kids match up and how they respond each and every week in a big venue. I’m not saying the Big East didn’t have big venues, but in the Big 12, it’s a big venue every week."

DeForest knows well what Big 12 teams like to do on the field, especially Oklahoma State.

"Maybe they’re continuing to do the same tendencies and I can feed off that to help give them knowledge and help us make better calls," he said.

Holgorsen, DeForest and the rest of the Big 12 will see just how big or small the impact will be come fall, but it's easy to see why Luck is confident in the men he put in charge as they bring West Virginia into its new world out west.

"It’s all positive," he said. "I can’t think of any negatives involved with the experience level of these guys."

Well played, Houston. Well played.

• Texas Tech chancellor Kent Hance opens up about the Mike Leach firing, among other things, with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Says Hance: "He told me to go ‘f’ myself, and that’s in the testimony, and he just refused to work with me. The truth of the matter is he fired himself."
• Meanwhile, in Austin, we talkin' 'bout practice ... uniforms. Texas' new ones have spawned a debate, writes Cedric Golden of the Austin American-Statesman.
• Oklahoma State's quarterback contest is nearing an end, writes John Klein of the Tulsa World.
• Stedman Bailey's a small receiver making a big impact in Morgantown, writes Mickey Furfari of the West Virginia Register-Herald.
• Plenty of Big 12 coaches are "underappreciated."
• Jeff Woody is allowing Iowa State's offense to do new things, writes Andrew Logue of the Des Moines Register.
• Those renovations to the Cotton Bowl are on a pretty tight schedule.
• How does new coordinator Joe DeForest feel about the defense? Scott Grayson of West Virginia Illustrated fills you in.
• Texas Tech coordinator Art Kaufman talks about his defense after his first spring in Lubbock.

West Virginia are the new guys on the block in the Big 12, but its coach has been around the Big 12 block plenty. Dana Holgorsen did stints at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State (with Houston in between) before being named the Mountaineers' head coach.

The Mountaineers kicked off spring practice Sunday, but he took some time over the weekend while in New York for the Big East men's basketball tournament ("It's a great event. ... It's the Garden, man, and it's right in the heart of the Big Apple," he said) to talk to ESPN.com.

Portions of this interview were cut for length.

We missed you in the Big 12 last season, but it looks like we're getting you back, finally.

Dana Holgorsen: Yeah, I was only gone a year.

What's been the best part of this whole transition process?

DH: The transition really takes place next year, not this year, so we really haven't been -- it hasn't been a whole lot different right now. We're excited about it, no question. What's cool about it is I know what we're getting into. I've been at every venue, and I've seen every team. I know what's out there and I know what we've got to do to get better and be able to compete.

Missouri talked a bit about shifting its recruiting focus some from Texas into Atlanta and Florida. What have you guys done that you wouldn't traditionally be doing this time of year?

DH: Nothing, really. Our recruiting base is still going to be the same recruiting base. We have been getting into Texas some little bit and we'll continue to get into Texas. You've got to focus primarily on the Dallas and the Houston area that have the airport next to it so you can get back and forth pretty quick, so we're just going to go get a lot out of Florida. I think we took 12 out of Florida this year. There's a whole lot of pretty good football right around here in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Maryland and Virginia and we don't need to change where we recruit too much.

Seems like every school that leaves a league -- Nebraska and Colorado, for instance -- faces a different set of challenges. What do you see ahead as the biggest challenge for West Virginia?

DH: I don't care where you're at, everybody's challenged in facilities. You've got to make sure that you have the best and going into the Big 12, all Big 12 schools' facilities are as good as there is in the country. You've got to be able to keep up with whatever the other schools are doing just based on the recruiting aspect of things. That's a challenge that everybody has to figure out. Other than that, the program is in great shape, our kids are good and the support is good, where we're at and all that is in pretty good shape. It's just trying keep up with what everybody else is doing. It's an arms race, you know.

The history you do have in this league, where will that show up the most and be an advantage vs. entering this league with a coach that wouldn't have the experience you do?

DH: Like I said a minute ago, I just know what we're getting into. I'm very familiar with what every team does and I've hired a lot of coaches who understand how things work in the Big 12 and what schemes are and what players are like and what the atmospheres are like. There's not a whole lot of unknowns when it comes to me going to play other teams and other venues and all that. There's a whole lot of unknowns for the rest of the league having to come to Morgantown, because nobody's ever been here. So, I feel like that's an advantage for us.

You guys are obviously a big geographical outlier. You hear Louisville and Cincinnati's names come up when people talk Big 12 expansion. What are your thoughts on Big 12 expansion, specifically as it relates to other Big East teams?

DH: Obviously, it came down to Louisville and West Virginia to get in this past time, so if they do expand, I would assume that Louisville would be the first team that would get in. From a geographical standpoint, I think it'd be fantastic. The one thing that I think is pretty cool about 10 teams is you play every team. When you start getting into 12 teams and 16 teams, you don't play everybody. Last year in the Big East, with eight teams you played everybody and everybody knew who the best team was based on head-to-head matchups.

Back on the field, Jeff Casteel is gone, but with Keith Patterson and Joe DeForest taking over the defense, what can we expect?

DH: Familiarity with who we're playing is incredibly important. They're going to understand that side of the ball, the people and the players, the atmospheres, I mean, that was one of the reasons we hired who we hired; they were going to be familiar with the teams we're going to play. It's all about the one thing Joe preaches more than anything, which is not to worry about giving up a play. Everybody's going to give up a play in the Big 12. The offenses are so good, but if you give up a play, it doesn't mean that you're going to lose a game. Oklahoma State was fantastic with that last year with him and (defensive coordinator Bill) Young. They just keep playing and make a play at some point to win the game, get turnovers and play with tremendous effort no matter what happens.

The 3-3-5 stack has been pretty ingrained in West Virginia's identity. With the new guys coming in, does that mean the 3-3-5 is officially dead at West Virginia?

DH: Yeah, what's always given me the most problems is the 3-4. It's just a lot of movement and a lot of stemming and showing looks and not necessarily what you line up in is what you're going to get. I think the 3-4 gives you the best opportunity to do that. So, Oklahoma State did that a little bit with Joe, but Keith Patterson, from a front standpoint, has been doing that. I've coached against him the past four years at Tulsa, and between the two of them, they're going to put something out there that's pretty tough to play against.

Anything else I should know?

DH: (Quarterback) Geno (Smith)'s playing well. For his first offseason -- we didn't really have him last year because of a foot injury -- we're getting a lot of work out of him right now and he's really improving himself from a physical standpoint. I can't tell you how special I think Tavon Austin is. He's one of the most dynamic guys I've coached. We should get a little bit more out of him next year than we did this year. Those two guys are special. They've got a chance to make a difference in this league.

I'm excited to see those guys on a week-to-week basis. I'll be heading your way next month. I've never stepped foot in West Virginia, so I'm looking forward to it.

DH: It's a unique place, it really is. It's really, really, really pretty. There's all kinds of stuff going on and it's probably the best-kept secret in the United States. These people are pretty passionate. I'm telling you, you're going to see nothing but blue and gold when you step in this state.

Oklahoma State (aka the Big 12 champs) opens up spring practice later today. Here's a look at what to expect.

Schedule: Oklahoma State kicks off the first of its NCAA-allowed 15 practices Monday, leading up to the spring game on April 21. Practices are closed to fans and media.

What's new: The major characters in the story of the Cowboys' 2011 Big 12 title run (and subsequent Fiesta Bowl win) are gone. Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon hooked up for 232 completions and 38 touchdowns the past two seasons, carrying Oklahoma State to 23 wins in consecutive years that were each the best in school history. Replacing both is the primary issue in the spring.

New faces: Special teams coordinator Joe DeForest left after 12 years in Stillwater and leaves a big void of his own. New assistant Van Malone will coach OSU's safeties, but coach Mike Gundy won't decide who fills the special teams role until after the spring. Malone comes to OSU via Tulsa. Oklahoma State also welcomes four early enrollees: QB Wes Lunt, TE Blake Jackson, DT Calvin Barnett and LB Jeremiah Tshimanga.

Big shoes to fill: OSU's receiving corps. Blackmon is gone, but the search goes a lot deeper than just for OSU's No. 1. No. 2 receiver Josh Cooper graduated, as did No. 4 receiver Hubert Anyiam. The team's receiver with perhaps the most potential, Michael Harrison, also left the team after being suspended by the NCAA for the 2012 season. Last year, nine OSU players caught at least 19 passes for 200 yards. There's a lot of receptions to go around. Receivers have to step up this spring. Tracy Moore, Josh Stewart and Isaiah Anderson are the most likely candidates to grab 80-100 balls next year.

All eyes on: The quarterback battle, obviously. Gundy says junior Clint Chelf hasn't done enough to make the job his to lose. Freshman J.W. Walsh has a full year in the system under his belt, but can the dual-threat prove his mettle as a passer? Lunt enters this spring with what's likely the biggest arm of the three, but can he pick the system up fast enough to earn the job? Gundy says he wants to know his starter at the end of the spring, but all three will receive equal reps to begin practice today.

Breaking out: Jackson. We mentioned him earlier, and the early-enrolling tight end is already making a splash. He opens the spring at the top of OSU's depth chart at inside receiver. You don't see that every day. The 6-foot-3 juco transfer was an All-American last year and is already up to 238 pounds from 220 earlier this year. Don't be surprised if he makes major waves in the coming weeks.

Question mark: Markelle Martin wasn't the fastest safety in the league, but he provided valuable leadership, had tons of experience and was arguably the Big 12's biggest hitter. Lavocheya Cooper gets the first crack at replacing him, but will he be good enough? In the pass-happy Big 12, there's no overstating the importance of safeties that get in receivers' heads and prevent the big play.

West Virginia opened camp on Sunday and will continue through the next six weeks. Here's what to expect.

Schedule: Sunday marked the first of West Virginia's 15 NCAA-allowed practices, leading up to the spring game April 21. The Mountaineers are hoping for 30,000 at the Blue-Gold Game, which would far outpace most of the Big 12. Practices before the spring game are closed to fans and media.

What's new: Like TCU, it's the task ahead. One could argue that the task ahead of WVU isn't quite as difficult. The Mountaineers join the Big 12 next fall after two decades in the Big East. West Virginia won the league six times since 2003 and was 3-0 in BCS bowl appearances, including a dominant victory over Oklahoma. The Big East, however, has struggled to keep teams in the top 25 throughout the past few seasons. The Big 12 should open 2012 with six teams in the top 25, and maybe six in the top 20.

New faces: You'll find a few familiar ones on WVU's staff, even if you haven't followed much outside the Big 12 lately. Second-year head coach Dana Holgorsen won 10 games (including a 70-33 Orange Bowl rout of Clemson) in his first year as a head coach after leaving his post as Oklahoma State's offensive coordinator after just one season. He was also on Mike Leach's staff at Texas Tech from 2000-2007 before jumping to Houston. As for this year, longtime defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel is gone and will be replaced by co-coordinators Keith Patterson and Joe DeForest, who was at Oklahoma State for 11 seasons.

Question mark: Can WVU adjust to a new defensive scheme? WVU has been known for its 3-3-5 stack defense as its profile has risen over the past decade, but Casteel is taking it with him to Arizona. Instead, Patterson and DeForest will install a more traditional 3-4. Big 12 teams have been all over the map in terms of success with that formation, but look for lots of speed at the four linebacker spots. Can WVU master the scheme well enough by fall?

On the mend: The biggest name sitting out the spring is running back Dustin Garrison, who took over the starting job as a freshman and rushed for 742 yards to lead the team. He tore his ACL in Orange Bowl practice, though, and will be out until the fall. Look for senior Shawne Alston (12 touchdowns in 2011) and Andrew Buie to handle most of the carries this spring.

Big shoes to fill: The Mountaineers' entire defense, basically. In addition the new scheme on defense, WVU is replacing five top playmakers from its front seven, including leading tackler Najee Goode (87 stops) and sack masters Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller, who combined for 14 in 2011. Defensive backs Keith Tandy and Eain Smith are gone, too. WVU's depth chart with so much turnover and in a new scheme looks pretty jumbled, but will need some clarity this spring.

All eyes on: Geno Smith and the WVU offense. Is it truly good enough to produce week to week and win big in the Big 12? Smith is a dark-horse Heisman contender, but he's still got a lot to prove as the Mountaineers get used to their new digs. I'm betting yes, the WVU offense will be able to hang, but there's no guarantee until we see this fall. Year 2 in Holgorsen's system should be a big one for Smith and his top two targets, Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin, who both topped 1,185 yards receiving and combined for 20 touchdown catches in 2011. Left tackle Don Barclay and right guard Tyler Rader are the only starters not returning for 2012, and the expectations for this offense are enormous.

Just 'Bron bein 'Bron.

• Here's an in-depth look at the social media blitz undertaken by Baylor to help Robert Griffin III's Heisman campaign.
• What's it like in the middle of Tebowmania? Former Oklahoma safety Quinton Carter tells Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. And if you've followed the story of Olivia Hamilton, she has some pretty amazing news to share.
• Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal catches up with the new man in charge of Texas Tech's defense.
• Kansas coach Charlie Weis has added two coaches to his staff.
• The NCAA has closed the Cam Newton loophole.
• The West Virginia and Big East saga rolls on with lots of confusing jargon. Colleague Andrea Adelson tries to clear it up.
• Oklahoma State's Joe DeForest, a long-time assistant, looks headed to West Virginia to join Dana Holgorsen's staff, reports Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World, who also previews the quarterback competition coming to Stillwater this spring.
• Jim Stanley, the last OSU coach to take the Cowboys to a conference title, has died.

Congratulations to Kirk Bohls and Berry Tramel, who were both honored by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association as the sportswriters of the year in Texas and Oklahoma, respectively.

• The championship recipe for Texas? Look at Alabama to find it, writes Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman.
• Want to go to a TCU game? It'll cost you more this year, but the prices are still the cheapest in the Big 12, reports Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman weighs in on how OSU would matchup against LSU. He also pleads for change and points out the not so obvious: College football's biggest problem is its regular season.
• There are still 50 or 60 plans on the table, but a four-team playoff could be coming. Jim Delany's not standing in the way of this one.
• Change could be brought about from "SEC fatigue," writes George Schroeder of SI.com.
• West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen is targeting an assistant at his old stomping ground at Oklahoma State, Joe DeForest.
• Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World weighs in on why Kansas' defensive coordinator search is taking so long. The Jayhawks did just swipe the DC from North Texas, though.
• Texas' former offensive line coach may be headed to Penn State.
• Columbia, Missouri, is looking to enhance its downtown culture during gameday as it joins the SEC, reports Benjamin Nadler of the Columbia Missourian.
• Former Kansas State coach Vince Gibson died late on Monday.
• Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill reportedly injured his foot and will miss the Senior Bowl.
• Picking the next Big 12 champ? It's anyone's guess, writes Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Earlier this year, Oklahoma State announced it would be paying all three coordinators $400,000 each, which meant raises for all three.

Defensive coordinator Bill Young, offensive coordinator Todd Monken and special teams coordinator Joe Deforest all got bumps in pay. Young and DeForest made $360,000 last year, and Monken was hired earlier this month.

Now, according to a report in the Tulsa World, offensive line coach Joe Wickline has been added to the list, given a raise to $400,000 from $325,000. The paper also details raises for all the program's coaches.

Wickline's raise in particular brings into play what Gundy said last month when addressing the attendees of the national coaching convention in Dallas.

In short, he rewards loyalty.

Wickline was reportedly under consideration for the Texas offensive line job, but remained at Oklahoma State. DeForest was also reportedly a candidate for the head coaching job at Louisiana-Lafayette, which eventually went to Mark Hudspeth.

Publicly, of course, there's no telling if there was a formal offer for either. Wickline, though, removed himself from consideration.

"I'm in a great place,” Wickline told the Tulsa World. “Based on where Oklahoma State is, we're in really good shape here, and we like the direction we're going in."

Regardless of the exact circumstances, their new raises make it clear that Gundy's happy Wickline will be back in Stillwater for his seventh season and DeForest for his 11th season.

USA Today provided further analysis of its coaching salary information this week, after offering up the information for the Big 12's highest paid head coaches earlier this season. Here's a look at that list.

But what about the assistant? Their salaries are certainly not created equal. Here are the Big 12's highest-paid assistants for the 2010 season. Just as in the head coaching salaries, none of these figures include possible bonuses, which are listed on USA Today's chart. These numbers include just base salaries, both from university and non-university sources.

• Will Muschamp, defensive coordinator, Texas -- $907,000
• Greg Davis, offensive coordinator, Texas -- $477,084
• Brent Venables, defensive coordinator, Oklahoma -- $449,000
• Kevin Wilson, offensive coordinator, Oklahoma -- $445,000
• Tim DeRuyter, defensive coordinator, Texas A&M -- $400,000
• Shawn Watson, offensive coordinator, Nebraska -- $380,000
• Carl Pelini, defensive coordinator, Nebraska -- $375,000
• Joe DeForest (special teams/safeties), Bill Young (defense), Dana Holgorsen (offense), Oklahoma State -- $360,000
• Neal Brown, offensive coordinator, Texas Tech -- $355,400
• James Willis, defensive coordinator, Texas Tech -- $353,400

Again, you can see the full list here.

A few notes from those numbers:

• Muschamp was the nation's highest-paid assistant in 2009 by nearly $150,000, right above Alabama offensive coordinator Kirby Smart. No other Big 12 assistant was in the top 13.
• Interesting to note that three of the top four highest-paid assistants won't be back in 2010. Muschamp (Florida) and Wilson (Indiana) took head coaching jobs, and Davis resigned.
• That leaves Venables as the league's highest-paid assistant, and it's come with plenty of tenure. Next year will be his 13th season as at least co-defensive coordinator for the Sooners. He's been defensive coordinator since 2004.
• DeForest is the only non-offensive or defensive coordinator to crack the list, but he's also an associate head coach, and got nibbles from Louisiana-Lafayette, his alma mater, for its head coaching vacancy this offseason.

Additionally, three schools from the Big 12 made the top 10 for highest paid assistant coaching staff. See the full list here.

No. 3: Texas -- $3,032,820

No. 6: Oklahoma -- $2,744,300

No. 9: Oklahoma State -- $2,535,000

Is your head spinning from the moves on the coaching carousel this weekend? No worries, here's a chance to catch up on what you've missed over the weekend.

Colorado

• Hired Jon Embree as head coach.
• Hired Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator.

Nebraska

• Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson was scheduled to interview with Vanderbilt on Sunday, according to ESPN's Bruce Feldman.

Oklahoma

• Sources told ESPN's Pat Forde that Oklahoma offensive coordintor Kevin Wilson met with Indiana athletic director Fred Glass, presumably about the vacant head coaching job, and I had a chance to talk to Wilson about it after Saturday's Big 12 Championship game. He stopped well short of denying he'd had any contact, but he had no plans to detail it, either. "We'll see. I don't know. It's the time of the year where you're getting through the last game," he said when asked if he'd interviewed or had plans to interview with the Hoosiers. I asked if he'd had any contact with Indiana: "We'll just kind of see the way it goes,” he said.
• I expect Wilson to leave if he's formally offered the job, and if so, look for quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel or receivers coach Jay Norvell to take over offensive coordinator duties.

Oklahoma State

• Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen's name has come up in a few different spots, but none look legitimate just yet. The guess here is he's in Stillwater in 2011. Keeping him around needs to be priority No. 1 for Oklahoma State when it comes to staff moves, and coach Mike Gundy has expressed as much previously.
• Special teams coordinator Joe DeForest, a Louisiana-Lafayette alum, interviewed for the vacant head coaching job at Louisiana-Lafayette, according to The Oklahoman.
• Receivers coach Gunter Brewer may also be a candidate for the Ragin' Cajuns' job.

Texas

• Offensive coordinator Greg Davis has resigned.
• Offensive line coach Mac McWhorter and defensive line coach Mike Tolleson are also leaving the program.
• Look for former UT quarterback Major Applewhite to get serious consideration as Davis' replacement, but coach Mack Brown says an announcement on replacements won't be coming until after the bowls.