ESPN College Football

Spring football is already under way at Texas Tech, but in the coming weeks, the Big 12's other nine programs will join the Red Raiders in taking the field as a team for the first time since January, December or November for some.

Here's a preview of what to expect:

BAYLOR BEARS

Spring practice start date: March 19
Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• Nick Florence: It's not official, but the Baylor quarterback job is Florence's to lose. That means he inherits the unenviable task of replacing the school's first Heisman winner. He replaced RG3 in 2009 with mixed results, but showed some major potential in a win over Texas Tech when RG3 took a shot to the head and sat out the second half. Can he keep the bowl streak alive at Baylor? We'll get an idea this spring.
• The defense's progression: You didn't need to see much more than the 67-56 Alamo Bowl win over Washington to know the Bears needed some work on defense. In the month of November, Baylor became the first team in FBS history to win four consecutive games in a single season while also giving up at least 30 points in each of those games. The defense can't make Florence pick up the slack to that level. Year 2 under Phil Bennett must be better. Baylor has no excuses. The Bears have the athletes on campus necessary to be at least a decent defense.
• The team's attitude/motivation: Baylor played with a lot of purpose the past two seasons, and made history in both, cracking a 16-year bowl drought and winning 10 games this year. Is that fire still there? Baylor has to prove it is without RG3 (and Kendall Wright) carrying the team on the field, emotionally and mentally.

IOWA STATE CYCLONES

Spring practice start date: March 20
Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• The quarterback battle: Or is it? Jared Barnett looked like the man of the future in Ames late in the season, leading the Cyclones to an historic upset of No. 2 Oklahoma State. But in the ugly Pinstripe Bowl loss to a mediocre Rutgers team, Barnett's inaccuracy posed big questions. He was benched and Steele Jantz stepped in, though he didn't play much better than Barnett. Turnovers were an issue for Jantz early on, but Barnett has to bounce back in the spring to make sure the job doesn't come open.
• The receivers: Darius Reynolds was the big-play man for the Cyclones, but he's gone. It's going to be tough to replace him. Slot receivers Aaron Horne and Josh Lenz were productive, but did little to stretch defenses like Reynolds did. Can ISU find someone to fill the void?
• The new man at left tackle: Iowa State had the luxury of having a future pro, Kelechi Osemele, at left tackle for the past three seasons. He earned All-Big 12 nods in each of those seasons, but he's gone now. Junior Carter Bykowski was behind Osemele on the depth chart, but will the converted tight end be the new man at tackle for the Cyclones?

KANSAS JAYHAWKS

Spring practice start date: March 27
Spring game: April 28

What to watch:

• Uh, everything?: I mean, what's not to watch at KU? Charlie Weis steps in for the fired Turner Gill and tries to build KU up from nothing. The Jayhawks were one of the worst teams in Big 12 history last season, losing six games by at least 30 points. Weis will speak his mind and watching him rebuilding the Jayhawks is going to be fun. It all starts next month -- on the field, at least.
• KU's new pass-catch combo: Dayne Crist is on campus, and so is Oklahoma transfer Justin McCay, a former blue-chip recruit who didn't quite catch on in Norman. Quarterback and receiver were arguably the two biggest positions of need for KU last year, and we'll get a preview of what could be a productive combo next season. McCay isn't officially eligible for the 2012 season yet -- he needs the NCAA to waive its mandated redshirt year after a transfer -- but the coaching staff is confident he'll have it granted.
• The uncertainty on the depth chart: When a new staff comes in, you never know what to expect. Kansas' leading rusher in its final season under Mark Mangino, Toben Opurum, is now one of its best defensive linemen. Look for Weis to shake things up, too. Where? Who knows?

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS

Spring practice start date: April 4
Spring game: April 28

What to watch:

• Collin Klein's maturation: Kansas State's quarterback could be fun to watch this spring and next fall. His throwing motion isn't pretty, but his accuracy improved in a big way throughout the season. If that continues at a pace anything close to what we saw last year, K-State's going to be a load for everyone. Look out.
• Developing depth at running back: John Hubert is back, and so is seldom-used Angelo Pease. Bryce Brown is gone, though. Klein handles a lot of the heavy lifting in the running game, but it'd be some nice insurance if K-State could establish some more depth in the backfield. Making Klein carry the ball 300 times again is tempting fate.
• Stars becoming superstars: Kansas State brings back more starters than all but seven teams in college football, so this team is going to look remarkably similar in 2012 to the way it did last year. However, it should get better. And its two transfers could look dominant this spring. Cornerback Nigel Malone and linebacker Arthur Brown emerged as stars last year, but we could see the duo emerge as true game-changers this spring. Look out, Big 12 offenses.

OKLAHOMA SOONERS

Spring practice start date: March 8
Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• New faces on, off the field: Mike Stoops' arrival as the defensive coordinator was the biggest news this offseason in the Big 12, and Brent Venables, who had been at OU for all of Bob Stoops' tenure, left for Clemson rather than become co-defensive coordinator. Hopes are high that Stoops can revitalize Oklahoma's defense. He was in charge when the Sooners rode a dominant D to the 2000 national title, and the Sooners have the talent to win it all in 2012. Receiver Trey Metoyer joins the team this spring, and could be a major contributor immediately. Two of the team's four new tight ends are also enrolled early.
• QB Blake Bell's role: The Belldozer is back … but so is full-time quarterback Landry Jones. How will the balance between the duo look this spring? And what new wrinkles will we see in Oklahoma's simple, yet near-unstoppable short-yardage formation that scored 13 touchdowns in the second half of 2011?
• The battle at defensive end: Oklahoma must fill two huge holes at defensive end. Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Frank Alexander is gone, as is possible first-round pick Ronnell Lewis. R.J. Washington contributed late and has potential, but David King filled in for Lewis in the final three games of the season. The duo could be great, but it could also be pretty pedestrian. We'll get an idea this spring, but Lewis and Alexander set a high, high bar.

OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS

Spring practice start date: March 12
Spring game: April 21

What to watch:

• The quarterback battle: This will easily be the highest-profile, highest-quality quarterback battle in the Big 12. It won't be at the level of Texas Tech in 2010, but it won't be too far off. Clint Chelf, J.W. Walsh and Wes Lunt will go head to head. All have plenty of potential, though Lunt may have the most. The big-armed true freshman also has the least experience. Anything could happen here.
• Which receivers rise: Justin Blackmon and Josh Cooper leave huge holes behind. It's not every day a two-time Biletnikoff Award winner walks on campus. Hubert Anyiam is gone, too. Michael Harrison is unlikely to play for the 2012 season, but the school has offered no confirmation on his status. He had the most potential, but OSU is deep at the position. Who emerges as the top target? Isaiah Anderson? Tracy Moore? Josh Stewart? Anything could happen there, too.
• Defense needs a leader: Safety Markelle Martin has been the heart of the defense the past two seasons, but his big-hitting days are over. Who becomes the new voice of the defense? It needs to find leadership this spring heading into summer voluntary workouts.

TEXAS LONGHORNS

Spring practice start date: Feb. 23
Spring game: April 1

What to watch:

• The quarterback competition: I still think having a competition at the spot, which Texas says it will, isn't the best option, but David Ash and Case McCoy will go at it alongside early-enrolling freshman Connor Brewer. If Ash secures the job, expect an announcement heading into summer officially anointing the sophomore.
• More sophistication on both sides of the ball: The progression is natural and likely. Offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz had good first years in Austin, but this is Year 2. The spring won't be devoted to learning the playbook. It's time to master it. Both units could look markedly different, and much more refined next fall. Deny it all you like: Texas is back on its way to the top after a rough two years.
• Maturing offensive weapons: Last season, the Longhorns relied on two true freshman running backs (Malcolm Brown/Joe Bergeron), a freshman/sophomore rotation at quarterback and its top receiver (Jaxon Shipley) was a true freshman. No. 2 (Mike Davis) was a sophomore. I hope I don't have to tell you what freshmen and sophomores do in college football. Look. Out.

TCU HORNED FROGS

Spring practice start date: Feb. 25
Spring end date: April 5

What to watch:

• Can TCU shut out the scandal? Four team members were arrested in a recent drug sting and kicked off the team. How much of a distraction will that be for a program undergoing the most monumental change in its history? Quantifying the effects of the scandal will be pretty impossible, and we've got no idea how they'll handle the change, but will it be on players' minds?
• The offense tightens up: The Horned Frogs' offense is absolutely loaded and ready to go for 2012. Quarterback Casey Pachall returns and brings his top three weapons (Josh Boyce, Skye Dawson and Brandon Carter) with him. Running backs Waymon James, Ed Wesley and Matthew Tucker each topped 700 yards rushing in 2011 and all return. The spring will be all about fine-tuning an already stellar offense, and it'll be fun to watch.
• Replacing departed starters: All-America linebacker Tanner Brock was among the four football players arrested and booted from the team, as was all-conference defensive tackle D.J. Yendrey and likely starting safety Devin Johnson. Those were unforeseen losses, but TCU can't feel sorry for itself. Gary Patterson has no choice but to find new faces to fill those holes.

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS

Spring practice start date: Feb. 17
Spring game: March 24

What to watch:

• Once again, a new defense: Texas Tech sounds like a broken record these days when it comes to defensive coordinators. This time, Art Kaufman will be stepping to the microphone as the fourth defensive coordinator in Lubbock in four years. He's bringing a 4-3, a shift back to what Ruffin McNeil ran in 2009. Chad Glasgow's 4-2-5 and James Willis' 3-4 failed miserably in 2011 and 2010, respectively, the first two years under Tommy Tuberville.
• The battle at running back: No one knows yet if Eric Stephens will be back next season. There's still a long way to go in his rehab from a dislocated knee he suffered last season in a loss to Texas A&M. DeAndre Washington is also out this spring after tearing his ACL against Missouri. Harrison Jeffers hung up his cleats. Who will prove to be reliable this spring? Look for the Red Raiders to try to use sophomore Bradley Marquez, freshman Javares McRoy and junior SaDale Foster in a manner similar to the way Oregon uses scatback De'Anthony Thomas, with lots of short passes and bubble screens to get them the ball in space, where they can use their speed and shiftiness to make plays.
• Team health: Tuberville said earlier this month that the team is missing 15 players this spring. It can't afford any more injuries. It's already going to be tough to get enough done this spring, but Tech can't start getting banged up.

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

Spring practice start date: March 11
Spring game: April 21

What to watch:

• Dana Holgorsen's offense in Year 2: Holgorsen didn't get a chance to coach his talented offense at Oklahoma State in its second year. The results could have been crazy. They might be at West Virginia in 2012, and the beginning steps will be taken this spring as Geno Smith & Co. get more and more comfortable with the system and Holgorsen adds more wrinkles.
• The battle at running back: Sophomore Dustin Garrison hurt his knee in practices leading up to the Mountaineers' 70-33 Orange Bowl win over Clemson, and won't be there for the spring. What does senior Shawne Alston have in store for the spring? Garrison was the featured back last season, but a big spring could help Alston earn a few carries next year.
• Defense needs help: Najee Goode leaves a big hole at linebacker, and defensive back Eain Smith's exit means the Mountaineers enter the season without two of their top three tacklers from a year ago. Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller's talents on the defensive line will be tough to replace, and in a league that requires a great pass rush, Irvin, Goode and Miller's 19 combined sacks must be replaced somehow.

Thanks for all the questions in Thursday's chat. Here's the full transcript.

If you didn't make it in the chat, try again with something better for Friday's mailbag.

Here's a few highlights.

Not so concerned (in Manhattan): What's your take on Charlie Weis' vow to beat K-State in the coming years?

David Ubben: Good place to start. He's right. There's no reason why K-State should be better than Kansas. Bill Snyder is the difference. If Weis gets Kansas back to winning seasons and better than K-State like KU was toward the end of Mark Mangino's tenure, he'd make a whole lot of people in Lawrence happy.

Austin (Dallas): At what point do I start following Chris Low

David Ubben: Another few months of these questions? We'll probably do the same thing we did with Nebraska and Colorado with Mizzou and Texas A&M. Look for the official handoff before spring practice.

Ty (Stillwater): OSU really doesn't have that many players leaving this year. The thing I'm worried about is our QB. Who do you think will start? Chelf, Walsh, or Lunt? I'm thinking they will end up with at least a 9 game winning season. Thoughts?

David Ubben: Say what, Ty? Were you not watching Markelle Martin or Justin Blackmon? What about the offensive line, which loses four starters again? OSU probably has a shot to win nine games, but my money right now is on (Clint) Chelf. We'll see come spring.

Adam (Manhattan): If RG3 comes back, and K-State plays well, could we be looking at Baylor and Kansas State as the teams to beat for the Big XII title next season?

David Ubben: Would certainly be among the favorites, yes. Oklahoma can't be ignored. Texas and OSU could be right there, too.

St. Nick (Oklahoma): Hey Dubbenstein, two questions. One, I get he notion all Sooner fans secretly deep down want to see the Belldozer every play next season. What's your take on that? Two, how big is OSU's drop off after this year? They look like a 4 or 5 loss team without Weeden2Blackmon.

David Ubben: No way. There's not a better passer on Oklahoma's roster than Landry Jones and it's not close, no matter how frustrating Jones can be to Sooners fans sometimes. We touched on OSU, but I'd say that's about right. They seem like a 7-9-win team with some upside. They'll bring back a lot, but losing Weeden and Blackmon takes out a lot of "sure thing" plays. Like Mizzou this year, it'll depend on what they get of the QB spot.

The Onceler (What-ifs-Ville): Many OU fans crack me up being in panic mode after season. The season was over-hyped and OSU and Baylor were just better teams. No excuse for TT, but get over it. Why can't fans see the big picture, Relax...and realize that it is COLLEGE football and Mayhem happens? Why?

David Ubben: I've thought the same. This year didn't work out for OU, but it seems like a lot of folks that follow the program want wholesale changes. My take: This year's one more reminder that it's, to borrow a term, dadgum hard to win a national title. It's even harder when you lose guys like Whaley and Broyles. The Tech loss was horrible, but Oklahoma's fine. It suddenly looks really thin at receiver and running back, but that can be fixed in recruiting.

Chris (Houston): Another blue chipper from Texas transfers again. We've seen alot of this coming from Austin. How come?

David Ubben: They get a lot of blue chippers? They don't all work out. Not sure why, but it wasn't working for Darius White. Good decision to leave. Both sides will be better off. White couldn't crack the rotation during a bone-thin year at receiver. Not sure why. He could maybe make it happen somewhere else. Texas can recruit someone else to fill his scholarship.

Theo (Huxtable Household): What are the chances that Mizzou is in the Big XII next year?

David Ubben: .0000001. Will do so only if somehow strangled by lawyers.

Mack Brown (40 acres): Ubbs, I gotta qb problem. To JUCO, or not to JUCO? That, is the question.

David Ubben: Gotta go JUCO. That, or pull the trigger on a guy like Jacob Karam or Dayne Crist. Case McCoy and David Ash have a long, long way to go to prove they're "The Guy." Guys like Ash, even if they're true freshman, show more flashes than Ash did. He's not exactly going up against a murderer's row of defenses in the Big 12, either. His own defense is the Big 12's best.

Eric (Almost Heaven): Have you had the chance to see/feel the atmosphere at Mountaineer Field before? Specifically during the LSU and Pitt games.

David Ubben: I haven't. Really looking forward to seeing a game at TCU and WVU next year, as well as visiting in the spring.

Rickey (Dallas): Why does everyone believe TCU will stink it up next year in the Big 12? They bring back almost everyone except their secondary, who didn't play that well this season anyways. With a roster full of underclassmen and G Pat at the helm, I would have to believe they are a top 3 team next year in the Big 12.

David Ubben: You're reading the wrong folks, Rickey. I think the transition to playing tough games week-to-week will keep TCU from winning the Big 12, but they should win about nine games next year. Will be solid. I can't wait to watch Casey Pachall, Josh Boyce and Skye Dawson.

Two Big 12 jobs came open and have been filled since. Where do they rank in the scale of college football?

Analyst Brock Huard weighed in on ESPN Insider, ranking nine of the most recent hires. Urban Meyer came in at No. 1, but Texas A&M's hire of Kevin Sumlin checked in at No. 3, under the heading of "The ideal fits."

It was paramount for the program to find a coach with established recruiting contacts in Houston and the state of Texas and a charismatic figure who could attempt to infiltrate the recruiting hotbeds of the Southeast.

It would be preferred if that coach had an understanding of the culture and expectations in College Station and a track record of success.

Therefore, Sumlin's the fit. I liked the hire for the Aggies, but like I've said, he's in a difficult spot with a lot to prove. He won't be starved for motivation.

Huard ranked Kansas' hire of Charlie Weis last, at No. 9, calling it a "head-scratcher."

Mark Mangino went 50-48 in eight seasons in Lawrence and was just 23-41 in conference play. If those are the expectations for Weis, who finished 16-21 in his final three years as coach at Notre Dame, then this move is understandable. However, Weis brings a pedigree, name, Super Bowl rings and a resume of success as the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator that far exceeds mediocre standards.

This rebuilding job will take significant time. Turner Gill went the developmental route through the recruitment of high school players and the disparity in size, speed and strength on the field was pronounced in 2011. Weis will bring Kansas recognition and conversation, and Jimmy Clausen, Brady Quinn, Matt Cassel and Tom Brady can attest that he knows how to make a quarterback and an offense better.

I'm not quite as down on the Weis hire as most, even if it's pretty easy to see this becoming one that both sides regret. That said, this is a valuable second chance for Weis at a place that couldn't be more different than Notre Dame. Maybe the results are different this time around, too.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has been voted the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year by the 1,200-member Football Writers Association of America.

Gundy beat out LSU's Les Miles, Kansas State's Bill Snyder, Michigan's Brady Hoke and Clemson's Dabo Swinney to win.

He led the Cowboys to an 11-1 season and the school's first Big 12 title, as well as its first BCS bowl bid.

The 11 wins equaled a school record set in 2010, when Gundy was a finalist for the award.

"It's a testament to our players and our coaching staff that we are in the position that we are in," Gundy said in a release. "I want to thank the Football Writers Association of America for recognizing our team in this way."

Former Kansas coach Mark Mangino was the last Big 12 coach to win the award in 2007. Oklahoma's Bob Stoops also won in 2000.

Gary Patterson won the award at TCU in 2009.

Kansas coach Charlie Weis wasn't looking to make friends the first time he addressed his new football team.

Christmas break is approaching after a week of finals tests, and Weis warned his Jayhawks. They'd better enjoy it. When they returned to campus, the mood wouldn't be quite so jolly.

"It’s not going to be pleasant," he told them. "I can’t promise you much, but I can promise you that."

If he was going to rebuild a program, he was going to start it with a grueling offseason conditioning program, and the least he could do was offer his new team a fair warning.

"Honestly, some guys, their ears perked up when they heard him say that," said senior offensive lineman Tanner Hawkinson. "But hey, I’m all for working hard. That’s what builds a team, ultimately. Knowing you’re playing with guys to your right and left that went through those grueling workouts with you in the offseason."

Hawkinson has been through coaching changes before. He signed with Mark Mangino in 2008 and stuck around for the transition to Turner Gill after earning All-Big 12 and Freshman All-American honors in 2009.

Players like Hawkinson will be charged with the oft-mentioned "senior leadership" in smoothing over the transition this time around.

"There’s just a lot of excitement and anxiousness. Some guys are ready to get other coaches in place so we can get the ball rolling. Everyone’s excited," he said. "There was quite a bit of surprise on the team when he was named head coach because, following the search this past week and a half or so, his name never really came in the conversation."

Hawkinson followed the search closely like many of his teammates, waiting to hear who would coach his final season of college football.

Weis brought with him a reputation and respect earned in the NFL and at Notre Dame and Florida, where other candidates with less experience may have had to build up.

"He’s really easy-going, really personable," Hawkinson said. "He’s cracking jokes every now and then, but he’s also getting his point across about how he’s wanting to build this program back on top."

He added: "You hear him, but never would I have thought he’d be the coach at Kansas while I was here."

The Jayhawks have a long, long way to go to reach the top after a 2-10 season that features six losses by 30 points or more. Weis' focus for now is taking down the "other program in the state" that finished the year 10-2 and worrying about the rest of college football once that score is settled.

Kansas State has beaten Kansas in all three seasons since coach Bill Snyder took over, including 52 and 38-point losses in each of the last two meetings.

"He told us as well, from what he’s seen, it all goes back to those little things, making sure you do the little things right, even making it to class on time. All that kind of starts in the weight room," Hawkinson said.

The hard part is waiting to hear who the new man would be, but the hardest part will arrive next month.

"You worry about the future and who’s coming in, but we’ve got coach Weis in place. We don’t have to worry about that anymore. We’ve just got to worry about these workouts coming up."

I'm just saying: The guy's a judge. He could put a shirt on.

• This year's Bedlam is so big it needs a new name, writes Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. Readers: What ya got?
• Is Missouri a financial fit in the SEC? Its spending in sports pales in comparison to the best in the SEC, writes Stu Durando of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Here's how Missouri stacks up in total athletic department spending.
• If the Tigers leave, there are no winners, and both sides could have done a lot to maintain the relationship, writes Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star. He's got a little more to say about the column in his blog, too.
• Former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer talks about Missouri's possible future membership in the league with Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News. Interesting stuff here.
• Less practice and more fun have meant big success at Oklahoma State, writes Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com.
• Will it mean a Heisman for Justin Blackmon? OSU's receiver knows his position puts him at a disadvantage, but Jeff Miller of ESPN Dallas checks out his chances.
• Cedric Golden and Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman grade the first half of the season for Texas.
• Do the right thing, Kansas: Fire Turner Gill and re-hire Mark Mangino, writes Bill Reiter of Fox Sports.
• Iowa State receiver Darius Reynolds is nicknamed "Money" and he's finally living up to the moniker, writes Mark Emmert of the Des Moines Register.
• Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram looks back on the highlights and lowlights of the first half of the season.
• Oklahoma State's Wilson Youman is one of the last two-way players, but he's excelling for the Cowboys, writes John Helsley of The Oklahoman.
• A piece of history at Oklahoma nearly ended up in the trash can.
• The rivalry in Kansas has a special effect on Kansas OL Tanner Hawkinson's household, writes Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World.
• Get ready for a fast game in Norman on Saturday, writes David Just of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Show us the onion volcano, the fried rice beating heart, the shrimp in the pocket.

• Kevin Haskin of the Topeka Capital-Journal caught up with departed KU coach Mark Mangino this weekend in Florida.
• The Big 12 should make it official and just name Texas AD DeLoss Dodds the new commissioner, writes Dave Sittler of the Tulsa World.
• Texas knows it's rolling the dice by playing David Ash they way it does. But what about that third quarterback problem?
• Gary Pinkel stood by his Big 12 criticisms, and Mike DeArmond of the Kansas City Star says the Longhorn Network is a "dealbreaker" for him.
• Where does Saturday's win for Oklahoma State rank in the program's all-time wins?
• Kansas fans should recognize their opponent's QB this week, writes Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World.
• Iowa State's win over Texas last year still resonates from the Cyclone faithful, writes Andrew Logue of the Des Moines Register.
• Mack Brown says that game produced the low point of the season, and "there was a lot to choose from," writes Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News.
• The idea of the superconference dates back to 1990, writes Michael Smith in the Sports Business Journal.
• Texas Tech receiver Eric Ward's game-winning catch was the product of improvisation, writes Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

Former Kansas coach Mark Mangino hadn't spoken publicly about his dismissal in the 17 months since it occurred. Finally, he granted a lengthy, wide-ranging interview to the New Castle (PA) News back in his hometown.

On not speaking out:

"Our doorbell kept ringing with people wanting to interview me ... But Mary Jane and I had decided that the right thing to do was to just walk away with our heads held high and not burn any bridges. I learned long ago that you’re never going to win trying to defend yourself."

He's probably right about that. It was the right approach for Mangino, who was replaced by Turner Gill from Buffalo. Everything snowballed pretty badly on him at the end. The intense approach with players flies much more smoothly when coaches' teams are winning BCS games. When it loses seven games to end a season, people get much less tolerant, and stories like the one from the Kansas parking attendant can do a lot of damage. If that had surfaced during the 2007 season, it wouldn't have been nearly as serious of an issue. I'm not excusing it, but that's how the world works.

On the infamous Raimond Pendleton YouTube video (Which I can't link to for obvious reasons. Google is your friend.)

That should never even have been an issue. The conversation was between me and the player. It is an unwritten rule in college football that video is fair game in the coaches’ box, but audio is absolutely off limits.

An ambitious young TV reporter from Topeka trying to make a name for himself stood in the end zone and put the audio on the coaches’ box, without the knowledge of me or our university. He caught heck from our sports information department, but by then it already was out there.

Mangino's dead on with this one. No one cares about those unwritten rules once it's on YouTube, but people wanted to act like Mangino was the first coach to ever rip into a player with colorful language before. (Pendleton, by the way, deserved at least some scolding. I'll leave it to you to decide if Mangino went too far.)

The situation reminds me a bit of the controversial Tony Jerod-Eddie/Ben Cotton situation in the Nebraska-Texas A&M game last year. It was an ugly incident, yes, but people unfamiliar with the game of football wanted to demonize Jerod-Eddie, as if he was some sort of deviant, the first person to ever do what he did underneath a pile. Why? Because cameras caught it. It's not a perfect example, considering Eddie's incident was on the national TV broadcast, but you get the point. It doesn't make it OK, but people overreacted to both situations.

On Arist Wright's allegation that Mangino poked him in the chest during practice:

"I was pretty much blindsided. I honestly didn’t know what was going on."

Worth noting that while Wright and other players spoke out against Mangino, others inside the program violated Mangino's gag order on the issues to speak out in support of their coach. Some coaches coach the way Mangino does. Some don't. Some players respond to that kind of coaching. Some don't.

But any time a coach touches a player aggressively, public forum or not, it's going to be brought up, though it rarely results in anybody losing a job over it. I seem to remember a high-profile coach poking a high-profile player in a high-profile game this year and after a brief controversy, it pretty much went away.

Mangino's house in Lawrence remains unsold, but he's definitely looking to get back into coaching. Earlier this spring, Mangino was spotted at Oklahoma's spring practice with his former boss, Bob Stoops, but he told the paper he's still focused on finding a head-coaching job, rather than an assistant job.

On where he wants to work in the future:

"I do have some criteria that would need to be met before I would get back into the game. I want to be in a football environment — in other words, I would only go to a place where football has a high level of importance. I don’t want to go someplace where football is an afterthought or a hobby, that just would not work for me.

He's laying it on pretty thick there. Kansas is easily the Big 12's biggest basketball school, and despite the football team's success, it never quite got the attention from the fan base it probably deserved. That has to get frustrating after a while.

Mangino's agreement to leave limits him from commenting on the specifics of the situation.

"When I look back on my time at Kansas, I want to remember the positive, not dwell on the negative," he told the paper. "I’m very proud of my time there."

And he should be. Despite the ugly end, there's no denying that winning a BCS bowl at Kansas is a huge accomplishment, something nobody at Kansas had been able to do for nearly four decades before Mangino.

Dan Hawkins came to Colorado after racking up 45 wins and four conference titles in his last four years at Boise State, helping lay the foundation for the unprecedented success the Broncos have enjoyed since his departure.

"I thought he would bring that same level of play to Colorado," said Colorado chancellor Philip P. DiStefano.

There weren't many mile-highs over Dan Hawkins' four-plus years at Colorado. The highest was a win over then-No. 3 Oklahoma in 2007 that keyed off the only season under Hawkins that ended with a bowl.

Any glimmer of hope that win provided was snuffed out by a mountain of 16 losses over the next two seasons.

They hoped he'd at least near the heights former coach Bill McCartney once did as coach in the early '90s. Hawkins never did.

Even that 2007 season ended with three more losses to unranked teams, including an Independence Bowl loss that denied Hawkins his best opportunity to secure a winning season in Boulder.

His one big high was far outweighed by numerous lows, beginning with an embarrassing loss to FCS opponent Montana State in his first game as Buffaloes coach. Last year, his team went on national television and fell behind Toledo by 30 points to begin 0-2 in a season that Hawkins said would feature "10 wins and no excuses." The Buffaloes finished 3-9.

If he didn't regret his "Go play intramurals, brother!" rant at the 2007 signing day news conference, he should have. It did nothing but provide an embarrassing YouTube moment for a coach short on success at the major level. And as another coach in the Big 12 can attest, YouTube fame never dies. For better or worse, that might be his most lasting moment as Colorado coach.

But no low was more spectacular than the one he treated Colorado fans to on Saturday, a loss like no other. He refused to run the ball consistently ("We just didn't want to be one-dimensional," he said) with a four-touchdown lead against a team that previously had a strong case as the worst team in a BCS conference, and the only team in the Big 12 worse than Hawkins' squad.

He provided Kansas with its biggest comeback in school history, and the largest blown lead (28 points) in the 121-year history of Colorado football. Worse, he allowed it to happen in just over 11 minutes.

Give Hawkins credit: He went out with class. Ten minutes of Tuesday's farewell was spent thanking anyone and everyone for the time he'd been given to lead the Buffs.

After his tenure at Kansas came to an end, Mark Mangino moved to Naples, Fla., and has kept a low profile.

A Minneapolis TV station reported that Mangino had been hired as a consultant, but Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi denied the report on Wednesday.

According to other reports by Minnesota media, Mangino was on the sidelines for Minnesota's loss to USC over the weekend.

Maturi said Mangino came only as a friend of Brewster.

Brewster, in his fourth season with the Golden Gophers, is 15-26, but has been to the Insight Bowl in each of the past two seasons after going 1-11 in his first year on the job.

Preseason camps are about half gone. Opening weekend is less than two weeks away, and it's just over a week away for teams like Iowa State.

But plenty has been resolved in camps so far. Here's the best of what we know:

1. Three quarterback battles have been won. Two (Kansas State and Nebraska) have yet to be decided, but Tyler Hansen won the job over Cody Hawkins at Colorado. Kale Pick beat out Jordan Webb at Kansas. Taylor Potts beat out Steven Sheffield in an epic duel at Texas Tech between two seniors who could start for about anyone in the conference.

2. Nebraska and Kansas have been hit hardest by injury. Nebraska lost linebacker Sean Fisher and utility lineman Mike Smith for the season, each with a broken leg. Backup cornerback Anthony Blue will also miss the season with a torn ACL. Tight end Dreu Young also required back surgery and may miss up to the entire season. None figured to be game-changers, but without them, the Huskers depth suffers, leaving them more reliant on less experienced players. That's not the case in Lawrence, where Turner Gill will coach his first season without Huldon Tharp, one of the conference's best linebackers and one of his most exciting young talents. Backup running back Rell Lewis will miss the season with a knee injury, as will offensive lineman Jeff Spikes, who had a chance to start.

3. Gill: What have you done for me lately? Turner Gill cares not about your recruiting stars, Jayhawks. Toben Opurum was the Jayhawks leading rusher as a freshman, with 554 yards. As one of the nation's best fullbacks, he came to Kansas because Mark Mangino planned to let the 6-foot-1, 240-pounder play running back. He was injured in the spring, but returned to full strength by preseason camp. Unable to crack the depth chart at running back, he's been moved to linebacker to help solve the Jayhawks' depth problems at the position. Meanwhile, two-year starter at center Jeremiah Hatch was sent to the bench in favor of senior captain Sal Capra, who played both guard positions last year.

4. Iowa State is even more huggable. The team rallied behind rookie head coach Paul Rhoads in 2009 and raced to a seven-win season after just five wins in the previous two seasons combined. This fall, one of the teams practices was canceled so the players could sandbag the athletic facility to prevent damage from a major flood in Central Iowa. To do the team's laundry, team managers had to travel nearly 20 miles to the nearest source of fresh water.

5. Robert Griffin's arm isn't rusty. The Bears sophomore quarterback has strung together two masterful scrimmages through the air, completing 33 of his 44 passes for three touchdowns and one interception. He has yet to prove he can run with the same explosiveness he showed as a freshman, but coach Art Briles isn't going to be getting Griffin hit many more times than is necessary.

6. Texas is talking up its defense. Coach Mack Brown isn't keeping quiet about his expectations for his defense in 2010. ""I do think this could be our best defense," Brown told the Dallas Morning News last week, noting health and depth as variables. "We should be really, really good on defense." The Longhorns already ranked No. 3 nationally in total defense last year, but bring back one of the nation's best secondaries and perhaps the best and deepest group of defensive ends anywhere.

The NCAA released its Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores by coach last week, and here's how they line up in the Big 12.

If you know much about the APR (and few do), you know it's complicated. I don't pretend to understand it, but hey, it's quantifiable, and I know that a 925 score translates to about a 60 percent graduation rate.

Anything below 925 can result in NCAA penalties to a program, and anything below 900 can result in big-time "historical sanctions" like reduction in financial aid and postseason bans, reminding everyone that while these games are pretty awesome, it's still about those athletes trying to get educations.

You can look up any coach from any Division I school in several sports on the NCAA's searchable database.

It's worth noting that the average score for all Division I teams is 944. A perfect score is 1000.

Here are the APR scores by coach for the 2008-09 academic year, before coaching changes at Kansas and Texas Tech:

1. Art Briles, Baylor - 985

2. Gary Pinkel, Missouri - 977

3. Mike Leach, Texas Tech - 962

4. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma - 961

5. Mack Brown, Texas - 959

6. Mark Mangino, Kansas - 954

7. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State - 941

8. Bo Pelini, Nebraska - 934

9. Dan Hawkins, Colorado - 931

10. Mike Sherman, Texas A&M - 905

11. Bill Snyder, Kansas State - 902

12. Paul Rhoads, Iowa State - 889

Opening camp: Kansas

Schedule: Practice starts Wednesday

What’s new: Everything, for starters. The Jayhawks will be led by first-year coach Turner Gill, who preached relationships, communication and togetherness at last week's media days in the wake of former coach Mark Mangino's exit amid allegations of player abuse and mistreatment.

Key battle: Kale Pick and Jordan Webb will be fighting for starting quarterback duties to start camp, which could decide the Jayhawks starter for the next three seasons.

New on the scene: Incoming freshman Brandon Bourbon will join a muddled situation at running back for the Jayhawks. Senior Angus Quigley finished the spring as the starter, and last year's leading rusher, sophomore Toben Opurum, was nowhere to be found on the depth chart after fighting injuries all spring.

Breaking out: Sophomore linebacker Huldon Tharp ranked fifth on the team with 59 tackles, and should be a strong candidate to lead the team in stops as a full-time starter. He earned a career high 13 tackles against Nebraska and could have a few games that top that in 2010.

Don’t forget about: The Jayhawks offensive line. Kansas brings back four starters and if it's going to exceed the moderate expectations placed upon it to begin the season, those five will have to all improve. They'll do it without the man who was supposed to be their fifth starter, tackle Jeff Spikes. His season ended before camp began with an Achilles tendon injury.

All eyes on: Coach Turner Gill. The former Nebraska quarterback is taking the reins of his first major college program after four seasons in the MAC at Buffalo.

Quoting: "I'm a firm believer, which I think probably most coaches are, in building relationships. That was the first thing I wanted our football program, our football team to do. Building relationships from players to coaches, coaches to players, coaches to coaches, and players to players." -- Kansas coach Turner Gill

1. 
   CoachTurnerGill Staff meeting @ 7:30 then first practice this afternoon! Great day to be a Jayhawk! 04 Aug 2010 from web

Turner Gill already has a difficult task ahead of him, trying to rebuild a program at Kansas from a team that lost its three best players from a 5-7 team in 2009 in quarterback Todd Reesing and receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier.

Those three, along with coach Mark Mangino, saw one of the highest moments in program history, winning the Orange Bowl to cap a 12-1 2007 season. But it also saw one of its lows, a seven-game losing streak to close 2009, capped by Mangino's contract being bought out by the school.

The road back for Gill wasn't made easier this spring, when his two best defenders, linebacker Drew Dudley and defensive end Jake Laptad, had to be held out of contact because of shoulder injuries.

Now, his job's gotten tougher.

The offensive line brought back all five starters from a season ago and was expected to be one of the positions of strength for the Jayhawks. But they'll have to do it without junior tackle Jeff Spikes, who injured his Achilles tendon and will miss the entire 2010 season, according to the Lawrence-Journal World. Spikes started 23 games over the past two seasons -- 10 last season -- and earned third-team All-American status in the 2009 preseason from pundit Phil Steele.

This comes a week after another offensive line starter, tackle Brad Thorson, suffered a broken foot. He's expected to be back for the start of fall camp on Aug. 3., but we'll see how much contact he'll be able to take part in when preseason camp begins.

The good news for Spikes is he'll likely be granted a medical redshirt, and come back next season with two more years of eligibility remaining.

Gill knows how to rebuild, eventually winning a MAC title over No. 12 Ball State in 2008 at Buffalo in his third season at a school that won six games in four seasons before his arrival.

He'll face another tough rebuilding project at Kansas in a much tougher league. He's got a mild quarterback controversy led by Kale Pick and his 2009 leading rusher, Toben Opurum, didn't show up on the post-spring depth chart after battling injuries throughout the spring.

Spikes injury assures the rebuilding job won't get any easier for Gill.