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Editor’s Note: To see our expert picks for each of the nation’s 12 top conferences, click here. To cast your vote in these races, visit SportsNation.

A quick look at the player and coach of the year races in the Big 12:

Player of the year

Thomas Robinson is battling Kentucky’s Anthony Davis for national player of the year honors, so it’s logical to assume the 6-foot-9 forward is a shoo-in for the Big 12 award, right? Robinson averages team-high 17.8 points and ranks second in the country with 11.8 rebounds per game. He’s tallied 21 double-doubles and, in the most important game of the year, Robinson had a game-tying 3-point play and a game-saving block to help KU defeat Missouri in overtime Saturday.

Still, if you’re basing this award solely on performance in conference games, Robinson’s teammate Tyshawn Taylor is the better choice. Taylor leads the team with 18.4 points a game against Big 12 opponents, and he’s shooting 50.4 percent from the field. More importantly, Taylor’s leadership -- both vocally and by example -- helped set the tone for the Jayhawks en route to their eighth straight Big 12 title.

He’s scored 20 or more points eight times in the Big 12 and has raised his season scoring average from 9.3 points as a junior to 17.1 points this season. Taylor still has issues with turnovers, although the situation isn’t nearly as bad as it was in November and December. No major college point guard in America has been as good as Taylor since the turn of the new year.

That being said, I think the player of the year award should encompass the entire season, so for that reason I’m going with Robinson, who is also my pick for national player of the year.

Coach of the year

There are three worthy candidates.

Kansas’ Bill Self is the mastermind behind one of the greatest streaks in all of college sports. Winning eight straight league titles in a major conference such as the Big 12 is simply unheard of. UCLA won 13 straight conference championships from 1967-79, but that was when players were staying in school all four years. No power conference team since then has won as many consecutive titles as the Jayhawks. This year Self managed the feat despite losing four starters and six of its top eight scorers from last year’s Elite Eight team. While other major programs experience down years or rebuilding years from time to time, there has been no slippage at Kansas under Self.

Missouri’s Frank Haith is another strong candidate and would’ve been the easy pick had the Tigers won at least a share of the Big 12 championship. Missouri is a Final Four-caliber team, and Haith is one of the main reasons. This squad is playing with much more structure than it has in the past and takes tremendous pride in sharing the ball. The result has been a shooting percentage (49.7) that ranks third in nation. The mental toughness the Tigers showed in a deafening environment at Allen Fieldhouse Saturday said volumes about Haith and the culture he’s helped create.

Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg should also be considered. The Cyclones will finish third or fourth in the Big 12 after going just 3-13 last season.

My vote is for Self.

In Thursday's post about the Big 12's to-do list, I added a quick line that read a little something like this:

"Truth be told, the Big 12 won't miss Missouri or Texas A&M nearly as bad as it will national power Nebraska."

That's based off Nebraska's fan support, first and foremost, which I still think is unrivaled in the Big 12.

Additionally, there's the winning factor. Nebraska's 43 conference titles and five national championships dwarf Texas A&M's 18 conference titles and one national title. Missouri also has 15 conference titles. Colorado had 26 conference titles and a national title.

A few of you disagreed that Nebraska would be missed most.

So, let's get all scientific* about this. Which team will you miss most?

Maybe it's their stadium. Maybe it's their fans. Maybe its the rivalry. But if you had to pick just one, who would you miss most?

Vote in our poll.

*not actually scientific

Missouri Tigers (7-5) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (7-5)

Dec. 26, 5:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Missouri take by Big 12 blogger David Ubben: Missouri is headed to the SEC next season, and went out quietly in Big 12 play. The Tigers roll with dual-threat quarterback James Franklin, but are still trying to find their offense after losing Henry Josey, the Big 12's leading rusher at the time, to a serious knee injury. He started the season No. 3 on the depth chart. It's been up to Kendial Lawrence and De'Vion Moore to pick up the slack.

The Tigers' defense had high hopes coming into the season, and it's been good after some early-season struggles, but perhaps not as good as expected. The defensive line hasn't dominated as most expected, but the Tigers played well enough to win four of their final five games to rescue a rough start against a brutal schedule. Mizzou may have the best five losses of any team in the country: Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Baylor, Oklahoma and Arizona State. Not a bad one in the bunch, and all four but Oklahoma State came on the road. Mizzou is better than its record suggests, and will get a chance to prove it in the postseason.

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North Carolina take by ACC blogger Heather Dinich: The entire season could have unraveled for UNC, considering former coach Butch Davis was fired just days before summer practices began, but interim coach Everett Withers kept the program on track for its fourth straight bowl appearance.

North Carolina has faced Missouri twice, losing both times, but has not played the Tigers since 1976. North Carolina started the season 5-1, but fizzled down the stretch against better competition. The Tar Heels lost four of their past six games, including a fifth-straight loss to rival NC State. Individually, though, it has been an impressive season for a few Tar Heels. Tailback Giovani Bernard rushed for a UNC freshman record 1,222 yards and became the first Tar Heel since 1997 to run for more than 1,000 yards.

Receiver Dwight Jones set a school record with 79 receptions and has 11 touchdown catches, which is just one shy of the single-season record. And quarterback Bryn Renner enters the bowl game tied for the school record with 23 touchdown passes. Defensively, Carolina is led by defensive end Quinton Coples and linebacker Zach Brown. Coples ranks fourth among active college players with 24 career sacks. Brown led the Tar Heels with 91 tackles, including 11.5 for losses and 5.5 sacks.

HornsNation previews the Longhorns' weekend game against Missouri:

Carter Strickland writes : Breaking down the top five storylines going into the Missouri game.

Strickland writes : Texas has made it this far -- six wins that is. But where can the Longhorns go from here?

Video: Texas-Missouri preview

Taking a spin around the Big 12 ...

• Big 12 administrators favor giving athletes additional funds, Chuck Carlton writes in the Dallas Morning News.
• Former Missouri defensive lineman Lorenzo Williams makes a good case why players should get more from their scholarships, Dave Matter writes in the Columbia Daily Tribune.
• Coach Bill Snyder says Collin Klein will enter camp as Kansas State's No. 1 quarterback, Austin Meek writes in The (Topeka) Capital-Journal.
• Kansas safety Bradley McDougald, a one-time Ohio State commit, isn't surprised by the scandal in Columbus, Matt Tait writes in the Lawrence Journal-World.
• Mack Brown's right-hand man is no longer employed by Texas, Ralph K.M. Haurwitz writes in the Austin American Statesman. No one is saying much about Cleve Bryant's departure.
• Oklahoma's D-line could be the key to a national title run, Mike Baldwin writes in The Oklahoman.
• No surprise here, but football drives the bus for Big 12 athletic departments, Chris Day writes.
• Baylor fans can start buying tickets for the Texas Tech game Wednesday.

Texas led the Big 12 and ranked fourth in the nation with an average attendance of 101,175 during the 2009 season.

The NCAA released football attendance figures today, which you can review here.

The Big 12 ranked third among BCS conferences in attendance with an average of 62,875.

The SEC was No. 1 (76,288) and the Big Ten was second (71,769).

Five Big 12 teams ranked in the top 30: No. 10 Nebraska, No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 16 Texas A&M and No. 28 Missouri.

Three Big 12 teams produced top-30 attendance increases from 2008 to 2009: Oklahoma State (up 5,458, ninth-best increase); Texas (up 3,129, 17th best); and Baylor (up 2,182, 26th best).

Here are the Big 12 figures:

Texas... 101,175
Nebraska... 85,888
Oklahoma... 84,778
Texas A&M... 76,800
Missouri... 64,120
Oklahoma State... 53,719
Kansas... 50,581
Texas Tech... 50,249
Colorado... 50,088
Kansas State... 46,763
Iowa State... 46,242
Baylor... 36,306

Happy Monday. What's happening in the Big 12?

• Colorado has signed a safety from New Jersey, a 22nd member to its recruiting class. The best news is his name isn't "Snooki." Former running back Darrell Scott is considering a return.
• Kansas stars from different eras are teaming up.
• Missouri will open a Touchdown Terrace this fall.
• Why did Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and coach Bo Pelini meet with athletic director Tom Osborne and former offensive line coach Milt Tenopir? And a Tom Shatel column on the matter.
• Oklahoma is hoping big things come in small packages at running back.
• What's the draft scuttlebutt on a couple of prospects late of Oklahoma State?
• Is Texas really part of the Big Ten's expansion plans? Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds thinks the Big 12 should play nine conference games instead of eight. He's not as keen on making conference revenue sharing equal because the Longhorns get a larger slice of the pie.
• Texas A&M is hoping for its special teams to be more special.
• By the way, where the heck is Mike Leach these days? And, with him gone, what will the Red Raiders' offense look like in 2010?

It was a good day for the service academies as Navy's convincing 35-13 victory over Missouri came on the heels of Air Force's triumph over Houston.

There was nothing fluky about the Midshipmen's victory. Here's how they got it done.

Missouri looked ready to blow Navy out of Reliant Stadium after jumping ahead on the second play from scrimmage on a 58-yard toss from Blaine Gabbert to Danario Alexander. From that point forward, Navy bounced back and allowed the Tigers only a pair of field goals during the rest of the game as they were limited to 298 yards.

Turning point: After Missouri had pulled within 14-10 at the half, Navy answered with a 58-yard scoring drive to immediately seize momentum. Alexander Teich returned the second half kickoff for 46 yards to spark the drive. Navy converted a fourth-down play and punctuated a drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ricky Dobbs to Bobby Doyle to cap the drive.

Player of the game: Dobbs expertly sliced up the bigger Missouri defense to power the Midshipmen’s upset victory. Dobbs rushed 30 times for 166 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 130 yards and another score to lead Navy to its first bowl victory since the 2005 Poinsettia Bowl. Dobbs joins Craig Candeto from 2003 as the only Midshipmen to run and pass for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

Stat of the game: Navy dominated the game in the trenches as they controlled the ball for 40 minutes and 54 seconds. The punishing thrust enabled them to pile up 519 total yards and gash Missouri’s 12th-ranked rush defense for 385 yards in a convincing whipping.

Best call: Navy’s ground-based offensive attack opened up Dobbs’ passing abilities throughout the second half. Dobbs completed all of his second-half passes for 71 yards and a touchdown to help Navy put the game away. The biggest was a 47-yard strike to Marcus Curry on the first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter that set up the Midshipmen's clinching touchdown.

Second guess: Trailing 21-10, Missouri appeared ready to score and keep the game close later in the third quarter. Missouri’s running game was clicking after accounting for 38 yards on seven previous attempts on the drive. But on third-and-goal from the Navy 2, Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert tried a pass and was sacked by Craig Schaefer for a huge 10-yard loss. Missouri got a field goal on the drive, but could have scored a touchdown that would have kept them in the game.

What it means: Navy posted a 10-win season for only the third time in the 129-season history of the program and for the first time since 2004 as they emphatically proved they can play with BCS-level schools. Missouri’s loss put a disappointing conclusion in a game that really wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. The Tigers need to get more consistency from Gabbert and improvement from a defense that couldn’t seem to adjust to the Midshipmen’s triple-option despite having nearly a month to prepare for the bowl game. With Nebraska loaded for next season, the Tigers will be challenged to maintain pace with them in 2010.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Here's a group of the best letters I received this week. Thanks again to all who contributed.

Matt from Orlando, Fla., writes: Tim, I love your blogs, especially during the off season reading them religiously. My question is, a few months ago you gave Nebraska the edge over Kansas. Yes you said you reserve the right to change your mind which is totally understandable. But I find it funny how you change your mind on Nebraska winning the North and saying that Kansas will all because of one player leaving Nebraska.

Yes, Quentin Castille was a big feature in Nebraska's offense. However, one player should not make or break a team. Don't count out Roy Helu Jr., who happens to be our STARTING RB. Plus our nasty defensive line that kept pressure on Kansas QB Todd Reesing (who couldn't handle it last year). Could you tell me why one player leaving made you change your mind on a great prediction?

Tim Griffin: I figured I would be answering this question, considering I got it in one form or another from about 40 people this week. Heck, one of my favorite members of the media in Omaha compared me to John Kerry earlier this week because of my late change.

Let me first say that my edge for Nebraska over Kansas wasn't ever that large to start with. I favored Nebraska as much for Kansas' tough cross-divisional schedule as anything else. It's going to be a bear for the Jayhawks to win any of those three games against Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. It still will.

But I also think Castille's dismissal will affect the way that Nebraska plays offense. With Castille and Helu, they had the best combination of backs in the North Division. They would be able to dictate the tempo for the Cornhuskers. It would take off pressure from an iffy passing game led by untested junior-college transfer Zac Lee.

Also, Helu is bigger and stronger this season. But he also appears to be more susceptible to muscle pulls - he's already missed a few days of fall practice - and the depth at the position has contracted with Castille's dismissal. They have only other back with college experience as a running back in Marcus Mendoza.

As anybody who reads this blog on a regular basis knows, I have a lot of respect for the job that Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson does. He was able to put together an explosive offense in Colorado for the Buffaloes' 2001 Big 12 championship that was remarkably like this Nebraska team. He had journeyman quarterbacks in Bobby Pesavento and Craig Ochs, a three-pronged rushing attack in Chris Brown, Bobby Purify and Cortlen Johnson and a stud tight end (to borrow a description from Bo Pelini) in Daniel Graham. The Cornhuskers were similar when Helu and Castille were both on the roster and the five-headed monster they have a tight end probably comes close to matching what Graham meant to the Buffaloes.

But this conference is a lot different in 2009 than it was in 2001. You're going to need to score points in bunches to win. And I think the Cornhuskers need some help at wide receiver to be more explosive to boost the contributions of Menelik Holt, Niles Paul and the rest.

The Cornhusker defense will be just as fearsome as before. Their defensive line might be the conference's best this side of Oklahoma. But losing Castille will tweak how they are able to play offense. And it will make things more difficult for Watson to control games with his young inexperienced quarterback and his lack of explosive playmakers at wide receiver.

It might only mean one game during the course of the season. But as close as I figure the North to be, the Cornhuskers will need that game at the end of the season.

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Jamie Cabela of Midland, Texas, writes: Tim, quick question for you. Who is going to be your surprise player in the Big 12 this season?

Tim Griffin: I'll actually go with two of them. My first will be Markques Simas of Colorado, once he is eligible. I think he's got a great opportunity to become a top receiver immediately for the Buffaloes. And my other choice will Missouri freshman tailback Kendial Lawrence. I've heard some good things about him, even if he is third-string on the Tigers' roster. Look for him to contribute for the Tigers as the season goes on.

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Jim from Grand Junction, Colo., writes: Ignoring the good, competitive games for a minute, which of the "cupcakes" has a chance to pull off an upset against the Big 12 teams in the first two weeks of the season? Any at all? Thanks for your insight.

Tim Griffin: Jim, I don't know exactly what your definition of a cupcake would be, but I'm going to presume you mean a school from outside the BCS-affiliated conferences.

If that's the case, don't look for anything in the first week of the season. But it wouldn't surprise me if two Big 12 teams have troubles in the second week of the season in road games.

I think Kansas State might be tested at Louisiana-Lafayette. I saw a Texas A&M team lose there in 1996 and weird things can happen down at "The Swamp" for unintiated teams that aren't prepared. Also keep an eye on Kansas' trip to UTEP on the same date. The Jayhawks have lost three-straight non-conference regular-season road games. They haven't won a non-conference road game during the regular season since beating Wyoming in 2003. And I think UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe might provide the Kansas defense with some problems.

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Matt Strohm from Parkersburg, Iowa, writes: Tim, with the start of the season only eight days away, I was wondering if you would rank all the Big 12 schools in terms of team entrances.

Tim Griffin: Matt, I don't think I can do justice to them all, but I'll give you a few of my favorites.

Let me say that I'm not usually all that enraptured by the cookie-cutter entrances around college football these days. It reminds me of something you might see in the NBA.

But there's still something about the Nebraska Tunnel Walk that gets me pumped up, although the ones used at the end of the Callahan tenure were pretty lame. I also like the "Running of the Bulls" in Austin for Texas games and the "There's Only One Oklahoma " video that plays at Owen Field before Sooner games.

But for sheer intimidation factor, my all-time favorite still has to be the old-school Iowa entrance when the Hawkeyes used to take the field in a slow walk while holding hands when they were coached by Hayden Fry. I could only imagine what that would look like for an opposing team on the other side of the field.

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David L. Stoudt writes: I'm glad that the Pac-10 officials have deemed "San Antonio a marvelous post-season destination and the Valero Alamo Bowl as one of the nation's elite bowl games."

But I'm wondering did anyone consider asking the fans where they'd rather go. We love heading south to San Diego every year for a fantastic bowl matchup. Who in Hades wants to go to San Antonio in December?

I think this is a huge mistake in judgment and we won't b
e attending those games, regardless of who's playing.

Tim Griffin: I'm also curious about how this affiliation switch will change the dynamics of the Big 12's bowls.

It sounds like the Holiday Bowl's matchup basically will be switching to San Antonio and the Valero Alamo Bowl. Those Holiday Bowls have always been exciting, high-offense games. I think the Pac-10/Big 12 matchup is a good one because both conferences have reputations for offensive football. You see those kind of games in bowls anyway, but I think this makes it even more attractive with those two conferences involved.

It's going to be interesting because the Pac-10 always had a homefield advantage in San Diego. This will switch over when the game moves to the Alamo City.

I realize I'm probably the wrong person to ask about this, but I suggest coming to San Antonio before you make any snap judgments. But I suggest that you take a walk through Southtown. Try the carne guisada tacos with cheese at Taco Haven once or sip a margarita at Rio Rio Cantina on the Riverwalk and tell me that San Antonio isn't a good place for a bowl game.

I'll bet you'll come back with a different answer.

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(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin There was an outstanding piece of research that appeared over the weekend in the Altoona (Pa.) Mirror that set out to ascertain a question that has been vexing over the years. Namely, which college deserves the title of "Quarterback U" for its proficiency in producing college players who eventually started games in the NFL? The findings were very interesting, particularly in terms of which schools have produced starting NFL quarterbacks and which ones have not in the modern era, starting with the 1966 season. Purdue earns an argument in the "Quarterback U" debate because its alums have started more NFL games (704) than any other school. Also, Purdue is the only school to have four quarterbacks start at least 100 games (Jim Everett, Len Dawson, Drew Brees and Bob Griese). USC leads the list with 15 quarterbacks who have started at least one game, followed by Notre Dame (13) and Washington (12). The Big 12, with its previous tradition of ground-based offenses in the old Big Eight and Southwest conferences, struggles mightily in this comparison. Here's the list of Big 12 schools and their starting quarterbacks. In a way, the numbers are a little skewed because it credits the starts of former college quarterbacks like Colorado's Kordell Stewart and Missouri's Brad Smith. Both have gone on to pro careers at positions other than quarterback. Here's how the Altoona Mirror stacks up the Big 12 programs in terms of starting quarterbacks and NFL starts. Kansas State (249 games, four starters): Steve Grogan 135, Lynn Dickey 111, Dennis Morrison 2, Dan Manucci 1. Kansas (190 games, three starters): John Hadl 135, Bobby Douglass 53, Frank Seurer 2. Colorado (95 games, two starters): Kordell Stewart 87, Koy Detmer 8. Nebraska (79 games, six starters): Vince Ferragamo 53, Jerry Tagge 12, Bruce Mathison 9, Dennis Claridge 3, David Humm 1, Terry Luck 1. Iowa State (52 games, four starters): David Archer 23, Sage Rosenfels 12, Seneca Wallace 12, Tim Van Galder 5. Texas Tech (47 games, one starter): Billy Joe Tolliver 47. Baylor (45 games, five starters): Cody Carlson 19, Don Trull 15, Buddy Humphrey 5, Cotton Davidson 4, Brad Goebel 2. Texas (44 games, two starters): Vince Young 29, Chris Simms 15. Missouri (18 games, three starters): Brad Smith 13, Steve Pisarkiewicz 4, Gary Lane 1. Texas A&M (16 games, three starters): Edd Hargett 7, Gary Kubiak 5, Bucky Richardson 4. Oklahoma State (14 games, one starter): Rusty Hilger 14. Oklahoma (no games, no starters). The study also credits a quarterback with where he finished school rather than started. So, Troy Aikman is considered to have attended UCLA rather than Oklahoma. As the story points out, it's interesting that a Division II program like Texas A&M-Commerce has been able to turn out three starters -- more than traditional powers Texas and Oklahoma combined. The Big 12's recent ascension as the nation's foremost passing conference will help change these statistics quickly in a few years. Because I'm thinking quarterbacks like Josh Freeman, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Robert Griffin and maybe even Austen Arnaud or Zac Robinson will get their shot in the NFL one of these days.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

As promised, here are a few tidbits about the Big 12 teams that were ranked in the preseason Associated Press poll released earlier today.

Texas: Ranked at No.2, the Longhorns return to the top 10 after starting the season No. 11 last season. It's the Longhorns highest ranking since starting the 2005 season in the second slot. As all Longhorns' fans remember, that was the last time that Texas won the national championship.

Texas' 2009 ranking also represents the ninth time in the last 10 seasons that Texas started the season in the top 10. And it also extends the Longhorns' current streak of being ranked in preseason polls to 11 -- longest in school history.

Oklahoma: The Sooners' No. 3 ranking is their highest in the preseason since checking in at No. 2 in 2004. It's also their ninth-straight season in the preseason top 10. The last time the Sooners weren't in the top 10 in the preseason was in 2000, when they were 19th. And as all Sooner fans remember, that was the season they won their last national championship.

Oklahoma State: Tied for ninth with Penn State, the Cowboys have their highest preseason ranking in school history. Their previous high came in 1985 when they were ranked 16th. It is the first time the Cowboys have been ranked in the preseason since 2003.

Nebraska: Checking in at No. 24, the Cornhuskers are ranked in the poll for the first time since 2007, when they were ranked 20th. The Cornhuskers had a record among Big 12 teams with a string of 33-straight seasons when they were ranked in the preseason top 25 from 1970 through 2002.

Kansas: The Jayhawks are ranked No. 25, marking the second-straight season they have been ranked to start the season. It marks the first time in school history that Kansas has been ranked in the preseason in back-to-back seasons.

And here's a list I came up with for Big 12 teams and the last time they were ranked in the preseason AP poll, or their streak of consecutive AP preseason rankings:

• Texas: 11 straight rankings
• Oklahoma: 10 straight rankings
• Kansas: 2 straight rankings
• Nebraska: 1 straight ranking
• Oklahoma State: 1 straight ranking
• Missouri: Last ranked in 2008 preseason poll
• Texas Tech: Last ranked in 2008 preseason poll
• Texas A&M: Last ranked in 2007 preseason poll
• Kansas State: Last ranked in 2004 preseason poll
• Colorado: Last ranked in 2002 preseason poll
• Baylor: Last ranked in 1986 preseason poll
• Iowa State: Last ranked in 1978 preseason poll
  

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

There weren't many surprises when the Associated Press released its media poll earlier this morning with five Big 12 teams ranked in its Top 25. 

Texas is ranked second and Oklahoma third behind defending national champion Florida.

Oklahoma State is tied for ninth, Nebraska returns to the Top 25 at No. 24 and Kansas is ranked No. 25.

It marks the sixth time in the conference's history that five Big 12 teams have been ranked in the AP's preseason poll. The other years were in 2008, 2002, 2000, 1999 and 1996.

Two other Big 12 teams received votes. Texas Tech was ranked 31st and Missouri was tied for 45th.

We've got an ESPN Power Poll which I think will rank right up there with the AP poll. I've always thought the media poll is a little bit more credible than the coaches' poill, mainly because I know that we media members didn't have any sports information directors or football operations directors either voting for us or helping us with our picks. And also, the polls are public record each week at the AP's Web site. I don't see the coaches doing that. And it's their loss.  

I'll be back later today with some factoids about each team and their preseason polling histories.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

I came across an interesting story in Forbes Magazine that provided rankings for the nation's best 600 colleges.

Using methodology developed and compiled by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, they came up with a ranking that placed the United States Military Academy at West Point as the nation's top school.

All of the Big 12 schools were ranked among the 600 after using a complex formula that would make developers of the BCS nod their heads in agreement.

Forbes' study was based on three factors: the quality of the education that schools provide, the experience of the students and how much they achieve.

The study indicated it wanted to gauge how a school met its students' needs. In doing that it used a complex methodology that included 25% of the rankings on 4 million student evaluations of courses and instructors, as recorded on the Web site RateMyProfessors.com. Another 25% was based on post-graduate success, equally determined by enrollment-adjusted entries in Who's Who in America, and by the average salaries of graduates reported by Payscale.com.

An additional 20% of the score was based on the estimated average student debt after four years. One-sixth of the rankings are based on four-year college graduation rates -- half of that is the actual graduation rate, the other half the gap between the average rate and a predicted rate based on characteristics of the school.

The final component is based on the number of students or faculty, adjusted for enrollment, who have won nationally competitive awards like Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes.

See, I told you the BCS organizers don't have anything to be ashamed of when they talk about quartiles and matrices.

Here are the rankings for the Big 12 schools by Forbes, along with estimated per-year costs and freshman class-size listed for each Big 12 school.

Rankings School Rank Cost Freshman class size Texas 174 $21,912 6,718 Colorado 187 $23,261 5,863 Texas A&M 190 $18,895 8,093 Texas Tech 292 $17,405 4,385 Missouri 374 $20,477 5,782 Oklahoma 379 $20,348 3,803 Oklahoma State 401 $18,833 3,073 Kansas 425 $18,446 4,483 Nebraska 463 $17,662 4,200 Kansas State 480 $17,712 3,761 Baylor 483 $39,276 3,761 Iowa State 587 $17,700 4,546

I thought these were some interesting figures that measured some variables that traditionally aren't employed in many of these best college rankings.

So what about the rankings? Is your school as fairly judged in a business magazine as it is on the sports pages? 

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Missouri's second scrimmage didn't provide much encouragement for Coach Gary Pinkel as the Tigers continue preseason practice.

In fact, the Tigers might have taken a big step backwards as the Tigers prepare for their Sept. 5 opener in St. Louis against Illinois.

"I thought it was kind of sloppy," Pinkel told reporters after Thursday's practice. "The (first-string) one offense was lethargic out there, made a lot of mistakes. And when you have penalties, you have sacks.

"It just dissolves execution. I'm disappointed in that."

Pinkel was also angry that his defense was singed for three touchdowns in two-minute and short-field situations.

"The one defense played pretty good," Pinkel said, "but certainly giving up a couple of big plays at the end is certainly not what you want to be about."

The Tigers line struggled without starting tackle Dan Hoch. His replacement, All-Big 12 guard Kurtis Gregory, was beaten several times at his new position by backup defensive end Brad Madison.  

The defense won the scrimmage, 34-20, as points were given for three-and-outs, sacks, turnovers and other big plays.

Projected QB starter Blaine Gabbert was 14-of-21 for 121 yards and a 11-yard touchdown to Danario Alexander. Jimmy Costello was 18-of-25 for 137 yards with an interception and a 29-yard TD strike to Rolandis Woodland. Blaine Dalton was 12-of-22 for 72 yards and a 3-yard TD pass to Michael Egnew.

Gilbert Moye was the leading rusher with 40 yards on three carries.  Jerrell Jackson, the recent addition to Missouri's No. 1 offensive unit, produced team-best totals of six receptions and 60 receiving yards.

Linebacker Will Ebner and defensive Aldon Smith each produced a sack and two tackles for losses. And freshman linebacker Andrew Wilson and redshirt freshman cornerback Robert Steeples accounted for interceptions. 

But the Tigers' struggles left Pinkel knowing that more immediate improvement will be needed soon with the start of the season looming barely two weeks away.

"I just think we should be further ahead than we are right now," Pinkel said.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

The pundits over at College Football News had an interesting project a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to discuss before the start of the season.

Their group ranked the top 200 players in the country, starting with Florida quarterback Tim Tebow at No. 1.

Their list had a decided crimson-and-cream hue to it with more Oklahoma players -- by far -- than any other team in the country.

The Sooners had 10 players selected. Penn State was next with six players, followed by Florida, Virginia Tech and USC with five players apiece. Oklahoma State, Texas and Kansas were among the team with four players apiece.

Here's a list of the Big 12 players who were selected with their rankings in parenthesis.

Oklahoma (10): QB Sam Bradford (5), DT Gerald McCoy (8), TE Jermaine Gresham (20), T Trent Williams (47), CB Dominique Franks (T141), LB Travis Lewis (142), RB DeMarco Murray (148), LB Ryan Reynolds (173), DE Jeremy Beal (182), RB Chris Brown (185).

Kansas (4): QB Todd Reesing (31), WR Dezmon Briscoe (74), WR Kerry Meier (135), S Darrell Stuckey (T141).

Oklahoma State (4): WR Dez Bryant (7), T Russell Okung (38), QB Zac Robinson (39), RB Kendall Hunter (49).

Texas (4): QB Colt McCoy (4), DE-LB Sergio Kindle (19), T Adam Ulatoski (122), DT Lamarr Houston (152).

Baylor (3): QB Robert Griffin (37), LB Joe Pawelek (73), S Jordan Lake (126).

Missouri (2): LB Sean Weatherspoon (17), RB Derrick Washington (118).

Nebraska (2): DT Ndamukong Suh (10), DE Pierre Allen (170).

Colorado (1): RB Darrell Scott (116)

None selected: Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech

As expected, the Big 12's offensive reputation dominates with 17 players from that side of the ball, compared with 13 defensive players. And the 21-9 edge that the South Division enjoys isn't actually as one-sided as nearly every all-conference team that I saw.

But it again exhibits the star power of the conference when 30 of the top 200 players -- a cool 15 percent -- will be playing in the Big 12 this season.

I'll check back tomorrow with this list broken down by opposing nonconference players that Big 12 teams will be seeing in their nonconference games.