ESPN College Football

NFL.com just finished unveiling its list of the top 100 players in the league heading into the 2011 season, as voted by both players and fans. Both groups had separate lists, but seven Big 12 players landed on it. Here's where they were placed:

3. Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota (Oklahoma; ranked seventh by fans)

33. Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City (Texas; ranked 48th by fans)

50. Wes Welker, WR, New England (Texas Tech; ranked 50th by fans)

51. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Detroit (Nebraska; ranked 20th by fans)

55. Carl Nicks, OL, New Orleans (Nebraska; unranked by fans)

57. Andre Gurode, OL, Dallas (Colorado; unranked by fans)

86. Josh Freeman, QB, Tampa Bay (Kansas State; ranked 88th by fans)

Note: Considering they played in the Big 12 for the duration of their careers, Suh, Nicks and Gurode are all included in the Big 12, rather than their respective programs' new conferences.

Here's how it compares to the rest of the conferences:

Big East: 16
Big Ten: 13
SEC: 13
ACC: 12
Pac-10: 11
Big 12: 7
Notre Dame: 1
Non-AQ/Small schools: 27

I was surprised the number was so low compared to the rest of the conferences, but hey, what can you do? The Big East rules college football. No one denies this.

No Big 12 player snubs popped out to me, but what about you? Anyone missing?

Mid-week mailbag! Boom! Roasted.

Tyler in Cairo, Neb., writes: David, don't worry, us Husker fans haven't forgotten about your amazing blog (at least not quite yet... :) Anyways, who do you think will be the first Big 12 team to schedule a Non-Conf. game with Nebraska and when will it happen? I know there could be an OU-NU series in 2020 and 2021 but do you think anyone will before then? Thanks Dave!

David Ubben: Oklahoma is the only school that, to my knowledge, the school has commented publicly on. The administration said it was in talks with a few others, but left it pretty vague.

The Oklahoma series needs to happen. Playing in 2020-21 centered around the 50th anniversary of the Game of the Century would be great.

I'd also like to see Nebraska get a series going with Missouri. And, it'll never happen, but man, a home and home with Texas would be magnificent. The Huskers can't let that 1-9 record since Texas crashed the Big 8 stand forever, can they?

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Michael Petr in Houston, Texas writes: Ubben - Just saw that you rated Qdoba and Chipotle over Freebirds. Not only that, you said Freebirds was VASTLY OVERRATED. Seriously?? You're probably the type of person that thinks On The Border is good Mexican food. Pretty much what I would expect someone from Oklahoma to think about anything with actual taste. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy your football commentary. But stay away from being a food critic.

DU: Hey now, this piece of mail was so littered with inaccuracy I had to slip it in here. One, I lived in Oklahoma for all of nine months. If that qualifies as being from there in your book, well, so be it. I'd say 18 years in the great state of Arkansas would qualify it as my home state. Second, you're wrong about On The Border. Anyone who knows anything about Mexican food knows Taco Bell is the genre's pinnacle. Why do you think there are so many across the country? People love it.

(But seriously, Taco Joint near Downtown or Mia's on Lemmon. Do it.)

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Tyler Gabbert in CoMo writes: Do you think I can be as successful as my brother?

DU: Honestly, no, but that doesn't mean Gabbert can't still be a pretty good quarterback, good enough to win a whole lot of games for Missouri. Blaine Gabbert's mind, arm and size don't come around very often, so it's asking a lot of a player to be as good as he was. If Tyler's last name was Smith, things might be a little bit easier, and the comparisons would never happen.

But, it's not. He'll have to deal with it, but I don't think it'll be a big problem. The good news is he's got a pretty good source to spend a lot of time with and learn a lot from.

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William Tinsley in Austin, Texas writes: Do you think the new tv deal actually ensures the future for the big 12? I am a student at UT, and knowing everything I know, I think the launch of our own network is the first step towards the University of Texas going independent. We bring in the most money (athletically and academically), and soon enough someone will realize that we lose money for being in a conference with universities like Baylor and Iowa State. Do you agree?

DU: I get this question a lot, but it's worth addressing at this point.

Right now, Texas' deal with ESPN for the Longhorn Network pays it $15 million per year from ESPN for 20 years. It's also set to make at least $20 million through 2015 from Big 12 TV money, which is likely to grow when the league gets a new TV deal for its first-tier rights then.

Now, if Texas were to leave the Big 12, it likely would have to make a new TV deal with someone to broadcast its games; I highly doubt Texas would try to broadcast all its games on the Longhorn Network. That's too much of a niche for fans who don't want to pay for the network. They'd want to be on ESPN, ABC or FOX. That's like the Big Ten only playing Big Ten games on the Big Ten Network. It wouldn't happen.

Now, could Texas surpass $2o million for the rights to all its games? I'm no expert on TV revenues, but I highly, highly doubt it. Iowa State and Baylor might not be helping Texas make money, but they're far from costing it money.

If Texas left the Big 12 and went independent, fans wouldn't let the team stop playing Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The Longhorns already play lots of games against in-state teams like Rice, and it's a good bet that Texas legislature might require the Longhorns to play Texas Tech, Baylor and maybe other Texas teams with former conference ties like Houston or TCU from the Southwest Conference. So, Texas already plays three nonconference games. If they go independent, they're probably already locked into four other games.

That means independence would mean wagering you could make more money and try to schedule five other games for what would presumably be a national schedule like Notre Dame plays. That's a big risk for a school that doesn't need to take it. Texas already gets everything it wants in the Big 12. The option to go independent was there last summer. Texas chose not to. I'd be shocked if that changed in the future.

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Thomas in Lubbock, Texas writes: Well, as you say "until they put on pads you never know" but with the addition of Delvon Simmons yesterday and now Javares McRoy - I think Texas Tech just put the rest of the league on notice that Texas Tech is here to play. What say you?

DU: I'm not buying McRoy as much more than a good receiver who could contribute, but definitely, Simmons could be a game-changer. In the Big 12, not having good player at defensive tackle isn't a huge problem. You can do well without it, and if you're good everywhere else, it's not going to stop a team from winning 10-12 games like it would in the Big Ten or the SEC.

That said, if you do have great, great play at defensive tackle? I think we all saw what Ndamukong Suh did to Colt McCoy and Texas' offense in the 2009 Big 12 Championship. The same for Nick Fairley and Oregon's offense in last season's national championship.

Now, I'm not saying Simmons is either of those guys, but my point is, if he is, look out for Texas Tech.

Thanks for all the questions. More good ones this week.

MU Fan in Dayton, Ohio, writes: Ubben, I've heard a lot of talk about the new TV deal and all the cash it's gonna bring in. Call me stupid, but what does this mean for the average Tiger fan stuck in Podunk, OH? I've been forced to go to a sports bar to watch nearly every MU game last couple of years. Does this new deal put more MU games on my TV and my butt on my own couch more Saturdays? My bar tabs are adding up....

David Ubben: In theory, yes. If you're in Ohio and you don't get Fox Sports Network, it won't put a ton more games on your TV, but FX is on most basic cable packages and is in 98 million households nationwide. That's only a million or so fewer than ESPN and ESPN2. If you get ESPN, which, I'd like to think almost everyone has if they have cable TV, you should already have FX. Fox Sports Net, which has local networks that broadcast specific, region-based programming, may require you to purchase an upgraded sports package on most cable networks. If you live in the Big 12 region, you likely get Fox Sports Southwest, where a good portion of Big 12 games are broadcast.

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Greg Reid in Tallahassee, Fla., asks: Have I finally learned how to cover or tackle yet? Being able to do either one against the Sooners would be better than what I brought to the table last year.

DU: Ouch. I warned FSU fans last year, and they got mad when I called Reid the poor man's Ryan Broyles, but those complaints mysteriously disappeared following the game. Weird.

The bad news for Reid and the Seminoles next year is Oklahoma's found a handful of other receivers around Broyles, mainly Kenny Stills, so even if Reid plays well, Oklahoma could still have a big day through the air. Should be a great game. Definitely the best Big 12 nonconference game.

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Dan Beebe at Big 12 Headquarters writes: Ubben,What did I tell you all along? I'm an F-18 bro! I always take care of business! WINNING!

DU: Obnoxious as this email is, I'd say the Fake Dan Beebes of the world have earned a bit of room to crow, no? Heck of a deal.

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DJ in Lisbon, Portugal, writes: Concerning the new TV deal and how it pertains to the School Networks(Sooner and Longhorn). If I read correctly FSN has the rights to each schools home game unless picked up by ESPN. So that takes care of all conference games. OU and UT only have 1 OOC away game. OU has FSU and UT has UCLA. Both of those match-ups are intriguing and are most likely to be picked up by ESPN. That is all of this upcoming seasons games accounted for. So where does that leave the School Networks? It seems like they will have no live football games, the driving force for the networks creation, to show.

DU: Well, no. There's still three nonconference games, and right now, the point is that schools still hold those third-tier rights for games not picked up by FSN or ESPN and can monetize them any way they see fit, whether it be streaming it online, getting a local broadcast or setting up a pay-per-view broadcast. Texas, clearly, would broadcast theirs on the Longhorn Network. Oklahoma's network, if it becomes a reality, won't be up by this football season.

And I would disagree that live football games are the driving force for networks. When you only have one a year, you don't launch a 24-hour network on the basis of one lame nonconference game a year. The driving force is a fan hunger for more from each school, but they'll feed that with a combination of some basketball games, almost all the baseball games, and other Olympic sports, as well as coaches shows and game replays, whether they be recent or historic. You'd be surprised at how many Texas fans would sit down and watch the 2005 Rose Bowl on repeat.

Think of it like "A Clockwork Orange," except the opposite.

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Boone Pickens in Stillwater, Okla., and Dallas, Texas, writes: Ubben, I put a lot of money into OK State, are they finally going to give me a return on my investment by winning the big 12 this year? or at least make a BCS bowl?

DU: This year seems like a good chance. Oklahoma is going to make it tough for anyone else to win the Big 12, but if the Cowboys can beat Texas A&M early in the year and make it through the regular season with just one loss or so, even a loss to Oklahoma at the end of the year should be good enough to keep them in the serious hunt for an at-large BCS bid, thanks to a likely preseason top 10 ranking. My guess right now is Oklahoma wins the league, and either A&M or OSU gets an at-large berth in the BCS. They'll be in position.

Also, if any of you have seen season five of "Friday Night Lights," the fake Boone Pickens character is hilarious. He's a big booster for "Oklahoma Tech" whose color is orange. His money is from oil, he has buildings on campus named after him and a special suite in the stadium. He's also unabashedly Texan.

Awesome.

Also, I'm pretty sure they shot that at Texas' stadium, ironically. I could be wrong, but it looked like Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to me.

The Big 12 has some interesting ties to that show, now one of my favorites on TV. Mack Brown plays a booster in the pilot and Mike Leach makes an appearance as (kind of) himself later on. Their acting jobs were all really good, I thought. Much, much better than the awful coach acting in "The Blind Side."

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Alex in Lubbock, Texas, asked: What kind of impact do you see Delvin Simmons having this year for Texas Tech?

DU: It's way, way too early to start talking about that. Clearly, the potential is there with his size (6-foot-4, 295 pounds) and his athleticism, but you never know with players until they actual put pads on and get in practice. Maybe he's a bust. Maybe he's the next Ndamukong Suh. We won't have any idea until he actually starts practicing. It's way too tough to tell this early. It's a huge pickup for Texas Tech, the type of player it just didn't get in its program previously, but let's not shackle the kid with crazy expectations a day after he signs with a school.

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Sam in Columbia, Mo., writes: Hey david, love the blog. I was reading Ivan Maisel's three point stance this evening and he's of the opinion that the new deal with Fox is make th Big 12 as imbalanced as ever. Any thoughts?

DU: He's definitely right, but my question is, what are people going to do about it, other than complain and keep hating Texas? The Longhorns made $35 million more than anyone else in the Big 12 in gross income last year, and once the money from the Longhorn Network kicks in, that gap will only grow.

Is that healthy for the league? Definitely not. But Texas is in the Big 12, and they're not going anywhere. It built this program and it's enjoying the fruits of that. The school is fortunate to be the flagship of a huge, productive state with a big recruiting base in every sport and has solid academics. Other than a healthy dose of "Deal With It," I don't see much anyone else in the league can do about it.

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Vusani in Swaziland asks: David, could you give us a simplified explanation of 1st, 2nd and 3rd tier rights and how that translates into funding with the new FOX TV contract? I have no idea what that means except that A&M is cranky again.

DU: Tier I rights are basically the huge football games, ones with big national appeal. That's your Red River Rivalry, Bedlam last year, the Lone Star Showdown in other years, basically the elite football games that the casual college football fan would care about. This is, as I understand it, a selection of 18 games. ESPN and ABC have these and they can select them in the week or two leading up to the game, so they get the most attractive matchups.

Tier II is the next set of games. Good games, but games likely only relevant to Big 12 audiences, so mostly conference games like, say, Kansas-Baylor last year or Oklahoma State-Kansas State. Now, there are 40 of these games.

Tier III includes the games that are only relevant to a certain fan base. That's your Northern Iowa-Iowa State matchups, for instance. I'm oversimplifying this to just football, but Tier III also includes Olympic sports like baseball or softball or women's basketball that people might want to watch, but untelevised games previously went unused. The Big 12 is now trying to position itself as a league that allows schools to profit off these events by monetizing them in a Big 12 Network or a school broadcast somehow.

The Big Ten, meanwhile, doesn't allow schools to monetize their third-tier rights and the Pac-12 likely will not allow schools to do that, either. That's a big reason why Texas, which has a market for its own network and stands the most to gain off these third-tier rights, didn't want to go to the Pac-16.

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Taylor B in College Station, Texas asked: Hey David, thanks for all the work covering the Big 12. Question about my Ags DC Tim DeRuyter. He supposedly told Sherman than he wouldn't leave for another DC position to another school, that it would have to be a head coaching position. In your mind, what might lure him away. Do you think he would leave for HC position at, say a CUSA school or something on that level, or would it take a school in a BCS conference to lure him away?

DU: It's all about finding the right opportunity. You have to find a school where you can win and not hit a dead-end in your coaching career. Conference isn't as important as the exact school. Mississippi State? Vanderbilt? Sure, you're in the SEC. But say, West Virginia or Tulsa? A much better job, because you can win big there, even if you're in a less prestigious league like the Big East or Conference USA.

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Dave R in Houston asks: Do you like Freebirds, Qdoba or Chipotle most?

DU: I'm not a huge Mexican food guy, but give me Chipotle. Qdoba is just OK. Freebirds is vastly overrated.

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Jeff in Omaha, Neb., asks: Tell me to stop being excited about the Clones. This happens every year during spring ball. Is 7 or 8 possible with our schedule? What are the chances Jantz pulls a Martinez when when he gets ESPN on an off night v UConn?

DU: It's not impossible. I talked to Paul Rhoads earlier this week (ISU fans, heads up for a few Cyclones stories next week) and it's clear that Jantz is by far the fastest quarterback on the roster. I'm excited to see him in action.

There's a new scholarship in town.

Chase Daniel was in Columbia on Saturday for the Border Showdown basketball game, and during his visit, announced the creation of the Chase Daniel Lone Star State Scholarship at Missouri.

The award will be given to one player from Texas each year, and can be given to the same player in multiple years.

"There’s going to be pressure on whoever to gets it to do well,” Daniel told reporters. "I don’t think they’ll realize it right away.

"That’s not what we want to do at all. We just want to sort out a kid from the state of Texas each and every year with a high GPA and with good community standing who deserves it."

It's always good to see players, especially four-year athletes, come back to their schools and give back. Nebraska defensive end Ndamukong Suh, a native of Oregon, gave the Huskers' program $2.1 million and established a scholarship that he announced at last year's spring game in Lincoln.

Daniel, a native of Southlake, Texas, a Dallas suburb, graduated after the 2008 season and is a backup quarterback for the New Orleans Saints.

The bond between athletes and their schools, even when those players come from far away and spend four years on a campus, doesn't have to end when that player graduates. Daniel and Suh are two legendary Big 12 players who made sure that was the case.

The official list of the Big 12's top 25 players is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing the list day by day here on the blog. Here's a refresher on my exact criteria.

No. 21: Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska

2010 numbers: Made 70 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for loss. He also had 9.5 sacks, broke up a pass and forced a fumble.

Most recent ranking: Crick was ranked No. 9 in our preseason list of the Big 12's top 25 players.

Making the case for Crick: Crick wasn't the next Ndamukong Suh, but he never said he'd be. One of the Big 12's big questions for 2010 was how Crick would look without the House of Spears lined up next to him. The answer: Pretty dang good, but not wholly dominant. Crick was disruptive, especially late in the season, and easily one of the league's best defensive linemen, earning All-Big 12 first-team honors. His strong finish meant over half his sacks (5) came in his final five games after a bit of a slow start on the stat sheet. Bo Pelini's defense will be well-served with Crick returning for his senior season in 2011.

The rest of the list:

• No. 22: Travis Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
• No. 23: Quinton Carter, S, Oklahoma
• No. 24: Tim Barnes, C, Missouri
• No. 25: Lyle Leong, WR, Texas Tech

Charles Jackson's father, Rick Parker, went on Omaha radio on Friday to clarify his son's comments in the Omaha World-Herald.

“He’s excited about being able to show his new coach or whoever they fill the position with what type of player he is,” Parker said. “He wants to basically come out there and be a member of the Blackshirts and throw some bones around.”

Jackson, an ESPNU 150 signee and the Huskers' only cornerback in the class, expressed some unhappiness at not being told his position coach, Marvin Sanders, had an uncertain future before signing with the Huskers on Wednesday.

“I think they should've told me before I signed,” Jackson told the Omaha paper on Thursday night. “I didn't have any idea. They broke the guy code.”

Jackson's father said he was contacted by coach Bo Pelini after the paper spoke with his son earlier in the evening. Jackson also said he probably still would have signed with Nebraska had he been told about Sanders' departure before he signed his letter of intent.

I don't think any of this news ever jeopardized Jackson's future at Nebraska, but he's certainly got a complaint that he at least wasn't given a heavy hint that his future coach's job was in jeopardy. Sanders had been off the road recruiting for several weeks, but Jackson himself said he didn't have any idea he would be leaving.

Was it the best idea to air those grievances publicly? Probably not. But it's easy to see why he's at least slightly perturbed when a fan of another program breaks the news to him via Facebook, and not a member of Nebraska's coaching staff.

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Ndamukong Suh was the Big 12's best player in 2009. Sam Bradford was its best player in 2008.

Both were the best players in their 2010 rookie class.

The NFL honored Suh and Bradford as respective defensive and offensive rookies of the year.

Suh, already an AP All-Pro and a Pro Bowl starter at defensive tackle (though an injury kept him from playing), earned 48 of the 50 votes for rookie of the year.

“I was fortunate to be able to grasp my role in our scheme and to flourish in it,” Suh said. “I'm just going to keep working hard to improve because I'll never be satisfied.”

Suh finished with 66 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. His 10 sacks were the most among interior linemen.

Bradford, meanwhile, set NFL rookie records for pass completions (354) and attempts (590) and only Peyton Manning topped Bradford's 3,512 yards in his rookie year.

He threw 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

"It means a lot to me when you look at this award and see who has won it in the past." Bradford said. "It reflects what we were able to do as a team this year."

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Yet another college all-star game took place on Saturday, the NFLPA All-Star game, formerly known as the Texas vs. The Nation game.

Two Texas products, of course, helped Team Texas beat Team Nation 13-7.

Former Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts led his offense on scoring drives the first two times he played, earning offensive MVP honors for his 9-of-15 passing performance for 105 yards.

Texas defensive lineman Eddie Jones won the game for Team Texas, however, when he stuffed former Miami running back Damien Berry at the 1-yard line with less than a minute to play.

Potts is an interesting case in regards to his NFL future. Tech quarterbacks have had marginal success at best in the NFL, but surely he has to impress a few people with a performance like that.

You'll see the "system" tag thrown on Red Raiders quarterbacks almost reflexively, but don't forget, Potts beat some decent quarterbacks in the passing accuracy competition at the Manning Passing camp before the season. What does that mean when it comes to his NFL future? I guess we'll find out in the next few months. His arm strength and mechanics are far from elite, he wasn't invited to the scouting combine and looks unlikely to be drafted, but I'd be surprised if someone didn't invite him to a minicamp after the draft and gave him a solid look.

Defensive tackle Todd Peat Jr., a native of Tempe, Ariz., spurned hometown Arizona State and fellow Pac-10 school Oregon State to sign with Nebraska.

Peat ranks as the nation's No. 24 defensive tackle, weighs in at 295 pounds and stands 6-foot-3.

Nebraska would like to see Peat develop into a player who has made the impact of star defensive tackle Jared Crick, who is returning to Nebraska for his senior year in 2011, following in the defensive tackle tradition at Nebraska under Bo Pelini after Ndamukong Suh, who was selected No. 2 overall in the 2010 NFL draft.

The Huskers have had good luck recruiting in Arizona. All-American cornerback Prince Amukamara projects as an early first-round pick in the 2011 draft and hailed from Phoenix.

We've seen this show before.

This time two years ago, Oklahoma was beaming. Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford announced his intention to return to Oklahoma for his junior season, despite being a possible No. 1 pick.

Tight end Jermaine Gresham, offensive tackle Trent Williams and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy elected to do the same.

Their intentions were clear: national championship or bust.

The Sooners had been denied by Florida in the title game weeks earlier, but looked in position for a second run in 2009.

Fresh off a dominant 48-20 win over 8-4 Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl, linebacker Travis Lewis elected to return for his senior season. Coach Bob Stoops advised both Lewis and receiver Ryan Broyles to stay at Oklahoma.

"I’m coming back to win a national championship," Lewis said. "Anything else would be a disappointment."

Sound familiar? It should.

Even with Broyles, Oklahoma won't look the part of the defending national runner-up that came back for the 2009 season. But one thing is certain, it'll be a whole lot better than the Oklahoma team that finished the 2009 season in the Sun Bowl.

Gresham never made it to the season opener, tearing cartilage in his knee just days before and missing the entire season. Bradford's season was derailed in the first half of the opener when he sprained his AC joint in his throwing shoulder and eventually required surgery.

Williams and McCoy had solid seasons, but with apologies to Ndamukong Suh, offensive and defensive tackles don't win ballgames in the Big 12.

Now, a year after beating Stanford in the Sun Bowl, Lewis is willing to risk injury in the pursuit of the Sooners' first title since 2000.

Despite Gresham and Bradford's serious injuries, both remained first-round picks. Bradford was drafted No. 1 and looks like a favorite for the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Broyles is still undecided, but Stoops' recommendation that he stay has to weigh heavily on the receiver. Considering the past, why wouldn't it?

Lewis wasn't scared, and if Broyles commits to being a Sooner in 2011, you can be sure, any memory of those costly injuries is distant.

I'm very specific when I give a gift. You don't know how many kittens I gave away because they just weren't right.

• Kevin Robbins of the Austin American-Statesman profiles Greg Davis, Texas' offensive coordinator who recently resigned.
• Here's more of Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson's comments at Tuesday's introductory press conference at Indiana.
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman says he'll be missed.
• Justin Blackmon's arrest and suspension changed his life, writes Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman.
• Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh has a new fan in Detroit, Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press. Seidel shares a pretty cool story about Suh and Seidel's son's football team.
• Kyle Ringo of the Boulder Daily Camera has an update on the changes on Colorado's sideline as new Buffaloes coach Jon Embree fills his staff.
• When Missouri lines up against Iowa in the Insight Bowl, the Hawkeyes will be without their top receiver.
• Texas could have more assistant coaches leave -- to join Colorado's staff, writes Randy Riggs of the Austin American-Statesman.
• Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads' name has come up for the opening at Pittsburgh.
• Baron Batch says there are plenty of lessons to learn outside the classroom in his latest column for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Landry Jones has never experienced a night worse than the one he did the last time he lined up across from the Blackshirts. When he wasn't getting chased by all-everything superstar defender Ndamukong Suh, he was throwing it to the wrong guys in red.

The Oklahoma quarterback threw for 245 yards. His counterpart, Zac Lee, threw for 35 yards. The Sooners outgained Nebraska 325-180.

But, and it was a big but, Jones finished with five interceptions. Oklahoma lost 10-3.

His first interception was deep in Oklahoma territory and returned 22 yards to the Sooners' 1-yard line. Nebraska scored the game's only touchdown on the next play.

Three more came in Nebraska territory and the fifth came on an odd, early Hail Mary on second down with time for a few more plays from midfield.

"We moved the ball well against them when we played them in Lincoln, but they really stuffed us and we didn’t get a lot out of it once we neared the red zone," said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. "They made more plays and stopped us."

Nebraska finished last season as the nation's No. 18 pass defense. The Blackshirts are at No. 2 this year.

"They do a great job in their structure, they’re very disciplined, how they play," Stoops said. "Their coverage is outstanding, in how they cover you and work their coverage. So, they really make you work to execute to play well to move the football."

Nebraska is better, but Jones is, too.

He's a sophomore with 22 starts under his belt, no longer a freshman learning how to fill a Heisman winner's shoes on the fly.

"He's got a huge arm. He's got a quick release. What I love here in this last half of the season is he's really feels his way in the pocket really well," Stoops said. "He's been really stepping up and buying himself more time in a good way. He's smart in what he's doing."

And in the past two weeks, he's been able to do what he couldn't do as a freshman: be the same quarterback away from Owen Field. His quarterback rating was a plump 160.04 at home in 2009, but slimmed to 110.25 on the road.

His touchdown-to-interception ratio was particularly skewed. In six home games, he threw 18 touchdowns to four interceptions. In seven games away from home, he threw just eight touchdowns to 10 picks, including the five in Lincoln.

Jones struggled early with interceptions against both Baylor and Oklahoma State, but rebounded particularly well against Oklahoma State, tossing a pair of long touchdown passes late in the fourth quarter to help Oklahoma clinch the South on its rival's home field. He also tied a school record with 468 yards against an improving Oklahoma State secondary.

Now, he'll face the toughest secondary in the Big 12, with more on the line than any game this season. Nobody will blink at a pick or two, but if Jones makes the plays necessary for Oklahoma to win and reach a BCS bowl once again, that nightmare in Lincoln as a freshman will be a hazy memory in the minds of Sooners fans.

"That’ll be a big key, if we can move the ball, but also in the red zone," Stoops said. "Are you able to score?"

You might have heard something about this, but 2010 is the last season of the Big 12 as we know it. To commemorate the league's run as a 12-team conference, a panel of 20 media members compiled their all-time Big 12 team. Here's who made it, and you can see the full votes here.

All-time Top Offensive Player: Vince Young, QB, Texas

All-time Top Defensive Player: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

All-time Coach: Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

OFFENSE:

QB: Vince Young, Texas

RB: Ricky Williams, Texas and Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma

WR: Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech and Rashaun Woods, Oklahoma State

TE: Chase Coffman, Missouri

OL: Dominic Raiola, Nebraska; Jammal Brown, Oklahoma; Aaron Taylor, Nebraska; Justin Blalock, Texas; Russell Okung, Oklahoma State

DEFENSE

DL: Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska; Tommie Harris, Oklahoma; Grant Wistrom, Nebraska; Brian Orakpo, Texas

LB: Derrick Johnson, Texas; Dat Nguyen, Texas A&M; Rocky Calmus, Oklahoma; Teddy Lehman, Oklahoma

DB: Roy Williams, Oklahoma; Terence Newman, Kansas State; Derrick Strait, Oklahoma; Michael Huff, Texas

SPECIAL TEAMS

All-purpose: Darren Sproles, Kansas State

K: Mason Crosby, Colorado

P: Daniel Sepulveda, Baylor

Here's how it breaks down by team:

1. Oklahoma: 7
2. Texas: 6
3. Nebraska: 4
4. Kansas State: 2
4. Oklahoma State: 2
6. Baylor: 1
6. Colorado: 1
6.Missouri: 1
6. Texas A&M: 1
6. Texas Tech: 1
11. Iowa State: 0
11. Kansas: 0

Who got snubbed? Who doesn't belong?

Thanks for the questions, everyone. Let's do it again next week, but I'll be back tomorrow for a full slate of games.

John in Lincoln, Neb., writes: I always thought that Colt McCoy deserved a Heisman and they would never give it to him. I wonder what the voters think of him now considering how Texas has struggled with out him. I understand that a team is different every year but I wonder if the fact that they are Texas stole some of his spot light as everyone has been so high on them for so many years. This year shows me how good he truly was and how much he probably deserved a Heisman. Your thoughts?

David Ubben: It's an interesting point, but I've got two responses. One, I would have voted for Ndamukong Suh last year, and still feel that way. And two, you've underrated Jordan Shipley by a wide margin. Colt McCoy wouldn't be anywhere as good with this year's set of receivers, but Garrett Gilbert would be much, much better. That's not to discount McCoy; he and Shipley (Who, by the way, were also roommates. Did you know that?) were both obviously two of the best players in the league last year. Remember those two big touchdown passes by Gilbert in the national title game? Can anybody recall who both were thrown to? Great routes, great catches and great plays by Shipley and Gilbert against a fantastic secondary. Texas didn't have any offensive players in my preseason top 25 player ranking, and you can be sure there won't be any in my postseason top 25, either.

Patrick Cantu in College Station, Texas, asks: David, Von Miller may not be putting up the sack numbers like last year, but he is having a terrific season outside the stat column by giving opposing QBs nightmares and covering his side of the field like a hawk on a revamped Aggie defense, yet he is not on your top defensive players nor a finalist for any national defensive award. Why is the All-American getting no love?

DU: That was completely my mistake. After last week's game, I made a mental note to add him on this week's list after the way he dominated Oklahoma and helped the Aggies beat Baylor. I was going to put him around 5th or 6th. Come Wednesday, it just slipped. He's come on really, really strong, just like the entire team has lately. Unless he's a total non-factor against Nebraska, he'll be on there next week.

Chase in Nagoya, Japan, asks: David, I was just wondering how many times the Huskers have to shut down an "elite" quarterback either at home or on the road for you to pick them to win?

DU: Konnichiwa, Chase. Always good to see the love of the game isn't contained by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. To your question, Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill is only a small part of why I picked the Huskers to lose in College Station. And to your other point, I don't believe I was in the majority when I picked the same Huskers to go into Stillwater and beat Oklahoma State by double digits -- which they did. That week, by the way, Oklahoma State was ranked two spots higher than Nebraska in the polls. Last I checked, the Huskers faced an elite quarterback in that game -- Brandon Weeden -- and didn't shut him down (18-of-35, 283 yards, 2 TD).

Anthony Morgan in Gilbert, Ariz., asks: What do you think it will take for nebraska to make it to the national championship game? (specifics)

DU: Well, a lot of losses and some big wins, including one on Saturday over Texas A&M to score some style points and probably a 14-20 point win over Oklahoma State or Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game. Alabama absolutely has to beat Auburn. Boise State will have to slip up against Nevada in Reno next week, most likely. Oregon will have to drop a game at home to Arizona next week. TCU isn't losing; they finish with 1-9 New Mexico next week.

The Huskers need those valuable style points because of the Texas loss. With the Longhorns' nosedive, they took the Huskers title chances with them. In college football, with a few exceptions, you have to lose early if you're going to lose, and make that loss a quality loss. Of the one-loss teams in contention, Nebraska has by far the worst loss--at home to Texas. Wisconsin's came on the road to a top 15 Michigan State team with just two losses. Stanford and LSU's only losses came to teams currently undefeated--Oregon and Auburn. So even if the records are even, it's going to be tough for the Huskers to jump them, which is why they need to make a strong, strong case at the end of the season that they're playing the best football of any team in the country. Doing that will require more than just simply beating Texas A&M and one of the Oklahoma schools away from home. They're going to have to steamroll them to get into the title game.

That said, all of the above applies to Oklahoma State as well, who has further to climb, but has a much better loss on its resume, one at home against Nebraska. Like the Huskers, they also have two games remaining, not including this weekend, obviously, where they can impress voters.

Ross in Seattle, Wash., asks: David -- I am a former student at Texas A&M and was curious what you think about the state of the program. With Jeff Fuller, Ryan Tannehill and Cyrus Gray likely coming back next year, coupled with the return of an amazin defense. Are they the team to beat next year?

DU: I don't think so, but they'll be really, really good. Just about everybody in The Former Division Formerly Known as the Big 12 South should be good once again. Oklahoma will be better. As long as Oklahoma State keeps Dana Holgorsen, its offense should be as great--if not better--and the defense should be improved with more experience. A&M fits in that top group somewhere. Texas should be back to at least eight or nine wins. Baylor will be good again. Texas Tech will be in Year 2 of a new scheme, but it's going to lose a lot after this year, so it's somewhat of a wild card.

Texas looks like it'll miss a bowl game this year, but those six teams should all be bowl teams in 2011. All four of those first teams should be right there in contention for a Big 12 title. That's really weird to think about, by the way. A 10-team race for a conference title. Get used to it.

Nebraska plans to retire Ndamukong Suh's jersey at halftime of next week's game against Colorado, the Huskers' final home game.

"We are proud to add Ndamukong Suh to our group of retired football jerseys," Nebraska AD Tom Osborne said in a statement. "It is certainly an elite group of football players that have the honor of having their jersey retired, and Ndamukong undoubtedly deserves that type of honor. He was one of the all-time great defensive players we've had here, and an outstanding individual as well."

Suh won the Outland Trophy, the Lombardi Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Nagurski Trophy in 2009, as well as finishing fourth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.

National award winners get their jersey retired at Nebraska, but current players are allowed to wear the number in the future.

During the spring game, Suh also announced a $2.6 million gift to the university, given before he'd even signed his NFL contract with the Detroit Lions. $2 million was given to the athletic department, and Suh also established a scholarship to the UNL College of Engineering.

Today's links topper comes courtesy of Joe in Brooklyn, NY: Dearest Ubben, Please remove Nebraska from the number 1 position in your latest power ranking. I've noticed a terrifying trend, the number 1 team loses. It's happened every week since week six. Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma (twice) have all fallen victim to your "well-intentioned" rankings. I suggest that you move Nebraska to number 2 and have a seven way tie for first in the Big 12 between Oregon, Auburn, TCU, BSU, LSU, Stanford, and Wisconsin.

• Sports Illustrated's Joe Posnanski weighs in on the meaning of the football miracle he suspects nobody noticed, Kansas' win against Colorado.
• If you missed it, here's Ndamukong Suh's extra point attempt from Sunday. Yes, you read that right.
• Dave Matter of the Columbia Tribune tries to find Missouri's missing passing game.
• Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle sorts out the good, bad and interesting from Saturday's win for Kansas State against Texas.
• The results haven't been there, but Bob Stoops hasn't lost his "mojo" and should stick to his guns, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.
• There's still a lot at stake for Iowa State, writes Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register.
• However, a fan on the field after the game has defensive end Rashawn Parker displeased.
• Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III got rattled on Saturday.
• Both sides of the ball finally clicked for Texas Tech.
• Is the Wrecking Crew back after last week's win for Texas A&M?
• Nebraska fans can expect a wide range of emotions on Saturday, writes Steve Sipple of the Lincoln Journal Star.
• Texas is trying to explain yet another awful loss, writes Alan Trubow of the Austin American-Statesman.
• Bad news for the Big 12 South: More weapons are emerging on Oklahoma State's offense, writes John Helsley of The Oklahoman.
• Kansas coach Turner Gill is a proud, proud man after Saturday's win, writes Tully Corcoran of the Topeka Capital-Journal.

The Big 12 had a record-breaking performance in the 2010 NFL Draft, landing nine first-round picks and five of the first six picks.

A few of those picks have spent the first half of the season proving they were worth the hefty first-round price tag.

Scouts Inc. has updated its top 10 rookies rankings, and three of the top four are from the Big 12.

Analyst Matt Williamson is particularly impressed with former Nebraska star Ndamukong Suh, who is already eighth in the league with 6.5 sacks for the Detroit Lions and scored his first career touchdown on a fumble return in last week's game.

"Rarely do defensive tackles enter the league and make such a big impact right away. It is seldom discussed, but this is one of the hardest positions to become accustomed to at this level. The men blocking are much stronger and far more technically sound. Everything happens much faster in very tight quarters and reading the blocking schemes is much more difficult to do so quickly. But none of that has slowed down this marvelous player," Williamson writes. "As a run defender right now, Suh is only average, but he still demands a lot of attention from opposing blocking schemes. As a pass-rusher, he is out of this world. ... He sure looks like the Defensive Rookie of the Year to me."

Suh ranks No. 2 on Williamson's rookie rankings, behind former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, who has the St. Louis Rams at 4-4 in his first season.

Former Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant and current Dallas Cowboy ranks No. 4, after catching six passes for 84 yards against Jacksonville last week and scoring three touchdowns in a Monday night game against the New York Giants two weeks ago.

Former Texas safety Earl Thomas, ranks No. 7 as a rookie with the Seattle Seahawks.

Texas defensive tackle Lamarr Houston (Oakland Raiders) and Oklahoma State cornerback Perrish Cox (Denver Broncos) are also listed among the notables.