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TCU and West Virginia don't "officially" join the Big 12 until July 1.

But nothing happens in July. In March, we have spring football, and in every meaningful sense, the Horned Frogs and Mountaineers have become the first teams to join the Big 12 since its creation back in 1994.

Big 12 teams are showing up on both programs' new film for 2012. Recruiting efforts are shifting.

It's a new world in the Big 12. If you lost track, it still has 10 teams.

Since June 2010, though, it has lost four teams (Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, Missouri) before gaining two more back in October.

The Big East let TCU, which had promised to join the league in 2012, go without incident. Months of legal wrangling and a hard-to-swallow $20 million price tag for leaving were needed for the Mountaineers to make it official.

The Big 12 lost a lot when storied Nebraska left for the Big Ten. It lost nowhere near as much when Colorado left for the Pac-12.

Two big programs with lots of eyes, in Mizzou and Texas A&M, are gone. There's no getting around it: They'll be missed in some ways. You can't replace a century of rivalries without a century of new rivalries. And even then, it's difficult.

Missouri-Kansas? Texas A&M-Texas? You can't replace that, no matter how hard you try. Both rivalries -- annual staples on the college football calendar -- are dead now.

But what you can replace?

Texas A&M and Missouri's modest-to-OK results on the field since the Big 12 began.

TCU and West Virginia will be every bit the teams the Aggies and Tigers were on the field. They'll lack the history, sure. They'll lack the familiarity even more.

But they won't lack the success, however moderate it was for the Aggies and Tigers.

TCU coach Gary Patterson revitalized a historically mediocre program to unprecedented success, winning 11 games in six of seven seasons in the Mountain West Conference, including BCS bowl appearances in consecutive seasons in 2009 and 2010, capped by a win in the Rose Bowl.

TCU won't make winning 11 games an annual occurrence in the Big 12, but would Texas A&M have done much better with a similar schedule?

Meanwhile, West Virginia is 3-0 in BCS bowl games of its own, winning six Big East titles since 2003.

Could Missouri have done much more in the Big East?

Doubtful.

The Tigers have won eight games in six consecutive seasons, one of just a handful of teams to duplicate the feat. It won at least a share of the Big 12 North in three of the division's final four seasons before the Big 12 moved to 10 teams in 2011.

A 12-win season in 2007 was the highlight under Gary Pinkel, but the Tigers have yet to reach the BCS and never won a Big 12 title, getting blown out by Oklahoma in both Big 12 title game appearances.

WVU, though, won 32 games in the final three seasons under Rich Rodriguez and won 27 games in three seasons under Bill Stewart. Dana Holgorsen won 10 games in his first season.

The Big East isn't the Big 12, but Missouri won 63 games in that same span. Add up West Virginia's? The Mountaineers have 70 wins.

Why can't WVU step in and duplicate, if not exceed, what Missouri was able to do?

The Mountaineers can -- and will.

Meanwhile, the Big 12's most frustrating question -- why can't Texas A&M be a national power? -- is the SEC's problem now.

The Aggies have had all the facilities, all the support and all the resources necessary to become one. It has exactly one Big 12 title to show for it and still yearns for the days of R.C. Slocum. The legendary coach won four conference titles, but the program has been blanked since 1998.

TCU, meanwhile, is poised for a rise in the new Big 12. Recruiting will get a boost now that the school has major conference affiliation to offer prospects. Win totals will take a knock from recent totals but stabilize.

For the curious: TCU won 77 games in its past seven seasons. Texas A&M won 47 games in the same span.

Call it a small sample size. Call it a down period for the Aggies.

It's both, but now is now, and TCU looks more than capable to replace every bit of what Texas A&M brought the Big 12 on the field while the Aggies try to swim in the cutthroat SEC West, college football's toughest division.

The Big 12 is adjusting to a new world.

Off the field, the Aggies and Tigers will be sorely missed. To argue otherwise is foolish.

But on the field?

Credit the Big 12 on this one. The conference can easily say "Sayonara" without shedding a tear.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- R.C. Slocum coached Texas A&M to its first and what now looks like it will be its only Big 12 title in 1998.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was a co-captain of Arkansas' only national title team back in 1964. Before Saturday's game, the two shared a moment on the Texas A&M sideline.

"How 'bout those Aggies comin' to the SEC?" Jones asked. His school made the move from the Texas-based Southwest Conference to the SEC in 1991.

"Oh, man," Slocum said with a grin of anticipation as the two shook hands.

Oh man, indeed.

If Slocum had known what he was about to watch, that grin would have been a groan.

Last week, Texas A&M blew a 17-point halftime lead in a loss to Oklahoma State. A day later, it celebrated its move to the SEC.

This week? Try 18 to Arkansas, which roared back to take its first lead with 1:41 left and beat the Aggies, 42-38.

Broderick Green's 244-pound frame barreled over the goal line, and the Arkansas contingent exploded as the Aggies in attendance began wondering what the traffic on Interstate 30 would look like on the way back home.

Not the best first impression for the Texas A&M Aggies, who didn't quite fill their half of Cowboys Stadium as Hog fans showed up in force.

By game's end, Jones was back on his alma mater's sideline, handing over the trophy for the Southwest Classic (a game he helped create) to Bobby Petrino's Hogs.

"It's a travesty that we didn't win this football game," Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said.

The Aggies won this game where good SEC teams win games: at the line of scrimmage.

Texas A&M sacked Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson four times and harassed him on countless other occasions, assuring he wakes up Sunday morning as sore as he's been all season. Arkansas' struggling running game continued to do so, rushing for just 71 yards on 30 carries.

The Aggies, meanwhile, protected quarterback Ryan Tannehill well and ran for 376 yards on 54 carries, an average of seven yards a carry on Arkansas' defense, which played without its two best defensive linemen: Tenarius Wright and Jake Bequette.

Texas A&M, though, lost this game where the rest of college football loses games: on the scoreboard.

"The stats don't matter," Tannehill said. "The only things that matter are the W or L and we didn't get it covered in the second half."

For a day, Texas A&M looked on the field exactly what it is off the field: an odd hybrid of an SEC and Big 12 defense. For all of Texas A&M's strength up front, it lost the game the way Big 12 teams have lost games for the majority of the league's 15-year history.

Wilson racked up a school-record 510 yards passing, shattering Ryan Mallett's record of 409 yards against SEC doormat Vanderbilt.

Texas A&M's defense has now gone 15 quarters without forcing a turnover, with apologies to Justin Blackmon's gifted touchback at Kyle Field last week.

"This defense is structured -- we take some risks defensively," Sherman said of his defense, which ran defensive backs at Wilson from various angles throughout Saturday's loss. "There's some gain when you create turnovers, and we've not been able to do that now for three weeks. That is certainly an obvious concern."

Also of concern for the Aggies was Sherman's unwillingness to try to convert a fourth-and-2 at Arkansas' 39-yard line, nursing a 35-20 lead, and a fourth-and-1 on Texas A&M's 49-yard line with a 35-27 lead.

The Aggies punted both times -- first for 19 yards to the Arkansas 25 and second for 37 yards down to Arkansas' 14 -- and the Hogs scored touchdowns after both kicks.

"If I felt like our defense was playing a little bit better, I probably would have gone for it. I felt like I just couldn’t give them a shortened field," Sherman said. "If we were had been playing better defense--if this had been last year -- probably would have."

Said Tannehill: "That's the head coach's call. That's what he gets paid the big bucks for. Whatever he calls, we're going to go with it. ... We trust coach and you've just got to go with the call."

The game ended, and despite holding a huge lead early, Texas A&M was serenaded with an "S-E-C" chant at Cowboys Stadium for a fourth time in three seasons, dropping to 0-4 on the field in Arlington.

"It's emotionally tough," Tannehill said.

Maybe soon, the Aggies will be the chanters and not the chant's target. But for now, another painful loss.

For two consecutive weeks, Texas A&M has known well what it feels like to lose a game it should have won.

For at least another few months at the end of a 16-year and seven-game drought, the Aggies are left wondering how it feels to beat an SEC team.

For just the second time ever, the first round of the NFL draft will be the only part of the draft's first day, set for primetime on Thursday night.

This year, the Big 12 could have as many as five first-round picks, and five players from the league are in New York for the draft.

So, let's take a look back. Since the first NFL draft of the Big 12 era, who has the most first-rounders?

Texas: 16

• 2010: S Earl Thomas, 14th overall, Seattle Seahawks
• 2009: DE Brian Orakpo, 13th overall, Washington Redskins
• 2007: S Michael Griffin, 19th overall, Tennessee Titans
• 2007: CB Aaron Ross, 20th overall, New York Giants
• 2006: QB Vince Young, third overall, Tennessee Titans
• 2006: CB Michael Huff, seventh overall, Oakland Raiders
• 2005: RB Cedric Benson, fourth overall, Chicago Bears
• 2005: LB Derrick Johnson, 15th overall, Kansas City Chiefs
• 2004: WR Roy Williams, seventh overall, Detroit Lions
• 2004: DT Marcus Tubbs, 23rd overall, Seattle Seahawks
• 2002: OL Mike Williams, fourth overall, Buffalo Bills
• 2002: CB Quentin Jammer, fifth overall, San Diego Chargers
• 2001: OL Leonard Davis, second overall, Arizona Cardinals
• 2001: DT Casey Hampton, 19th overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
• 1999: RB Ricky Williams, fifth overall, New Orleans Saints
• 1997: CB Bryant Westbrook, fifth overall, Detroit Lions

Oklahoma: 12

• 2010: QB Sam Bradford, first overall, St. Louis Rams
• 2010: DT Gerald McCoy, third overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 2010: OT Trent Williams, fourth overall, Washington Redskins
• 2010: TE Jermaine Gresham, 21st overall, Cincinnati Bengals
• 2007: RB Adrian Peterson, seventh overall, Minnesota Vikings
• 2006: OL Davin Joseph, 23rd overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 2005: OL Jammal Brown, 13th overall, New Orleans Saints
• 2005: WR Mark Clayton, 22nd overall, Baltimore Ravens
• 2004: DT Tommie Harris, 14th overall, Chicago Bears
• 2003: CB Andre Woolfolk, 28th overall, Tennessee Titans
• 2002: S Roy Williams, eighth overall, Dallas Cowboys
• 2001: Stockar McDougle, 20th overall, Detroit Lions

Oklahoma State: 6

• 2010: OL Russell Okung, sixth overall, Seattle Seahawks
• 2010: WR Dez Bryant, 24th overall, Dallas Cowboys
• 2009: TE Brandon Pettigrew, 20th overall, Detroit Lions
• 2004: WR Rashaun Woods, 31st overall, San Francisco 49ers
• 2003: DE Kevin Williams, ninth overall, Minnesota Vikings
• 1998: CB R.W. McQuarters, 28th overall, San Francisco 49ers

Missouri: 4

• 2010: LB Sean Weatherspoon, 19th overall, Atlanta Falcons
• 2009: WR Jeremy Maclin, 19th overall, Philadelphia Eagles
• 2009: DT Ziggy Hood, 32nd overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
• 2001: DE Justin Smith, fourth overall, Cincinnati Bengals

Kansas State: 3

• 2009: QB Josh Freeman, 17th overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 2003: CB Terence Newman, fifth overall, Dallas Cowboys
• 1997: DB Chris Canty, 29th overall, New England Patriots

Texas A&M: 2

• 2003: DT Ty Warren, 13th overall, New England Patriots
• 2003: DB Sammy Davis, 30th overall, San Diego Chargers

Texas Tech: 1

• 2009: WR Michael Crabtree, 10th overall, San Francisco 49ers

Kansas: 1

• 2008: CB Aqib Talib, 20th overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baylor: 1

• 2009: OL Jason Smith, 2nd overall, St. Louis Rams

Iowa State: none since 1973 (George Amundson)

A few thoughts and observations:

• I doubt many would be surprised that this list is also a reasonably accurate reflection of overall success since the Big 12's inception in 1996. Obviously, Texas and Oklahoma have dominated. Since 2000, Texas has the nation's fourth-most first-rounders. Oklahoma is No. 6. Their success has paralleled that, along with recruiting rankings.
• In that same breath, it's impossible to look at this list and not once again be impressed with what Mike Leach did. He obviously has the reputation as an overachiever, but looking big picture, he was able to do it with one first-round pick. Nobody beat Texas and Oklahoma more and Leach helped put together what is still the Big 12's longest bowl streak.
• Texas' consistency sticks out, too. Since just 2001, Texas has had two first-rounders in six different seasons. If you've got two first-rounders on your team, you're probably going to be pretty good. The Longhorns, if you haven't noticed, have been. Those two first-rounders in six seasons are more or as many as half the league has in the history of the Big 12. What else you should note? Texas is unlikely to have a first rounder this year, and after Aaron Williams is drafted, Sam Acho probably will be the next to go, which won't be until the third or fourth round.
• Oklahoma State and Missouri's rise over the past three seasons has paid off in the NFL draft. Missouri had three first-rounders in the last two seasons and figures to add two more this year after having just one in the 12-year history of the league before 2009. That's quite a streak, and even more proof of what Gary Pinkel has built at Missouri. One more piece of evidence? Despite losing those two first-rounders, Missouri should be back in the preseason polls next year after losing two of its top players. That's definitely something new in Columbia. The Cowboys figure to add more soon with Justin Blackmon at least. As long as Pinkel and Gundy are at the helm for their respective programs, expect them to continue to rise.
• Don't be surprised by Texas A&M's swoon following R.C. Slocum's departure. From 1990-1998, the Aggies won nine games every season but one. From 1990-96, the Aggies had eight first-round picks. Since 1998? Two seasons with at least nine wins and just two first-round picks.
• More evidence you can't underestimate the importance of having first-round picks? None for Baylor in the history of the Big 12 before Art Briles. In just three years, Briles may have three if the Bears add two more this year with Phil Taylor and Danny Watkins. Taylor and Watkins both came from unlikely sources. Taylor was a Penn State transfer and Watkins a juco transfer that formerly worked as a fireman in Canada.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- It's tough to plan around which practices I'll get to see when I come to campuses during the spring or preseason camp, but it was a pretty ideal situation at Texas A&M on Wednesday. The team was in full pads, practiced for about an hour and a half, and the vast majority of it was 11-on-11 team drills.

Texas A&M's practices are open to the public, something that's increasingly rare in college football, but there were probably 70-80 fans who made it to the afternoon workout on a gorgeous day for spring football. To my knowledge, the only teams in the new Big 12 that open up spring practice to fans are Texas A&M, Missouri and Baylor.

Additionally, it takes a lot for women's hoops to generate buzz, but there was definitely a bit out at practice. The Aggies beat rival Baylor, featuring arguably the game's biggest star, 6-foot-8 Brittney Griner, in Dallas earlier this week to reach the first Final Four in school history. I'm sure there will be plenty of maroon in the stands in Indianapolis this weekend. (More on that here from colleague Mechelle Voepel.)

But back to football.

A few thoughts and observations from practice:

Two guys a bit under the radar who had great days: Receiver Kenric McNeal and running back Ben Malena. With all the skill-position talent at Texas A&M, both get a bit overshadowed, but Malena, at least for one day, looked every bit as good a runner as the backs ahead of him on the depth chart, Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray. He has a lot of development to do in things like feeling creases in the line but when he got a chance to get to the second level and let his instincts take over, he was giving the defense fits. He looked solid in the open field.

Additionally, McNeal has a reputation as a shifty slot receiver who works best underneath, but he was stretching the field on Thursday like I hadn't seen from him before. His two longest plays of the year (27 and 32 yards) came late last season, but he had a couple of deep catches in the end zone after slipping past the safeties and bringing it in behind the defense. He got open a few more times, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill missed a couple of deep balls to him, but it has to be encouraging for the offense to see him break a few off like that.

Michael looking confident on healed leg

Michael was one guy I wanted to see, and it was tough to get a read on his mobility -- he didn't get into the open field very much. But one encouraging sign was he didn't look like he was shying away from contact at all. That's exactly what A&M wants to see. Michael brings a mean running style that no other back on the roster can provide. Early in the conference season last year, he was running over plenty of linebackers. He looks like he wants to get back to doing exactly that, and he did it on Thursday, dragging a couple of defenders at times.

I don't think the mental side of returning from the injury will be an issue. He's never been quite as shifty as Cyrus Gray, but he runs with power that you won't find anywhere else in the Big 12, and considering how the rest of the league defended the run during the bowl season -- especially power runners -- the Aggies will once again be glad he's on their team this fall.

Wrecking Crew missing a few members

Diehard A&M fans are surely already aware, but the Aggies' defense is missing quite a few key pieces this spring, especially in the back seven. Defensive backs Terrance Frederick and Coryell Judie are both sidelined after offseason shoulder surgery and linebacker Sean Porter is out with an injury to his left foot from earlier in spring practice.

Lionel Smith is also out for spring ball.

Former Aggies on hand

It's always good to see alums and former coaches on hand for spring practice. Former Aggies linebacker Michael Hodges was milling around the practice field. He's one of just three defensive starters (Von Miller, Lucas Patterson) the Aggies have to replace this spring.

Additionally, former Aggies coach R.C. Slocum was in attendance.

The National Football Foundation has released its list of candidates for the FBS Hall of Fame class of 2011.

More than 12,000 members of the foundation will vote on the list of 79 players and nine coaches, and the class will be announced in May with an induction ceremony to take place in December.

"It's an enormous honor to just be on the ballot when you think that more than 4.79 million people have played college football," NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell said in a release. "The Hall's requirement of being a first team All-American creates a much smaller pool of only 1,900 individuals who are even eligible to be on the ballot, so being in today's group of 79 names means an individual is truly among the greatest to ever have played the game, and we are proud to announce their names today."

So, here's who's up for induction from schools currently in the Big 12:

• Brian Bosworth, LB, Oklahoma, 1984-86
• Bobby Douglass, QB, Kansas, 1966-68
• Doug English, DT, Texas, 1972-74
• Tony Franklin, K, Texas A&M, 1975-78
• Jerry Gray, DB, Texas, 1981-84
• Rod Shoate, LB, Oklahoma, 1972-74
• Don Trull, QB, Baylor, 1961-63
• R.C. Slocum, coach, Texas A&M, 1989-2002 (first time on ballot)

Want more? Here's the full list.

Texas A&M's summer fling with the SEC ended with both parties going back to business as usual in the fall.

Now, Texas' recent partnership with ESPN has caused some trouble at home, and Aggies fans' eyes have drifted east once again, longing to recapture what they once had: a reported offer to join the SEC, the nation's premier conference on the football field.

Athletic director Bill Byrne made the right call in keeping the Aggies in the Big 12 over the summer. We discussed the issue briefly in a mailbag on Friday, but Byrne would be well-served to keep the Aggies in the Big 12 as long as the Longhorns do the same.

The Longhorns need the Big 12 for rivalries and scheduling, but not for money. Now that the TV network is established and Texas can hang on to its TV network, the risk of the school going independent is overstated. There's not enough to gain and too much risk.

The majority of the fan base supported a move to the SEC. I posed a question on Twitter on Friday, but nobody presented any new arguments for why Texas A&M leaving the Big 12 would be a good thing.

I understand the basic arguments. There's an attraction to "escaping Texas shadow" and going out on their own. There's some value in offering recruits a chance to play in the SEC, something Texas wouldn't be able to do.

But simply put, any of those peripheral advantages are completely negated if you don't win. Good luck recruiting if you can't win consistently. And good luck winning recruiting battles against Texas or SEC programs if both are winning more. The best recruits headed to the SEC don't want to play there. They want to win there. Proving you can do it is the easiest way to do it.

Texas A&M has historically been an underachieving program relative to its fan base and resources. The Aggies have no 10-win seasons in the Big 12 since 1998, the same year of the program's last conference title. That's their only title since 1993, the last of three consecutive Southwest Conference titles under R.C. Slocum.

Texas A&M would win less in the SEC than it already has in the Big 12.

The Aggies are 25-35 against the SEC, and 0-6 since a win over LSU in 1995. That doesn't inspire confidence.

Arkansas has experienced financial windfall since joining the league in 1991. What they haven't experienced? Winning.

The Hogs won at least two Southwest Conference titles in every decade from 1954-1989. They haven't won the SEC since the move two decades ago.

Want to get away from Texas and Oklahoma?

Fine. Meet Auburn, Alabama, Florida and LSU. Together, they've won the past five national titles since Texas snagged its last one in 2005. You guys have fun with that.

Texas A&M? Can anyone outside Texas, who doesn't own an Aggie ring, name a player on the Aggies' 1939 championship squad?

Winning is what fuels successful programs. The money isn't there if the wins don't precede it. Yearly conference handouts aren't enough to build a big-time program.

Man cannot live on S-E-C chants alone. You don't think there are mornings when Kentucky fans wake up wishing they played football in the Big East? In-state rival Louisville has only played in an AQ conference since 2005 and it's already been to and won a BCS bowl, though the teams have been virtual equals with since the annual Governor's Cup was revived in 1994. Louisville leads the recent head-to-head series, 9-8.

If Texas A&M values winning, the Big 12 is the place to stay.

Texas' new network should be a big boon to its checkbooks and recruiting classes, but really, how much more help can they get? The Longhorns routinely get the pick of the litter throughout the state. Having their own TV network doesn't mean they get to sign 100 players every February. Texas has the best facilities in the Big 12. More money doesn't mean Texas will figure out how to teach their players to fly.

It helps Texas, sure. But it doesn't hurt Texas A&M enough to make a rash decision to leave the Big 12.

Preach conference prestige and recruiting until you're hoarse. It won't matter. All that matters in college football is winning. If the Aggies are OK with doing less of it, then fine, book your bus ticket east and hope the SEC opens its arms once again like it did this summer.

Former Texas A&M coach Emory Bellard was recently diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, but the school is putting together an honorary dinner for the coach.

Former Texas A&M coaches Jackie Sherrill and R.C. Slocum plan to be in attendance at the Nov. 19 dinner, as well as Frank Broyles, Spike Dykes, Grant Teaff, Bill Yeoman and Bum Phillips.

Bellard coached Texas A&M to a 48-27 record in a little more than six seasons at Texas A&M in the 1970s, twice going 10-2.

For more information on how to attend, go to http://www.12thmankot.org.

That doesn't make any sense! Who wants to live in a world where dogs eat each other? Doggy-dog world is a beautiful world filled with little puppies.

• Bob Stoops wouldn't want to coach his sons, reports Jake Trotter of The Oklahoman.
• Mack Brown wants to see the same kind of fiery leadership from his current team that former Longhorns once had, reports Laken Litman of the Dallas Morning News. He resorted to some unusual motivation tactics earlier this week.
• Former Sooner Sam Bradford lost a bet to former Missouri receiver Danario Alexander, and conducted interviews in a No. 14 Missouri jersey on Wednesday. Bradford got in a quip, though, when asked if he regretted his college selection. "Absolutely not," Bradford said. "I wanted to win Big 12 championships."
• Garrett Gilbert is a better QB prospect than Colt McCoy, writes Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News.
• Kansas State's best receivers are injured, but the replacements have added a lot to the passing game, writes Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle.
• Nebraska received a commitment from one of the nation's best running backs, Aaron Green. The Huskers beat out Texas and Florida State to get him.
• Kansas State leads the Big 12 in graduation rate among football programs. Oklahoma has the worst in the conference and in the BCS top 25.
• Brandon Chatmon of The Oklahoman offers his thoughts on Justin Blackmon's suspension.
• Texas Tech is still trying to get used to its new running game, writes Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. The team is also dealing with a stomach virus that several players have contracted.
• Former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum weighs in on this week's game, a matchup between two of his former assistants.
• Quinn Mecham is getting ready for his first-ever start, and shares his thoughts with Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates had an interesting comment during a recent interview with Time Magazine about the pressures of his current job.

During the interview with Time staffer Elizabeth Rubin, Gates described the pressures of his current job of sending young men and women to war.

But as the interview concluded, Gates said those concerns are little like those he faced when he worked as Texas A&M's president from 2002-06.

"I always used to tell people that Texas A&M football caused me more stress than any job I've ever had. And they always thought I was exaggerating," Gates told Rubin.

Rubin relates that she couldn't believe Gates, but he stood by his statement.

"I asked my wife one time, 'Why is that?' And she said, 'Because you have no control.' "

Gates paused during the interview before relating how different the two jobs are.

"Here, I have a little control," Gates said.

Of course, Gates was in charge at Texas A&M during a tumultuous era in the school's athletic history. He was there for the controversial firing of R.C. Slocum, the winningest coach in school history. Gates helped hire Dennis Franchione from Alabama and saw his program struggle under his watch before he left a season before Franchione was let go after the 2007 season.

But it's still kind of unsettling for one of the most powerful men in the world, one who is familiar with the concerns of keeping this country safe and protected on a daily basis, saying that the pressures of running a Big 12 school and its football program were more vexing than his current job.

The worst-kept secret in Central Texas finally was revealed Thursday afternoon when the Texas A&M Board of Regents approved the hiring of Air Force defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter as the Aggies’ new defensive coordinator.

DeRuyter, 47, is considered one of the rising stars in his profession. His work in turning Air Force’s defense around despite the inherent talent limitations at the school has caught the eye of the football cognoscenti over the past few years.

It’s clearly the biggest hiring in Mike Sherman’s coaching tenure. The Aggies’ struggling defense is considered their biggest liability.

Sherman said he likes what he has seen in DeRuyter’s previous work.

“I like his aggressive, attacking style of defense,” Sherman said. “He has a great history of success and has shown great ability to teach and to lead young men.”

DeRuyter is coming off an impressive coaching performance in his last game. The Falcons limited Houston quarterback Case Keenum to a season-low 222 yards and forced six interceptions in a 47-20 victory over the Cougars in the Armed Forces Bowl.

That effort punctuated a breakout season for the Falcons. Air Force finished 11th nationally in total defense (288.3 yards per game), fifth in pass defense (154.3 yards per game) and 10th in scoring defense (15.7 points per game). DeRuyter’s defense ranked seventh in the country with 20 interceptions, fifth in the nation with 34 total turnovers and led the nation in turnover margin.

The Aggies will have nine defensive starters back from their 2009 team that went 6-7, including national sack leader Von Miller. But DeRuyter must turn around an A&M defense that ranked 114th and 105th nationally in the past two seasons under former coordinator Joe Kines. It allowed opponents to score at least 35 points in seven of its final 10 games last season.

It’s a far cry from the great defenses of the past that were keyed by legendary players like Dat Nguyen.

DeRuyter said those great A&M defenses have been an inspiration to him during his career.

“As a defensive player at Air Force and being a defensive coach, I’ve tried to emulate the “Wrecking Crew” style that R.C. Slocum had in place at (Texas) A&M,” DeRuyter said. “As a defense, we like to dictate to the offense and put them back on their heels.”

DeRuyter was an undersized, overachieving linebacker at Air Force in the mid-1980s, helping Fisher DeBerry’s team to three straight bowl victories. He coached at schools like Air Force, Ohio University, Navy and Nevada. The A&M job will be the first time he’s ever coached at in a conference with an automatic berth into the BCS.

Last August, DeRuyter described his ideal defense to the Colorado Springs Gazette in simplistic terms.

“We want to have guys that are chomping at the bit to go rip someone's head off,” DeRuyter said.

The Falcons responded by limited 11 of their opponents to 20 or fewer points.

But duplicating that success against the offensive firepower in the Big 12 will be a different challenge – particularly with the personnel the Aggies currently have.

At the start of the decade, Texas A&M was at the top of the Big 12 South Division.

The Aggies claimed the Big 12 championship in 1998 after qualifying for the title game in 1997. A&M capped off an emotion-packed 1999 season by beating eventual Big 12 South champion Texas in the "Bonfire Game" to end the regular season.

But the program regressed as Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Texas' Mack Brown built their programs throughout the aughts. R.C. Slocum was let go after the 2002 season and Dennis Franchione was similarly jettisoned after the 2007 season.

Mike Sherman is in place now. The program faces a huge battle to get itself back to the level where the Aggies were at only 10 seasons ago.

Here's a look at some of the top players and moments of the Aggies' last decade.

OFFENSE

QB: Jerrod Johnson

RB: Courtney Lewis

RB: Jorvorskie Lane

WR: Robert Ferguson

WR: Terrence Murphy

TE: Martellus Bennett

OL: Cody Wallace

OL: Taylor Whitley

OL: Lee Grimes

OL: Kirk Elder

C: Seth McKinney

DEFENSE

DL: Mike Montgomery

DL: Rocky Bernard

DL: Ty Warren

DL: Von Miller

LB: Jason Glenn

LB: Justin Warren

LB: Mark Dodge

DB: Sammy Davis

DB: Melvin Bullitt

DB: Terrence Kiel

DB: Jaxson Appel

P: Justin Brantly

K: Todd Pegram

Ret: Cyrus Gray

Offensive player of the decade: QB Jerrod Johnson. It was a tough choice over quarterbacks like Stephen McGee and Reggie McNeal who played for the Aggies earlier in their careers. But Johnson's abilities to develop the most potent passing offense in A&M history -- setting school records for touchdown passes, total offense and passing yards in 2009 -- make him the choice. And he could be poised for even more in his senior season.

Defensive player of the decade: DE/LB Von Miller. The Aggies' proud reputation for tough defenses became forgotten over the decade as spread passing offenses proliferated across the conference. But Miller was decidedly a throwback in a 2009 season where he led the nation with 17 sacks and became the most dominant A&M defensive player since Dat Nguyen. Miller thrived in the hybrid "Jack" position created by former defensive coordinator Joe Kines. He wisely chose to return to college for his senior season next year where he can continue with a new coordinator in place.

Coach of the decade: R.C. Slocum. It was difficult for A&M fans to see the demise of Slocum, perhaps the most popular coach in school history. The Aggies never had a losing record under Slocum and made bowl trips in two of the three seasons he coached them this decade, including the 2001 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl that remains their most recent bowl victory.

Moment of the decade: Stephen McGee's dramatic game-winning drive in a 2006 victory at Texas. Despite vomiting in the huddle throughout the game-winning drive, McGee directed the Aggies on a 16-play, 88-yard drive capped by his own 8-yard touchdown run en route to a 12-7 victory over the Longhorns in Austin. McGee converted five third-down plays on the drive as A&M snapped a six-game losing streak to their most bitter rivals.

It's going to be a long travel day today for me with more time spent in airports than I can remember.

But I wouldn't think of leaving for my travels without packing a tasty collection of Big 12 links for sampling later in the day.

Hopefully, these will make it through airport security -- unlike some of my other pack-for-the-trip snacks.

• Mark Mangino fired back at his critics on his weekly radio show last night. But the Kansas City Star’s Brady McCollough reports that some of the same charges that are being levied against the embattled Mangino also were heard at his first head coaching job -- 20 years ago.
• The Austin American-Statesman’s Kirk Bohls isn’t ready to place Colt McCoy at the top of the pantheon of Texas quarterbacks -- yet.
• The Kansas City Star’s Blair Kerkhoff looks at the type of candidates that a potential opening at Kansas might attract -- and where it might legitimately be placed on open jobs.
• Ivan Maisel’s "Three-point stance" mentions that Texas A&M’s switch from R.C. Slocum is indicative that change isn’t necessarily always good. The Aggies are 41-42 since Slocum was fired.
• Neill Woelk of the Boulder Camera writes that Colorado played valiantly against Oklahoma State Thursday night, but did not play or coach smart.
• What would happen if Kansas stuns Texas on Saturday, the Lawence Journal-World’s Tom Keegan wonders.
• Brace yourself. Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News reports that USC and Texas are talking about a home-and-home series for the 2017-18 season.
• Kansas State quarterback Grant Gregory tells the Omaha World-Herald’s Mitch Sherman that he can’t wait to check out Memorial Stadium in his passion for college football stadiums.
• Bo Pelini teles The Lincoln Journal Star’s Steve Sipple takes he expects “a crazy year” on the coaching carousel.
• Samuel McKewon of the Nebraska State Paper.com writes how tough words can get coaches in trouble.

The two schools are separated by only 84 miles as the crow flies along Texas State Highway 6.

Baylor and Texas A&M have been longtime rivals, playing a 99-game series that predated their memberships in the Southwest Conference. Both joined the Big 12 together in the continuation of a bitter rivalry that has been played yearly since 1945.

It may not seem as heated now as in the past when Grant Teaff squared off with Jackie Sherrill or later, R.C. Slocum. Even the Guy Morriss-Dennis Franchione rivalry developed into a good one with some barbs thrown from both sides on both sides.

Saturday’s game will have some meaning unlike many recent Baylor-A&M games because both teams still have legitimate bowl hopes.

Baylor senior safety Jordan Lake grew up in a family where his father was a former Baylor student. Like all Baylor students, they reveled in the Bears’ 41-20 victory last season in Waco that ranked as their biggest triumph in the series since 1980. And they also delighted in the Bears' wild 35-34 overtime triumph in 2004 after A&M had thumped them in College Station by 63 points the year before.

“My dad always had a dislike for A&M,” Lake said. “From the beginning, I knew there was a rivalry tension there. And the way we’ve played the last couple of years has helped it rise to where it was back in the 1970s and 1980s.”

Mike Sherman and Art Briles appear to have a respectful relationship heading into Saturday’s game that will be played for some big stakes at Kyle Field.

Both teams have simmering postseason hopes heading into the game, although both have fallen dramatically in recent weeks.

Baylor (4-6) started the season strongly with an opening-game victory at Wake Forest. But the Bears lost their home opener to Connecticut and Robert Griffin went down with a season-ending knee injury the following week as the Bears have tailed off since then.

Their 47-14 loss to Texas last was their fifth in the last six games and actually seems closer than it really was. The Longhorns jumped to a 40-0 lead before Baylor scored two late touchdowns on the Texas backup defensive unit.

A&M (5-5) has faced similar recent struggles and bottomed out in their blowout 65-10 loss at Oklahoma.

The Aggies had enough problems against the Sooners in simply cleanly fielding punts or kicks. A&M fumbled or muffed five kicks to spark Oklahoma’s 42-10 halftime lead. That run of struggles enabled the Sooners to run off 51 straight points en route to the wide margin of victory.

It marked the second time this season that an opponent has hung at least 60 points on the Aggies and the third time that they have lost by at least four touchdowns.

Those blowout losses haven’t undermined the progress of a young team that features 27 freshmen and sophomores in its two-deep roster.

“We’re fine,” senior safety Jordan Pugh said. “We just look at it as something that we’ve got to fix. We looked forward and moved on."

A victory would push the Aggies into their first bowl game under Sherman. But A&M players have simpler thoughts about Saturday’s game.

“It’s just important for us to win, period,” Pugh said. “Getting a bowl game would be fun, but winning is our major focus now.”

To gain bowl eligibility, the Bears would have to win their first game at Kyle Field since 1984 and then defeat Texas Tech next week at the new Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Playing meaningful games in late November is new for a Baylor program that hasn’t gone bowling since 1994. But the Bears are excited about the challenges that will be facing them -- even if they are perceived to be a long shot to accomplish those goals.

“A lot of people outside this locker room have written us off for awhile. When Griff went down, so did Baylor, they thought,” Baylor senior middle linebacker Joe Pawelek said. “We still have a shot to make this a special season. It starts with A&M this week. And we’re just looking to extend the season for one more week.”

The Aggies can make a bowl trip by winning one of their last two games. And obviously, the game against Baylor looks much more winnable than their remaining game against No. 3 Texas on Thanksgiving night.

“They all know that,” Sherman said about his team's bowl hopes. “I usually don’t make a big deal about the obvious. I think they know how important these games are.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Here are some trends I'll be watching for in Big 12 games on Saturday:

1. Kansas State’s continuing turnover-producing binge: The Wildcats have been proficient turning the ball over in Big 12 games, providing one of the biggest reasons KSU is unexpectedly in first place in the North Division. The Wildcats have produced 13 turnovers with a plus-7 turnover margin and six interceptions in five Big 12 games. Their opportunism will test Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing, who has contributed seven turnovers in his last three games directly leading to five opposing touchdowns. If the Wildcats can keep up that pressure, they have a great chance of stealing an upset on Saturday.

2. How Kansas handles the Reesing benching circus: Reesing arguably has accomplished more than any Jayhawk quarterback in history, taking his team to a BCS bowl game and leading them to the brink of the team’s first Big 12 North title in 2007. He’s also made the Kansas record book his own personal playground while he’s been at the school. That’s what makes his benching last week even more curious. It will be interesting to see if the Jayhawks pick up their performance around him against Kansas State. Reesing has never lost to the Wildcats in three previous starts. He needs another victory on Saturday to keep the Jayhawks’ North Division title hopes alive -- and provide some personal redemption.

3. Missouri’s surging pass rush against Baylor: The Tigers really picked up the defensive pressure against Colorado, notching eight sacks last week to spark an impressive victory. Aldon Smith had three sacks and five other Missouri defenders totaled one sack apiece. It was a big turnaround as the Tigers had produced only eight sacks in the previous five games. And they should be able to capitalize on a struggling Baylor offensive line that allowed seven sacks to Nebraska last week -- including five to Jared Crick. Baylor has to do a better job protecting its quarterback if it has any hopes of winning its first conference game.

4. Will Bo Pelini and Shawn Watson chance starting Cody Green against Oklahoma’s blitz-heavy defense? Brent Venables is one of the savviest defensive coordinators in the conference with a vast collection of defenses he likes to employ. His unit might be like sharks smelling fresh blood as it faces Green in his second career start. Consider that Colt McCoy said that he saw blitzes when playing against Oklahoma earlier this season he had never seen before. And that was in his 45th career college start, when he was knocked to the ground 14 times in the first half of that game and struggled through his most troublesome game of the season against the Sooners. Imagine the challenge facing that defense will provide for the inexperienced Green.

5. Landry Jones against the Nebraska defense: The Oklahoma redshirt freshman quarterback has been effective since taking over the starting job after Sam Bradford’s injury. But he will be facing a huge challenge against a Nebraska defense that has allowed only eight touchdowns all season. The Cornhuskers have held their last seven opponents to 280 yards or less. And the Cornhuskers have allowed only three touchdown passes all season, tied with Air Force and Penn State for the nation’s best. It will be a tough test for Jones, the nation's leader among all freshman quarterbacks in the with 17 touchdown passes, to attack the Blackshirts.

6. Will Cody Johnson emerge as Texas’ featured running back? Texas coaches have been pleased with Johnson’s development after he lost about 20 pounds since the start of the season. They believe his tough inside running provides the most consistent running presence the Longhorns have. Will he edge past Fozzy Whittaker in the starting lineup, or will Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis prefer to use them in a two-pronged attack? Whoever emerges will be challenged by an underrated UCF defense that ranks ninth nationally in run defense, eighth in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss, and has allowed its last four opponents to rush for an average of only 74.3 yards per game.

7. What will the Texas defense will do for an encore after Oklahoma State? Four different members of the Longhorns’ secondary produced interceptions last week. Two of them were returned for touchdowns. Earl Thomas is playing at the level of a Thorpe Award winner. The Longhorns are allowing opponents a nation-best average of 52.9 rushing yards per game and 1.76 yards per carry. Can they continue that intensity with a schedule that will provide few challenges between now and the Big 12 championship game?

8. Oklahoma State’s performance after its blowout loss to Texas: The Cowboys’ loss to Texas likely ended their hopes of playing in their first Big 12 title game or making the school’s first BCS trip. The Cowboys were their own worst enemy against the Longhorns with five turnovers, including four interceptions thrown by Zac Robinson. It will be a challenge for them to rebound against a gritty Iowa State team that is only a blown extra point against Kansas State and an overthrown pass against Kansas from leading the Big 12 North. The Cowboys have developed some confidence on the road in recent games, winning six of their last nine games away from Stillwater after going 2-11 earlier in Mike Gundy’s tenure. His team still has a lot to play for, even though their title hopes are gone.

9. The return of Iowa State’s offensive weapons: For the first time since the Baylor game on Oct. 17, the Cyclones will have starting quarterback Austen Arnaud and tailback Alexander Robinson back in the starting lineup together. And starting center Reggie Stephens will be back after missing 10 days following an appendectomy. The return of offensive standouts will give the Cyclones a better chance of competing against Oklahoma State in a game that Iowa State desperately needs to keep its Big 12 North title hopes alive. A victory would secure eligibility for its first bowl game since 2005.

10. Meet Jerrod Johnson, the nation’s most underrated and productive starting quarterback: The Texas A&M quarterback leads the conference in touchdowns passes (20) while throwing the fewest interceptions (three) of any Big 12 starting quarterback. How will the surging Aggie offense fare against a struggling Colorado team that ranks last in the conference in pass efficiency defense and 11th in scoring defense? The Aggies, however, will be battling some long history as they’ve won in Colorado only once in the history of the conference. That came in 1997 when R.C. Slocum was coaching A&M and Rick Neuheisel was directing the Buffaloes.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Welcome to Wednesday, which means the Big 12 football is only a day away this week.

Here are some lunchtime links to get you primed for the upcoming action.

• The single-wing offense that Kansas State coach Bill Snyder employed with Michael Bishop in the late 1990s was a precursor to today’s Wildcat offenses, the Kansas City Star’s Kellis Robinette reports.
• The Oklahoman’s Jake Trotter reports that Sam Bradford had another strong practice on Tuesday, splitting reps with Landry Jones.
• Topeka Capital-Journal columnist Kevin Haskin advises Kansas fans it’s OK to stay for the end of games.
• Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman reached out to former A&M coach R.C. Slocum to provide a little inspiration to this season’s “Wrecking Crew” defense, Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News/Houston Chronicle reports.
• Dave George of the Palm Beach Post opines that Miami has to beat Oklahoma Saturday to justify the preseason swagger in the Hurricanes’ program.
• The Oklahoman’s Brandon Chatmon grades how Oklahoma State has fared in accomplishing Mike Gundy’s five preseason goals.
• The Des Moines Register’s Randy Peterson reports that CBS-TV’s Gary Danielson thinks the Southeastern Conference has cornered the market on top quarterbacks. Danielson thinks that Florida’s Tim Tebow, Mississippi’s Jevan Snead and Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett are better than any quarterbacks currently playing in the Big 12.
• Landry Locker of the Texas Tech Daily Torreador wonders how Mike Leach can call any of his players “narcissists” after the coach appeared on the cover of “Texas Monthly” wearing an eye patch.
• Salaries for Iowa State assistant coaches trail most other schools in the conference, the Des Moines Register’s Randy Peterson reports.
• Jay Walker, the football play-by-play broadcaster of Louisiana-Lafayette, found what he called “College Football Nirvana” in Lincoln, Neb., last weekend.