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The NFL draft has come and gone, and I hope you're all prepared for no more NFL anything for awhile. I know I'm not.

Anyway, here's how the Big 12 shook out over the weekend, with a few thoughts to follow.

First round (8)

• No. 2: Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M (Denver)
• No. 7: Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri (San Francisco)
• No. 10: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri (Jacksonville)
• No. 17: Nate Solder, OT, Colorado (New England)
• No. 19: Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska (New York Giants)
• No. 21: Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor (Cleveland)
• No. 23: Danny Watkins, OL, Baylor (Philadelphia)
• No. 27: Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado (Baltimore)

Second round (2)

• No. 34: Aaron Williams, CB, Texas (Buffalo)
• No. 62: Daniel Thomas, RB, Kansas State (Miami)

Third round (2)

• No. 71: DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma (Dallas)
• No. 95: Curtis Brown, CB, Texas (Pittsburgh)

Fourth round (6)

• No. 103: Sam Acho, DE, Texas (Arizona)
• No. 105: Roy Helu Jr., RB, Nebraska (Washington)
• No. 108: Quinton Carter, S, Oklahoma (Denver)
• No. 115: Kendall Hunter, RB, Oklahoma State (San Francisco)
• No. 118: Jalil Brown, CB, Colorado (Kansas City)
• No. 120: Alex Henery, K, Nebraska (Philadelphia)

Fifth round (3)

• No. 146: DeJon Gomes, S, Nebraska (Washington)
• No. 155: Niles Paul, WR, Nebraska (Washington)
• No. 164: Chykie Brown, CB, Texas (Baltimore)

Sixth round (1)

• No. 196: Keith Williams, OL, Nebraska (Pittsburgh)

Seventh round (8)

• No. 216: Mikail Baker, CB, Baylor (St. Louis)
• No. 227: Scotty McKnight, WR, Colorado (New York Jets)
• No. 229: Jonathan Nelson, DB, Oklahoma (St. Louis)
• No. 232: Baron Batch, RB, Texas Tech (Pittsburgh)
• No. 234: Andrew Gachkar, LB, Missouri (San Diego)
• No. 246: Jay Finley, RB, Baylor (Cincinnati)
• No. 247: Jeremy Beal, DE, Oklahoma (Denver)
• No. 248: Eric Hagg, S, Nebraska (Cleveland)

Here's how the Big 12 teams ranked in terms of total draftees:

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

And the major conferences (counting where players actually played):

SEC - 38
Pac-12 - 33
Big 12 - 30
Big Ten - 29
ACC - 35
Big East - 22

• Texas A&M had just one player drafted, but the Aggies will have plenty next year, including a handful of possible first-rounders. Cyrus Gray, Ryan Tannehill and Jeff Fuller could all go very early in 2012, depending on what happens between now and then.
[+] Enlarge
Matthew Emmons/US PresswireOklahoma defensive end Jeremy Beal was drafted in the seventh round by Denver.
• Interesting that Miller went 245 selections before the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year, according to the media, Jeremy Beal. Also an interesting coincidence? The same team drafted both. I do think Beal will have a productive NFL career, and there's no denying what he did at Oklahoma, but the measurables were never quite there for Beal. What's not measurable? How difficult he is to block. That said, Miller was my vote for the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year.
• Good to see some hard-working, perhaps under-respected guys get drafted. This was an important year for that, considering those left over won't be able to get into NFL minicamps until the lockout ends and won't be able to do anything to further their NFL careers besides work out on their own. I'll have a post later today on some of those snubs. There's no guarantee that late-drafted guys like Baron Batch, Scotty McKnight, Jay Finley or Eric Hagg will catch on in the the pros, but I'd be willing to guarantee they'll do everything in their power to maximize what opportunities they get.
• One of the most interesting selections? Mikail Baker. He wasn't invited to the combine, and played just one full season on defense at Baylor after working as a kick returner and a cornerback in 2009 before a season-ending knee injury. You don't see that kind of impressive athleticism at Baylor traditionally.
• Let the debate continue: Kendall Hunter vs. DeMarco Murray. Murray getting drafted 40-some spots earlier only intensified that discussion, if you ask me.
• Also, what's more impressive from Art Briles? That Baylor had four picks, the most in school history since 1996? Or that despite those four picks, Baylor's returning an even better team than last season, when it ended a 16-year bowl drought?
• Colorado's draft, meanwhile? Not exactly a ringing endorsement for Dan Hawkins' coaching job in Boulder.
• Alex Henery didn't win the Lou Groza Award, but his fourth-round selection makes him the earliest kicker draft pick since 2006. Will that end the state of Nebraska's blood feud against respectable OSU kicker Dan Bailey, who did win the Lou Groza Award? I doubt it. (Save your emails. For the 100th time, I agree, Nebraska fans. Henery > Bailey.)
• A few guys who went way lower than I thought they would. In order of my surprise level: Beal, Gabbert, Amukamara, Hagg, Hunter.
• A few guys who went way higher than I thought, in the same order: Aldon Smith, Batch, Gachkar, Baker.

Today: The fifth in our series looking at the strongest and weakest position for each team in the Big 12: The Missouri Tigers.

Strongest position: Defensive line

Key returnees: Brad Madison, Jacquies Smith, Terrell Resonno, Dominique Hamilton, Jimmy Burge, Michael Sam

Key losses: Aldon Smith

Analysis: It's hard to believe a spot that loses a first-round draft pick could be the team's strength the following season, but that's the case for Missouri. For all of Smith's raw talent, his sophomore season was an anticlimactic encore to a promising freshman year, mostly because of a broken leg suffered just before conference play began. While he was gone, Madison emerged as a force, eventually leading the team with 7.5 sacks and earning second-team All-Big 12 honors despite playing most of the season as a backup.

But his teammate across the line, Jacquies Smith, was second on the team with 5.5 sacks and tied Aldon Smith with 10 tackles for loss.

Hamilton was enjoying a big year before suffering a broken ankle against Oklahoma. A week later, when the Tigers gave up 307 yards rushing to Roy Helu Jr., it was pretty obvious how much they missed him.

He and Resonno should hold down the middle, but what makes this such a position of strength for the Tigers is their depth.

Blue-chip recruit turned juco prospect Sheldon Richardson has been trying to get to Columbia for years, but it looks like his 6-foot-4, 290-pound athletic frame will finally make it to campus this summer.

As a freshman, end Michael Sam showed big-time potential, making seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Fellow end Kony Ealy has drawn favorable reviews this spring and looks like he'll get a chance to contribue as a freshman as well.

Tackle Jimmy Burge will be in the rotation as a junior after making 16 tackles last season.

Weakest position: Big-play threats

Analysis: One of the reasons Missouri should still be solid next season, despite losing a likely top 10 pick at quarterback, is its strength nearly everywhere else.

There are small questions at center and in the secondary, but I'd expect Missouri to end up at least solid in both positions with talented players who got some experience last season taking over at both spots. I also believe whoever wins the competition between Tyler Gabbert and James Franklin will at least be decent.

But for Missouri's offense, it's easy to see the biggest weakness lies in a big-play threat, something the offense has had in some way for the better part of the past decade until last season. Missouri ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 63 plays of 20 yards or longer and had just six fewer than the second-place team, Baylor.

But plays longer than 30 yards? The Tigers had just 21, and ranked eighth in the Big 12. Only Iowa State and Kansas had fewer than Missouri's six plays longer than 40 yards, and consider also that two of those plays were 69 and 71-yard runs to open up an early lead against Texas Tech, but the Tigers' offense was stymied the rest of the game in the deflating road loss.

Those six plays also ranked 106th nationally. There are worse things to have as a weakness for sure, but Missouri's offense will suffer next season if someone can't soften up defenses. Marcus Lucas, a 6-foot-5 sophomore receiver, is one name that comes up constantly in that group, but the fact right now is, Missouri has no proven big-play threats.

Underneath routes are hugely important for the Tigers' top two pass-catchers, Michael Egnew and T.J. Moe, and late in the season, defenses focused on the duo, causing dips in their production.

The good news for Missouri? Egnew and Moe had all of five receptions combined in 2009. Last season, they had 182.

Can Missouri find another under-the-radar player to help provide a more rounded offense?

More spring superlatives:

• Baylor
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State

I asked. You delivered. Here's where you thought I got it wrong with my top 25 players of the 2010 season. I'm on the road again today, so no chat, but here's your chance to be heard on the blog.

Before we get to the questions, here's a disclaimer: First, you can take a look at the criteria I used to make the list.

Secondly, making any list like this is extremely difficult. I feel 100 percent confident in my ranking of the players in order of their positions, but when it comes to importance relative to another position? Well, that's certainly up for debate. It's tough to say with any certainty that X safety is more valuable than Y offensive lineman, but I felt pretty good about the list. In hindsight, I'd maybe make a few revisions, but the only big change I would have made is maybe bumping DeMarco Murray up a few spots. His rushing and receiving totals aren't eye-popping on their own, but combined, I think I underestimated how his total yardage from scrimmage stacked up against the rest of the league's backs. I'd probably put him somewhere around 14 or 15.

Finally, here's my list of players who deserved honorable mention.

So, here we go:

Will in College Station asks: How is Ryan Tannehill not on the list? If Robert Griffin can make it on a 7-6 Baylor squad, how is Tannehill, who went 6-1 as a starter, not near, or ahead of Griffin, on this list? Tannehill was also a solid receiver for the Aggies at the start of the season. If you're talking total utility players, Tannehill has to be up there.

Mark in College Station asks: You crazy, son. What was A&M's record before Tannehill? What was their record after?... and his stats weren't half bad either.Point made. No one from Tech should have made this list -- Tannehill should at LEAST be number 25.

David Ubben: These are all oversimplifications. For one, Griffin is markedly more important to his team than Tannehill. Teams have seen him play. They game plan for him, and he beats them. The big fish got by Baylor last year, but they won a lot of games they should have won last year. That's new for Baylor. Both in a) winning games they're supposed to win and b) having so many games they're supposed to win.

The record is a ridiculous measure of Tannehill's play. He was a big part of A&M's rise. There's no disputing that. But there were a ton of other factors, too. Cyrus Gray was perhaps the biggest, along with the offensive line maturing with two freshman starters on the front line. Additionally, a defense that played pretty well early in the season played inspired against Oklahoma and Nebraska, giving the Aggies their two biggest games of the year. He played OK in all three games, and was a big reason why, but the Aggies didn't beat the Sooners, Huskers and Longhorns only because of Tannehill.

Citing his record doesn't work as the sole reason to put him on the list. There's too many other factors. And look at his numbers over that seven game stretch. He's not even close to Griffin, Weeden or Jones. They're close to Gabbert, but I made it clear in his post that the numbers don't tell the whole story with him.

I'm not wholly discounting what Tannehill did. I still think he's the fourth best quarterback coming back for the 2011 season, but in 2010, he wasn't on the level of the four quarterbacks on the list. And that's without even mentioning that he only played seven games.

Von Miller in Right Behind You asked: Why wasn't I #1? I will sack you.

DU: Let me step up into the pocket on this one.

It breaks down to this: Miller had a great year, one of the best in the nation. Blackmon had a historic year, one of the best of any player to ever play the game. As well as Miller played in conference play, Blackmon did that -- and maybe more -- for the entire season. Giving him the No. 1 spot over Miller wasn't a difficult decision. His production throughout the year was staggering, and as shown in the Kansas State game, it paced the Cowboys offense. Early in the year, their offense devolved into a "drop back and chuck it" at times. Guess why they felt comfortable doing that?

Aaron in Edwardsville, Ill., asked: I think you got Landry Jones and Brandon Weeden's rankings wrong, they should have been flip flopped. You aren't the only one who doesn't see this though, as every major publication had Weeden over Jones which makes zero sense. Jones had more yards, more touchdowns, less interceptions, played a much tougher schedule, beat Weeden's team on his homefield and won a BCS bowl game. There is no way Weeden should be above Jones in any ranking. That is all, rest of the list looks solid.

DU: Nope. It's close, but you can't simplify it to numbers for Jones. He threw the ball 106 more times than Weeden, but a lot of those were swing passes to Ryan Broyles and DeMarco Murray, which definitely inflated his yardage total without requiring a massive amount of skill. Considering that, their interception numbers (13 for Weeden, 12 for Jones) are pretty much a wash. But like I wrote before, Jones is much, much more apt for the big mistakes (INTs against Missouri in the red zone and fourth quarter, pick sixes against Oklahoma State and Connecticut) and for that reason, I give Weeden a slight edge.

Dalton Gibson in Norman, Okla., asked: I didn't see my name anywhere on the list. What gives? I thought I cheered pretty hard this year.

DU: Maybe next year, Dalton. Maybe next year. Keep the dream alive.

Jason in Dallas asked: Are you kidding me? Where is Cyrus Gray? He was the best running back in the Big 12 in the second half of the season!

DU: If he wasn't the best, he was close. You could make that argument for sure. But how do you explain his numbers early in the year? The win over Florida International aside, he averaged less than four yards a carry while getting double-digit touches against Stephen F. Austin and Louisiana Tech. But what about when the Aggies hit their three-game winning streak?

Gray accounted for a whopping 7 yards on 11 carries without a touchdown.

Here's the bottom line: There's no question that Gray was one of the league's best the second half of the year, but there's a reason he wasn't getting the touches early in the season: Christine Michael was better. Over that first six-game stretch, Michael had 558 yards to Gray's 195. When Michael went down with the broken leg, and Gray's workload increased significantly, he exceeded everyone's expectations.

However, you can't ignore half the season. That's entirely unfair to everyone else in the league. He still finished just seventh in the Big 12 in rushing yards. The whole first half of the year, he wasn't a big factor. Accounting for the full picture of the season, that's about right. He was close to being in my top 25 again, but re-read my criteria.

"If I'm drafting players from the Big 12 to replay the 2010 season and I'm guaranteed that each player duplicates his 2010 performance, this is the order I would take them."

To just gloss over those first six games isn't fair. That said, Gray reached another level late in the year, and Aggies have a lot of reasons to get excited with him and Michael back on the field next year.

Andrew in St. Louis asked: On your Big 12 top 25 players list, you didn't even include linebacker Andrew Gachkar of Missouri on your honorable mention list. He finished the year with 84 tackles, 8.5 TFL, a sack, a couple picks, 2 forced fumbles, and 5 pass breakups. He was a senior leader and arguably the most important force on the conference's top defense. I think he makes a strong case for the top 25 over linebacker Travis Lewis.

DU: Yeah, that was my mistake. I think he was a bit of an oversight on my part. That's partially because he a) came out of nowhere and b) played so well late in the year. I started with a big list of guys, but Gachkar wasn't on it to start. He should have been, and he'd probably have been pretty close to cracking the top 25. He wouldn't have been on it, but he wouldn't have been far off.

Rob in Stillwater, Okla., asked: So... Why wasn't Justin Blackmon higher on your list? I feel like he exceed expectations and performed far better than anyone on the list. You could have at least left #2 empty in his honor.

DU: In my defense, I did exactly that on my list of the Big 12's most improved players in 2010.

Derek in St. Louis, Mo., asked: Where was Aldon Smith? The guy is gonna be a first-round pick, but he's not one of the top 25 players in the Big 12? Come on, Ubbs!

DU: It was in my criteria: Each player's draft stock wasn't considered at all. Smith's talent is through the roof, but his production wasn't there this year. The broken leg he suffered against San Diego State was a big part of that, and when he returned, he wasn't quite the same, but look at his numbers:

• 4.5 sacks -- third on his own team, down from 11 as a freshman. Those also ranked 18th in the Big 12. (Note: I ranked him No. 18 on the preseason list)
• 48 tackles
• 10 tackles for loss (11th in the Big 12)
• one forced fumble

I think Smith will have a good pro career, or he probably would have come back to the Big 12 and had a great junior year in 2011. But last year, perhaps through little to no fault of his own, the production didn't warrant inclusion on the list.

Brennan Huff asked: Dave, i'm a little concerned about your rankings of running backs, or rather, the lack thereof. Seems to me like you just dont give much love to the running backs across the conference on what has become a fairly consistent basis.

DU: I'd disagree with that. On my preseason list, I had five running backs, the most of any position. This year, there weren't very many guys in the league that defenses had to truly fear. Guys like Rodney Stewart, Roy Helu Jr. Cyrus Gray, Jay Finley and Rex Burkhead weren't far off the list, but they weren't quite good enough to deserve inclusion.

Each offense across the Big 12 starts 11 players on Saturday and plays 12-14 games. That's a whole lot of performances. Some are better than others.

These are the 10 best individual performances from the entire 2010 season.

If a player's team didn't win the game, he was ineligible, and this list omitted defensive performances. To add a little homogeny to this business, nonconference games were omitted as well.

1. Taylor Martinez vs. Oklahoma State. Nebraska's freshman quarterback went on the road and was unstoppable, bouncing back from one of his worst games of the year against Texas with his best. He threw for 323 yards and five touchdowns on 23-of-35 passing and ran for 112 yards on 19 carries. It earned the Huskers a much-needed 51-41 win in Stillwater.

2. Landry Jones vs. Nebraska. Unimpressed by his numbers? (23-of-41, 342 yards, TD, INT). Consider this: They came in the Big 12 Championship against the No. 3 passing defense in the country, and the Sooners trailed 17-0 early, so the defense knew what was coming. Considering the graveyard of quarterbacks that Nebraska left in its wake, there's no question this was among the best performances of the year.

3. Justin Blackmon vs. Baylor. He just makes it look easy. Blackmon torched the Bears for 173 yards on 13 catches and a touchdown in the Cowboys' 55-28 win. And he dropped another easy score! He touched the ball once in the running game, too. Of course, he ran it in for a 69-yard touchdown.

4. Taylor Martinez vs. K-State. If anyone didn't know who Martinez was before this game, they did after. On a nationally televised Thursday night game, he injected himself into the Heisman race, albeit briefly, with 241 yards rushing and four touchdowns on just 15 carries. He also threw a 79-yard touchdown pass and finished with 128 yards on 5-of-7 passing to help the Huskers roll easily, 48-13.

5. Jay Finley vs. Kansas State. Finley was a workhorse, logging 26 carries for 250 yards, including an 82-yard score in the Bears' 47-42 win. He had a pair of rushing touchdowns, and any day that features nearly 10 yards a carry is impressive.

6. Roy Helu Jr. vs. Missouri. Helu wasn't exactly breaking loads of tackles, but no one else in the Big 12 came within 40 yards of his 307-yard, three-touchdown day that effectively won the Big 12 North for the Huskers. The holes were there, Helu hit them hard, and the Tigers couldn't get back in the game. In the fourth quarter, Helu clinched the game with plenty of tough yards.

7. Ryan Broyles vs. Iowa State. What made this most impressive is Broyles basically put his game together in just over a half of play. The Sooners beat the Cyclones 52-0, but Broyles caught 15 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown.

8. Robert Griffin III vs. Kansas. Griffin got help with a 94-yard catch and run by Josh Gordon, but the Bears gave a good indication of how good they could be in their conference opener by routing Kansas, 55-7. Considering the Bears won just one conference game a year ago, it was certainly a big deal. Griffin threw for 380 yards on 26-of-36 passing, three touchdowns and ran for 64 more yards and another score on eight carries.

9. Cyrus Gray vs. Texas. Gray notched his sixth consecutive game of at least 100 yards rushing in the 24-17 win, and pushed the Aggies over the edge with with a 48-yard score in the third quarter to put them up 24-14. He also opened the scoring for the Aggies with an 84-yard touchdown and finished with 223 yards, the most ever by an Aggie against hated rival, Texas.

10. Ryan Tannehill vs. Texas Tech. Only four players had higher totals in a single game than Tannehill's school-record 449 yards passing against the Red Raiders. He had four touchdowns on 36-of-50 passing, and most impressive? He did it in his first career start.

We kicked off our top 25 list today, but unfortunately, it's only a top 25 list.

Narrowing it down was incredibly difficult, and there were a ton of talents that didn't quite make the cut.

For that, I'm sorry. I legitimately feel awful about all of them.

Every guy on this list is a top-25 caliber player who just couldn't get inside my list. If somebody else made one, I'd be fine with them being on it. But this time, they didn't make mine. There are a lot of great players in this league, and I could only recognize 25.

But here are the rest who came so, so close, in no particular order.

Rodney Stewart, RB, Colorado: Rushed for 1,316 yards to rank third in the Big 12. My biggest reason for leaving him off? His 4.54 yards per carry ranks 17th in the Big 12. He got it done this year, but he got 290 carries to do it. Other backs were more deserving.

Ricky Henry, OG, Nebraska: Nebraska's running offense was fearsome early this year, and despite some late struggles, still finished No. 1 in the Big 12. Henry was a big reason why, but other linemen slid on the list before him.

Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado: His 68 tackles were second on the team, and he broke up four passes, but it was hard to put Smith on the list over the cornerbacks who made it, even though the position is extremely important in the Big 12.

Roy Helu Jr., RB, Nebraska : Helu finished with another 1,000-yard season, but I didn't have very many running backs on the list. Helu had a great year, and I don't mean this as a knock on him, but I was more impressed with his 1,145 yards last year without much help. Defenses spent so much time defending Taylor Martinez, holes for Helu formed that weren't there in 2009.

T.J. Moe, WR, Missouri: Moe has my title as the toughest cover in the Big 12, and his time in the top 25 is coming. Just not yet.

Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor: Wright's production might have been higher had Baylor not found other receivers to give Robert Griffin III some help, but other emerging receivers pushed Wright off the list after he made our preseason list.

Colby Whitlock, DT, Texas Tech: Whitlock had a nice year with 57 stops and two tackles for loss, but it wasn't a great year for defensive tackles in the Big 12.

Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M and Jay Finley, RB, Baylor: Great years, obviously, but like I said, I just didn't put a lot of running backs on the list.

Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska: Never would have believed in October that he wouldn't make this list, but he wasn't a top 25 player in conference play. He works well for Nebraska in its offense, but plenty of other quarterbacks are above the freshman.

Andrew McGee, CB, Oklahoma State: Led the Big 12 in interceptions, with five, but defending the pass is about blanketing receivers, not picking off passes. That's not to say picking them off is a bad thing, but other corners were better at shutting down opposing receivers.

Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State: Racked up plenty of tackles, third in the Big 12 with 130, and he's a great player, but the book on how to beat Iowa State was out early. Running the ball against the Cyclones weak front four was effective, and opponents did it 512 times this year. Only 22 teams in college football faced more rushing attempts, and no Iowa State lineman made more than 40 tackles this year.

Michael Hodges, LB, Texas A&M: Hodges was the heart of Texas A&M's defense, and racked up 115 tackles, but other linebackers slid above him on the list.

Jamell Fleming, CB, Oklahoma: Fleming was all over the place after some early season struggles, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him on the list next year.

So, that's my list of close calls. Again, I felt terrible about not including every single one of those players, and if you want to make your own top 25 list and put them on it, they all definitely deserve it. But I can only fit 25 guys on my list, and putting one of these players on it would only mean another got snubbed.

The NFL released its list of invitations to the scouting combine late this month, and plenty of Big 12 players should be taking part.

Here's who got invitations:

• Sam Acho, DE, Texas
• Pierre Allen, DE, Nebraska
• Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
• Dan Bailey, K, Oklahoma State
• Jeremy Beal, DE, Oklahoma
• Chykie Brown, CB, Texas
• Curtis Brown, CB, Texas
• Jalil Brown, CB, Colorado (I hadn't realized it until just now. Were there really three NFL-caliber players in the Big 12 with the same last name at the same position in 2010? Seems so. And none of them are related. Odds, anyone?)
• Quinton Carter, S, Oklahoma
• Ugo Chinasa, DE, Oklahoma State
• Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
• DeJon Gomes, DB, Nebraska
• Eric Hagg, DB, Nebraska
• Roy Helu Jr., RB, Nebraska
• Alex Henery, K, Nebraska
• Ricky Henry, OL, Nebraska
• Kyle Hix, OL, Texas
• Kendall Hunter, RB, Oklahoma State
• Jerrod Johnson, QB, Texas A&M
• Orie Lemon, LB, Oklahoma State
• Andrew McGee, CB, Oklahoma State
• Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
• DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma
• Niles Paul, WR, Nebraska
• Kevin Rutland, CB, Missouri
• David Sims, S, Iowa State
• Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
• Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri
• Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
• Adrian Taylor, DT, Oklahoma
• Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor
• Daniel Thomas, RB, Kansas State
• Danny Watkins, OT, Baylor
• Colby Whitlock, DT, Texas Tech
• Aaron Williams, CB, Texas
• Keith Williams, OL, Nebraska

That's a pretty solid (and lengthy) list. Add it up, and it's 36 players from 11 of 12 Big 12 schools, excluding Kansas. It's a little surprising that Missouri center Tim Barnes wasn't on the list. It's possible it was a mistake, but the first-team All-Big 12er and Rimington Trophy watch lister was named as one of the top centers in the draft last spring by Mel Kiper. Barnes had also earned some favorable reviews at the NFLPA Bowl this week.

It was good to see Aggies quarterback Jerrod Johnson get a shot to show scouts if he's regained any more strength in his arm, too.

Here's how it ranks by team, as well.

1. Nebraska - 9
2. Oklahoma State - 5
2. Texas - 5
4. Oklahoma - 4
5. Colorado - 3
5. Missouri - 3
7. Baylor - 2
7. Texas A&M - 2
9. Iowa State - 1
9. Kansas State - 1
9. Texas Tech - 1

You've seen the Big 12 players in the Senior Bowl up close throughout their careers. You've heard how they measured up to the competition during the week.

There was no Jerrod Johnson in this game, a high-profile player who hadn't seen extended playing time for several weeks, so there's not much else to say, but here's how all of the Big 12 talent in the Senior Bowl did in Saturday's game.

Actual game performances aren't nearly as important as the week of practice that precedes it, so don't put much stock into these numbers as they relate to each player's overall draft stock. However, it's still interesting to see how they do while perhaps wearing their school's helmet for the final time.

Baylor:

• Phil Taylor, DL - started, no stats.
• Danny Watkins, OL - started.

Colorado:

• Jalil Brown, DB - started, made three tackles.
• Nate Solder, OL - started.

Nebraska:

• Pierre Allen, DL - one tackle.
• Eric Hagg, DB - one tackle.
• Alex Henery, P - punted six times for an average of 42.8 yards and made an extra point. His longest punt went for 49 yards and one pinned the South team inside its 20-yard line.
• Roy Helu Jr., RB - two carries for 3 yards.
• Mike McNeill, TE - started, no stats.
• Niles Paul, WR - caught one pass for 5 yards, returned a kick 29 yards. Also made a tackle.

Oklahoma:

• Quinton Carter, DB - no stats.
• Jeremy Beal, DL - made four tackles and one sack for minus-7 yards.
• DeMarco Murray, RB - two carries, minus-4 yards.

Oklahoma State:

• Kendall Hunter, RB - two carries, zero yards. One reception, 2 yards.

Texas:

• Sam Acho, DL - Named MVP of the South team. Made three tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and forced a fumble.
• Curtis Brown, DB - started, made a tackle.

Texas A&M:

• Von Miller, LB - started, named the game's defensive MVP. Four tackles on the day, including two tackles for loss.

Inspired by our friends at the Big Ten and SEC blogs, we'll put together a long-overdue team composed of the league's best seniors.

We made a team full of freshmen, so why skimp on the old guys? Well, we won't.

My All-Big 12 team featured 16 seniors, and they're all on the team below, but plenty of other guys put together distinguished careers and 2010 seasons that deserve recognition.

Their careers may be over, but you can bet all these players will live on in school lore for quite some time. Here goes:

OFFENSE

QB: Taylor Potts, Texas Tech
RB: Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
RB: Daniel Thomas, Kansas State
WR: Lyle Leong, Texas Tech
WR: Detron Lewis, Texas Tech
WR: Aubrey Quarles, Kansas State
C: Tim Barnes, Missouri
T: Nate Solder, Colorado
T: Danny Watkins, Baylor
G: Keith Williams, Nebraska
G: Ricky Henry, Nebraska

DEFENSE

DL: Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma
DL: Lucas Patterson, Texas A&M
DL: Sam Acho, Texas
DL/LB: Brian Duncan, Texas Tech
LB: Von Miller, Texas A&M
LB: Orie Lemon, Oklahoma State
LB: Michael Hodges, Texas A&M
CB: Andrew McGee, Oklahoma State
CB: Prince Amukamara, Nebraska
S: Quinton Carter, Oklahoma
S: Byron Landor, Baylor

SPECIALISTS

K: Alex Henery, Nebraska
P: Derek Epperson, Baylor
Returns: Niles Paul, Nebraska

Selections by school: Nebraska (5), Texas Tech (4), Oklahoma State (3), Texas A&M (3) Baylor (3), Kansas State (2), Oklahoma (2), Texas (1), Missouri (1), Colorado (1)

A few thoughts:

• It was kind of slim pickings at receiver, but only because the Big 12's top five and 11 of its top 15 receivers will be coming back in 2011. Colorado's Scotty McKnight only narrowly missed the team. I'd say he's probably a more talented receiver than Quarles, but Quarles' production was there in 2010. McKnight's, after adding freshman Paul Richardson to the mix, took a bit of a dive in his senior year.
• That's a heck of a defense. All 11 guys weren't very far off from making the regular All-Big 12 team. The same is true of the offensive line.
• Potts' year was a lot better than a few Texas Tech folks would have you believe, but he didn't have a lot of competition to make the cut on this squad. His own teammate, Steven Sheffield, was probably the only guy who could keep him from this squad. The only other Big 12 starters this year were Iowa State's Austen Arnaud, Kansas State's Carson Coffman and Colorado's Cody Hawkins.
• It's a solid group at running back, too. Thomas and Hunter were the same two guys on my All-Big 12 team, getting the nod just over Oklahoma's DeMarco Murray, Nebraska's Roy Helu Jr. and Baylor's Jay Finley. Definitely a great year for Big 12 running backs, especially the seniors.

The Senior Bowl isn't until Saturday, but practices this week will be televised on NFL Network and there will be plenty of Big 12 talent taking part.

Nebraska's Eric Hagg was added to the roster on Sunday, but here's another quick look at the now 18 players from across the league who will be on the field on Saturday.

The Huskers' six participants are the most of any team this year.

Baylor: Phil Taylor, DL; Danny Watkins, OL

Colorado: Jalil Brown, DB; Nate Solder, OL

Kansas State: Daniel Thomas, RB

Nebraska: Pierre Allen, DL; Eric Hagg, DB; Alex Henery, P; Roy Helu Jr., RB; Mike McNeill, TE; Niles Paul, WR

Oklahoma: Quinton Carter, DB; Jeremy Beal, DL; DeMarco Murray, RB

Oklahoma State: Kendall Hunter, RB

Texas: Sam Acho, DL; Curtis Brown, DB

Texas A&M: Von Miller, LB

It's a question I get asked pretty often: What was the best atmosphere of any game in the Big 12 this season?

Now, to be fair, I can't weigh in on games I didn't attend this year, so you can find the list of games I did attend this year at the bottom of this post.

But until then, here's my top 5:

1. Texas A&M vs. Nebraska: This game was in a league of its own in 2010. The white towel-waving 12th Man was out in deafening force, making life hard on Nebraska and spurring their team to a season-defining 9-6 win over Nebraska to validate the Aggies late-season charge. The postgame field-storming was a nice touch for the seniors' final game at Kyle Field, too. Wrecking Crew? Yes sir, they showed up in this one.

2. Missouri vs. Oklahoma: Missouri had never beaten a No. 1 team. Coach Gary Pinkel had never beaten Oklahoma or Texas. Pinkel, Blaine Gabbert and the Tigers did it on homecoming with a prime-time audience. A record-breaking 18,000 fans showed up to ESPN's pregame show, "College GameDay," that morning, and a sellout crowd was raucous from start to finish later that night. Gahn McGaffie's touchdown return on the opening kick sent Faurot Field over the top, and Missouri stayed undefeated with a 36-27 win over the Sooners and celebrated with a field-storming of their own and a chance to take the goal posts back to Harpo's in downtown Columbia to be sliced up with hacksaws and distributed to fans.

3. Nebraska vs. Missouri: Nebraska gets credit for one quarter, but that's all it took to KO Missouri in the de facto Big 12 North championship game. The crowd showed up early and was buzzing for the early afternoon kickoff, but the Huskers led 24-0 after one quarter and won 31-17 on the back of a 307-yard rushing day from Roy Helu Jr., who sent the traditional red balloons floating out of Memorial Stadium early with a 66-yard touchdown run on Nebraska's first offensive play.

4. Oklahoma vs. Florida State: The Sooner fans knew their team's home winning streak -- the nation's longest -- was in jeopardy with Florida State coming to town, and they did their part, being consistently loud and helping contribute to a rough day for Seminoles quarterback Christian Ponder, whose Heisman hopes came to a screeching halt. The Sooners did their part, too, sending the crowd further into a frenzy by scoring 37 consecutive points in the 47-17 win.

5. Texas vs. Oklahoma: There's no atmosphere like it anywhere else in the Big 12, and as usual, the Red River Rivalry delivered a great game and a great performance from the fans. There wasn't quite as much at stake this year as in past games at the State Fair of Texas, but the Sooners' 28-10 fourth-quarter lead was nearly erased. A late fumble from Landry Jones trickled out of bounds to let the half of the Cotton Bowl wearing red exhale in a 28-20 victory.

Honorable mention: Texas A&M vs. LSU, Oklahoma vs. Nebraska

Here are games I attended that were up for consideration:

• Week 1: SMU at Texas Tech
• Week 2: Florida State at Oklahoma
• Week 3: Texas at Texas Tech
• Week 4: UCLA at Texas
• Week 5: Oklahoma vs. Texas in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas
• Week 6: Nebraska at Kansas State; Texas A&M vs. Arkansas at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas
• Week 7: Missouri at Texas A&M
• Week 8: Oklahoma at Missouri
• Week 9: Missouri at Nebraska
• Week 10: Baylor at Oklahoma State
• Week 11: Nebraska at Texas A&M
• Week 12: Oklahoma at Oklahoma State
• Championship Week: Oklahoma vs. Nebraska at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas
• Bowls: Oklahoma vs. Connecticut (Fiesta Bowl); Texas A&M vs. LSU (Cotton Bowl)

The Under Armour Senior Bowl has finalized its roster, which features 17 participants from the Big 12.

The game is set for a 4 p.m. ET kickoff on Jan. 29 at Ladd-Peebles Satdium in Mobile, Ala. You can see it, and the entire week of practices, on the NFL Network.

Here's who'll be on the field if you tune in:

Baylor: Phil Taylor, DL; Danny Watkins, OL

Colorado: Jalil Brown, DB; Nate Solder, OL

Kansas State: Daniel Thomas, RB

Nebraska: Pierre Allen, DL; Alex Henery, P; Roy Helu Jr., RB; Mike McNeill, TE; Niles Paul, WR

Oklahoma: Quinton Carter, DB; Jeremy Beal, DL; DeMarco Murray, RB

Oklahoma State: Kendall Hunter, RB

Texas: Sam Acho, DL; Curtis Brown, DB



Texas A&M: Von Miller, LB

You saw my top moments and my top games on Tuesday. Then I turned it over to you guys. Plenty of good stuff. Here's what you had to say:

A hint: One game was a recurring theme.

Dan in St. Louis writes: Dave, Don't know you could leave Mizzou-Oklahoma off your best moments or best games list. It was the best college gameday turnout EVER followed by one of the best games of the season, and the post-game antics were nothing short of ridiculous. The overhead shots of a field filled with black and gold were part of every college football montage throughout the season. You can't put the Moe Miracle on your list but not this game. You just can't.

Andrew in St. Louis writes: For your top ten moments of the year, absent was anything from the Mizzou-Oklahoma game on October 23rd. One that sticks out to me is the Gahn McGaffie taking the opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown. It was an electrifying moment for the crowd, and it led Missouri to a huge victory over the top team in the country.

Spencer in Columbia, Mo., writes: No doubt about it, OU vs. Mizzou for the 99th edition of true Homecoming!!! Largest College Gameday crowd ever, McGaffey's return on the opening kickoff, Jackson's TD catch in the fourth to seal it, rushing Faurot and carrying the goalpost to Harpo's!!!!

Josh in Kansas City writes: David, how in the world do you not put the Oklahoma-Missouri game in either your top 10 moments or top 5 games of 2010? No. 1 in the country is upset, record-breaking crowd at College Gameday, and huge leap forward for the Missouri football team?! Not to mention one heck of a game to watch! I wouldn't expect it to be number 1, but to not have an appearance in crazy!

My take: The people have spoken. The McGaffie kick return is the one moment that sticks out from that game, so it probably deserved a spot on the list. It took an already amped crowd to the next level and really made it clear early on: Missouri could win that game. And it did. The main reason I left it off the list of games is because the game itself didn't have a great finish, which most of the others on the list did. It probably deserved a spot on the moments list, but the losses to Nebraska and Texas Tech kind of eliminated Missouri's chances to have a special season, so the game sort of stands alone as a singular moment, rather than a moment that marked a turning point in a season. If you look at the other moments on the list, they each fit that criteria, minus the tip drill at Bedlam, which was just an unbelievable play.

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Moving on...

Curtis in Washington, D.C., writes: I'd have to group the back-and-forth 92 seconds of the Bedlam Game as my "moment". It's been a long time since I yelled "YES!" and "NO!" so many times at the top of my lungs in short succession. It wasn't until OU stopped the kick returner after the Hanna TD catch that I calmed down enough to sit down and take a breath.

My take: I hear you, Curtis. As a writer who had to rewrite quite a bit of copy after every single one of those plays, I mostly just yelled (read: thought), "NO!" but it doesn't take a ton of perspective to see how fantastic that finish was.

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Alexandra in Dallas writes: The Texas Tech-Missouri game was a pretty big deal for Tech fans. In the midst of a rebuilding year, Tech upsets #15 Missouri, while participating in the Wounded Warrior Project, during Homecoming. Easily the biggest win of the season, and the players waving the students on to the field after the game was the cherry on top. Just a special event all around.

My take: Definitely a huge win for Texas Tech. I particularly liked Taylor Potts' gesture after the win, giving a speech in honor of the Wounded Warrior Project, rather than answer questions about the game.

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Wade in Fort Worth, Texas, writes: Top 10 moments of the season. Robert Griffin III taking a knee against Kansas State in a 47-42 victory making the Bears bowl eligible for the first time since they joined the Big 12. I know there are better teams, better plays, and better games, but ending a decade and a half of futility is quite an accomplishment.

My take: Certainly a worthy member of the list. But what about RG3 getting engaged a couple hours later? Where's that on your list, Wade?

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Nick in Omaha, Neb., writes: Best moment, besides the remarkable Bedlam game, I would say it was Roy Helu Jr's 307 rushing yards against a great Mizzou team. 3 huge rushing breaks, with touchdowns on each. Best in my opinion.

My take: That first-quarter spurt certainly was glorious for the Huskers. What an unbelievable 15 minutes of football. Arguably the best of the year from any team in the Big 12.

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Rob in Catania, Sicily (Navy) writes: As a die-hard Sooner, I am proud to say we won the most Big XII Championships and this last one could not have been any better. I respect Nebraska and their tradition and they played hard. I'm sad to see them leave, but what a way to end a rivalry! The game started at 3 A.M. for me and I had work the next day, but there is no excuse for missing the (potentially) last OU-Nebraska. Boomer Sooner!

My take: That's pretty impressive commitment right there.

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Acee in Oklahoma writes: I may of skimmed through the lists a little quick, but I didn't see any mention of Roy Helu Jr's 300 yard rushing day versus Missouri. Wasn't that #1 in the Husker's rich history? What about the 13-12 rematch? How the Huskers hyped up their revenge game against a skidding Longhorn team with no offense, against the Blackshirt D in Memorial Stadium? All those ":01" and "10-16-10" shirts and hoopla. A lot of crow was ate that day.

My take: All good suggestions, but I posted this one for one main reason: Can someone explain to me people's obsession with using the phrase "eating crow?" It's not funny really at all. It's so overused that it's been stripped of its meaning, of which it had little to begin with anyway, but people stick with it. Anytime anyone is wrong about something, it's immediately the first phrase that pops up. Why? Can we get some originality or at least something new? It doesn't even have to be good, perhaps feeding someone a Shut-up Sandwich with Wrong Sauce. That's awful, and it's still better than "Eat some crow!"

Thanks. I'll leave my soap box to the next ranter now.

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Keivan in Baltimore writes: Texas extending thier win streak in Lincoln. The Husker fans were gearing up for this game for 10 months and were ready to pounce on the worst Texas team in years, and simply couldn't get it done. Hook 'em.

My take: It didn't surprise me all that much at the time, but the further we got away from that game, the more unbelievable it got.

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Gavin in Austin, Texas, writes: When Mack decided to clear house and start from scratch after our abysmal season. Beating Nebraska was a distant second, but amusing. That's all I got.

My take: Certainly all things Texas fans liked to see.

1. Make life easy for Taylor Martinez. Martinez has completed just 58 percent of his passes in 2010 and struggled to complete passes and get comfortable in the pocket, especially against Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game. If the Huskers can get him some easy completions early on three-step-drop slants to a sure-handed guy such as the underutilized Mike McNeill or on screens to running backs Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu Jr., they can help get Martinez comfortable. The loss to Oklahoma made it clear that Nebraska will struggle if the passing game consists of Martinez dropping back deep and relying on receivers such as Brandon Kinnie to get open and make big plays down the field. If the Huskers can manage an early lead and be afforded the luxury of passing only when they want to -- see the early season Huskers -- this gets a lot simpler.

2. Inflict déjà vu on Jake Locker. Hit him early with a variety of blitzes. Force him into mistakes. I'd be shocked if Locker has another unthinkable 4-for-20 day like he did in September, but the only quarterback who had what could be considered legitimate success against Nebraska's secondary was Oklahoma's Landry Jones. Missouri's Blaine Gabbert, Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden and Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill all had below-average outings at best, and all three should be among the Big 12's best passers in 2011.

3. Stuff the run, especially early. Washington actually ran the ball pretty effectively against Nebraska, especially early in that game, and if Nebraska's front seven can slow that down and make the Huskies a one-dimensional offense, forcing Locker into a bad day will be quite a bit easier. The game got lopsided quickly in the second half and prevented Washington from sticking to the running game. Washington still managed 175 yards on 39 carries for an average of 4.5 yards per carry, and the Huskies will try to recreate what worked against a tough defense that has, at times, been susceptible to the run. If Washington does that, the Huskies could make a game of it. If not, expect another Nebraska blowout.

No, Washington isn't joining the Big Ten or Big 12. It just seems a bit like it to the Huskers. Nebraska will play its second of three meetings with the Huskies in a 12-month span on Wednesday night. The Huskers made the trek to Seattle in September and beat the Huskies 56-21 behind a 383-yard rushing day that saw Roy Helu Jr., Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead all top 100 yards. Good luck finding a team who loses with those kind of numbers. Nebraska didn't come close. So what about this time?

WHO TO WATCH: Washington quarterback Jake Locker. Locker's descent down the 2011 draft board began with nothing less than a nightmare outing against Nebraska's secondary, which finished the season as one of the nation's most fearsome. Cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Alfonzo Dennard are both certified lockdown defenders, and Locker managed to complete just 4-of-20 passes against the Huskers. After 13 games, they're one of just three defenses in the country who prevented opposing quarterbacks from completing more than 50 percent of their passes. Along the way, they ruined an impressive number of impressive passers' days. So what happens this time? There isn't a lot of reason to believe a banged-up Locker will do much better, but you never know. If he has a day like he did back in Seattle in September, this one will be over early. If he learns from those experiences and looks like the prototype NFL quarterback most pegged him to be, it might be closer than the two-touchdown line set on the rematch.

WHAT TO WATCH: Martinez's mobility. The freshman quarterback began the season as one of college football's most electric talents, but since a career-high 241-yard, four-touchdown rushing night in a lopsided road win against Kansas State on Oct. 7, Martinez hasn't reached the end zone and has run for more than 100 yards just once. He suffered an ankle injury against Missouri and never looked as fast or elusive as he did during nonconference play or against Kansas State. He should, in theory, be near 100 percent when the Huskers take the field, but there's no guarantee. His play against Washington will establish plenty of momentum -- good or bad -- heading into 2011.

WHY WATCH: The snide comments are a little too easy with this one. "We've already seen this episode. Late December is when reruns air, right? etc, etc." September's rout aside, these are two different teams than the ones that met back in Seattle. Martinez didn't quite make the progress as a passer as coaches hoped he would, but he could have another special performance in store with a month to prepare. The same goes for Locker, who'll get his second swing at the Blackshirts. Nebraska played pretty average football down the stretch after playing the part of national title contender early in the year. The Huskers lost two of their three final games and struggled on offense against Texas A&M and Oklahoma, both losses and Martinez's last two starts. After being blown out by three ranked teams in the middle of the season, the Huskies closed with three wins, including two on the road in conference play.

PREDICTION: Nebraska 34, Washington 13. Locker does well with an early set of scripted plays via coach and playcaller Steve Sarkisian, but the Blackshirts take over once the game hits a more natural flow.

There are all kinds of reasons for Nebraska to be unhappy with its bowl placement. It already beat Washington 56-21 in Seattle earlier this year. It beat Arizona 33-0 in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl last season, and plenty of fans made the trek to San Diego this time last year.

Only 7,500 of the school's allotment of 11,000 have been sold, and I don't blame Huskers fans for being a little underwhelmed with the bowl destination.

But they're here. The game's going to be played.

And who has to step up for the Huskers to win? It's pretty simple.

Quarterback Taylor Martinez. There's plenty of talk about Martinez's ankle, which never looked like it fully healed after originally getting injured against Missouri. That said, defenses got a read on how to slow down Martinez before he got hurt. Texas did it. Missouri -- Roy Helu Jr.'s 307 rushing yards aside -- didn't let Martinez do anything or go anywhere without being hounded by defenders.

The point is, after somehow throwing for over 300 yards and five touchdowns against Oklahoma State -- he didn't throw for more than 170 yards or more than one touchdown pass in any other game in 2010 -- Martinez was mostly ineffective. Part of it was the ankle. Part of it was defenses making him complete difficult passes, which, more often than not, fell incomplete.

Despite his threat to run that forced defenses to keep an eye on him as much as Nebraska's receivers, Martinez completed only 58 percent of his passes. Only Kansas' Jordan Webb and Colorado's Cody Hawkins competed a lower percentage of throws. He didn't run for another touchdown after his transcendent 241-yard, four-touchdown performance against Kansas State, and only topped 21 yards twice, despite logging double-digit carries in his final six starts. The Big 12's rushing leader after the road win against the Wildcats, Martinez slid all the way down to ninth by the end of the season.

Martinez should be healthy by kickoff on Dec. 30. He'll be playing a defense that has already seen him once. If the redshirt freshman can bounce back, recover the passing mechanics that suffered with the injury and have a good game with his legs and arm, he'll inspire a lot of confidence from Nebraska fans about the position moving forward into 2011.

Huskers fans may yawn when they see that score back in September, but you're kidding yourself if you think Washington had any idea how fast and elusive Martinez really could be. The Huskies looked entirely unprepared defensively. Smart money says that won't happen again.

If Martinez struggles like he did late in the year, it'll be a tight, low-scoring game, and one or two bad bounces could mean an embarrassing loss for the Huskers. If Martinez plays well, one or two big runs or big completions early could mean another blowout.