ESPN College Football

The bowl season is over, and it's time to pass out a few awards.

Best offensive player: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State. Blackmon went nuts against Stanford after the Cowboys were shut out in the first quarter against Stanford. His first two catches went for touchdowns, and he finished with 186 yards on eight grabs and his third three-touchdown game of his career. That was the first time he'd done that since the Tulsa game in 2010, the third game of the season.

Second-best offensive player: Terrance Ganaway, RB, Baylor. Ganaway ended his career in style, taking plenty of heat off his Heisman-winning quarterback, Robert Griffin III. He scored five touchdowns and ran for 200 yards, leading the way for three Bears 100-yard rushers in the 67-56 win over Washington in the Alamo Bowl.

Best defensive player: Jamell Fleming, CB, Oklahoma. Passing? I think not, Iowa. Matched up with NFL-bound, Skycam-attacked Marvin McNutt, Fleming made seven tackles, returned an interception 21 yards and broke up three passes. Well done.

Best team performance: Oklahoma State. The Cowboys got the Big 12's best win of the entire season, knocking off a solid Stanford team and handing Andrew Luck a loss in his final game as a Cardinal. Maybe they got lucky with a missed 35-yard field goal attempt to force overtime, but the Cowboys played well after a shaky first quarter and beat the nation's No. 4 team on a neutral field. Well done.

Best play: Robert Griffin III's post-Heisman "Heisman moment." He somehow backpedalled out of a handful of Washington tacklers, escaped outside and galloped to the pylon, diving into the end zone as he took a big hit before scoring. A big-time play from the Heisman winner for a 24-yard score.

Craziest play: North Carolina's Bryn Renner whipped a strike to Dwight Jones, but a hit jarred it loose. Somehow, it ended up on Jones' shoulder and rolled across his back, staying there long enough for Missouri LB Zaviar Gooden to sprint over and slide in to intercept the pass before it hit the ground.

Scariest play: Marvin McNutt, WR, Iowa. McNutt was minding his own business in the Iowa huddle. Then the Skycam at Sun Devil Stadium came crashing down and sent McNutt into a panic. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but it was memorable incident. The camera was grounded for the Fiesta Bowl later in the week.

Best out-of-nowhere performance: Colton Chelf, WR, Oklahoma State. Starter Tracy Moore was reportedly suspended, and Chelf filled the void well. He caught just 16 balls in 12 games, but hauled in five for 97 yards in the win over Stanford, including a 24-yarder in overtime that was ruled a touchdown before being reversed and giving way to a game-winning field goal.

Worst performance: Kansas State. It was shocking to see. The Wildcats made too many early mistakes that they hadn't made all year. There was a fumble to give Arkansas an easy three points, a handful of dropped passes, a wave of penalties and an ill-advised punt to Joe Adams that swung the game in favor of the Hogs. Not good, and K-State didn't give itself a chance in the 29-16 loss.

Best handling of distractions: Texas A&M had to deal with the loss of senior offensive lineman Joey Villavisencio, who died in a car crash on his way home for Christmas. It fired coach Mike Sherman earlier. Interim coach Tim DeRuyter left for Fresno State, but stayed to coach the bowl game. The team was prepping for a move to the SEC and playing its bowl game in the home of its new coach, Kevin Sumlin. The Aggies, though, played pretty well against Northwestern and controlled most of the game in the 33-22 win.

Best atmosphere: Cotton Bowl. For a second consecutive year, this bowl takes the cake. K-State and Arkansas fans absolutely packed Cowboys Stadium and cheered loudly from an hour before the game through the entire matchup. A big-time atmosphere for what should be a big-time game.

Texas A&M interim head coach Tim DeRuyter talks about the his team's big win over Northwestern.

Texas A&M and Northwestern will kick off the New Year's Eve action in Houston with a noon ET kickoff at Reliant Stadium in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.

Here's a bit of what to expect:

WHO TO WATCH: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M. The Aggies' backfield has been banged up this year, and it already lost top back Christine Michael to a torn ACL. Gray was sorely missed in a season-ending, heartbreaking loss to Texas after suffering a stress fracture in his shoulder against Kansas. Gray is expected to return, and he's at his best when his team has to use him as the lone featured back. That will likely be the case in this one, and we'll see if he's back to 100 percent after the injury.

WHAT TO WATCH: Texas A&M's second half. You have to, don't you? The Aggies haven't played since Thanksgiving night, but a promising season was ruined by five losses in which the Aggies led by double digits, including early season losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas in which the Aggies led by 17 and 18 points, respectively, and lost. Coach Mike Sherman was fired because of those losses, and Tim DeRuyter is temporarily in charge before leaving, but we'll see if this season-ruining trend ends.

WHY TO WATCH: Who knows what's going to happen with this team? The talent gap between these two teams is enormous, but the Aggies have underachieved all year. With a month off, a coach gone, another coach leaving and their new coach, Houston's Kevin Sumlin, roaming around practice, it's anyone's guess how this unpredictable bunch responds. It should be a fun one.

PREDICTION: Texas A&M 31, Northwestern 21: The Aggies are shaken up, with one coach (Mike Sherman) fired and its interim coach (Tim DeRuyter) getting ready to take over at Fresno State. The Aggies' talent takes over in this one, and Cyrus Gray is expected to return. The Wildcats rebounded later in the season to reach a bowl game, but have only one quality win all season: Nebraska. Texas A&M's talent takes control, and this big lead is safe.

Time to dish out a few predictions for the Big 12's non-BCS bowls.

I notched perfection in the season's final weekend, but bowl picks are always tough.

For the curious, here's how I've done predicting each team's games this year. You guys gave me a solid B. I'll take it.

Last week: 3-0

Overall: 57-18 (.760)

Today

Missouri 34, North Carolina 28: The Tigers match up pretty well with UNC, and take care of business with a solid performance from James Franklin, who tops 125 yards rushing and throws for 225, accounting for four touchdowns. The Tigers head to the SEC on the right note.

Dec. 28

No. 24 Texas 20, California 17: The Longhorns suffocate another offense in this one, quieting Keenan Allen and Zach Maynard. Texas has seen better offenses and played well. They take care of business out in San Diego to notch a Holiday Bowl win. A healthy backfield of Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron get back down to business and build toward a big sophomore year.

Dec. 29

No. 12 Baylor 47, Washington 31: RG3 doesn't give many clues as to his future plans, but he looks the part of an NFL quarterback in this one, sending Kendall Wright into the NFL with a big day. We expected plenty of offense in this one, and both teams delivered. Chris Polk racks up big yardage on a suspect Baylor defense, but the Bears pull away late.

Dec. 30

Iowa State 24, Rutgers 21: Doubt Paul Rhoads' teams in bowl games at your own risk. They say the team that wants to be in bowl games the most wins them, and games like these are huge for the Cyclones. They'll be ready to go against a mediocre Rutgers team. It should be interesting to see what Jared Barnett looks like with a month to prepare, and I'm betting he looks pretty good.

No. 14 Oklahoma 23, Iowa 21: On the flip side of the "Bet who wants to be here more" coin is Oklahoma, whose trip to the Insight Bowl is far from what they'd hoped in a season that began with national title hopes. The Sooners are banged up and dealing with player exits, but they're still significantly better than Iowa. We see a pretty lackluster performance from the Sooners, but they survive. Iowa is, after all, a team that lost to Iowa State, Minnesota and Penn State, and is playing without its top two running backs.

Dec. 31

Texas A&M 31, Northwestern 21: The Aggies are shaken up, too, with one coach (Mike Sherman) fired and its interim coach (Tim DeRuyter) getting ready to take over at Fresno State. The Aggies talent takes over in this one, and Cyrus Gray is expected to return. The Wildcats rebounded later in the season to reach a bowl game, but have only one quality win all season: Nebraska. Texas A&M's talent takes over this big lead is safe.

Jan. 6

No. 6 Arkansas 24, No. 8 Kansas State 23: This could be a classic. The Wildcats win the time of possession game (they always do. K-State ranks fourth nationally in the stat) and suffocates Arkansas' offense, which has struggled running the ball all year, ranking ninth in the SEC. K-State finally loses a close game, though, and like the loss to Oklahoma State, a late drive comes up short. A strong performance from the defense though, and K-State enters 2012 as one of the Big 12 favorites.

Can't people just cheer by themselves? Like, on their own? To themselves?

• Heads up Big 12 fans: Future member TCU is trying to join the league with a splash in the Poinsettia Bowl tonight vs. Louisiana Tech.
• Those rumors of Oklahoma running back Brennan Clay transferring? False.
• Texas Tech defensive coordinator Chad Glasgow has not been fired, and will not be fired, according to a Texas Tech spokesman, reports Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
• Former Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist is still weighing his options, and Kansas, with his former coach Charlie Weis, is one of them.
• The Red Raiders may have found their new offensive line coach in College Station.
• Wins don't mean Kansas State will be looking for different types of players on the recruiting trail, writes Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star.
• Carrington Byndom and Quandre Diggs turned a question mark in the preseason into a strength for Texas, writes Randy Riggs of the Austin American-Statesman.
• Barring an appeal, it looks like UNC's top receiver will be ineligible against Mizzou in its bowl game.
• It looks like Texas A&M running back Cyrus Gray will be back for the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas against Northwestern.
• Aggies coach Tim DeRuyter is trying to balance his two jobs, too, writes Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News.
• Gina Mizell of The Oklahoman looks back on Brandon Weeden's journey from walk-on to superstar.
• In this year's Fiesta Bowl, he'll be taking on a former minor league baseball teammate.
• Former Missouri running back Derrick Washington's assault trial has been delayed.
• Texas LB Keenan Robinson and West Virginia QB Geno Smith are turning heads for NFL scouts.
• Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones has filed his NFL Draft advisory committee paperwork, and is thinking about the league, but undecided. He may be drafted higher next year, writes Travis Haney of The Oklahoman.
• Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin's contract is official.

New Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin was introduced at a news conference on Monday morning in College Station, but that was only the beginning of a whirlwind first week on the job.

The rest of the early afternoon was spent meeting with former Aggies and other school officials in town before meeting with his team at 4 p.m.

After that? Time to recruit. His schedule?

• Monday night: Two in-home visits with Houston-area recruits, the first at 5:45 p.m.
• Tuesday-Wednesday: Recruiting junior college players in Mississippi and Louisiana.
• Thursday: Two in-home visits with Houston-area recruits.
• Friday-Sunday: Hosting recruits on campus for a recruiting weekend in College Station.

Sumlin's life now means finding a balance between his current team in College Station, future (committed but unsigned) team scatted around Texas and abroad and family back in Houston.

"The separation from your family is not nearly as bad as it could be when you’re moving long distances," said Sumlin, noting this move would be much less difficult than his move from Oklahoma to Houston in 2007.

Sumlin's daughter, a freshman in high school, came with her basketball team to see Texas A&M's win over USC on Sunday night. He made the 90-minute drive after the game to take his daughter back to Houston and drove back to Aggieland on Monday morning to begin the dead period before signing day in February.

For now, with his old staff preparing for the TicketCity Bowl and his new team prepping for the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, he's caught in limbo. The Aggies practiced on Saturday, but Sumlin could only sit back and watch as interim coach Tim DeRuyter (defensive coordinator and the new head coach at Fresno State) got bowl preparation underway.

"I’ve really been able to observe and watch practice and kind of evaluate some things," Sumlin said. "There’s a lot of guys out there that I wish were coming back, to be honest with you."

Sumlin says the strength of this team is its offensive line, and he'll get plenty of chances to evaluate when the Aggies play their bowl game, coincidentally back in Sumlin's home of Houston.

"It’ll give me an opportunity to get on back and maybe spend a little more time with my family before this thing gets really crazy and be involved in practice and activities and continue to evaluate where we are with probably a little bit less stress on my family."

For now, Sumlin's caught between a team stocked with seniors and a yet-unhired staff waiting to be assembled. Sumlin, a coach with a history coaching quarterbacks, receivers and coordinating offenses, gets plenty of questions about who his defensive coordinator will be. He's not nearing a hire on that front; he hopes his staff is completed by Jan. 3-4.

"It really doesn’t do us any good right now to hire a bunch of guys, because we’ve got staffs working and we’re in a dead period now," Sumlin said, "so it’s not like guys can go off campus right now and start recruiting."

So, for now, his priority is getting to know his new team, on and off the field. As he works around the facilities, he grabs players for informal, impromptu one-on-one meetings, because "you get a different answer" to questions than if he sets a rigid schedule for his players to spend time with him in his office.

"Change is difficult for anybody. ... Certainly you want people to adapt to you, but as a coach, you have to be sensitive and know that these guys didn’t sign up for you necessarily. They signed up for Texas A&M and the last coach," Sumlin said. "You’ve got to be sensitive to players and change, but you’ve got to push forward and I think as guys get to understand what your expectations are, it becomes easier, but certainly, that doesn’t happen overnight."

We're not done spinning just yet, but if you're a bit lost, here's the changes to the coaching staffs across the Big 12 thus far.

BAYLOR (9-3)

• Out: Receivers coach Dino Babers took the head-coaching job at Eastern Illinois. No replacement named.

IOWA STATE (6-6)

• Out: Offensive coordinator Tom Herman took the offensive coordinator job under Urban Meyer at Ohio State. No replacement named.

KANSAS (2-10)

• Out: Head coach Turner Gill fired. Other staff positions up for discussion.
• In: Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis hired to replace Gill. Akron QB coach Ron Powlus hired to coach quarterbacks. Bishop Miege (KS) coach Tim Grunhard hired to coach offensive line. Running backs coach/recruiting coordinator Reggie Mitchell retained from Gill's staff.

KANSAS STATE (10-2)

• No changes.

MISSOURI (7-5)

• Out: Safeties coach Barry Odom left to become defensive coordinator at Memphis. No replacement named.

OKLAHOMA (9-3)

• No changes.

OKLAHOMA STATE (11-1)

• No changes yet, but OC Todd Monken has drawn interest from several programs.

TEXAS (7-5)

• No changes, though Texas was forced to proactively shoot down rumors of Mack Brown's retirement. Defensive backs coach Duane Akina is also a candidate for the Hawaii job.

TEXAS A&M (6-6)

• Out: Fired coach Mike Sherman. Defensive coordinator/interim coach Tim DeRuyter took head-coaching job at Fresno State but will remain on staff through the bowl game. Other staff positions up for review.
• In: Hired Houston coach Kevin Sumlin. Sumlin will recruit while the other coaches prepare for the bowl game.

TEXAS TECH (5-7)

• Out: Fired DBs coach Otis Mounds and offensive line coach Matt Moore. Moved defensive line coach Sam McElroy into a non-coaching role on staff.
• In: Hired former Miami DC John Lovett to coach defensive backs and former Ole Miss defensive line coach Terry Price to coach the defensive line. No offensive line replacement named yet.

Believe it or not, bowl season kicks off in two days. Granted, it's 11 more days before the Big 12 begins play.

• Missouri says it's absolutely leaving for the SEC next year, regardless of what happens with the Big 12 and West Virginia. That and more insight into the move by Chancellor Brady Deaton from Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown's breakout year was bittersweet without his brother, Bryce Brown, writes Austin Meek of the Topeka Capital-Journal. Recently, Brown said he was "not too sure" what Bryce was up to.
• Texas A&M's search for a defensive coordinator got a bit more complicated after interim coach Tim DeRuyter became the new head coach at Fresno State.
• Here's what life is like when the Heisman moves to its new home in Baylor's office. (RG3 gets his own, too, of course.)
• And the scene at halftime of last night's game when RG3 took to the court with the Heisman. Fans chanted, "One More Year!"
• Texas Tech could be bringing in a longtime assistant for Houston Nutt to coach the offensive line.
• Could he give Baylor the recruiting momentum to land the next RG3?
• The late Kansas coaching legend Don Fambrough might be getting a street named after him, reports Chad Lawhorn of the Lawrence Journal-World.
• Oklahoma is chasing a few of the best receivers in the country for its next recruiting class, writes Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman.
• Missouri assistant Barry Odom is leaving to take the defensive coordinator job at Memphis.
• Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman offers up the case for every coach to vote in the coaches poll.
• The Fort Worth Star-Telegram hands out some season-long awards and names its All-Big 12 team.
• Charlie Weis has his first commit at KU, and it's a player from his new offensive line coach's school. Weis also did an interesting Q&A with Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune, looking back at his Notre Dame tenure.

Texas A&M announced it had hired Kevin Sumlin on Saturday, but waited until Monday to introduce the new coach to the media.

He met with reporters for a little more than 40 minutes, and here's a few thoughts from his first meeting with the local media.

• The biggest thing that jumped out: Sumlin referenced the move to the SEC three times in the first 10 minutes, a stark contrast from Mike Sherman's longtime avoidance of the issue that was the most fiery topic in College Station for most of the season. He even did so unprompted in his opening statement. "For me as a football coach to have the opportunity to lead our university into the SEC, to play in arguably the best conference and best division in college football, is an exciting thing for me. ... I can't wait to get to work."
• Sherman shot down notions that his avoidance of the issue meant he wasn't on board with the move. I choose to be skeptical about that. Sherman, though, did have the worthy excuse of a grueling schedule from week to week that he had to deal with. The SEC was still a bit far off and his recruiting class was already stocked with 20-plus members before the season even began. Outside of quenching the thirst of fans, there wasn't a ton of reason for him to talk about it. So, take from that what you will. Either way, it's pretty clear Sumlin is on board.
• Biggest difference from the two: Sumlin couldn't stop smiling. I'm sure getting your first major coaching job is among the happiest days of Sumlin's life, and it showed. Sherman was a good coach, but far from a jolly man. Looks like Sumlin's a bit different in that respect.
• Sumlin's defensive coordinator hire will be huge. Ultimately, I think it's what will determine the success of his early tenure. The importance of defense in the SEC is pretty obvious. It doesn't sound like he's made up his mind on the issue. Both coaching staffs at A&M and Houston will go about their business during bowl game preparations and Sumlin will be a recruiter. He said he's still in the "evaluation process" of deciding who he'll hire. He's got a good one on his staff already, Tim DeRuyter. Keeping him would be a good decision, but who knows what the dynamic between the two is? He's got to find a good fit, whether that's DeRuyter or not.
• Sumlin sounds more than willing to adjust his approach to fit what he needs to do at Texas A&M. He's an offensive guy, but he won at Oklahoma with more of a pro-style attack. At Houston, it was the wide-open passing game keyed by Case Keenum. "I’ve always looked at a job or offense as what do we need to do to win our division. We’re going to recruit to that philosophy. We will sit down and start with that premise. That being said, styles change based on league and based on your ability to be successful and the ability to attract the type of players that are necessary to win in that league. We’re going to be diverse in what we do." Sumlin had a 1,200-yard rusher in 2008 and had six rushers top 620 yards (two in each season) in each of the past three years.

Bowl season approacheth. Two games featuring Big 12 teams will be as good as any this postseason, especially with the impending rugby match that we'll tentatively call the BCS National Championship.

Here's how the Big 12 games rank from top to bottom.

1. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 2: No. 3 Oklahoma State vs. No. 4 Stanford - Just imagine if the opponents were switched and these two took on SEC opponents in national semifinals as part of the college football Final Four. Oh, what could have been. Either way, Brandon Weeden and Andrew Luck assure us that this will be a tight, cleanly played game with two of college football's best passers. Outside of the SEC rematch for the title, this is the best bowl game of them all.

2. AT&T Cotton Bowl, Jan. 6: No. 8 Kansas State vs. No. 6 Arkansas - The Wildcats have played heart-stoppers in what seems like every week. They're 8-1 in games decided by fewer than seven points. Why change now? This will be just the second Big 12 vs. SEC matchup this year, and both games have been in Cowboys Stadium. Texas A&M allowed a Hogs comeback, but Arkansas' potent offense will be nothing new for Kansas State, which has been compensating for them all year. The Wildcats nearly beat OSU and beat Baylor this year. Expect a wild finish.

3. Valero Alamo Bowl, Dec. 29: No. 12 Baylor vs. Washington - Beware of fireworks. Baylor's first Heisman winner, Robert Griffin III, will take the field for perhaps the final time, and expect tons of points in this one. The Huskies and Bears combine to average 75 points and give up an average of 69 points. QB Keith Price keys a good Washington attack with running back Chris Polk, who burned Nebraska for 177 yards in the Holiday Bowl last season.

4. Insight Bowl, Dec. 30: No. 14 Oklahoma vs. Iowa - The storylines are rich in this rare Big Ten meeting for the Sooners. Last year, Stoops cheered on the Hawkeyes in the Insight Bowl against Mizzou. Oklahoma will take on Stoops' alma mater this year in the warmup game for the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. The Sooners will be without receivers Jaz Reynolds and Ryan Broyles, but Landry Jones will try and bounce back from a Bedlam blowout.

5. Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas A&M vs. Northwestern - The Aggies will take on QB Dan Persa and the Wildcats in nearby Houston, where the crowd should be heavily maroon. Running back Cyrus Gray is questionable, but it'll be interesting to see how A&M looks without coach Mike Sherman and a new man running the offense. Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter will serve as interim coach, and this will be the last time Ryan Tannehill throws to receivers Jeff Fuller and Ryan Swope.

6. Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl, Dec. 28: No. 24 Texas vs. California - Texas should be mostly healthy by the time this one kicks off, and running back Malcolm Brown could carry some nice momentum into his sophomore season with a big day. After numerous bowl practices leading into this one, it'll be interesting to see what Texas does at quarterback, too.

7. New Era Pinstripe Bowl, Dec. 30: Iowa State vs. Rutgers - Last year's Bronx Salute was an ugly end to a classic, but the picturesque setting in Yankee Stadium still has a big novelty factor for fans watching and in attendance for this one. The 8-4 Scarlet Knights are fourth in the Big East and should offer an interesting contrast to the eighth-place team in the Big 12. We'll see how Iowa State's offense is impacted by a maturing freshman quarterback in Jared Barnett. But it will be an offense playing for the final time with offensive coordinator Tom Herman, who will join Urban Meyer's staff at Ohio State after the season.

8. AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl, Dec. 26: Missouri vs. North Carolina - The 7-5 Tigers, like 6-6 Texas A&M, didn't go to the SEC in the fashion they would have liked. But even if it's a middling bowl game, don't underestimate the momentum that can be established by a win. Ask Oklahoma, which grew up a lot in a win over Stanford in the 2009 Sun Bowl before winning the Big 12 in 2010. That's especially true for a team returning a lot next year like Mizzou, even if it will take on a whole new schedule.

How would you rank the bowls?

There’s nothing we can’t do if we work hard, never sleep, and shirk all other responsibilities in our lives.

• Texas A&M is indeed targeting Georgia coach Mark Richt, writes Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News.
• Michael Weinreb of Grantland profiles RG3 on a Halloween campus visit, where he talks about eliminating the Baylor bubble, his faith and future in the NFL.
• Kansas' hire of Charlie Weis may sell tickets, but it brings about tons of questions, writes Kevin Haskin of the Topeka Capital-Journal.
• It looks like a desperate move, writes Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star.
• It's crazy. It's unthinkable. It might work, writes Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports.
• The task ahead of him? The difficult work of turning second-tier talent into first-tier results, writes Paul Myerberg of Pre-Snap Read.
• It's the sexy hire, but it's not the smart hire, writes Bill Reiter of FoxSports.com.
• His third college try will have to be his best, writes Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star.
• His brutal honesty will require players that aren't sensitive, writes Jayson Jenks of the Topeka Capital-Journal.
• Could Jim Leavitt be coming to KU as the defensive coordinator? Tom Keegan of the Lawrence Journal-World tosses out the idea.
• One Oklahoma State fan injured in Saturday night's celebration regrets rushing the field, writes Gina Mizell of The Oklahoman. He ironically suffered the same injury as Sam Bradford did in his junior year.
• It looks like Iowa State OC Tom Herman is headed to Ohio State to join Urban Meyer's staff.
• Iowa State linebacker A.J. Klein didn't believe it when his dad told him he'd been voted co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, reports Bobby La Gesse of the Ames Tribune.
• The Pinstripe Bowl will probably be a road game for the Cyclones, though.
• Texas A&M interim coach Tim DeRuyter is trying to hold the team together.

Texas A&M will face Northwestern at Reliant Stadium in Houston for the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Houston, the university announced on Sunday afternoon.

The game kicks off on Dec. 31 at noon ET.

Wildcats quarterback Dan Persa, aka PersaStrong, will face the very talented, but underachieving, Aggies who are now without a head coach after firing Mike Sherman earlier this week. Tim DeRuyter will handle the interim coaching duties.

Who are you taking in this matchup?

Thanks for all the questions this week. As always, send them here if you want to show up here next week.

Matt Walters in Dallas asked: Graham Harrell was labeled a "system quarterback" in 2008. Should players like Brandon Weeden and Case Keenum be given this label since they are in the exact same 'system'?

David Ubben: Here's the deal with the whole "system quarterback" knock: Most of the time, the criticism comes when quarterbacks don't make difficult throws and mostly rely on dink-and-dunk plays blocked downfield for big yardage. Anybody who watches Oklahoma State knows the Cowboys offense is nothing remotely of the sort. OSU throws it downfield plenty, and Weeden can make every throw. He's got a much bigger arm than Harrell or Keenum has, and OSU's offense shows it.

Also, Weeden is relied upon to make a lot of split-second decisions after the snap. OSU runs a number of plays that have the option to be a run or a pass, and he's the guy who has to read the defense and make the apt decision. I don't know if you've taken a look at OSU's offensive numbers lately, but it seems like he's done OK.

John Schultze in College Station, Texas, asked: After watching Von play at the next level, is Timmy D a great defensive mind? Or just a decent coordinator with an absolute freak on his side of the ball?

DU: It can't be both?

I had a chance to sit in on a lecture about the 3-4 that defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter gave to a couple hundred coaches at a coaching convention in January, and trust this: The guy knows his stuff. A&M's defense has fallen apart for a number of reasons, but DeRuyter's not the only one. You forget how bad this defense was in 2009, before DeRuyter arrived. It gave up about five more points a game than any other Big 12 team.

Former Aggies linebacker Von Miller is an unbelievable player who is having exactly as much success in the NFL as most of us thought he would, but DeRuyter's still a solid coordinator, and one of the best in the Big 12.

John in Ames, Iowa, asked: How big of a deal would it be if ISU pulled off the upset against Oklahoma State?

DU: Uh, the term "Poke Choke" comes to mind. Simply put, Iowa State doesn't have the necessary offense to win this game. Uncharacteristic mistakes like drops, turnovers or a weird night for Weeden is the only way Oklahoma State loses this game. Prepare for it, Iowa State fans. If the Cyclones win this, it's going to be about OSU.

John in Olathe, Kan., asked: What will it take for Collin Klein to be considered nationally as a legit QB talent? He is putting up ridiculous numbers in the nation's second best conference. On ESPN's Heisman Expert polling, there is no mention of his name. Do you think they will ignore him next year, too?

DU: It took a while for a couple reasons, most of which is he's not a big-play guy and he doesn't throw a pretty ball, which is sort of a prerequisite as a quarterback. You saw Taylor Martinez and Denard Robinson get Heisman hype last year because they made highlight runs and terrified defenses. Klein pushing the pile for a 3-yard touchdown run isn't exactly the stuff of legend.

Combine that with an underwhelming early-season schedule and it took a lot of folks (myself included) to realize what Klein really could be. Now, with K-State proving itself as a top 15-20 team or better, and Klein putting up some big-time numbers, he's gained attention. He'll definitely be a guy on Heisman watch lists next year.

Lee in Raleigh, N.C., asked: How can you say that the Texas defense is the best that Kansas St will face? The OU defense stiffled Kansas St (in Manhattan). I think the Wildcats will put up a lot more points on Texas, than they did on OU. And they'll do it in Austin.

DU: It might have something to do with that pesky rumor that Texas is giving up 47 fewer yards per game than any team in the Big 12 and more than 85 fewer than the Big 12's No. 3 team. Combine that with a ton of fantastic athletes at all three levels, and, well ... you get the point.

Kansas State might score a few more points on Texas, but that doesn't mean Texas' defense isn't better. The Longhorns D is legit.

Arnav in St. Louis asked: LSU couldn't score off of Alabama's defense, and if Alabama had had any passing attack whatsoever instead of having [Trent] Richardson try to run through 10 defenders, they might have scored a touchdown. Does OK State's passing juggernaut and pretty solid defense find a win there?

DU: I'm not ready to predict a win just yet, but I think it'd be close and a game that nears the 30s, probably something like 23-20 or 28-24. Could probably go either way. OSU's defense is better than I thought it was early in the year, and the offense isn't going to get totally shut down by any defense.

Mark in Corpus Christi, Texas, asked: BCS selection(s) aside. Which Big 12 team would you consider must watch out of the following. Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Baylor, Texas or Kansas State. List them in order of preference. Thanks.

DU: Give me OSU, Baylor, OU, K-State and then Texas. Oklahoma State's offensive athletes are a thing of beauty. The same's true of Baylor and Oklahoma, especially Robert Griffin III. He might be the most fun player to watch in the league. K-State and UT are doing it ugly.

Chris in Manhattan, Kan., asked: Everyone is saying K-State's offense isn't sexy. But Collin Klein is our offense, right? For the most part yes. Collin Klein is rugged, right? Yes. And being rugged is generally considered sexy, right? I think so. Therefore K-states offense is generally sexy when Klein is on the field.

DU: You just blew my mind.

Texas A&M went 22 quarters without forcing a turnover this season, which stretched from the first quarter of a season-opening win over SMU to the fourth quarter of a win over Baylor two weeks ago.

It grabbed another pick last week against Iowa State, but somehow, a fumble recovery eluded them all season.

The slump is over now. Missouri running back Henry Josey fumbled in the red zone, and the Aggies defensive back Terrence Frederick recovered, helping Texas A&M's lead stay at 28-17.

Entering today's game, Texas A&M had forced just five turnovers. Only Kansas and Minnesota (4) had forced fewer. This, despite leading the nation with 28 sacks.

That's a second huge stop for this defense, which held the Tigers to a field goal at the end of the first half, and forced a three-and-out to open the second half.

There have been plenty of frustrating moments for defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, but today's been well-stocked with bright spots, and the Aggies have benefited.

Thanks for all the questions. Didn't get yours answered? Try again with a better one.

Colin in Tulsa, Okla.: Is Johnny Thomas being ineligible a blessing in disguise like Orie Lemon getting hurt? OSU had a serviceable backup (Donald Booker) and would've been left to have Caleb Lavey be the day 1 starter last year. So, this year Dawtawion Lowe comes in and plays well enough next to Markelle and Johnny Thomas can come back next year? That way OSU isn't left to start some random safety next to Daytawion next year.

David Ubben: That's maybe a little harsh and perhaps insensitive, but I must say: I think I agree. It's an interesting point. There's no doubt that Oklahoma State's defense in 2010 benefited from having Lemon out there, and Booker was outstanding in 2009.

This year, we've seen a guy in Lowe that had huge potential really step into that role and not see much fall off. You never like to see guys deal with academic issues or have serious injuries like Lemon had, but Oklahoma State has been fortunate to have players behind defensive leaders step up and do well. Credit Mike Gundy and his staff for recruiting well and having a much deeper team than when he arrived. The difference is unbelievable.

Next year, when Thomas joins Lowe, you'll see another good group of safeties at OSU.

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Ryan in Arlington, Texas, asked: Sean Porter for Texas A&M has 6.5 sacks this year (3rd in the nation), while the entire Longhorn defense has 7.0 (91st in the nation). Does this stat say more about Sean Porter, the effectiveness of Manny Diaz's or Tim DeRuyter's blitzes (who are both very aggressive), or the Longhorn defensive personnel?

DU: I'll say Porter. He's been outstanding, and has done an outstanding job of being everywhere. The combination of a) big leads early in games and b) defenses seeing they can beat A&M through the air has resulted in the Aggies defending 244 passes this year, which is 47 more than Texas and twice as many as Texas Tech, which has faced the fewest in the Big 12, with 122. Only Louisiana Tech has faced more pass attempts this season. So, take your pick, there. Texas A&M is racking up sacks but giving up yards by the bunches.

Neither DeRuyter nor Diaz has been outstanding so far this year. Diaz's defense got worked by the first real offense -- albeit one of the nation's best -- in its first real test. DeRuyter's defense has taken a huge step back.

Meanwhile, Porter has undoubtedly taken a big step forward. Kudos to him.

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John in Oklahoma City asked: Everyone is down on OSU's defense still this year. About half of our games so far our 2nd or 3rd stringers were playing in the 4th. The Cowboys are only allowing 14.6 ppg through 3 quarters. Plus we are 6th in the nation in creating turnovers. We are much more improved defensively with a better offense to go with it. Big (X)II title here we come!!!!!

DU: Your persuasiveness is surpassed only by your unbridled enthusiasm, John.

That said, you're right, and its a point that's perhaps been overlooked in the defensive statistics for Oklahoma State. Its backups have given up gobs of points this year, but the first team defense has done really well. For those unaware, allow me to point it out:

OSU led its opener 44-13 before giving up a pick six and two garbage-time touchdowns in a 61-34 win.

OSU led Arizona 34-7 before giving up a 54-yard touchdown pass to Texas transfer Dan Buckner.

In a game that kicked off after midnight, OSU led Tulsa 45-6 midway through the third quarter before giving up two quick scores and winning, 59-33.

Finally, last week, OSU led 70-14 with 12:45 left before Kansas' first-teamers scored on a 68-yard touchdown pass and a 31-yard run to make it a 70-28 final.

So, there you go. Take from that what you will. Is OSU's defense great? No. But it's a lot better than the numbers suggest.

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Chris J. in Houston asked: You have to give me props next week for this, I'm calling it: Texas beats Oklahoma State this week in a big way.

DU: K. What do I get if you're wrong?

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Scott in Oklahoma asked: David, with tcu coming into the fold next year, is the big 12 just going to give them the a&m schedule or will they redo them all together and give osu another catered home game vs. Ou as they have the these last two years? Or will it be another team? Also, will they change next years ou tcu game to a conference game or will it stay as a non conference game ala the colorado cal game this year?

DU: All valid administrative questions that haven't been addressed in this space. Let's change that.

For now, when the Big 12 moves on as a ten-team league in 2012, the schedule is being reworked. TCU won't just slide into Texas A&M's spot. That means they likely won't be the Longhorns' Thanksgiving opponent, a tradition Texas would like to continue. UT president Bill Powers says "a lot of teams are in the mix" for a new opponent. There's lots of talk about Texas Tech filling that role, but it's very much in the air for now. The Big 12 isn't worried about that currently. You've got to know your configuration next year and beyond before you get too concerned about scheduling. That issue will be pushed to the forefront more during the offseason.

As of now, TCU-OU is up in the air, too. It might be kept as an early season game, but like I mentioned earlier, that's up in the air. TCU doesn't have anything to worry about. With a 10-team league and nine-game schedule, they just slide OU in as a conference game and keep their nonconference games with Grambling State, Virginia and SMU. That's a decent set of games. TCU-OU won't be an awkward conference nonconference game like Colorado-Cal this year.

For Oklahoma? Things are a little more complicated. TCU is a good secondary game, but the Sooners already have a home-and-home with Notre Dame (!) on the schedule for 2012 and 2013, but Oklahoma is reportedly looking at replacing the TCU game with Arkansas. That's one heck of a nonconference schedule for the Sooners if it happens. That's nothing new. Oklahoma is the most ambitious scheduling program in the Big 12, and that's a stated goal of the school: to put a compelling product on the field for its fans and schedule to get an edge in the BCS rankings.

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Jordan Marshall in Hutchinson, Kan., asked: What do you think is going to happen to the BCS this year when there are going to be 4 undefeated teams at the end of the year (LSU/Alabama, OU/OSU, Wisconsin, and Boise State)? Clemson has a long shot of staying undefeated but that is just another team that could throw the whole system out of whack. Do you think that the BCS will just see this year as a fluke year or do you think that they will finally open their eyes to a playoff system?

DU: It could happen, but if it does, I don't think there's any question that the SEC and Big 12 champ would play each other. I could envision a scenario in which Wisconsin gets in over Oklahoma State, but hopping over Oklahoma or one of the SEC teams sounds impossible.

Jumping Oklahoma State is highly unlikely. We can talk conference strength, but simpler than that, just look at their past and future schedules.

OSU has a road win against a top 10 team, and four more top 25 teams on its schedule, closing with the crescendo of hosting Oklahoma.

The Big Ten is clearly down this season. Nebraska and Ohio State aren't great teams and will lose again. Michigan looks a bit overrated at No. 11. Wisconsin is a legitimate title contender, but even if Bucky runs the table, its weak nonconference schedule and the Big 12's depth and strength across the conference will push an undefeated Oklahoma or Oklahoma State team into the title game to face off with the SEC once again.