ESPN College Football

College football guru Phil Steele is previewing his must-read offseason magazine, and with it, he's releasing his all-conference and All-America teams.

Here's who he slated as his first-team All-Big 12 squad:

OFFENSE

QB: Landry Jones, Oklahoma
RB: Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State
RB: Malcolm Brown, Texas
WR: Tavon Austin, West Virginia
WR: Kenny Stills, Oklahoma
WR: Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
TE: Jordan Najvar, Baylor
C: Ben Habern, Oklahoma
OL: Lane Taylor, Oklahoma State
OL: Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma
OL: LaAdrian Waddle, Texas Tech
OL: Cyril Richardson, Baylor

• I'd probably go with Geno Smith ahead of Jones, but it's close. You could definitely make a compelling case for both.
• I'd also lean more toward Terrance Williams at Baylor for that third receiver spot ahead of Stills. Stills' upside is still really high, but again, it's close between those two.
• Good grief, the tight end spot in the Big 12 is a rough. Navjar is a good selection. Travis Tannahill at Kansas State could grab that spot, too. You're almost better off picking a sixth offensive lineman or a fullback like Trey Millard at Oklahoma, who's more valuable than any of the league's tight ends.

DEFENSE

DL: Alex Okafor, Texas
DL: Stansly Maponga, TCU
DL: Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas
DL: Jamarkus McFarland, Oklahoma
LB: Jake Knott, Iowa State
LB: Tom Wort, Oklahoma
LB: A.J. Klein, Iowa State
LB: Arthur Brown, Kansas State
CB: Nigel Malone, Kansas State
CB: Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State
S: Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
S: Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma

SPECIALISTS

P: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
K: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
PR: Tavon Austin, West Virginia
KR: Tyler Lockett, Kansas State

• No complaints among the specialists, but I'd definitely have kept a more traditional three linebackers. You could afford to leave Tom Wort off that list. Not so with the other three.
• After a sad group of cornerbacks in 2011, the position looks pretty loaded this year. There's no fewer than five guys in my book who deserve strong consideration and probably a spot on the first team. It's too bad there are only two spots. Clearly, Malone and Brown are deserving, but so are Justin Gilbert, Carrington Byndom and Quandre Diggs.
• Safeties are both loaded. Maybe two of the best defenders in the league.

Here's who Steele tabbed as All-Americans, too.

FIRST TEAM

• Alex Okafor, DE, Texas

SECOND TEAM

• Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
• Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• Quinn Sharp, K, Oklahoma State

THIRD TEAM

• Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma
• Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia
• Lane Taylor, OL, Oklahoma State
• Quinn Sharp, P, Oklahoma State
• Tyler Lockett, KR, Kansas State

FOURTH TEAM

• Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
• Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
• Gabe Ikard, OL, Oklahoma
• Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas
• A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
• Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma
• Tavon Austin, KR, West Virginia

2011 overall record: 10-3
2011 conference record: 7-2
Returning starters: Offense 9; defense 7; P/K (2)

Top returners:
QB Collin Klein, RB John Hubert, LB Arthur Brown, CB Nigel Malone, WR Tyler Lockett, LB Tre Walker, WR Chris Harper

Key losses:
CB David Garrett, LB Emmanuel Lamur, S Tysyn Hartman, DL Ray Kibble, DE Jordan Voelker

2011 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Collin Klein* (1,141 yards)
Passing: Collin Klein* (1,918 yards)
Receiving: Chris Harper* (547 yards)
Tackles: Arthur Brown* (101)
Sacks: Meshak Williams* (7)
Interceptions: Nigel Malone* (7)

Spring answers

1. Filling the void left behind by Garrett: David Garrett was one of the biggest playmakers for the K-State defense, but Allen Chapman seems to have locked down the assignment of replacing him in 2012. The California juco transfer broke up four passes last year and returned his only interception 60 yards for a touchdown. K-State's secondary should be solid. Kip Daily will also help out at corner.

2. Collin Klein can chuck it: You have to take into account that Klein did it against second-teamers and that the quarterbacks have put up big numbers in spring games, but his 47-of-56, 480-yard performance is encouraging. He won't do that during the fall, but it's a good sign that Klein's improvement was obvious in the one practice fans or media were allowed to see.

3. Lockett returns: Tyler Lockett was the most explosive talent on an offense mostly devoid of home run threats, but a lacerated kidney ended his 2011 season early. Lockett returned and practiced this spring, but reportedly had another minor injury before the spring game, depriving us of a chance to see him back in action. Still, it sounds like he'll be back in the fall.

Fall questions

1. Can Kansas State validate its surprising 2011? The Wildcats memorably won eight games in 2011 by a touchdown or less, ascending to a second-place finish in the Big 12 after being picked to finish eighth. Advanced college football statistics suggest K-State is due for a regression in 2012, but this is Bill Snyder we're talking about. His team will be better in 2012. Can its record improve, too? Klein must remain healthy after leading the Big 12 in carries last season.

2. Who's filling in for Tysyn Hartman? Hartman had loads of experience and was one of the most intelligent players on the team. The Wildcats don't have many question marks, but who replaces Hartman is one. They'll still have competition between Thomas Ferguson, Randall Evans and Jarard Milo this fall to win the job.

3. What will the offensive line look like? Kansas State was the Big 12's most physical team in 2011 because of their strong offensive line. K-State loses three starters, and there's no doubt that if there's one thing that derails K-State in the fall, it's the new faces on the line. B.J. Finney is a stud at center, and Nick Puetz is solid, but the other three spots on the line didn't sound like they were sewn up by the end of spring.

Had my first pepperoni roll on Tuesday. I'm impressed.

• Lee Barfknecht of the Omaha World-Herald catches up with former KU coach Turner Gill at his new home at Liberty. He admitted he was surprised he was fired after two seasons in Kansas, but it "doesn't make myself any less of a person or less of a coach."
• Dana Holgorsen's new staff is coming together in his second year at WVU, writes Mike Casazza of the Charleston Daily Mail.
• Bill Snyder warns his team: Last year is not this year. Success doesn't easily carry over, so the Wildcats better work, writes Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle.
• Definitive word on Kansas receiver/Oklahoma transfer Justin McCay could be coming this week, writes Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. He also updates on how life is different in Lawrence for the Jayhawks.
• How about this photo from waaaaaayy back in the day of Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro and Heisman winner Robert Griffin III?
• WVU offensive lineman Josh Jenkins is working back from an untimely knee injury, and he sounds psyched, writes Jack Bogaczyk of the Charleston Daily Mail.
• Bill Snyder is up to his old tricks and keeping details about his team quiet, writes Grant Guggisberg of the Topeka Capital-Journal.
• Receiver David Glidden sounds like he's making an impression in Stillwater this spring, but this could be Isaiah Anderson's time to shine.
• Here's a draft profile of Oklahoma State safety Markelle Martin from ESPN Dallas.
• Kansas quarterback Dayne Crist is studying up on Charlie Weis pupil Tom Brady.
• Here's an update on K-State injured speedster Tyler Lockett, and a look at what Glenn Gronkowski will be doing in Manhattan.
• Oklahoma's spring game will look a little different this year, and will its best offensive lineman be moving positions again?
• Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal has more on the newest Red Raider in the fold, as well as an examination of what should be a solid O-Line for the Red Raiders.
• Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman wants to know how you feel about Landry Jones.
• Injuries have forced lesser-known names to emerge at Iowa State this spring.
• The Oklahoman's Jason Kersey takes you inside the new non-profit foundation a could Sooners have founded.
• Beware: This will probably make you cry.

Time to continue our series breaking down each team's best and worst positions entering the 2012 season. Kansas State is up next.

More spring superlatives:

• Baylor
• Iowa State
• Kansas

Strongest position: Linebacker

K-State must replace converted safety Emmanuel Lamur, but the Wildcats have a great base in the middle of the defense. Senior Arthur Brown will be on the short list of Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year candidates in 2012, and his partner in crime, Tre Walker, has tons of potential and good speed.

Brown holds down the middle while Walker, a junior, roams the weak side. Who takes over on the strong side? Like Lamur, K-State needs someone with great speed. Watch for that battle this spring. The Wildcats start spring practice on April 4.

Weakest position: Wide receiver

I'll preface this by saying Kansas State doesn't have what I'd call a true weakness at any position. There are few positions in which the team truly excelled (I'd point to offensive line and cornerback as the team's best positions in 2011), but relative to the rest of the Big 12, the Wildcats need help at wide receiver.

Part of the low numbers for the position is Kansas State's offense, which threw the ball just 290 times last year, the fewest attempts in the Big 12. Three teams in the league (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech) literally doubled Kansas State's pass attempts.

Still, K-State returns its three leading receivers, so there's hope at the position. Tyler Lockett is a shifty speedster, but Chris Harper and Tramaine Thompson are the best pure receivers on the team. Beyond that duo, however, K-State lacks much additional, reliable depth at the position.

Thanks for all the questions this week. We heard from plenty of you. Here's where I can be reached if you have more thoughts, questions or cute witticisms.

Ernie A in Austin, Texas, writes: Ubbexander the Great, I watched a video over on the Pac 12 blog today and saw their blogger refer to the Pacific conference as "The Conference of Quarterbacks." Ridiculous, right? I mean, sure they've got Price and Barkley, but the Big 12 can more than match that in my opinion, especially since every team excluding my horns and the Jayhawks have a real, potential difference maker going into the season. So diving off of this--what is the state of Big 12 QBs with the departure of three of the best from last season, and who do you think (besides Jones and Klein) will step up and keep the Big 12's strong QB reputation known?

David Ubben: First off, what are you doing on the Pac-12 blog? I can only assume it's because the Longhorns are plotting an escape to the Pac-16.

We heard the same thing about the Pac-12 last season with Luck, Barkley, Foles and Co., but I'd say it was still pretty clear by season's end that the Big 12 was superior. It took home the Heisman and was a deeper league at the position. The gap isn't enormous, but the Big 12 was better.

This year? You have to remember how well this league develops new passers. Baylor and Oklahoma State lose two great quarterbacks, but Nick Florence and whoever wins the battle at OSU should be solid. All those guys have potential.

Landry Jones and Seth Doege are back, but they're joined by Geno Smith at WVU and Casey Pachall at TCU, the two new guys. For now, the league's reputation as the best quarterback league is safe, even if Barkley will grab plenty of attention at the top this season, and maybe win the Heisman.

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Jason in Evansville, Ind., writes: David, looking forward to getting to know your blog. BB and AA have done a nice job covering our beloved Mounties. As far as some game day traditions to see at Mountaineer Field, get to know the 1st down chant. All schools have their own game day traditions in the crowd that give them an identity. FSU does the chop, some schools like VTech jingle keys for "key plays", Pitt sings Sweet Caroline (never understood why), etc....The first down chant kind of started in the student section during my days as a an undergrad and over the years has become a standard game day tradition across the stadium. Pretty simple, here's how it goes. WVU gets a 1st down on any given play. Fans hold their arms straight out and start vocally with "ohhhhhhh" until the PA announcer says" 1st down West Virginia", and in unison the crowd bounces their arms down 3 times and says "hoo-hoo-hoo.....(clap) first down", and points in the direction of the first down. Pretty simple. When the game is a big one and is close the chant gets louder with the crowd and generally gets everyone fired up as momentum builds moving the ball down the field. Hopefully we will continue many more 1st down chants against our new Big tWelVe conference foes. You should start practicing for your first visit to Morgantown. See you in the Blue Lot!

DU: Thanks for filling us in, Jason. I'm curious about all the gameday traditions. I really can't wait for my first game out there. New experiences are always great. I'll keep an eye out for this. I'm sure the other fans across the Big 12 think the same.

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Jayhawk in Maryland in Edgewater, Md., writes: Dave, Love the readers' snippets on what to do in Morgantown and Fort Worth for gamedays. Maybe we/you should introduce them to Lawrence, Stillwater, Manhattan, etc. as well. Always good to plan a tailgate.

Mason in Texas wrote: Ubbs, I like the "Home Turf" series for TCU and WVU. A thought though, expand it to all schools. WVU and TCU folks need to know where to go when they visit all of us. Not just that, but I bet a lot of people haven't traveled every and would like to know what's up in each town. Just a humble suggestion.

DU: I heard from a ton of you this week, expressing a similar sentiment. Which means we'll do this for the rest of the Big 12 because a) there are new members to educate and b) we've never done it before.

I'll send out calls for recommendations for each city in the weeks to come, so don't bother just yet. That said, I'm excited for this series. It should be delicious.

Here's the new ones, if you missed them:

• The Big 12 guide to TCU's home turf
• The Big 12 guide to WVU's home turf

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Fred Dodge in Annapolis, Md., writes: David, I was extremely skeptical and ready to dismiss your column on the change in the Big 12 "Rivalries will be missed, not results." [I should note here that I am a Cornhusker]. But you know what, you convinced me. The Big 12 is better off, not only do WVU and TCU bring some recent pedigree, they really want to be in the Big 12. Hopefully that will bring some stability.

DU: I appreciate it, and your second point gets lost a bit, I think. There's no question that both schools are pretty enthusiastic about entering the league. We'll see if that spreads.

The league is losing a ton of tradition in Missouri and Texas A&M, and that's sad. A&M will have that rivalry with LSU, but I doubt it will have any others. Missouri's going to have a tough time finding a rival if it doesn't lock in Arkansas as its cross-divisional rival.

Arkansas' been in the league 20 years and still doesn't have a true rivalry that gets fans fired up year-round.

Kansas and Texas will miss their departed rivals. But like I said, the league's in good shape on the field, to maintain, if not exceed, the success.

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Grant in Round Rock, Texas, writes: In response to your blog "New Big 12 will miss rivalries, not results". The bottom line is the SEC upgraded with the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri, while the Big 12 downgraded. If the conference really felt they would be better off with TCU and WVU they would have had no problem losing these two schools.

DU: Not true. Like I mentioned before, that tradition can't be replaced, and that's the biggest reason the Big 12 was sad to see them go.

My point in the column wasn't that the Big 12 made some monumental upgrade on the field. The difference is negligible on the field at worst, and a slight upgrade at best. That's about as good as the Big 12 could expect, considering its recent membership issues.

The money issue matters. Texas A&M and Mizzou have bigger fan bases, but if TCU and WVU sustain nationally relevant programs, the difference in the television deal is probably negligible, too. There's not much reason to believe TCU and WVU will see a huge drop-off in the quality of their programs.

The Big 12 would have loved to keep A&M and Mizzou. It didn't. As a response, it made two great additions.

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Gabe in Buehler, Texas, writes: Ubbs, what is your thought on K-State special teams next year, namely Tyler Lockett, both as return man and receiver. I wonder if he had been healthy, would the Cotton Bowl have gone a little different? Not necessarily a K-State win, but pretty darn close! Also, what is your thought on Justin Tuggle moving to OLB? MORE speed to that linebacker corps?!

DU: Yeah, K-State wouldn't have won that game with Lockett, but the Wildcats definitely missed their big-play man. Joe Adams changed that game on special teams, and Lockett could have possibly done the same for K-State. The way Kansas State's offense played, it needed that badly. Tuggle seems like a good move. He's a guy that just wanted to get on the field, and with Collin Klein's emergence, it wasn't going to happen at quarterback. In the Big 12, you can never have enough speed at linebacker, and he should bring that. Instincts and toughness seem like it could be tough to develop in one offseason. It'll be fun to watch, though.

We're continuing our look at the postseason rankings for each position in the Big 12. Here's a look back at where the receivers ranked in the preseason.

In this position, unlike quarterback, depth is a major, major factor in these rankings.

More postseason position rankings:

• Quarterbacks
• Running backs

1. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys boasted two-time Biletnikoff winner Justin Blackmon, but he wasn't the only weapon. The Cowboys had nine (!) receivers with at least 19 catches and 200 yards receiving this season. Insane. Life is good with Brandon Weeden at quarterback.

2. Baylor: Kendall Wright actually outperformed Blackmon and Ryan Broyles on the stat sheet, catching 108 balls for 1,663 yards. The Bears didn't have the insane depth of OSU, but the trio of Wright, Terrance Williams (59 rec, 957 yards, 11 TDs) and Tevin Reese (51 rec, 877 yards, 7 TDs) were all in the Big 12's top seven receivers.

3. Texas A&M: Ryan Swope emerged to become one of just four Big 12 receivers to notch 1,000-yard seasons. Jeff Fuller's season was disappointing, but he still finished eighth in the league in receiving, and Uzoma Nwachukwu was in the league's top 15 in receiving.

4. Oklahoma: The Sooners weren't quite as solid as they thought to begin the season. Broyles was as advertised, though his Biletnikoff-contending season was cut short by a torn ACL. The unit was productive, but came down with the drops late in the season. Broyles and Kenny Stills were both in the league's top seven in receiving, and Jaz Reynolds caught 41 passes for 715 yards to crack the top 10.

5. Texas Tech: Tech's top target, Darrin Moore, battled injuries all year, but Eric Ward emerged as the team's most consistent target, catching 84 passes for 800 yards and 11 scores. Alex Torres missed two games, but added 616 more yards.

6. Missouri: The Tigers' receivers had their production dip with a dual-threat passer in James Franklin who ran the ball more than his predecessor, but they were still pretty good, despite lacking a true big-time threat. T.J. Moe caught 54 passes for 649 yards and four scores. Tight end Michael Egnew added 50 grabs for 523 yards and three scores. L'Damian Washington, Marcus Lucas and Wes Kemp had unremarkable individual seasons, but their production added up to a good year for Mizzou's receivers.

7. Kansas State: Kansas State was better than most thought to begin the season, but the ground-based offense limited their receivers' ability to finish with big production. Chris Harper (40 rec, 547 yards, 5 TDs) led the group. Tramaine Thompson and Tyler Lockett showed some good promise, too.

8. Texas: The Longhorns could get really good, really fast at this spot. The uncertainty/struggles at quarterback limited this group, but Jaxon Shipley and Mike Davis could both mature into absolute stars. For now, though, they didn't quite crack the top 15 in the Big 12 in receiving. Both topped 40 catches and 600 receiving yards.

9. Iowa State: Darius Reynolds' size downfield will be missed, but Aaron Horne and Josh Lenz are tough covers working the middle of the field. Reynolds caught seven touchdowns, and Horne and Lenz both topped 38 catches.

10. Kansas: Yikes. The Jayhawks didn't have a receiver in the league's top 20, but D.J. Beshears led the team with 40 grabs for 437 yards and three touchdowns. He was the only Jayhawk in the Big 12's top 32 in receiving.

Four Big 12 players were named to the Football Writers Association of America's Freshman All-American team.

• B.J. Finney, OL, Kansas State
• Tyler Lockett, KR, Kansas State
• Quandre Diggs, CB, Texas
• Michael Hunnicutt, K, Oklahoma

All worthy selections, and names you'd better get ot know.

Lockett and Diggs will be big-time stars in this league for the rest of their careers. Both already proved their worth as game-changers in their first season on campus.

Hunnicutt quietly had a solid season (21-of-24 on field goals) at a position of big scrutiny for the Sooners.

Finney was a big part of one of the Big 12's best offensive lines.

And for the curious, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen won the freshman Coach of the Year award as a first-time head man.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Arkansas punt returner Joe Adams made one quick cut between a wall of Kansas State defenders, and sprinted toward the sideline before turning upfield.

Around 40 or so yards later, Adams crossed the goal line and emphatically slammed the ball into the Cowboys Stadium turf.

The Hogs were rolling. They led by double digits. The red half of the 80,956 in attendance was going hog wild.

All that, and Arkansas' offense hadn't even recorded a first down yet on the way to its 29-16 victory over the Wildcats in Friday night's AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.

So much for Snyderball.

Arkansas showed up to the Cotton Bowl and K-Stated K-State.

"That's why it's a team game," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. "Our defense gave us three points right off the bat. Special teams scored seven."

All season long, Kansas State's physical running offense plodded along to a ninth-place finish in total offense in the pass-happy Big 12 while an opportunistic defense and special teams waited for opponents to make mistakes.

Earlier this season, the Wildcats won four consecutive games as an underdog while also being outgained.

This time, against Arkansas, Kansas State made the mistakes it had collected from opponents all year long.

"We got off to an awfully bad start and really couldn't overcome the damage that we did," said K-State's 72-year-old coaching savant, Bill Snyder, "and most of it was pretty obvious."

Yeah, it was.

On the game's second possession, Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette slipped into the backfield and stripped Wildcats quarterback Collin Klein from behind, but Arkansas' offense couldn't capitalize on the great field position and settled for a 26-yard field goal.

The Wildcats fielded an Arkansas' punt on the next possession at the 3-yard line, getting stuffed at the 4 and tightening up an offense that was bothered by dropped passes for much of the first half.

A predictable three-and-out followed to set up Adams' key return.

"It obviously made a major difference. How did I like it? I didn't like it a bit," Snyder said. "But, you know, we knew he's a talented player. We knew that he could make you miss him. We knew they were probably tired of me talking about being able to contain Joe Adams and not let him bounce the ball outside. Sure enough, he bounced it outside.

"But he's a very, very talented player. That's not the first time he's done that."

In fact, it was the fifth time — and fourth this season, an SEC single-season record. That was highlighted by a work of art against Tennessee in which Adams made approximately 52 tacklers miss on the way to an impossible return that might be the greatest highlight of the 2011 season.

"It was another one of those where you just go, 'Wow!" Petrino said. "You could see when he made the catch he had in mind what he was going to do. ... Joe showed great acceleration, made another spectacular play for us."

Kansas State's special-teams wizardry was muted. Ralph Guidry blocked his fifth kick of the year. Nigel Malone scooped up the extra point and ran it back for two points, but it wasn't enough. The Wildcats' answer for Adams, kick returner Tyler Lockett, dressed but didn't play after suffering a lacerated kidney this season. He ran back two kicks for scores and emerged as the Big 12's most dangerous special-teams player. He could only watch as Adams did to his team what he'd done to so many others in 2011.

"The difference in the game was how well we played on defense and the field position we were able to give our offense," Petrino said.

Kansas State's running game was mostly unproductive foot-shuffling that got it nowhere. The Wildcats carried the ball 40 times for just 86 yards and gave up six sacks.

Like so many other games this season, the Wildcats were outgained. This time, it was 345-260. Unlike so many other games this season, Kansas State couldn't find a way to win. Early mistakes made sure it hardly had a chance. It climbed back to 19-16 before Arkansas' offense, the best in the SEC, started to click.

"This game was about we need to stop this run, stop this quarterback. We tightened them up," Petrino said. "Once it became third down, (our defensive ends) widened out and teed off, made huge plays for us, the turnover early and the sacks."

The mistakes were too much. On an off-night for Kansas State's offense, it had far from enough.

Kansas State and Arkansas left Dallas with a pair of memorable double-digit-victory seasons, but Arkansas, as the three SEC teams in this game before it, will look back fondly on the finale.

"We really wanted to get them 11 wins," said Petrino, who has won 21 games in the past two seasons, giving Arkansas its first 11-win season since 1977 and third in program history. "Make sure that everybody remembered this football team."

Arkansans will. And so will Kansas State.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- We may have a developing situation in pregame.

Arkansas running back Knile Davis and Kansas State receiver/kick returner Tyler Lockett were both dressed for the game and went through warmups.

Davis mostly worked with the second team.

Davis suffered a broken ankle in preseason, and coach Bobby Petrino ruled him out, noting that he still had a screw in his ankle from the original surgery. That's now gone, but Davis hasn't been fully removed from the lineup.

Keep an eye on that.

Lockett, meanwhile, suffered a lacerated kidney earlier this season and was considered out for the season, but he's wearing his No. 16 uniform and joined the team for warm-ups.

Lockett emerged this season as Kansas State's biggest home-run hitter on offense and special teams, where he took two kicks back for scores and became the Big 12's best return man.

Davis led Arkansas in rushing last year with 1,322 yards and 13 touchdowns, but he hasn't played this season.

K-State and Arkansas will get it started tonight in Cowboys Stadium at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, and here's three keys for Kansas State to grab a win.

1. Absolutely slow the big plays. K-State's been blown out once all season. Oklahoma did it with touchdowns of 61, 31, 29 and 18 yards in a 58-17 win. Arkansas has the capability to blow Kansas State's doors off, but the Wildcats have proven mostly capable of at least slowing or keeping up with high-octane offenses like Baylor and Oklahoma State. Arkansas' not quite on that level, but the Razorbacks are really potent. The biggest way to let this get out of hand is pretty simple: Quick scores and yardage coming in chunks.

2. Grind, grind, grind. We all know there ain't nothin' wrong with that. Even in the Big 12. Kansas State's a unique team, but it may finish this game with two 1,000-yard rushers. Collin Klein's already there, but running back John Hubert -- far underrated in his own right -- needs just 67 more yards to cross that mark. He's averaging nearly 5 yards a carry. This running attack can wear down Arkansas' defense, but the less the Hogs have the ball in their hands, the better for K-State. The Wildcats are fourth nationally in time of possession for a reason. They run the ball, and they've turned the ball over just 13 times in 12 games. Five teams have fewer turnovers.

3. Snyderball, baby. This is what K-State does. Chances are high it gets outgained in this game. That's nothing new. Earlier this season, it won four consecutive games in which it was both an underdog and outgained. This will almost certainly be another one. It wins by making defensive stops and forcing turnovers, and capitalizing on special teams play. Kick returner Tyler Lockett, who took two kicks back for scores, is the only piece missing. He's out with a kidney injury. Raphael Guidry loves to block kicks (he's got four this year) and Anthony Cantele's been solid in the placekicking game. K-State knows to win where it counts most. This team, especially.

Time for a collection of fun facts, courtesy of the Big 12 Conference heading into eight Big 12 bowl games this postseason.

• The Big 12 has five Heisman winners since its inception in 1996, the most of any conference over that span.
• Every Big 12 team has gone to a bowl since 2008.
• Since that year, seven Big 12 teams have won bowl games.
• The Big 12 and SEC are the only conferences with 10 or more teams in which every team's played in a bowl game over the last four seasons.
• In 2012, the Big 12 will have three conference champions and seven teams ranked in the final regular season BCS rankings.
• A Big 12 player has won the Lou Groza Award as the nation's top kicker in the past two consecutive seasons. (Randy Bullock, Texas A&M; Dan Bailey, Oklahoma State)
• The Big 12 set an attendance record with an average of over 63,000 fans for each home game.
• Every Big 12 team leads its series against its bowl opponent this year, if the teams had previously met.
• Baylor leads its series against Washington, 3-1.
• Oklahoma leads its series against Iowa, 1-0.
• Kansas State leads its series against Arkansas, 3-1.
• Missouri leads its series against North Carolina, 2-0.
• Texas leads its series against Cal, 4-0.
• Iowa State and Rutgers have never met. This year will be Iowa State's 11th bowl game in school history. It's gone to the postseason twice in three years under Paul Rhoads.
• Northwestern and Texas A&M have never met.
• Oklahoma State and Stanford have never met.
• Baylor is 7-8 all-time in bowl games.
• When holding teams under 24 points, Iowa State is 15-1.
• Kansas State took home Newcomer of the Year (Arthur Brown), Coach of the Year (Bill Snyder) and Offensive Freshman of the Year (Tyler Lockett). The three awards are the most in school history.
• Missouri has 2,835 yards rushing and 2,834 yards passing. The Tigers are one of only two teams in the country to average at least 235 yards per game both through the air and on the ground.
• Oklahoma and Iowa have one common opponent: Iowa State. The Sooners won, 26-6, in Norman. Iowa lost in triple overtime in Ames, 44-41.
• Texas has played in 49 bowl games, which ranks second in the FBS.

The regular season is over, but with the end of any season, you can't help but look to the future. In college football, that means youth, i.e., freshmen.

Plenty of big talents played their first season in the Big 12 this year, and here were the best of the bunch.

It should come as no surprise that the bulk of the young talent plays offense, assuring that the Big 12's reputation as an offense-driven league looks as though it'll remain a constant.

Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas: The Longhorns were tentative to let Brown start early in the season, but he emerged as the team's top back and into the starting slot, finishing the season as the team's leading rusher, at 707 yards and five touchdowns.

Tyler Lockett, WR/KR, Kansas State: Lockett became one of K-State's best playmakers late in the year and the Big 12's best kick returner. He returned two kicks for scores and averaged more than 35 yards per return, catching 18 passes for 246 yards and three scores. No small accomplishment in the Wildcats' run-heavy offense.

Jaxon Shipley, WR, Texas: Shipley was hampered by a knee injury for much of the season, but he was the Longhorns' most reliable receiver, leading the team with three touchdown catches. He was narrowly edged for the team lead in catches (40) and receiving yards (593).

Jared Barnett, QB, Iowa State: Barnett is best known for playing an unbelievable game against Oklahoma State. He took over for Steele Jantz in midseason and led the Cyclones from 3-4 to 6-4 and a bowl berth, with a blowout win over Texas Tech and dramatic wins over OSU and Kansas. He threw for 376 yards and three scores against OSU and ran 84 more yards.

Quandre Diggs, CB, Texas: Diggs has star written all over him. Don't be surprised if he's the Big 12's best defensive back next year. He showed flashes in the spring game after enrolling early and started nine games for Texas as a true freshman. A rare feat in most years, especially for the defense. He led the team with three interceptions, forced two fumbles and had 43 tackles and 13 pass breakups. An unbelievable freshman year for the Horn.

Darrian Miller, RB, Kansas: Miller's got some great wiggle to his running style as one of the league's most elusive backs, and he ran for 559 yards and four scores on just 136 yards.

Blake Dees, LB, Texas Tech: Dees looked like a potential starter in spring practice and showed up once fall came for the Red Raiders. Despite an ankle injury that basically erased the second half of his season, he made 32 tackles with four tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

Tony Pierson, RB, Kansas: Memo to Charlie Weis: You've got a heck of a backfield; you'd better use it. Pierson, Miller and James Sims are all solid for the Jayhawks, and Pierson might have as much upside as any of them. He's an electrifying player like Miller but with more size, and he averaged more than 5.5 yards on his 71 carries, scoring three times. Here's guessing the scoring numbers and touches go up next year.

Josh Stewart, WR, Oklahoma State: Stewart was a nice piece of a powerful OSU offense and showed plenty of promise as a kick returner, too, averaging better than 20 yards on his 11 returns. He caught 19 balls for 291 yards and two scores.

Blake Bell, QB, Oklahoma: Bell redshirted before showing up midseason in the valuable BellDozer formation that OU came up with after Dominique Whaley went down with a fractured ankle. He scored an unbelievable 10 touchdowns on 34 carries, but the throwing thing could use some work. In four attempts, he completed as many passes to the other team (one) as his own.

Editor’s Note: Tune into the “AT&T ESPN All America Team Show” on Saturday (ABC, 1:30 p.m. ET) to see who ESPN’s writers and experts selected.

It's been a fun season across the Big 12, with a few big names who didn't play as well as we thought, and lots of unknowns who became household names by the end of the season.

I'll offer my comments below, but here's our All-Big 12 team for 2011.

OFFENSE

QB: Robert Griffin III, Baylor
All-purpose: Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State
RB: Terrance Ganaway, Baylor
RB: Henry Josey, Missouri
FB: Trey Millard, Oklahoma
WR: Kendall Wright, Baylor
WR: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
WR: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
TE: Michael Egnew, Missouri
C: Grant Garner, Oklahoma State
OL: Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State
OL: Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State
OL: Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma
OL: Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M

DEFENSE

DE: Frank Alexander, Oklahoma
DT: Dominique Hamilton, Missouri
DE: Alex Okafor, Texas
DE: Jamie Blatnick, Oklahoma State
LB: Sean Porter, Texas A&M
LB: Jake Knott, Iowa State
LB: Emmanuel Acho, Texas
NB: Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
CB: Nigel Malone, Kansas State
CB: Carrington Byndom, Texas
S: Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
S: Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State

SPECIALISTS

P: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
PK: Randy Bullock, Texas A&M
PR: Dustin Harris, Texas A&M
KR: Tyler Lockett, Kansas State

Finally, a few notes and explanations:

• I loved the media's idea to craft an all-purpose spot to accomodate Collin Klein. The Big Ten did the same for Michigan's Denard Robinson last season. I followed suit, and did so on the defensive side of the ball with a nickel-back spot for Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson. Two players that missed first-team designation by the coaches, but clearly deserve to be recognized.
• Additionally, I prefer the teams to reflect the Big 12 style of play, so the nickel back fits. Each team doesn't have 11 players, but there were deserving linebackers. The same with Egnew and Millard. Does every team use a fullback or a tight end? No, but both are standout performers. They'd rotate in anyway, just as Jefferson would in a theoretical package.
• Tough call to leave Philip Blake from Baylor off my team, but Garner's been better. Blake is very, very close, though.
• Hated to leave off Brodrick Brown and E.J. Gaines, but I went with a more traditional two corners and two safeties, rather than four corners like the media's team.
• Steven Johnson and Arthur Brown would have been right behind my three linebackers. That race was probably closer than at any other position, except maybe cornerback. Difficult to leave either of those guys off my first team, but the three on the team were better. I gave Brown my Newcomer of the Year nod, though.
• I don't like going with three defensive ends and one defensive tackle, but there wasn't a defensive tackle who deserved the honor more than Okafor, my third defensive end. Okafor was a defensive tackle last year anyway, so that's close enough, right? He moved from tackle to end before spring practice earlier this year. In the Big 12, an additional pass rusher is necessary, too, right?
• I made a similar move with my offensive line. Went tackle-heavy, but the guards didn't have quite as many standouts.

The Big 12 announced its league awards on Wednesday, as voted on by the league's coaches.

Coach of the Year: Bill Snyder, Kansas State
Offensive Player of the Year: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
Co-Defensive Players of the Year: A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State; Frank Alexander, DE, Oklahoma
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Grant Garner, C, Oklahoma State
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Frank Alexander, DE, Oklahoma
Offensive Freshman of the Year: Tyler Lockett, WR/KR, Kansas State
Defensive Freshman of the Year: Quandre Diggs, CB, Texas
Special Teams Player of the Year: Quinn Sharp, P/K/KOS, Oklahoma State
Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Aaron Horne, WR, Iowa State
Defensive Newcomer of the Year: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State

A few thoughts on the awards.

• Well deserved honors for Snyder as the top coach and Alexander as the top defensive lineman. Both were runaway winners in my book. Garner is a solid selection as offensive lineman of the year.
• Very surprised to see A.J. Klein share defensive player of the year awards. He had a great year, but you could definitely make the case that his teammate, Jake Knott, had one that was just as good. Iowa State's linebackers ascended to become the league's best by the end of the year, but Klein and Knott both surpassed 100 tackles. Klein had 101 tackles, two sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and an INT he returned for a score. Knott had 107 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions and three forced fumbles.
• Lockett taking home the offensive freshman of the year award was a huge upset, but certainly, voters factored in his kick returning accomplishments. He caught 18 passes for 246 yards and three scores, but returned 16 kicks for an average of 35.2 yards and two scores. That average was almost 10 full yards more than any other player.
• Still, I would have had a tough time picking between Texas running back Malcolm Brown and wideout Jaxon Shipley for that award. Both dealt with injuries late in the season (so did Lockett, though) and Brown had 707 yards rushing with five scores. Shipley caught 40 passes for 593 yards and three scores.
• I doubt any player won an award by a wider margin than Quinn Sharp did for special teams player of the year. He was nearly the best at everything in every phase of special teams. Just an unbelievable year.
• Not a lot of candidates for offensive newcomer of the year, but Horne is a good selection. The juco receiver made some huge grabs for Iowa State this year.
• No question about Arthur Brown, though, clearly.
• RG3 as the offensive player of the year is a no-brainer. He's Baylor's first winner in school history. He may soon be the school's first Heisman winner, too.

The Big 12 has been hampered by injuries in recent weeks. Missouri running back Henry Josey, the Big 12's leading rusher, was the latest to fall. He tore his ACL, MCL and patellar tendon — a situation serious enough to put his 2012 season in question.

Texas running back Fozzy Whittaker, who scored nine touchdowns this year, also went down with a torn ACL in Saturday's victory over Missouri.

Two weeks ago, Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles and Texas A&M running back Christine Michael suffered torn ACLs and will miss the remainder of the season. K-State receiver/kick returner Tyler Lockett is out for the season with a lacerated kidney.

Oklahoma running back Dominique Whaley suffered a fractured ankle and Iowa State running back Shontrelle Johnson injured his neck early in the season while he was still the Cyclones' leading rusher. Texas Tech running back Eric Stephens' likely 1,000-yard season, the first in Lubbock since Ricky Williams in 1998, ended on a dislocated knee suffered in a loss to Texas A&M.

That said, there's still plenty of big talent still standing around the injury-riddled league.

Who's the most irreplaceable?

Is it Heisman contender Brandon Weeden, who leads the league in passing yards and has dished out a league-leading 31 touchdown passes at the helm of Oklahoma State's explosive offense?

Is it do-everything quarterback Robert Griffin III at Baylor, who engineered a dramatic 21-point comeback against Kansas last week to put the Bears into the postseason for the second consecutive season after a 16-year drought?

What about OSU receiver Justin Blackmon? He's likely the biggest talent in Stillwater, and the only game he missed in the past two seasons was the one time the Cowboys were held under 30 points, a 24-14 victory over Kansas State last October.

What about the nation's leader in rushing touchdowns, K-State quarterback Collin Klein? With Josey down, he's now the Big 12's leading rusher, and only two players in the FBS have more carries.

Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones is the last man standing at OU, playing without his leading receiver, Broyles, and leading rusher, Whaley. What would happen to the Sooners if he went down?

So, who's the most irreplaceable? Vote in our poll.