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Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy was asked this week about Oklahoma and what he expects to see from the Sooners this Saturday. The answer: plenty of blitzing.

“They’re going to blitz a lot; a lot of zone pressure is what they’ve done," Gundy said. "That’s what I expect them to do, a lot of blitzing. That’s what they like to do from what it looks like on tape. They still run the ball very well and make plays on defense. Offensively, obviously they’ve had a quarterback change, which has changed them somewhat. But they have two good running backs – guys that can make you miss and make plays.

"Broyles makes plays on the perimeter. It should be very interesting, special teams will be very important. We’ve got to be sound in special times and take care of plays there. We’ve got to take care of the football and eliminate big plays on defense, tackle in space; essentially it’s what the game comes down to. Our players and coaches are very excited and looking forward to the preparation this week.”

FORT WORTH, Texas -- TCU coach Gary Patterson didn't waste any time trying to make sure his team stayed focused on beating a 1-10 New Mexico team at home to complete the school's first undefeated regular season since 1938.

Patterson is using his own experience to help keep his players motivated.

"I was at Tennessee Tech and we were 0-10 and Middle Tennessee was 10-0," Patterson said. "They were making T-shirts and everything. We beat them 12-8. So if you want to know about the history of how I am or if you think I'm going to overlook it, I won't."

Lineback Daryl Washington said Patterson has already reminded TCU about that game. Patterson was also complimentary of New Mexico.

"Everyone needs to come ready because they are coming into their own the last three or four weeks with a new staff," Patterson said. "They have playmakers and can be dangerous."

ESPN's Pat Forde has his Dash column out today and it features a couple of regional rivalry games. Here's a quick look:

Texas at Texas A&M (11), Thursday, ESPN, 8 p.m. ET. Favorite: Texas by 22½ What's at stake: Longhorns have already clinched the Big 12 South but cannot slip if they want to play for the national title. Recent history: Aggies have been underdogs annually this decade but have scored significant upsets two of the past three years and have won eight of the past 13 meetings in College Station. Which is why no Texas fan can look at this game without a little trepidation. Ancient history: Horns lead the series 74-36-5. Dash prediction: Texas 42, Texas A&M 21.

He put Oklahoma-Oklahoma State on the "rivalry undercard."

Oklahoma-Oklahoma State (16). The stakes have done a 180 from normal in the Bedlam game. Usually it's the Sooners trying to preserve BCS bowl hopes and the Cowboys hoping to make their season with an upset. Not this year. Oklahoma State has its eyes on a possible Fiesta Bowl bid, while Oklahoma is playing for pride and a winning record amid a lousy season. Even with the legitimate and oft-recited injury excuse, it's a horrible year when the Sooners go 6-5. Dash stat: Oklahoma is averaging 47.3 ppg in its wins and 12.4 ppg in its losses. Dash prediction: Oklahoma 21, Oklahoma State 20. Can't pick the Cowboys with QB Zac Robinson's status up in the air.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was asked about getting ready for Texas A&M and if he treats it like a playoff game of sorts.

"This game, the A&M game, will be the last game in our four-game stretch that we have," McCoy said. "We try to divide the season into four-game stretches and this is the last one, so it's all about finish. I guess you could say it's a playoff mentality because we've got to finish. We've got a lot of goals ahead of us and we haven't taken care of business like we wanted to in the past in this game. So for us, it's really going to be a mental preparation week to be able to go back to work with only a five-day turnaround and really focus mentally."

Sounds like a coach, doesn't he? McCoy expects a fired up A&M team on Thursday night.

"When you watch them on film, when you watch a game that they win, they're flying around," McCoy said. "They're flying to the football. They're in the right places and making tackles. In the other games, it's tough to see. We know that when we step on the field we're going to get their best shot. They're going to be hot, so we've got to be able to handle it."

There is some internet chatter about Gary Patterson and the Kansas job should the Jayhawks decide to get rid of Mark Mangino. Some of the fan sites are talking about Patterson among other names.

ESPN's Sports Rumor Central talked about it Tuesday morning and noted that it didn't seem like a good move for Patterson. I have to agree.

I think Patterson is at the point now where he doesn't have to jump at the first Big 12 or SEC opportunity. He can be picky. If it's a top-level job in those conferences, he has to consider it. Does Kansas fit that mold? At this point, I would say no. Some fans talked about Patterson being a Kansas State grad and that he wouldn't take the Kansas job. I don't think that should have anything to do with it.

The other thing to consider is the timing. If I'm Patterson, it has to be something really special to pull me away from TCU right now. This is a young team. They'll lose Jerry Hughes and Daryl Washington, but they return nearly everyone on offense, including all by one starter on the offensive line and quarterback Andy Dalton. There's no reason to think TCU can't turn around and have another great season in 2010. And if they win a BCS bowl, they could enter next season ranked in the top 10, so moving up and being in position to play for a national title would not be out of the question.

If Notre Dame calls, Patterson has to listen. (Yes, I still think Notre Dame is a good job). But not Kansas.

You agree?

That's my opinion, anyway. The TCU coach was named one of three finalists for the George Munger Award as Collegiate Coach of the Year. Temple's Al Golden and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly are the other finalists.

Temple is a tremendous story as Golden has turned that program around. Kelly does an excellent job with Cincinnati, who is right behind the Frogs in the standings.

And while this is supposed to be a yearly award, shouldn't a body of work factor into the decision a little? Either way, Patterson should get the hardware.

This year alone is impressive. He's got TCU at No. 4 in the country and 11-0. They've beaten three teams currently ranked in the top 20 of the USA Today (coaches) poll and they've won two of those on the road. And he's done it with a group that has just six seniors in the starting lineup.

But Patterson has put together double-digit wins in six of the last eight seasons. That includes five 11-win seasons since 2003. His career winning percentage (.757) is fifth among active coaches.

Kelly and Golden have solid resumes. But this season, TCU not only has an undefeated record, but has been consistent in all phases of the game. Patterson should get this award. Am I wrong?

A gaggle of Big 12 players are finalists for some of the major awards handed out at the end of the season.

That includes Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, who is a finalist for Maxwell Award (nation's most oustanding player) and the Davey O'Brien Award (top quarterback). TCU's Jerry Hughes is also up for two awards as a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (outstanding defensive player) and Lombardi (outstanding down lineman). Here's a look at some other Big 12/area players up for awards:

Jordan Shipley, Texas -- Biletnikoff Award finalist (top receiver)

Sergio Kindle, Texas (Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas) -- Butkus Award finalist (top linebacker)

Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska -- Lombari Award (outstanding down lineman), Bronko Nagurski Trophy (outstanding defensive player) and Outland Trophy (outstanding interior lineman) finalist

Russell Okung, Oklahoma State -- Outland Trophy (outstanding interior lineman) finalist

Earl Thomas, Texas -- Jim Thorpe Award (outstanding defensive back) finalist

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach praised quarterback Taylor Potts, who helped lead the Red Raiders to a win over Oklahoma on Saturday. Potts was 35-for-53 for 388 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The win made Texas Tech bowl eligible.

"I thought he played really well," Leach said during the Big 12 coaches teleconference on Monday. "The most important job a quarterback has is to run the unit. I thought he did a great job running the unit. That defense (at Oklahoma) is everything it’s cracked up to be. Those are the same guys as last year, with a bunch of draft picks over there. It's a defense I really respect and I was really proud of how we played against them."

Texas Tech is busy preparing to face Baylor on Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

They could. But they've got some ground to make up to do it.

We've talked the last few weeks about TCU and their chances of making the national title game should Texas slip up. And we'll discuss it more in the next few weeks too. But the reality is for TCU to be that "next team" waiting for someone to give them a championship chance, they have to be ahead of Cincinnati in the BCS standings.

I talked with ESPN BCS analyst Brad Edwards about this. There are a few things to keep in mind:

1. If Cincinnati can get very close to TCU in the human polls, the computers could push them enough to get them ahead of TCU. But Edwards said they'd have to be closer than they are now.

2. TCU has a decent lead on Cincinnati in the Harris Interactive and USA Today polls. Cincinnati remains behind TCU in both of those polls and Edwards thinks that's unlikely to change, barring a really impressive Cincinnati victory over Pittsburgh on the road (and even then, it's no guarantee).

3. Cincinnati is No. 3 in the computers and TCU is No. 5. Florida is wedged in between the two teams. Should Florida lose in the SEC championship game, TCU could close that computer gap on Cincinnati, making it tougher on the Bearcats to leapfrog them.

4. But, should the loser of the SEC title game wedge itself between TCU and Cincinnati in the computers (Alabama, for example), that could help the Bearcats.

5. Keep an eye on next Sunday's BCS standings. TCU and Cincinnati play teams that won't help them much in the computers, but the Bearcats' opponent is slightly better. If Cincinnati has extended its computer lead on TCU, that means the ground the Bearcats need to make up in the polls the following week won't be as much.

6. There are a handful of games the weekend of Dec. 5 that could impact TCU. First, if Clemson wins the ACC championship, that will help TCU's computer ranking even though the Frogs aren't playing. Second, Oregon State plays Oregon that week. Cincinnati beat Oregon State on the road, so a trip to Pasadena by Oregon State could help Cincinnati. Third, Cincinnati has a chance -- without TCU playing -- to get a signature win at Pittsburgh on Dec. 5. Would that sway voters?

The bottom line: Cincinnati has work to do to get past TCU. They could do it, but depending on other results and the computers, it might take a really solid win at Pittsburgh to pull it off. Of course, all of this is also dependent on Cincinnati beating Illinois this weekend.

"With TCU not playing on Dec. 5, if Cincinatti were to have an impressive win at Pittsburgh, there might be some voters that react to that and it becomes and out of sight, out of mind thing for TCU," Edwards said. "But Cincinnati would have to make up some ground in the polls because I don’t think that margin is going to get much bigger in the computers. It could get bigger, but if you factor in the SEC championship loss or a Texas loss, it would narrow back. It will be close if Cincinnati wins out."

The one other thing that could alter this is if Illinois plays Cincinnati close. A struggling win when you're fighting with another undefeated team can really hurt. Same for TCU. They need a big win over New Mexico to make sure voters don't have an excuse to reevaluate Cincinnati.

It should be interesting to see what happens.

Texas senior quarterback Colt McCoy was named the Big 12 offensive player of the week for his performance against Kansas on Saturday.

McCoy was 32-for-41 for 396 yards and four touchdowns. He became the all-time winningest quarterback in NCAA major college history with 43 victories.

This is the second time McCoy has won the award this season, also getting it after the Missouri game in October.