ESPN

Chris Low discusses the defensive playmakers who made their presence felt for Texas A&M this spring as the Aggies prepare for their first season in the SEC.

As part of “College Football Live’s” 100 Days Till Kickoff countdown, here’s a look at the top 10 players in the Big 12.

Note: This is a separate list from our preseason top 25 players. We'll tackle that later. It might be a lot different. It might be much of the same.

1. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia: Geno's a newcomer to the Big 12, but putting up big numbers is nothing new for the senior, who threw for 4,385 yards last season. Only one quarterback threw for more, but Smith had two more touchdown passes and eight fewer interceptions than the No. 2 quarterback on this list. Smith also completed nearly 3 percent more of his passes.

2. Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma: Jones checks in at No. 2 as the Big 12's leading returning passer, and will try to climb back in 2012 to give the Sooners another Big 12 title. Jones is the Big 12's most experienced quarterback, which should pay off the fall.

3. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State: Klein was the league's No. 4 rusher and threw for 1,900 yards? You can't argue with that production, and Klein accounted for 69.8 percent of the Wildcats' offense. That's insane. His importance to K-State can't be understated.

4. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia: Austin's the most dangerous playmaker in the Big 12, a true triple threat as a receiver, runner and kick/punt returner. He's the Big 12's No. 2 returning receiver, but he also returned two kicks for touchdowns in 2011, joining two other Big 12 returners who duplicated that feat last season.

5. Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State: Knott was outplayed by teammate A.J. Klein last season, but not by much. Knott was also playing through injuries. He's a superior talent, and like Klein, there's no arguing with his production. He's made 244 tackles in the past two seasons.

6. Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State: Randle is the Big 12's leading returning rusher and should see an increased workload from his 208 carries last season. He turned those into 24 touchdowns to come three short of the Big 12 record.

7. Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State: Brown's one of the league's most impressive freak athletes, a cruise missile of a linebacker who doesn't miss tackles in the open field and gets there faster than any true linebacker in the league. (You nickelbacks don't count.)

8. Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas: Vaccaro's the most versatile talent on a loaded Texas defense, and as a roaming nickelback, offenses must account for where he is on every snap. He's also got a case as the hardest hitter in the Big 12.

9. Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas: Who has two last names and is the Big 12's returning sack leader? This guy. His 8.5 sacks were 1.5 more than any other returner in the Big 12, and he made four more tackles for loss (17) than any other returner, too.

10. Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia: Bailey's a more traditional receiver in WVU's offense and he's taken advantage. He's the league's leading returning receiver and offers the Mountaineers a steady, dangerous target with sure hands who will help make WVU arguably the league's most dangerous offense.

Hey, you stay at the top long enough, people get tired of seeing you there.

Such is life as Mack Brown and Bob Stoops.

This year, we asked who got you fired up the most, and Brown and Stoops ran away with the poll.

Stoops hauled in 39 percent of the vote, while Brown checked in with 37 percent.

They couldn't be any more different in personality, but they have one big thing in common: They win. If a coach kept beating your team, you wouldn't like it much, either.

Stoops got the OSU faithful fired up last season when he needled them for recognizing a co-Big 12 South title in 2010. He's won the biggest of any coach in the Big 12, and until the past two seasons, Brown had won with the most consistency.

That streak of nine consecutive 10-win seasons came to a screeching halt with a 5-7 campaign in 2010, leading more than a few to question Brown's coaching prowess. Could he be as effective at another school? What if you plopped him right in the middle of Ames? Would you still be impressed?

And at Texas, which has all the resources -- both financial and recruiting -- anyone could ever want, shouldn't a coach win more than one national title in 14 seasons?

Maybe that's fair. Maybe it's not. Only eight coaches currently coaching college football even have one national title. Stoops and Brown are both in that group.

The duo has outlasted every other Big 12 coach. No one in the league has been at their current schools longer. (Yes, Bill Snyder's three-year sabbatical disqualifies him.)

Before last season, Snyder was the only coach to swipe a Big 12 title from Brown and Stoops since 2001.

Hate them if you must. Pardon them if they don't stop winning long enough to notice.

The days of the Rose Bowl being the bowl of bowls could soon be coming to an end now that the SEC and the Big 12 have agreed on a five-year bowl partnership.

The new deal, announced Friday, will have the champions of the Big 12 and SEC meet in a New Year's Day bowl game annually beginning with the 2014 season. So while it won’t have the tradition of the Rose Bowl, it’ll have the viewers and it’ll have the popularity.

We’re seeing more and more how power is truly the most important component in college football, and this is a great example. Soon, we’ll have the two best BCS conferences going at it in their own special bowl competing with the beloved Rose Bowl.

We’re joined on the SEC blog by Big 12 blogger David Ubben to get his thoughts on what this means for the Big 12. We’re gentlemen down here in SEC country, so we’ll let him go first:

David Ubben: Rose Bowl, we love you. Not as much as Jim Delany does, but I'm not sure anyone can stake that claim. Anyway, it's time to face an unfortunate truth: You've been one-upped. The unnamed, unplaced bowl partnership between the Big 12 and SEC won't have the same level of tradition, but it will feature better teams. That's a powerful draw.
The BCS has played 14 national title games since its birth. The Big 12 or SEC have participated in 12 of them. Teams from the league have met in the game twice.

Now, they'll have another big stage to showcase their top teams. If a Big 12 or SEC champion is in the four-team playoff that will likely begin in the 2014 season, the next-best team will fill their place in the annual game. Deciding who plays in that game is up to each conference. The nation's two best conferences will get a much-needed opportunity to face one another on the field and test the hotly debated offense vs. defense theories on the field annually. The nation's college football fans were robbed of that when Oklahoma State was squeezed out of the national title game for SEC West second-place finisher Alabama. This year, the SEC and Big 12 only play once, when eight-win Texas travels to face two-win Ole Miss in September. Not exactly must-see TV.

This will be.

It assures the Big 12 a place at the adults' table of college football, further extending the distance between college football's top four leagues -- the SEC, Big 12, Pac-12 and Big Ten, in that order -- and the ACC and Big East. The ACC and Big East have the Orange Bowl, but any game like the SEC and Big 12 put together will pale in comparison when it comes to TV ratings and more importantly, TV money.

Only a few months ago, the Big 12 had eight teams, with half the league considering a move to the Pac-12 and the conference on life support. Things are looking very different now. It's about to sign a giant television deal, likely extending the grant of rights into the next decade and assuring stability at least through then, and probably beyond.

Tired of getting stuck playing Boise State and UConn in everything to lose, nothing to gain BCS bowl matchups? Seven-time Big 12 champion Oklahoma won't have to worry about that anymore, and even if the Sooners are in the forthcoming national championship playoff, the next-best Big 12 team will have a quality opponent to prove itself against.

Another plus for the Big 12? The Cotton Bowl's odds of getting into the BCS as it stood were minimal. Now? It's still in flux, but does anyone want to bet against Jerry Jones and his wallet to get this game in his Dallas palace at some point? That's a big game in the Big 12 footprint, something that's never happened on the BCS bowl stage.

How will this affect Florida State, too? News has surely reached Tallahassee by now, and the Florida State spear-toting brass have to be wondering how much this factors into their wandering eye toward the Big 12. Is the ACC the place to be?

We'll find out soon, but on Jan. 1, 2015, there will be only one place to be.

This game.

Edward Aschoff: I couldn’t agree more with pretty much everything you said. There’s no question that both of these leagues have dominated the BCS since its first year in 1998. The conferences have been left out of the national championship just twice in the last 14 years and the SEC has participated in -- and won -- eight. The Big 12 has won two of its seven appearances.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive has just about everything he wants in his conference, but he hasn’t had the Rose Bowl. Sure, all those national championship trophies are nice, but an annual game like the Rose Bowl commands respect. The game that the Big Ten and Pac-12 covet so much, and is watched by millions annually, will now get a major run for its money. While they’ll be played in different time slots, there’s no question that this will turn into the ultimate popularity contest. If you could sense that Big Ten-SEC tension before, just wait. Now, the SEC will be looking down on the Big Ten and picking at the game it holds so dear. Don’t think that didn’t cross the commissioner’s mind when he was thinking about this deal.

The SEC has truly been front and center in the college football world for the past six years with its 6-0 record in BCS championships, and now it will pursue a game it thinks can have the gusto of the Rose. This is a great opportunity for the SEC to build another fine tradition for the country’s top college football conference. And fans/the media want to see more of these matchups. For the most part, we're all deprived of them during the regular season, so here's a chance for us to win something as well. These two conferences need to play more. The best should always play the best, and as David said, we can finally settle the whole offense-defense debate.

This also means that more SEC teams have the chance to play in a primetime, marquee matchup in January. If this had been in place last season, Arkansas, which certainly had a BCS-caliber team, would have played in a BCS-like bowl, since Alabama and LSU met in the title game. The Cotton Bowl got the matchup this game would have received, but it would have been on a much grander scale and much more attention would have been paid to it. Oh, and much more money would have come out of it.

It would likely help the SEC this year too, as there could be as many as five teams jockeying for BCS position. Imagine if the four-team playoff took place this season? You might have two more SEC teams fighting for a chance at a national championship, meaning this game would give No. 3 a chance strut its stuff in front of its own grand audience.

There’s no question that with a four-team playoff, the SEC will have more opportunities to put teams in the national championship, continuing its dominance. Now, Slive has helped to ensure that a high-caliber team left out of the championship hunt will still play in a game that will command the type of attention that comes with a BCS bowl.

The champions of the Big 12 and SEC conferences will meet in a bowl game annually, sources have told ESPN.com.

The agreement will begin with the 2014 season, with the champions of each conference meeting provided that neither team is in the BCS national championship game.

An announcement is set for noon ET later today.

For more on this story, go here.

Colleague Mark Schlabach uncorked his post-spring top 25 on Friday, which included six Big 12 teams. Here's a look at how he slotted them.

1. LSU
2. USC
3. Alabama
4. Oregon
5. Georgia
6. Oklahoma
7. FSU
8. West Virginia
9. Michigan
10. South Carolina
11. Michigan State
12. Stanford
13. Arkansas
14. TCU
15. Wisconsin
16. Clemson
17. Ohio State
18. Kansas State
19. Texas
20. Florida
21. Washington
22. Oklahoma State
23. Virginia Tech
24. Nebraska
25. Georgia Tech

A few thoughts:

[+] Enlarge
Peter G. Aiken/Getty ImagesWith an experienced QB in Landry Jones, Oklahoma looks primed for a successful 2012 season.
• It's crazy to me just how different OU feels this year from last year, and yet, it's only five spots lower in the preseason. Last year's band of Sooners was as loaded as any we've seen in a long time (Can I mention the 2009 team without getting punched?), but was obviously undone by a rough night against Texas Tech and injuries. This year's team doesn't feel like a juggernaut, but it's solid, and looking around at the teams below it, Oklahoma's right where it belongs. These Sooners aren't as scary as some, but they're fully capable of winning big in 2012.
• I like where West Virginia's slotted. I had the Mountaineers at No. 11 on my pre-spring top 25, but I wanted to move them up a few spots after seeing them up close. No. 8 is about right. How the defense handles the Big 12 will decide how successful WVU is in Big 12 play. I've got zero questions about the offense, outside of wanting to see some more consistency in Year 2 under Dana Holgorsen.
• TCU's right where it should be, too. There doesn't seem to be a lot of disagreement on the Frogs this offseason. I had them at No. 14. Our ESPN experts poll had them at an average of 14. There they are again on Schlabach's ballot.
• Meanwhile, poor K-State. Folks are all over the map on these guys. Phil Steele had K-State well outside his top 25, and you could certainly talk me into that. You could also talk me into K-State as a top-10 team, too. I had it at No. 10 on my poll, but I'm not going to begrudge anyone for putting K-State at No. 18. That's probably about where it will land, maybe a little lower. I'm just higher on the SnyderCats than most.
• Meanwhile, I'm sort of talking myself into Texas the more I see and read about the team. The defense legitimately will be terrifying. The numbers won't show it in the Big 12, but at season's end, I predict Texas will have a legit claim as the nation's best defense. Just absolutely loaded. The offense will be better, but how much better? Let me get a look at the new David Ash in action before I commit one way or the other on the Horns. For now, anything between 15-25 is reasonable. UT deserves a top-25 spot for sure, though.
• My biggest beef is on Oklahoma State. The Cowboys lose Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon and Josh Cooper. Those are huge losses. There's no denying that. However, OSU brings back just about everyone else, outside of safety Markelle Martin, who was a big hitter, but left me wanting a whole lot in terms of his cover skills. He's a loss in leadership, but OSU can replace him on the field. I'm definitely higher on OSU than most. I'd put them inside the top 20 for sure, even with a true freshman at QB.

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby refused to address Florida State by name this week when asked about expansion, but made it clear the issue would remain on the Big 12's agenda, like every conference.

ACC commissioner John Swofford took a similar approach when asked about the possibility of Florida State leaving for the Big 12.

"I don't deal in hypotheticals, I deal with what's tangible. It's what we're doing as a league with the current 12-, soon to be 14-membership league, and we're moving ahead on the basis of that full membership."

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said over the weekend that Florida State should do what's best for Florida State, but at the ACC spring meetings this week, altered his stance.

"We're in the ACC and that's where we're at. I'm not a decision-maker," he said.

Where does it stand for now?

"Florida State's been an excellent member of the ACC," Swofford said during a media briefing Wednesday. "We're looking now at a league that is currently 12, soon to be 14 in nine contiguous states that covers the entire Eastern seaboard that has just extraordinary potential. We've got 14 valuable members and Florida State is certainly one of them.

"It has been, and I would anticipate that it will continue to be, a very beneficial relationship to both parties, which is what it should be."

For more on this story, go here.

If you've missed our look back at the projections from 2011, here's what you've missed.

Predicting interceptions is near impossible, so we don't even try. Don't believe me?

Of the Big 12's seven leading returning ball hawks in 2011, only Iowa State LB Jake Knott (No. 1) and Kansas State safety Ty Zimmerman (No. 7) had more than one interception that season.

Sometimes players disappoint or suffer injuries. Sometimes quarterbacks refuse to throw their way.

Want a fun stat from 2011 that'll give you hope for Big 12 defenses? Of the league's top 10 interception leaders, nine return. We'll break down the top six right here. Each of the players have at least four interceptions. Newcomers TCU and West Virginia don't have a single player with more than two picks.

So what do we know from this list? We'll find out soon. Either way, here are the Big 12's best returning ball hawks in 2012.

1. Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State: Don't act like you're not impressed. Malone walked in last spring as a junior college transfer and earned a starting spot. Try to restrain your shock, but he had a huge year under Bill Snyder, who's got as good of a nose for jucos as anyone in college football. Malone's seven interceptions were two more than any other player in the Big 12 and ranked third nationally.

2. Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State: Gilbert was already a physical freak, one of the fastest players in the league and a lethal kick returner. Like Malone, Gilbert was a first-year starter and finished his first year in huge fashion. Gilbert picked off five passes and returns as a junior with sky-high expectations and NFL scouts peering in his direction.

3. Brodrick Brown, CB, Oklahoma State: They call him the Bulldog around Stillwater, and for good reason. While the speedy, 6-foot, 194-pound Gilbert has all the measurables, Brown is all heart at 5-foot-8, 183 pounds. Every week, he goes up against bigger, physical receivers and he still ended the season with five picks, just like Gilbert. OSU and Texas both have arguments as the league's best set of corners, and Brown, who will be a senior, is half the reason why.

4. K.J. Morton, CB, Baylor: Morton is one of four Big 12 talents with four picks in 2011. The juco transfer came on late in 2011, picking off all four of his passes in Baylor's final three regular-season games. There's plenty of excitement for what he could do in 2012, too.

5. Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma: Jefferson's four picks feel a bit unfair, considering that he picked off three of them in three consecutive possessions in a 62-6 shellacking of Ball State. His fourth came a week later. Jefferson was quiet late in the season on the interception front, but made plenty of plays elsewhere for the defense. Look for him to pick off passes with more consistency as a traditional safety in 2012 in Mike Stoops' defense, as opposed to playing linebacker last season in Brent Venables' defense.

6. Quandre Diggs, CB, Texas: Diggs is the only freshman on this list, and that says a whole lot. Diggs showed big promise as an early enrollee this time last spring and validated it in the fall, earning a starting job and leading the team in interceptions. Diggs picked off passes in comeback wins over BYU and Texas A&M, and grabbed his fourth in the bowl win over Cal. I'd venture to say Diggs has more upside than any player on this list. His sophomore season should be really fun to watch.

You saw us break down each team's 2012 nonconference schedule, and, well, it wasn't pretty.

So what's it look like if we skim off the top? Here are the Big 12's top five nonconference games in 2012:

1. Notre Dame at Oklahoma, Oct. 27: Chalk this game up as the lone Big 12 game against a team in the ESPN preseason top 25. Notre Dame checks in at No. 24, and even though the Irish have meager expectations in 2012, the Big 12 has to take what it can get in this one. These are two of the most storied programs in all of college football, and simply seeing the gold helmets and red helmets with the OU logo on Owen Field will be fun.

2. Oklahoma State at Arizona, Sept. 8: OSU has beaten the pants off of Arizona the past two times they played, including the Alamo Bowl in 2010 and a blowout in Stillwater last season. This time, it'll be a lot different. For one, OSU is heading out to Tucson. For another, former West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez is taking over for new Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops as the head Wildcat. This one should be fun for the young Pokes.

3. Miami at Kansas State, Sept. 8: These two played down to the wire in the Miami mud last season. Collin Klein was bleeding all over everybody (literally) and K-State's dream season got its first big boost. As double-digit underdogs, a last-second goal-line stand gave the Wildcats an upset (?) win. Miami went on to win six games. K-State won 10. They say the sequel's always a disappointment, but sign me up for this one.

4. TCU at SMU, Sept. 29: Speaking of sequels, SMU pulled off a mammoth upset in the Battle for the Iron Skillet last year. The Mustangs raced to 17-0 second-quarter and 33-17 fourth-quarter leads, but TCU rallied to tie the game with 76 seconds to play. Then SMU sprung the upset in overtime. Now, TCU rejoined its Southwest Conference brethen in the Big 12. SMU's still on the outside looking in. Expect plenty more bad blood in this rivalry.

5. Texas at Ole Miss, Sept. 15: Hey, I'm serious. You've got to take what you can get. This is the only matchup of the entire season between the Big 12 and the SEC, and it looks like a bit of a mismatch. Texas travels to The Grove, but Ole Miss will be trying to find itself under new coach Hugh Freeze, while Texas begins the road to proving it's a team back on its feet as a national power. Will Ole Miss stand in the way?

All nonconference schedules are not created equal. Some schedule ambitiously. Others prefer to pay for wins. To each his own. We'll be keeping track either way.

Some games were cancelled, others were late fill-ins. Here's how it stands, from most to least difficult.

1. Oklahoma -- at UTEP, Florida A&M, Notre Dame

The Sooners can't help that Notre Dame can't get its act together, but the storied program will visit Norman in October. Oklahoma also had to put together a last-minute game to kick off its season, traveling to El Paso to face the Miners, who went 5-7 in 2011. Florida A&M is an FCS opponent, but won't be bringing its band. The gap between the Sooners' schedule difficulty and everyone else's isn't very wide this year. The saddest truth? Oklahoma's game vs. Notre Dame is the only game featuring a Big 12 vs. a team in the ESPN preseason top 25.

2. Iowa State -- Tulsa, at Iowa, Western Illinois

Western Illinois is dreadful, but traveling to Iowa City for a rivalry game won't be easy. That's especially true after ISU knocked off the 7-6 Hawkeyes in Ames in triple overtime last year. Tulsa lost star QB G.J. Kinne, but the Golden Hurricane have established themselves as a solid program.

3. West Virginia -- Marshall, James Madison (in Landover, Md.), Maryland

West Virginia's the only team playing an FCS team on a neutral field, but a rivalry game vs. 7-6 Marshall to open the season should be fun. Maryland was awful in 2011, going just 2-10 under Randy Edsall and lost QB Danny O'Brien. At this point, we should realize the harsh truth: The Big 12 nonconference schedule is pretty sad this year. West Virginia canceled a scheduled game vs. Florida State to make room for the Big 12 schedule.

4. Oklahoma State -- Savannah State, at Arizona, Louisiana-Lafayette

OSU will brave a trip to Tucson to face a brand-new Rich Rodriguez team. Louisiana-Lafayette is a little underrated and went 9-4 last year.

5. TCU -- Grambling, Virginia, at SMU

TCU gets points for going on the road against June Jones' SMU team, who beat TCU in Fort Worth in overtime last season. Virginia was 8-5 last season and growing under Mike London, but Grambling will be a dip into the FCS pool.

6. Texas -- Wyoming, New Mexico, at Ole Miss

Texas' schedule looks decent, but it's not too difficult. New Mexico was dreadful under Mike Locksley, and will try to rebuild under Bob Davie. Wyoming is underrated and playing well under former Mizzou OC Dave Christensen; the Cowboys went 8-5 last season. The Longhorns are the only Big 12 team playing an SEC team this year, but Ole Miss didn't win a conference game last year and has a new coach in Hugh Freeze.

7. Kansas State -- Missouri State, Miami, North Texas

Missouri State is an FCS team without its starting QB, and K-State will get to see a familiar face in former Iowa State coach Dan McCarney at North Texas. He's a new coach, though, and UNT went 5-7 last year. Miami's a big name, but the Hurricanes went just 6-6 last season and are still growing under Al Golden. K-State is the only Big 12 team playing every nonconference game in its home stadium.

8. Kansas -- South Dakota State, Rice, at Northern Illinois

KU needs wins badly, and Rice won't be a gimme. The Jayhawks won a barnburner against the MAC champs at Northern Illinois, but that Sept. 22 matchup won't be easy, either. NIU won 11 games in 2011.

9. Baylor -- SMU, Sam Houston State, at Louisiana-Monroe

Yet another Big 12 team who won't be playing against major conference competition in 2012. SMU is a good team, but SHS is an FCS team and Monroe went 4-8 in the Sun Belt.

10. Texas Tech -- Northwestern State, at Texas State, New Mexico

Tech is inexplicably playing at Texas State, who will be in its first year outside the FCS, but that doesn't make the Red Raiders' annual stinker of a nonconference schedule much better. Texas Tech hasn't played a major conference team out of conference since games at NC State and Ole Miss in 2003.

What's that you hear? The faint whispers of realignment rumormongering?

Oh, we all hear them. And when they happen, it's time to compare the prospective team to its possible future home.

We always do these for the Big 12, and I definitely always learn a thing or two. I hope you do, too.

Here's our history:

• Nebraska vs. the Big Ten
• Texas A&M vs. the SEC
• TCU vs. the Big 12
• Missouri vs. the Big Ten
• Missouri vs. the SEC
• West Virginia vs. the Big 12

So, these Seminoles are a possibility for the Big 12? Some don't see favorable outcomes for FSU if it moved to the Big 12, and really, all-time records only tell us so much, but here's how Florida State has matched up with the rest of the Big 12.

Baylor

• Florida State is 1-2 all-time vs. the Bears, but the last meeting was in 1974.

Iowa State

• Florida State is 1-1 all-time vs. the Cyclones.
• The Seminoles narrowly edged Seneca Wallace and ISU in the season opener in Kansas City, 38-31. FSU led 31-14 at half, but Wallace led ISU back to within 38-31 early in the fourth quarter.

Kansas

• Florida State is 5-2 all-time vs. Kansas, but haven't met the Jayhawks since 1993.
• In that 1993 game, FSU tromped the Jayhawks, 47-0, on the way to its first national title.

Kansas State

• Florida State is 3-0 all-time against the Wildcats, but haven't met them since 1977. In Manhattan, that equates to the year 12 B.S. (Before Snyder).

Oklahoma

• Florida State is an eye-popping 1-6 all-time vs. Oklahoma.
• The Sooners beat FSU 13-2 in the 2000 Orange Bowl to win the national title.
• Last year, Oklahoma marched into Tallahassee and won, 23-13, with ESPN's College Gameday in attendance.

Oklahoma State

• Florida State is 3-1 all-time vs. OSU, but haven't met the Cowboys since 1985.
• Florida State won that game, the 1985 Gator Bowl, 34-23.

Texas

• Texas and Florida State have never played. I blame Dan Beebe.

TCU

• Florida State is 1-2 all-time vs. TCU, but the two teams haven't met since waaaaay back in 1965. I was only eight years old that day, but I remember bits and pieces of the game. FSU won the season opener in Fort Worth, 7-3.

Texas Tech

• Florida State is 4-1 all-time vs. Texas Tech.
• The two teams haven't met since 1987. FSU won that game, a season opener in Tallahassee, 40-16.

West Virginia

• Florida State is an impressive 3-0 vs. West Virginia.
• The two teams last met in 2009, and FSU beat the Mountaineers 33-21 in the Gator Bowl.
• The Seminoles and WVU were scheduled to meet in 2012, but WVU canceled the game to make room for a new nine-game conference schedule in the Big 12, instead of the seven-game conference schedule used in the Big East.

Overall record: 22-15

New Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby doesn't want to see any future expansion in college athletics, but recent events have given him no choice but to put the issue on the Big 12's agenda, as it is on other conferences'.

My opinion," he told USA Today on Tuesday, "is college athletics would be well served by some period of smooth water and not all of the angst and disorganization that goes with moves from one league to another."

We've heard that from the Big 12. Florida State is forcing Bowlsby's hand, though he wouldn't mention the school by name.

"I think the topic of expansion will be on every agenda going forward. But it's on every other conference's agenda going forward, too," Bowlsby told the paper.

Over the weekend, Florida State's chairman of its board of trustees opened up a big ol' can of realignment worms, however, when he offered credence to a long-held rumor rumbling around college sports. Could Florida State leave for the Big 12?

"On behalf of the Board of Trustees I can say that unanimously we would be in favor of seeing what the Big 12 might have to offer. We have to do what is in Florida State's best interest," Andy Haggard told Warchant.com.

So, here we are. After two years of attrition and a role as the hunted, the Big 12 is doing some hunting of its own? Or is it? The league just added TCU and West Virginia for 2012 after Texas A&M and Missouri bolted for the SEC, leaving the Big 12 with eight members. That move was a year after Nebraska and Colorado left the Big 12 for the Big Ten and Pac-12, respectively, costing the conference its namesake. Could Florida State move the Big 12 one step closer to a return to 12 members?

Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds tamped down some of the discussion, telling the Austin American-Statesman that there was "no traction" to the reports.

He did not add a "yet" on the end of that sentence, but more than a few assumed that was the case. How could the Big 12 and Florida State at least not sit down at a table for an exchange of ideas?

Where does the Big 12 stand right now? Bowlsby's not showing his hand.

"It's all about driving value for the member institutions," Bowlsby said. "There is a case to be made for optimal value being driven by the status quo, and there is a case to be made for some form of expansion. And I'm not prejudging or adopting either side of that right now."

He is, however, discussing it. And while that happens, there won't be many calm waters in college football.

We finished our Ultimate Big 12 Road Trip: 2012 this week, and it's time to take a gander at how it shook out:

• Week 1: West Virginia vs. Marshall
• Week 2: Kansas State vs. Miami
• Week 3: Texas at Ole Miss
• Week 4: Kansas State at Oklahoma
• Week 5: Texas at Oklahoma State
• Week 6: West Virginia at Texas
• Week 7: Oklahoma vs. Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas
• Week 8: Kansas State at West Virginia
• Week 9: Notre Dame at Oklahoma
• Week 10: Oklahoma State at Kansas State
• Week 11: Kansas State at TCU
• Week 12: Oklahoma at West Virginia
• Week 13: Oklahoma State at Oklahoma
• Week 14: Oklahoma at TCU

Some of you were, well, not happy about my weekly selections. Shocking, I know.

Josh in Goleta, Calif., writes: Dear Mr. Ubben,Your ultimate road trip is the ultimate joke. In 12 weeks you have listed 6 teams out of 10. Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech were left out. How were these teams were left out thus far? I could think of at least 4 games that could be switched because of a better rivalry with the 4 teams left out. Your focus is just to narrow. Your blog is ok, but I'm not looking for a bandwagon blogger. You were all Oklahoma last year and this year your all Kansas State. Same old stuff. Very boring. Even the people commenting on the blog are getting boring their the same people. Your leadership is lacking, and I let ESPN know it in a similar e-mail to this one that I sent to the network. I'd suggest you begin to include the entire readership before you get s***-canned. Josh

Ouch. Well, Josh, I hate to break it to you, but we operate this blog like a meritocracy. I write about every team, but a visit to a game during the season?

You earn those by winning. My goal isn't to see every team. It's to see every game that's relevant in the Big 12 title race.

Here's how it shook out by team:

• Kansas State (4) -- One home game, three road games
• Oklahoma (6) -- Three home games, two road games, one neutral site
• Oklahoma State (3) -- Two road games, one home game
• Texas (4) -- Two road games, one home game, one neutral site
• TCU (2) -- Two home games
• West Virginia (4) -- Three home games, one road game

That's a pretty great season of Big 12 football. I took this trip week by week. I didn't start out at the beginning hoping to see this team X many times or this team X many times.

I want to see the best game in the Big 12 every week. This is what that schedule looks like. Want to change that between now and December? There's one solution, Big 12 teams.

Win.

What do you think about The Ultimate Big 12 Road Trip?

2011 overall record: 7-6
2011 conference record: 4-5

Returning starters

Offense: 8; defense: 6; kicker/punter: 1

Top returners

RB Christine Michael, WR Ryan Swope, OT Luke Joeckel, OT Jake Matthews, DE Damontre Moore, LB Sean Porter, LB Jonathan Stewart, S Steven Campbell

Key losses

QB Ryan Tannehill, RB Cyrus Gray, WR Jeff Fuller, PK Randy Bullock, DT Tony Jerod-Eddie, CB Terrence Frederick, S Trent Hunter

2011 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Cyrus Gray (1,045 yards)
Passing: Ryan Tannehill (3,744 yards)
Receiving: Ryan Swope* (1,207 yards)
Tackles: Jonathan Stewart* (98)
Sacks: Sean Porter* (9.5)
Interceptions: Trent Hunter, Steven Terrell* (2)

Spring answers

1. Manning that line: There’s no mistaking the strength of this team. Even though there’s not a lot of depth in the offensive line, five players with starting experience return. Tackles Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews are future pros, while senior center Patrick Lewis enters his fourth season as a starter. Sophomore Cedric Ogbuehi has made a nice transition from tackle to guard. The Aggies will lean on this bunch all season long.

2. Swope to the rescue: After hauling in 11 touchdown passes a year ago, Swope picked up right where he left off in Kevin Sumlin’s new offense and ended the spring with a pair of touchdown catches in the Maroon & White spring game. He’s going to need some help this fall, but there’s no substitute for a senior receiver who knows how to get open, and more importantly, knows how to find the end zone.

3. Steven Jenkins steps up: One of the defensive stars of the spring for the Aggies was Jenkins, who looked like a natural at weakside linebacker in the new 4-3 scheme. Jenkins was fifth on the team last season in total tackles (61) despite starting in only six games. His spring performance was just what Texas A&M needed on defense, especially at the linebacker position. He and Sean Porter should be quite a tandem in the fall, as both can go get the quarterback.

Fall questions

1. Stopping the run: The Aggies feel pretty good about their ability to get to the quarterback. But when it comes to the middle of that defensive line and stopping the running games they’re going to see in the SEC, that’s where the problem lies. Chances are that some younger players are going to have to come through on the interior of that defensive line, and that’s never the way you draw it up going into the fall.

2. Williams’ eligibility: One of the most dynamic players on the field this spring for Texas A&M was running back Brandon Williams, who transferred from Oklahoma. He has the kind of speed that turns missed tackles into touchdowns. The only problem is that the Aggies probably won’t know until sometime in August if he’ll be eligible this season. The NCAA would have to grant him a waiver, which would allow him to play without sitting out a season.

3. Experience at quarterback: Most in and around the Texas A&M program felt like sophomore Jameill Showers exited the spring as the guy to beat at quarterback. Redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel is still in the race, though. However it shakes out in the fall, the Aggies are going to line up with one of the least experienced quarterbacks in the SEC. Showers only played in four games and threw five passes last season in mop-up duty for Tannehill.

So, is Florida State going to make the jump to the Big 12 or not?

If FSU president Dr. Eric Barron had his way, then certainly not. For one, he doesn't see it as a jump at all, at least not in the ways that matter most to him.

Barron wrote a memo on Monday expressing a commitment to the ACC, and harshly criticizing a possible move to the Big 12.

From colleague Joe Schad:

In the memo, Baron includes more reasons for not moving that include "The ACC is an equal share conference.

"So, when fans realize that Texas would get more dollars than FSU, always having a competitive advantage, it would be interesting to see the fan reaction" and "We would lose the rivalry with University of Miami that does fill our stadium."

And "It will cost between $20M and $25M to leave the ACC, and we have no idea where that money would come from." And "The faculty are adamantly opposed to joining a league that is academically weaker."

Barron writes, "We can't afford to have conference affiliation governed by emotion."

I can think of a couple schools in the Big 12 (or, ones that were, anyway) who would disagree.