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It's been a long and winding road, but we've finally met the end.

Sitting at the top of our 25 best players in the Big 12 in 2011 should be no surprise. He won the Heisman Trophy as the best player in all of college football, following it up with one of the most memorable speeches in Heisman history.

Without further ado, time to crown the best player of 2011.

No. 1: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

2011 numbers: Completed 291-of-402 passes (72.4 percent) for 4,293 yards, 37 touchdowns and six interceptions. Ran for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns on 179 carries. Also caught one pass for 15 yards.

Most recent ranking: Griffin was ranked No. 5 in our preseason list of the top 25 players, but grabbed the No. 1 spot in the midseason ranking of the Big 12's top 25 players.

Making the case for Griffin: No quarterback accounted for more of his team's offense than Griffin, who produced 65.4 percent of Baylor's yardage. That's especially impressive considering the Bears' offense ranked No. 2 nationally in total offense. Every time Baylor needed a big play, Griffin provided it.

Need to convert a tough third down on a game-winning drive against TCU? Griffin will catch a pass in the middle of the defense and take a beating, get his wind knocked out and stay on the field.

Need to erase a three-touchdown, fourth-quarter deficit against KU? Griffin will break a long run and throw two touchdowns to force overtime, where, yes, he'll win the game there.

Need to go 80 yards in less than a minute to beat Oklahoma for the first time in school history? Griffin will scramble for almost 30 yards and throw a 34-yard game-winning touchdown pass with seconds remaining.

That doesn't even tell the full story of what Griffin means to the Baylor program he'll leave behind after this season. He changed the game and paved the way for others at Baylor. He restored some faith in the Heisman, proving that the award is a lot more than a figurative honor for the best player on the best team in college football. The best player in the game really does still win, even if his team has three losses.

Griffin's best attribute, though, may be his fierce loyalty to teammates and an unshakeable confidence which was strong and infectious. Griffin believed in his teammates. He knew what they were capable of doing. Time and time again, they proved him right, from his beefy, physical offensive line to Big 12 rushing champ Terrance Ganaway to receiving champ Kendall Wright.

The result was a historic season that made it easy to forget the difficult decade-plus in the Big 12 B.G. (Before Griffin). His arrival signified greater days were ahead. Now that he's gone, will they continue? That's the big question at Baylor, but a bowl win, a 10-win season and a Heisman Trophy assure that Griffin's time in Waco will never, ever be forgotten by the green and gold.

The rest of the list:

• No. 2: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
• No. 3: Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
• No. 4: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
• No. 5: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
• No. 6: Frank Alexander, DE, Oklahoma
• No. 7: Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State
• No. 8: Levy Adcock, RT, Oklahoma State
• No. 9: A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
• No. 10: Sean Porter, LB, Texas A&M
• No. 11: Terrance Ganaway, RB, Baylor
• No. 12: Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State
• No. 13: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• No. 14: Henry Josey, RB, Missouri
• No. 15: Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
• No. 16: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
• No. 17: Kelechi Osemele, LT, Iowa State
• No. 18: Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• No. 19: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• No. 20: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• No. 21: Grant Garner, C, Oklahoma State
• No. 22: Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
• No. 23: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
• No. 24: Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State
• No. 25: Damontre Moore, LB, Texas A&M

Our countdown of the Big 12's top 25 players continues. The official list is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing a new member every day.

Here's a quick rundown on my criteria for this list.

We're officially in the top 10 now. That means it could be a little heated from here on. Got beef? Send it to my mailbag, and we'll have a later post logging and answering your complaints.

No. 2: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

2011 numbers: Caught 121 passes for 1,522 yards and 18 touchdowns. Carried the ball five times for 59 yards.

Most recent ranking: Blackmon was ranked No. 1 in our preseason list of the top 25 players.

Making the case for Blackmon: Oklahoma State's top talent wasn't quite as dominant as he was in 2010, but he actually caught 10 more balls. The biggest difference were his big plays. He caught 15 passes longer than 30 yards in 2010, but just eight in 2011. He had 10 catches longer than 40 yards, against just six in 2011.

But let's not focus on one Biletnikoff Award-winning season vs. another. The bottom line: Blackmon was the best receiver in the Big 12 in each of the past two seasons and showed why in his final game, which was arguably the greatest performance of his career. Oklahoma State's offense stalled against Stanford early, but Blackmon was unstoppable, turning his first two catches into touchdowns and bringing Oklahoma State's offense to life.

He had at least 95 yards receiving in nine games this year, and anyone who's seen the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder knows that he plays a lot bigger than he measures.

He'll finish his career as by far the best receiver in school history, and to think, a few years ago, we were wondering who would replace Dez Bryant in Stillwater. The answer? Someone even better.

The rest of the list:

• No. 3: Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
• No. 4: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
• No. 5: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
• No. 6: Frank Alexander, DE, Oklahoma
• No. 7: Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State
• No. 8: Levy Adcock, RT, Oklahoma State
• No. 9: A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
• No. 10: Sean Porter, LB, Texas A&M
• No. 11: Terrance Ganaway, RB, Baylor
• No. 12: Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State
• No. 13: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• No. 14: Henry Josey, RB, Missouri
• No. 15: Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
• No. 16: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
• No. 17: Kelechi Osemele, LT, Iowa State
• No. 18: Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• No. 19: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• No. 20: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• No. 21: Grant Garner, C, Oklahoma State
• No. 22: Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
• No. 23: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
• No. 24: Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State
• No. 25: Damontre Moore, LB, Texas A&M

Our countdown of the Big 12's top 25 players continues. The official list is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing a new member every day.

Here's a quick rundown on my criteria for this list.

We're officially in the top 10 now. That means it could be a little heated from here on. Got beef? Send it to my mailbag, and we'll have a later post logging and answering your complaints.

No. 4: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

2011 numbers: Caught 108 passes for 1,663 yards and 14 touchdowns. Also completed 2-of-3 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. Rushed for 72 yards on 10 carries. Returned five punts for 37 yards.

Most recent ranking: Wright was ranked No. 17 in our preseason list of the top 25 players.

Making the case for Wright: Pick your reason why Wright was snubbed as a Biletnikoff finalist. Was it because he doesn't have the name of a national power on the front of his jersey like Ryan Broyles? Was it because he didn't already have a Biletnikoff Award trophy stashed at his house like Justin Blackmon?

In my book, it was neither. Wright should feel snubbed for not getting onto the Biletnikoff finalists list. From my perspective, the main reason was his late push came after the finalist list had been trimmed. It was announced on Nov. 21 -- two days after Wright put on a 208-yard show against Broyles-less Oklahoma. In the final three games of the regular season, Wright caught 20 passes for 499 yards and four touchdowns. Voting took place beforehand.

At the end of the season, Wright was just as productive per game as Broyles but amassed more yardage than Blackmon, who repeated this year.

Still, Baylor's star led the league with 1,663 yards and finished third nationally. He'll leave as the best receiver in Baylor history and the team's leading receiver in all four of his seasons on campus. That's a remarkable career, and Wright got better every single year. Not everyone can say that.

He can.

The rest of the list:

• No. 5: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
• No. 6: Frank Alexander, DE, Oklahoma
• No. 7: Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State
• No. 8: Levy Adcock, RT, Oklahoma State
• No. 9: A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
• No. 10: Sean Porter, LB, Texas A&M
• No. 11: Terrance Ganaway, RB, Baylor
• No. 12: Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State
• No. 13: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• No. 14: Henry Josey, RB, Missouri
• No. 15: Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
• No. 16: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
• No. 17: Kelechi Osemele, LT, Iowa State
• No. 18: Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• No. 19: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• No. 20: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• No. 21: Grant Garner, C, Oklahoma State
• No. 22: Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
• No. 23: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
• No. 24: Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State
• No. 25: Damontre Moore, LB, Texas A&M

Our countdown of the Big 12's top 25 players continues. The official list is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing a new member of the list every day.

Here's a quick rundown on my criteria for this list.

No. 11: Terrance Ganaway, RB, Baylor

2011 numbers: Carried the ball 250 times for 1,547 yards and 21 touchdowns. Caught six passes for 52 yards and a touchdown.

Most recent ranking: Ganaway was unranked in our preseason list of the top 25 players.

Making the case for Ganaway: After Ganaway bulled his way for a physical 120 yards against TCU in the season opener, I said it was time to line up the 240-pounder for 1,200 yards in 2012. Looks like I was way off. The big man surpassed anyone's expectations entering the season and won the Big 12 rushing title with a huge year in his only season as the team's featured back.

No one quite knew who would replace 1,200-yard rusher Jay Finley from the 2010 team, but Ganaway proved more than capable, rushing for 200 yards in three games and 186 in a win against Missouri. He capped his career with a five-touchdown performance in the bowl win over Washington, stealing the show from Heisman winner Robert Griffin III. He carried the team when RG3 sat out most of a win over Texas Tech with a head injury, rushing for 246 yards and keeping the Red Raiders at an arm's length.

He had the big games, but his season was marked with consistency, which led to his huge season total on the ground. He was held to fewer than 89 yards just four times all season, but scored 11 touchdowns in the final four games of the season.

No surprise: those four games were part of a six-game winning streak to end the season for the Bears.

The rest of the list:

• No. 12: Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State
• No. 13: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• No. 14: Henry Josey, RB, Missouri
• No. 15: Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
• No. 16: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
• No. 17: Kelechi Osemele, LT, Iowa State
• No. 18: Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• No. 19: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• No. 20: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• No. 21: Grant Garner, C, Oklahoma State
• No. 22: Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
• No. 23: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
• No. 24: Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State
• No. 25: Damontre Moore, LB, Texas A&M

Our countdown of the Big 12's top 25 players continues. The official list is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing a new member of the list every day.

Here's a quick rundown on my criteria for this list.

We're in the top 10 now, officially. That means it could be a little heated from here on. Got beef? Send it to my mailbag, and we'll have a later post logging and answering your complaints.

No. 10: Sean Porter, LB, Texas A&M

2011 numbers: Made 79 tackles (50 solo), including 17 tackles for loss. He also made 9.5 sacks and broke up two passes. Forced a fumble.

Most recent ranking: Porter was unranked in our preseason list of the top 25 players.

Making the case for Porter: Texas A&M's defensive line had a tough time producing pressure and getting sacks in Tim DeRuyter's 3-4, but Porter provided another level of pass rush that helped push Texas A&M to the national title in sacks, with 51. (That's a thing, right?)

His total of 9.5 sacks gave him the Big 12 sack title, and he finished third in the league with 17 tackles for loss. His pass rush won't quite be as valuable in the SEC, but the 6-foot-2, 230-pounder should be poised for a great year as a senior in 2012.

Porter was on pace for a Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year nod, but was held without a sack in five of his seven final games, notching just two sacks in that period.

He made just five tackles for loss in his final five games, and was shut out in two of those games. He's got great speed and great flexibility that allows him to dip his inside shoulder on the edge like Von Miller used to.

It wasn't quite the season it looked like it might be early on, but Porter put together a huge year and earned plenty of respect heading into 2012.

The rest of the list:

• No. 11: Terrance Ganaway, RB, Baylor
• No. 12: Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State
• No. 13: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• No. 14: Henry Josey, RB, Missouri
• No. 15: Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
• No. 16: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
• No. 17: Kelechi Osemele, LT, Iowa State
• No. 18: Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• No. 19: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• No. 20: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• No. 21: Grant Garner, C, Oklahoma State
• No. 22: Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
• No. 23: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
• No. 24: Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State
• No. 25: Damontre Moore, LB, Texas A&M

Our countdown of the Big 12's top-25 players continues today. The official list is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing a new member of the list every day.

Here's a quick rundown on my criteria for this list.

No. 23: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M

2011 numbers: Carried the ball 198 times for 1,045 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also caught 31 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns.

Most recent ranking: Gray was ranked No. 9 in our preseason list of the top 25 players.

Making the case for Gray: Texas A&M needed Gray, and once again, Gray stepped up, despite missing the final two games of the season with an injury. Christine Michael suffered a torn ACL, and in the two games after the injury, Gray rushed 39 times for 312 yards and five touchdowns, his best portion of the season. The Big 12's leading returning rusher predictably split carries with Michael early in the season, but answered the call when he inherited the load for the Aggies.

A stress fracture in his shoulder kept him out of a painful loss to Texas and a bowl win over Northwestern, but he rushed for 90 yards in seven games and topped 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season. Well done, sir.

It's that time again. The season's over, and it's time to kick off our postseason list of the Big 12's top 25 players.

Before we start, let's go over a bit of the criteria:

• FIRST RULE: This list is based solely on what players have done over the past season. I didn't factor in any other part of any player's career. My preseason top 25 lists factor in a player's entire career. This list does not.
• NFL draft potential is not factored into the list.
• The way I go about this list is as if I were drafting the best overall talents in the league. Each player's personal role or meaning to his team is irrelevant. This is not a "most valuable" list. It's the Big 12's best players.
• Sometimes stats tell the whole story. Other times, they don't. Player X may have had more tackles or more yards or interceptions than Player Y, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be higher than him on the list.
• We're including teams that participated in the Big 12 in 2011. Thus, there will be Missouri and Texas A&M players. There will not be West Virginia or TCU players. Try not to get your britches in a bunch over it.

This list was tough to assemble. We'll do an honorable mention later for guys who probably deserved a spot, but couldn't fit on the list.

Here goes:

No. 25: Damontre Moore, LB/DE, Texas A&M

2011 numbers: Made 72 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He also forced four fumbles and broke up a pass.

Most recent ranking: Moore was unranked in our midseason list of the Big 12's top 25 players.

Making the case for Moore: After a quiet first half, Moore blew up in conference play as a sophomore. Of his 17.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 came in the final six games of the season. Six of his 8.5 sacks came in the final four games of the year. He's a physically impressive player with a sky-high ceiling and tons of speed. He'll be fun to watch in the SEC.

Because of that slow start, Moore didn't quite get the recognition of others across the league, but he still finished second in the league in sacks and second in tackles for loss. There's something to be said for consistency, but Moore was outstanding late this season.