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2012 record: 8-5
2012 Big 12 record: 4-5
Returning starters: Offense: 6; defense: 7; kicker/punter: 1

Top returners: OL Cyril Richardson, RB Lache Seastrunk, S Ahmad Dixon, WR Tevin Reese, LB Eddie Lackey, DE Chris McAllister, LB Bryce Hager, K Aaron Jones

Key losses: WR Terrance Williams, QB Nick Florence, WR Lanear Sampson, S Mike Hicks, C Ivory Wade, DT Gary Mason Jr.

2012 statistical leaders (*returners)

Passing: Nick Florence (4,309 yards)
Rushing: Lache Seastrunk* (1,012 yards)
Receiving: Terrance Williams (1,832 yards)
Tackles: Bryce Hager* (124)
Sacks: Chris McAllister* (6)
Interceptions: Eddie Lackey* (4)

Spring answers:

1. Bryce is the guy. It was going to take a lot for Bryce Petty to lose his starting spot, but he looked like a guy who suited up for his fourth spring this year and cemented his status as the heir apparent to a crazy-good quarterback tradition under Art Briles. He'll follow Robert Griffin III and Florence, who both set school records for passing yards.

2. Defense changes its identity. The Bears didn't have a ton of speed in the secondary last season, and as a result, relied heavily on zone and didn't play a lot of tight coverage. To start fixing the problem, Dixon moved back to traditional safety, and as the defense's most physically skilled talent, that was a wise decision. Baylor wants to play more man and play tighter this year, and we'll see if it pays off in the fall.

3. Offense finds its playmakers. Williams is gone and so is Sampson, two of the team's top three receivers. Reese returns, but Antwan Goodley and Jay Lee emerged to win starting spots this spring, and both look like big-time targets for one of college football's best offenses. Count on those guys and Clay Fuller to keep the tradition going.

Fall questions

1. Can the defense prove itself? The Bears were definitely one of the best defenses in the Big 12 over the last month of the season. The same unit, however, was also a big reason why Baylor limped to an 0-5 start in conference 12 play before ripping off four wins to end the season. The defensive line should be improved and young talents like Javonte Magee and Shawn Oakman could make names for themselves this fall.

2. Is the offensive line deep enough? Baylor's history under Briles at this position makes me pretty confident, and the Bears have a solid starting five. But losing Troy Baker this spring is a big knock, and the Bears only had 10 healthy offensive linemen this spring. Come fall, more injuries could force the Bears to force inexperienced players into the rotation. This was probably the biggest concern for Briles all spring.

3. Just how good is Petty? He looks good for now, and was productive and impressive during the spring. That's also the spring. RG3 and Florence broke school records for passing yards in consecutive seasons, though, so the bar is sky-high. There's every reason to believe in Petty, but expectations are high and reaching them won't be easy. The good news is he has a huge talent in Seastrunk and a solid receiving corps around him to support his efforts.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops isn't much of a complainer, but in terms of environment equality, it's hard to draw up worse scenarios than Stoops has found his teams playing in during three of their four trips to the national title game.

Stoops' Sooners found success in 2000 when they knocked off Florida State in Miami, which is anything but a short drive, but it's not hard to find plenty of Seminole faithful in Florida.

The same thing happened in 2008 when Oklahoma faced off (and lost to) Florida in Miami. Perhaps the worst environment came in the 2003 BCS National Championship, when some guy named Nick Saban and tens of thousands of his biggest fans (at the time, anyway) made the 80-mile trek to New Orleans to see LSU deny Stoops his second national title and Oklahoma its eighth. Stoops has seen those kinds of crowds that can be "80/20" or "70/30" in favor of the other guys, and it's anything but enjoyable.

"You feel like you’re playing an away game and the other team’s playing a home game," Stoops said.

Very soon, Stoops may get a chance to let a few other coaches feel his pain. The College Football Playoff begins in 2014, and the first championship game will be played in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, less than three hours from Oklahoma's campus.

It won't be the last title game in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, either.

"I think all of the schools in this region, to have Dallas as one of those sites is great for everybody in this region," Stoops said. "Obviously, everybody knows what a great and quality and an awesome stadium it is, and then the location for us is an advantage, or should be."

Oklahoma's played in the BCS National Championship more than any team in the Big 12, but if other nearby schools like TCU (20 minutes), Texas (three hours), Baylor (90 minutes), Oklahoma State (4.5 hours) or Texas Tech (five hours) reach the title game, the same advantage would be theirs.

Texas played in the game twice, facing Alabama in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and got a taste of the Sooners' road-game treatment when it beat USC in the 2005 game in the same stadium, about 15 miles from the Trojans' stadium.

"If anyone in this region can be in that situation, it’ll be the same thing, that we get a chance to have the crowd on your side, plus even travel for fans and for everybody to be able to get to it, I think it’s a great thing for everybody with proximity to Dallas," Stoops said.

Simply having a major bowl game back in the Big 12 footprint is a welcome development for the league after the advent of the BCS meant the Cotton Bowl, despite its pageantry and history, was relegated to second-tier status, though the matchup, crowds and venue remained first rate.

Next season, it won't be able to get any better.

"I’m all for it. I’m all for a national playoff and all for it being in Dallas, because it’s a great stadium," Baylor coach Art Briles said. "I think it’s great and I believe football is best down here in the southwest, so let’s put the best game down here."

Athlon Sports ranked all 125 coaches heading into 2013, and that includes the 10 coaches in the Big 12. First on the list is no surprise and won't get any argument from me.

Kansas State's Bill Snyder checked in at No. 3, behind only Alabama's Nick Saban and Ohio State's Urban Meyer.

"As long as Snyder roams the sidelines in Manhattan, regardless of how many starters Kansas State loses, never count out the Wildcats from the Big 12 title discussion," writes Steve Lassan.

Well said. That'll be put to the test this season. Only eight starters return from last year's Big 12 title team, more than only three teams in college football.

Oklahoma's Bob Stoops showed up at No. 7 on the list, just three spots ahead of TCU's Gary Patterson, at No. 10.

"The Kansas native had no FBS head coaching experience when he was promoted at TCU in 2000 but has eight seasons of 10 or more wins, including a 13-0 mark in 2010," Lassan notes.

You can't deny the growth Art Briles has developed at Baylor, and he's at No. 13 on the list after taking the Bears to three consecutive bowl games for the first time in school history. Things look like they're only getting better in Waco, too.

It's a little surprising to see him two spots ahead of Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy at No. 15, but you could make the case either way. Briles' job was infinitely harder than Gundy's, but you can't argue with Gundy's Big 12 title ring, the Pokes' first in about three decades.

Texas' Mack Brown is all the way down at No. 28. The past three seasons have taken their toll on his national reputation, no doubt. It's been quite a slide for the Longhorns.

"The Longhorns have the talent to win the Big 12 title in 2013. If Texas fails to surpass its 2012 win total (nine), there will be plenty of calls for a coaching change in Austin," Lassan writes.

I definitely agree with that. Huge season waiting in Austin.

Paul Rhoads is at No. 38, 10 spots lower. His reputation perhaps exceeds the actual on-field results, but his degree of difficulty in this league is probably even greater than what Briles faces. Briles at least has the advantage of being close to big-time talent in Central Texas. Rhoads' talent pool in Iowa is a lot different, and convincing guys to come north isn't easy.

Dana Holgorsen showed up at No. 50, which definitely seems low, but when you've only been a head coach for two seasons and have a five-game losing streak in one of them, you surrender some right to argue your status, I'd say. He's got a conference title and a BCS bowl win, but winning the Big East won't impress too many folks.

Kliff Kingsbury is down at No. 66, which is where I'd say all first-year coaches belong to start. Any new first-time coach has potential, but they haven't proven to be great or poor yet. Put 'em in the middle, I say.

Lassan has Charlie Weis at No. 106 after his 1-11 campaign at KU last season.

Here's the full list:

• No. 3: Bill Snyder, Kansas State
• No. 7: Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
• No. 10: Gary Patterson, TCU
• No. 13: Art Briles, Baylor
• No. 15: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
• No. 28: Mack Brown, Texas
• No. 38: Paul Rhoads, Iowa State
• No. 50: Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia
• No. 66: Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech
• No. 106: Charlie Weis, Kansas

That gives the Big 12 half of its coaches in the top 15. Not bad.

WACO, Texas -- Baylor's football facilities boast a brand-new mural with one of the greatest images in program history. Coach Art Briles has given Baylor a reputation for great offense, but this moment came courtesy of the defense.

No team had been better or more efficient inside the five-yard line than BCS No. 1 Kansas State, but on the Wildcats' first drive of the fourth quarter, a long drive ended with three plays inside Baylor's two-yard line. The defense held all three times to get the ball back and end K-State's comeback bid. The Bears' celebratory stampede to the sidelines provided a defining image for the program's first-ever win over a No. 1 team, but it did a lot more than that moving forward.

Briles and defensive coordinator can offer all the instruction and pep talks in their respective repertoires, but a performance and a moment like that has infinitely more impact.

"To have a chance to be believable, you have to have some realistic results, which, we got some in the Kansas State game," Briles told ESPN.com in a recent interview. "We made some plays that had to be made that kind of spurred us on through the rest of the season and certainly gave us a lot more confidence defensively."

That confidence turned into results, beginning with that Kansas State win. Over the final month of the season, Baylor ascended into the top three in the Big 12 in total defense and were +9 in turnover margin, five more than any team in the Big 12.

It's not a coincidence the Bears won their final four games of the season to finish 8-5 despite an 0-5 start in Big 12 play.

"It’s a process and I think we’re getting closer to the desired end result," Briles said. :We actually flashed in 2011 toward the end with a big turnover ratio in our favor, and then flashed again at the end of 2012. What we’ve got to do is flash early coming out the gates."

That 2011 flash ended in a game tape the defense would love to toss in a bonfire. Heisman winner Robert Griffin III and the Bears' offense put on a show in a 67-56 Alamo Bowl win over Washington, but the defense left San Antonio with a pall hanging over the offseason and their confidence perhaps as low as it had been all season. The Bears had given up more than 56 points just once in 2011.

"We finished the job in 2012 season defensively and it's a lot more mentally uplifting than the 2011 season," Briles said. "Although we won a bowl game, the first bowl game in I don’t know how long, the defense might not have felt like we won a game, and I know they don’t feel that way now, because in the UCLA bowl game, our defense dominated.

"We’re coming off a dominating defensive game that bleeds through all the offseason."

The Bears' held 1,700-yard rusher Johnathan Franklin to just 34 yards on 14 carries, his lowest output of the season. UCLA had scored just 19 points before the game's final play that was erroneously ruled a touchdown. The key for Baylor is clear moving forward. They've seen the results, but in 2013, if it wants to win the Big 12 title it's chasing as a stated goal, it can't afford to wait until November to turn the corner as a defense.

"We’re not going to make it hard, we’re going to make it simple on what everybody’s job is, so I think it’s just a combined fact of being in coach Bennett’s system. The longer consistency stays, the better chance you have to be consistent," Briles said. "After you go through a 2-3 year period, all of a sudden you don’t have to look to your left or right to see who’s standing there. You know who’s there, so we’re getting to that comfort factor from a schematic, athletic standpoint."

WACO, Texas -- When Art Briles looks out the back window of his office, he can see the here and now in the immediate foreground: His practice field.

Look a bit further, though, and there's a bunch of red dirt with the beginnings of a promising future sprouting from that dirt. Briles will have a front-row seat for the construction of what's now known as Baylor Stadium, the Bears' new 45,000-seat, $250 million home on the banks of the Brazos River.

"It’s a blessing, definitely. And it’s a reality," Briles told ESPN.com in a recent interview.

Fans can see the construction live, too, with the Bears' new construction cam.

The stadium is expected to open in 2014, and the beginning stages of construction already catch the eyes of the 42 million people who annually will pass by the stadium that will tower over the east side of I-35 in Waco.

"It’s a reality that Baylor didn’t need to have, it had to have, for first of all, national perception, regional perception and for recruiting purposes, not only for our athletics, but for our academics, because it certainly changed 42 million people’s view of Baylor University every time they drive down I-35," Briles said. "They look over there and they say, 'Baylor’s doing it right, all the way across the board.'"

The picturesque venue will feature a bridge across the river to the rest of campus, and based on renderings of the stadium, it will be one of the most scenic in all of college football. Like TCU's new rebuild of Amon G. Carter stadium, Baylor Stadium will include six Founder's suites, but also have 39 more suites, 74 boxes and 1,200 outdoor club seats.

"(People) know it’s a great academic university," Briles said. "I think it just upped peoples image of the university as a whole in their minds, no question."

Most importantly, the new stadium will eliminate the Bears' status as the Big 12's only team without an on-campus stadium. The 2013 season will be Baylor's last at Floyd Casey Stadium, located across I-35 and a few miles southwest of campus. Baylor employed Populous, the same company that helped design Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals), Reliant Stadium (Houston Texans) and the new Yankee Stadium in New York.

Baylor had not been to a bowl since 1994, two year's before the Big 12's creation, and in his first two seasons, Briles equaled Baylor's second-highest win total (4) since 1996. By his third season, the Bears were back in a bowl game. Heading into 2013, the Bears have reached three consecutive bowls for the first time in school history, winning the past two. Briles' efforts were aided by Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III -- Baylor's first -- whose 2011 run to the trophy propelled the Bears onto the national stage, a place quite unfamiliar to the program before the arrival of Briles and Griffin.

More than a few folks would love to see Griffin's and/or Briles' name adorning the stadium or the field. Briles could only laugh at the prospect of the latter.

"I’m not one of those people. Now Robert’s name, I’d love to have," Briles said. "Our story hasn’t been written yet. All we’re concerned with is day-to-day operations of trying to be the best we can be every day."

WACO, Texas -- Art Briles can think back on all the quarterbacks he's pushed and prodded to greatness and recall countless great moments.

Nick Florence's redemption from a rough start in 2012 to knocking off No. 1 Kansas State followed Robert Griffin III's two nights in 2011 that left a mark on college football: Firing deep balls to knock off TCU and Oklahoma on the way to Baylor's first Heisman trophy.

Before that, he and an NFL-bound Kevin Kolb led Houston from an 0-11 squad to a Conference USA championship. Kolb was the conference's Offensive Player of the Year that season. In 2007, he kickstarted Case Keenum's career with an eight-win season. Keenum developed into the FBS all-time leader in touchdown passes while Briles got to work building Baylor's program.

Now, it's 2013, and Briles is getting ready to groom another quarterback, his third in three seasons at Baylor. His name is Bryce Petty, and you might see him zooming around Baylor's Waco campus on a moped, hunching his NFL-quarterback frame over the handlebars.

"His skill set is off the charts," Briles said.

"He’s Tim Tebow," running back Lache Seastrunk added, "He's like 6-foot-5, 245 pounds!"

Well, more like 6-3 and 231 according to Briles, but you might get a similar scouting report from opposing linebackers soon if Petty gets his way, but more on that later. The skill set Briles refers to is an NFL-quality arm and 4.6 speed with four years of experience in an offensive system that has seen Baylor ranked No. 2 nationally in total offense each of the past two seasons, and No. 13 back in 2010.

"Physically, he has a chance to be a very dominant quarterback, but it’s a very mental game, so what you have to do is match it all together, your physicalness and your intellectualness and creativeness and instinctiveness," Briles said. "It all has to come together."

For now, Briles draws a blank when he thinks back on Petty's greatest moments at Baylor. That might change very soon.

"That moment hasn’t come," Briles said. "That chapter hasn’t been written, and that’s good. It hasn’t been his time. It’s his time to prove it’s his time."

Petty's road to Baylor came after a commitment to Tennessee followed by a coaching change by the Vols from Phil Fulmer to the in-and-out tenure of Lane Kiffin, whose arrival spelled trouble for Petty's future in Knoxville. Before long, Baylor offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, who had recruited Petty throughout, came calling with a Baylor logo on his shirt.

"It was so cool, because (Briles) reminded me so much of coach Fulmer in that he’s a player’s coach. He wants to be here with you," Petty said. "Succeed on the field and as a man. That’s huge for me."

Once Petty was at Baylor, he watched Griffin win a Heisman. Then last season Petty watched as another experienced backup like himself, Florence, broke Griffin's school record for passing yards and kept Baylor near the top of the national rankings for offense.

The waiting wasn't easy. It wasn't fun.

"As a competitor, it’s hard to sit and watch. You know you can do it. Griff, he won the Heisman. It’s faith. It’s knowing that God has a plan. That plan is coming through right now," Petty said. "You have to be able to seize your opportunity."

That opportunity brings with it mammoth expectations, too.

"No dropoff from Robert. No dropoff from Nick. We have to stay strong at that position," Briles said of his quarterbacks.

Briles says there was no learning curve -- as expected -- for a passer starting his fourth spring in Waco, even though it was his first spring working almost exclusively with the first team. He's not a new face to anyone on the team, and that has paid off as Petty has tried to cement his status as a leader.

" Getting guys to fight for you, at the end of the day, is what it takes to win. You can be as athletically gifted as Griff, but you’ve got to have guys fight for you. That’s something that I want from my guys," Petty said.

How has he approached that goal?

"Being the first one in and last one out. Always watching film and being on your guard. That just comes with an every-day kind of process," he said. "This whole starting thing and this whole season is not a one-day thing. It’s a process. It’s an every-day thing. I’d like to think of myself as a hard worker. It’s no struggle for me to get up out of bed and work."

We can't know until the fall whether or not Petty will be the next great quarterback under Briles or a forgettable chapter of Bears history. The last season in Floyd Casey Stadium will be Petty's first as the Bears' starter, though that status isn't official yet.

It's not hard to see it being a memorable season in Waco.

WACO, Texas -- Lache Seastrunk broke out as the story of the Big 12 in the final month of the 2012 season. He rushed for 831 yards in Baylor's final six games and topped 135 yards in each of the final four games, all victories for the Bears, including 185 yards against BCS No. 1 Kansas State in a blowout upset for the program's first-ever win over a No. 1 team.

Before mid-October, Seastrunk had never carried the ball more than seven times. He didn't have fewer than 15 once November began and the Bears hit a late-season surge.

So what was the deal? We'll never know what might have happened if Seastrunk had been featured more in the Bears' offense early in the season, but why wasn't he?

"You know, he just needed an adjustment, needed time to become a great teammate," Baylor coach Art Briles said. "And he’s done everything by the book since he’s been here. I have a lot of respect for the way he takes care of himself and approaches the game."

It has paid off. Seastrunk, who transferred from Oregon just before the 2011 season began, started to turn his potential into production. Lots and lots of production. The No. 6 running back in the nation's 2010 class and the No. 40 prospect overall looked like the Big 12's No. 1 running back, and not far from its No. 1 player, in the final month of the season. How he did it isn't too complicated.

"He’s good," Briles said with a chuckle. "He’s good. He’s an explosive player that has dynamic ability. That’s a pretty easy equation."

For the 2013 season, Seastrunk is looking to show off a bit more development as a runner.

"Just to make sure I’m a little bit more patient with my runs and letting things develop before I hit full steam," Seastrunk said. "They want me to break through the first line of the defense, but after that it’s just, 'Be you.' They can’t coach me on that."

Any Baylor player would describe Briles as a players' coach. The 57-year-old former high school coach's uncanny ability to relate to players has showed up on the recruiting trail, but any players' coach knows his players' personalities well.

In that case, Briles wasn't too surprised when he heard Seastrunk had told Sporting News he was "going to win the Heisman. I’m going to win it in 2013. If I don’t, I’m going to get very close."

It didn't draw much more than a shrug.

"I know Lache. It’s like water that's on your back. Slides right off," Briles said. "No big deal."

Seastrunk doesn't lack for confidence, and though the quote might have drawn a stern reprimand and perhaps a media ban from plenty of other head coaches, Briles almost sounds encouraged words that more than a few might describe as brash.

"If you walked up to a lot of student-athletes and said, 'Would you like to win the Heisman' or 'Can you win the Heisman?' you certainly wouldn’t want people saying no," Briles said, "or at least I don’t."

Seastrunk will get his chance this fall. Will he win Baylor's second Heisman in three years?

"I hope so," Briles said.

WACO, Texas -- You'll be able to see a lot more in-depth coverage from Baylor in the days and weeks to come, but thanks to all of you who read and participated in Tuesday's live blog. I'll make a note not to let safety Ahmad Dixon steal the show next time. Great, great job by him on the live chat with fans. I heard from a lot of you who said that was your favorite part of the day.

That's not hard to believe when he's dropping insight like this:

John from Houston asked: Ahmad, Other than yourself of course, who has impressed you the most on Baylor's defense during spring practice? Who is the most difficult current Baylor receiver to defend one on one?

Ahmad Dixon: John, I'm going to have to say Shawn Oakman. He's helped us out a lot. He slows down the perimeter run a lot. A lot of those bubble passes and short throws, he's able to knock those down because of his length. He can get off the ball and get a lot of sacks. He gives us a speed rush and his speed gets in the backfield and length to cut off the outside. He's been the most impressive of anybody I've watched. (For receivers) I would have to say Levi Norwood. His ability to come out of his breaks are tremendous. He has great hips. He's not the fastest guy, but he has great stop/start speed .That makes you have to work on coming with balance and not coming downhill and just biting on his first move. When you guard Levi, it makes you learn how to be patient.

Great stuff from Ahmad. Here's a few more thoughts from my day with the Bears:

• The one thing that jumped out to me in seeing them and being around the Bears all day was the confidence of everybody. I think last year really did show a lot of people around the league that Baylor's program was more than just RG III, and if there were any folks inside the program who doubted that, there aren't any more. There's just sort of a different feel around practice than there was last spring, and even back when Griffin was in the mix. I've gone to spring and fall practices probably five or six times at Baylor, but this one felt a lot different. You build toward titles in small steps in college football. One or two players won't do it. Baylor's talent level is steadily rising. I don't know if I see transcendent talents like RG III or Kendall Wright on this team, but on the whole, there's a lot more talent in a lot more spots than there has been for a long time at Baylor. That's the biggest thing that jumped off the page at me in spending two hours watching them work out. Offensively, I didn't see a huge difference from Baylor in the past, but on defense, there is clearly more speed. There is more instinct and football IQ, and there is not much griping from coaches about guys being out of position or being lost on plays. I saw very, very little of that. Who knows how much of that will carry over, but the defensive resurgence we saw late in 2012 was far above the moderate resurgence we saw at the end of 2011.
• Art Briles' biggest concern about his team is definitely his offensive line. Losing Troy Baker to an ACL injury last week only made that worse, and necessitated adjustments. "We were a little light in the O-line to start with. We only had 10 scholarship O-linemen," Briles said. "That's kind of made us readjust some positions, but the defense has really done well. We've got eight of those guys back."
• You'll be able to read a whole lot more about quarterback Bryce Petty in the future on the blog from my extensive sit-down with him and Briles, but Petty divulged that his source of transportation around campus these days is a moped. That was news to Briles, but it doesn't sound like he's too nervous about his starting quarterback zipping around Waco on two wheels, though I might be if I were Briles. "I'm glad it's not a Harley," Briles said.
• As for practice, I saw a more mature version of the physically gifted Petty I watched in practices on previous visits to Waco. I thought he was ready to be a Big 12 starter last year, and maybe could have even started for a few teams back in 2011. Now that he's nearing the end of his fourth spring on campus, he definitely looks far more polished than any of the other quarterbacks on Baylor's roster. I mentioned this in the live blog on Tuesday, but I asked Briles what Petty would have to do to lose this job. He thought about it awhile and said it would take a long string of mistakes and not taking care of the ball. "I don't anticipate that happening," Briles said. Me either.
• Plenty more Baylor coverage to come soon, so sit tight. Hope you guys enjoyed the live blog, though. If you want more in-depth coverage of my practice observations, you can find it there.

Baylor's never won the Big 12, and really, it's never quite come close. A magical close to the 2011 season to reach 10 wins and capture the program's Heisman Trophy is as close as the Bears have come, but even a six-game winning streak to close the season meant finishing two games behind league champ Oklahoma State, who thrashed Baylor by five touchdowns earlier in the season.

The 2013 schedule sets up Baylor for success early in the season, but the readers are absolutely not buying Baylor's chances as a Big 12 title contender.

The votes are in, and 64 percent of readers say Baylor is a Big 12 title "pretender," compared to just 36 percent of you who could see the Bears truly contending come fall.

I'd say the odds are definitely in favor of the former group, but it wouldn't really shock me to see Baylor make a run. The defense is experienced and made huge strides late in the season, much bigger than the baby steps it took to help fuel that six-game winning streak at the end of 2011.

If that can continue and the offense can find a few receivers to help Bryce Petty look like the quarterback Art Briles and Baylor believe he is, the Bears have a recipe for some major success in 2013.

As far as factors outside of the Bears' control, I see one major helper and one major deterrent to their true chances. The biggest help is the Big 12 is wide open yet again this season. It looked that way last season, too, so you never know. But back in 2011, Baylor was chasing a national title contender who fell victim to a late-season upset. That was the case again in 2012, but it's hard to see any Big 12 team truly eyeing a 12-0 record in 2013. Two losses might be enough to win a share of the Big 12 this season. Getting to 7-2 in conference play won't be easy, but it's a lot more realistic when you think about it in those terms rather than expecting Baylor to go 9-0 in order to win the league.

The biggest thing working against them, though? In consecutive weeks, the Bears have to go on the road to face the two teams I project as the Big 12's best this season: Oklahoma State and TCU. Cap that off with one final game at Floyd Casey Stadium against Texas before opening their new stadium on the banks of the Brazos, and you have a heck of a finish to the season.

Can Baylor make it happen and make history? The fans say no, but fortunately for the Bears, they'll have the last word on whether the answer is "yes" or "no."

We've asked you about two Big 12 teams thus far, and the people labeled Texas a "pretender," while casting enough votes to make their voice heard in regards to TCU, who this blog's readers say is a Big 12 title "contender."

What about a team from a little bit off the beaten trail? Let's take a look at a team that might be more of a sleeper in the title race this year, but a team that definitely believes it can win after finishing the season with the Big 12's longest winning streak in each of the past two seasons.

Yep, I'm talking about the Baylor Bears, who won their last four games of 2012, highlighted by a beatdown of BCS No. 1 Kansas State and UCLA in the Holiday Bowl.

This year, coach Art Briles' eye for offensive talent will be put to the test again as he tries to replace quarterback Nick Florence and receivers Lanear Sampson and Terrance Williams, a Biletnikoff Award finalist who led the nation in receiving yards.

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Bryce Petty looks like a fitting heir to Florence, but the Bears will need to do some sorting out this spring to see who they can depend on at receiver. Running back Lache Seastrunk is the league's best returning talent at the position in my book, topping 1,000 yards last season despite barely sitting at over 200 when November began.

The defense has been the biggest problem for the Bears, but any Big 12 title talk will have to hinge on it being better in Year 3 under Phil Bennett at defensive coordinator. Linebackers Eddie Lackey and Bryce Hager had big years and safety Ahmad Dixon will try to cap a good career as a senior leader in 2013. Is the unit good enough to help Baylor win a title?

Cast your vote and we'll see if readers are giving Baylor a fighting chance this upcoming year.

Baylor coach Art Briles' track record gives any bystander reason to have faith that despite losing talented receivers like Lanear Sampson and Terrance Williams, the Bears will find others on their roster to fill the void.

If Saturday's scrimmage is any indication, Briles is getting ready to reward that faith.

Quarterback Bryce Petty, the likely heir to Robert Griffin III and Nick Florence's throne -- both set the school record for passing yards in consecutive seasons -- completed 22 of 32 passes for 326 yards and a pair of touchdowns with an interception.

He's not officially the starter, and Seth Russell completed 20 of 29 passes for 220 yards.

Still, a pair of receivers had strong days, and the safe bet is you haven't heard of either of them. Sophomore Jay Lee had seven grabs for 111 yards, highlighted by a 50-yard score from Petty.

"It kind of translates from the way he's been working out," Briles told reporters. "He's been exceptional in workouts, exceptional all winter in the weight room in strength and conditioning, and he was exceptional today. It just shows that if you do things right for a long time, pretty soon it pays off for you."

Lee didn't have a catch last season and redshirted in 2011, and Brandon Brown is still looking for his first career catch, too. The former minor league baseball player is a walk-on but caught a game-high eight balls for 116 yards.

Running back Lache Seastrunk broke loose for a 28-yard touchdown run but finished with just 24 yards on six carries.

Ultimately, you've got to be pleased with Petty's progress, and his completion percentage and production have to be encouraging moving forward.

"Every time I get out here, my confidence is growing," Petty told reporters. "Every day is something new, something to get better at, something to grow on. I'm starting from the bottom and trying to work my way up."

Penn State transfer Shawn Oakman, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound sophomore, had two sacks to lead all defenders.

The offense gave up eight sacks, which could mean one of two things: The quarterbacks don't quite feel comfortable making decisions quickly enough just yet, or the pass rush is improving. I'm betting it's a little bit of both, but there's only so much stock you can put in a spring scrimmage.

Earlier in the week, the Bears debuted some pretty sharp-looking uniforms, too. I'm loving these. Here's a look:

• All-whites
• All-blacks with gold chrome helmet
• Green pants
• Green jerseys/gold pants/gold helmet

I love everything about those, and I'm glad to finally see the terrible bear claw mark gone from the pants, replaced by a more tasteful, subtle bear paw on the shoulder.

Gotta love what's in store for Baylor next season.

We'll take a look at some of the Big 12's breakout stars this spring, but we'll start a series today looking at guys who will be stepping into bigger roles this season and what they have to provide for their new teams. Some are emerging from role players into starters. Some are going from starter to star. Some from stars to bona fide superstars.

Let's start with Baylor.

Baylor's spring step forward: WR Tevin Reese

Reese was fantastic in 2012 and made a name for himself as a big-play threat for a dangerous Bears offense. His eight catches longer than 40 yards were more than all but two Big 12 receivers, and his 11 grabs longer than 30 yards were more than all but three. He's got a case as the league's fastest man, but this year, if he can show the ability to be much, much more than a home run threat, Baylor's offense will find it easier to continue its tear under Art Briles.

His 957 yards on just 53 catches are third most among returning receivers in the Big 12, and he was one of just three players a year ago to average better than 18 yards a catch. This season, he's got to mature into a more complete receiver. Can he be the guy to catch the quick hitch and turn it into 8 easy yards by not letting a cornerback bring him down immediately? Can he get open underneath and show some quickness that gives him the ability to use that speed to turn a 4-yard slant into a 25-yard game-changer?

He'll have a bigger role this spring and will try to prove he can do more than just beat a corner up the field and depend on his quarterback to find him deep. Reese will still do plenty of that this spring and in the fall, but Baylor's offense is going to be a whole lot better if the 5-foot-10, 165-pounder can be a complete receiver all over the field. At his size, that's somewhat of a risk coming over the middle among safeties and linebackers, but he's smart enough to protect himself. If his quarterback can make throws to lead him away from trouble, the Bears are going to be tough to stop yet again.

We’re continuing our countdown of the Big 12's top 25 players from the 2012 season. Here's more on my criteria for the list. You can take a peek at how the preseason list looked here.

The official list is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we'll be revealing one player a day moving forward.

On with the show ...

No. 15: Cyril Richardson, OL, Baylor

2012 numbers: Helped Baylor lead the nation in total yardage as a third-year starter.

Most recent ranking: Richardson was ranked No. 21 in our preseason list of the Big 12's top 25 players.

Making the case for Richardson: Baylor's been churning out top-tier offensive linemen since Art Briles arrived, and Richardson was the best of the bunch all season long this season. He's moved all over the place during his career--played some guard as a redshirt freshman in 2010, then moved to right tackle as a sophomore in 2011--and elected to return for his fourth season on campus and spent this year back at guard. He can do it all, but he definitely was a huge part of Lache Seastrunk's late-season run when he bullied opposing defensive lines. He's quick enough to be a really effective pass blocker, but aggressive enough to make a name as a powerful force in the running game and rack up knockdowns, too. At 6-foot-5, 335 pounds, that's no big surprise.

The rest of the list:

• No. 16: Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• No. 17: Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma
• No. 18: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• No. 19: Lache Seastrunk, RB, Baylor
• No. 20: Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State
• No. 21: James Sims, RB, Kansas
• No. 22: Aaron Colvin, CB, Oklahoma
• No. 23: Josh Stewart, WR, Oklahoma State
• No. 24: Nick Florence, QB, Baylor
• No. 25: Quinn Sharp, K/P/KOS, Oklahoma State

National signing day creeps closer and closer, and we'll be ramping up our recruiting coverage up until the big day. The RecruitingNation team is looking at different facets of the trail along the way, and colleague LaRue Cook looked at the teams across the nation who are the best at recruiting out of state .

No. 1 on the list? No surprise, it's the Oklahoma Sooners. Being less than two hours north of the Texas border helps, and the Sooners have always taken advantage of the Lone Star State's deep well of talent. That's been especially true under Bob Stoops.

Cook writes that the distance makes it a bit less impressive, but getting players to leave the state is no small task. He notes that Oklahoma has signed more ESPN 150 recruits the past five years than Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor and Houston combined. That's wow-worthy, and it's what happens when you establish a winning tradition at a power program, even if it's not in a state that can boast huge recruiting reserves.

Meanwhile, colleague Travis Haney looked at the nation's best recruiting head coaches . The Big 12 coach he points to? Art Briles. No question about this one. Briles inherited a mess in Waco, and he's built it into a program that's done big things and done a whole lot more than just earn the Big 12's respect.

His wide-open offenses have attracted big talents at quarterback, receiver and along the offensive line, and the Bears are sending talent to the NFL like never before. That's a credit to Briles' arrival. There's no doubt in my mind he's built more in the last five years than any coach in the Big 12. The Bears have been trying to exercise some upward mobility for a long time. It hasn't quite worked in awhile. Then Briles came a long, via Houston.

We're continuing our countdown of the Big 12's top 25 players from the 2012 season. Here's more on my criteria for the list. You can take a look at how the preseason list looked here.

The official list is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we'll be revealing one player a day moving forward.

Let's keep this train rolling.

No. 24: Nick Florence, QB, Baylor

2012 numbers: Completed 286 of 464 (61.6 percent) passes for 4,309 yards, 33 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Ran 139 times for 568 yards and 10 touchdowns. Also punted twice for an average of 46.5 yards.

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

Making the case for Florence: It feels a little wrong to have the Big 12's leading passer this low on the list, a guy who averaged over 9.0 yards a pass attempt this season. He had tons of help in the form of the Big 12's best two deep threats, Terrance Williams and Tevin Reese, but Baylor needed someone to fill the shoes of Robert Griffin III. Florence was outstanding. He struggled at times early in the conference season, but he was a big part of Baylor's late-season surge and four-game winning streak to close the season. His questionable decision-making at times kept him from finishing higher on this list, but it's clear that Art Briles did it again: He found, developed and started a fantastic quarterback to make his high-flying offense run. Florence finished second nationally in total offense, at over 375 yards a game. Only Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M averaged more, but last year RG III averaged only nine more per game. This season, Florence even broke Griffin's school record for passing yards, topping RG III by 16 yards with a strong performance in the Bears' bowl win over UCLA.

The rest of the list:

• No. 25: Quinn Sharp, K/P/KOS, Oklahoma State