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2012 record: 7-6
2012 Big 12 record: 4-5
Returning starters: Offense: 6; defense: 9; kicker/punter: 2

Top returners: DE Devonte Fields, CB Jason Verrett, WR Brandon Carter, S Sam Carter, S Elisha Olabode, RB Waymon James, K Jaden Oberkrom, RB B.J. Catalon

Key losses: WR Josh Boyce, LB Kenny Cain, DE Stansly Maponga, C James Fry, OG Blaize Foltz, RB Matthew Tucker, WR Skye Dawson

2012 statistical leaders (*returners)

Passing: Trevone Boykin* (2,054 yards)
Rushing: B.J. Catalon* (584 yards)
Receiving: Josh Boyce (891 yards)
Tackles: Kenny Cain (86)
Sacks: Devonte Fields* (10)
Interceptions: Jason Verrett* (6)

Spring answers

1. Offensive line getting straightened out. James Fry and Blaize Foltz were big losses on the interior of the offensive line, and replacing them was a big concern for the Frogs' quiet spring. The spring ended with senior Eric Tausch atop the depth chart at center and sophomore Jamelle Naff winning the right guard job to replace Foltz. Tausch started at left guard last season and moved over, but sophomore Joey Hunt slid up to replace him. Neither Naff nor Hunt have much experience (Hunt earned his lone career start in a loss to Iowa State), but they'll be leaned on this season.

2. New targets acquired. Josh Boyce and Skye Dawson took their talents to the next level, leaving the Frogs in search of a pair of new starters. LaDarius Brown and Brandon Carter were sure things, but strong springs helped fellow juniors Cam White and David Porter win starting jobs at receiver. There aren't many open gigs for a team returning 15 starters, but that's one that will have a big impact.

3. Mallet dropping the hammer. Junior Marcus Mallet emerged late last season and finished with five tackles for loss and a forced fumble among his 18 stops. Now, he looks like the likely candidate to replace departed Kenny Cain and a possible breakout talent on a loaded TCU defense. The 6-foot-1, 216-pounder finished atop the depth chart after a good spring.

Fall questions

1. Is Casey Pachall back to his old self? It's probably safe to operate under the assumption that Pachall will win his job back in fall camp, but beating out Trevone Boykin isn't the same as leading the Big 12 in passing efficiency, like he was last year before his DUI arrest that ended his season. You don't win a Big 12 title with average quarterback play, which brings me to my next question.

2. Can TCU really handle a Big 12 schedule? TCU was competitive last year, sure, and only had one game that it wasn't competitive in. But TCU's not trying to be competitive. It didn't come to the Big 12 to do that. It came to win, and it's proven exactly nothing in that realm just yet. Managing a difficult week-to-week schedule is one thing. Winning just about every week is another. Ask K-State's 2012 team and Oklahoma State's 2011 squad how easy that is.

3. Is the defense for real? On paper, this unit should be absolutely dominant after finishing No. 1 in the Big 12 in total defense and returning nine starters, including Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Devonte Fields at defensive end. That sounds like Texas' defense from last year, who fell off the map and allowed more rushing yards than any team in school history. Sometimes, you just never really know. This is a new season and last year means nothing. Prove it again.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Gary Patterson can only smile when he thinks back to 2004, fresh off a 5-6 season in Conference USA and preparing to join the Mountain West Conference when he started telling people that, one day, TCU would be booking tickets to the BCS.

He would draw smiles and the verbal equivalent of a pat on the head usually reserved for a toddler boldly declaring his intentions of becoming an astronaut or the next Tom Brady. Most would tell Patterson they loved his passion but that he sounded like a crazy person in need of some more realistic goals, lest he disappoint fans and boosters of his program.

"Now you’ve been to two, and you’ve won a Rose Bowl," Patterson told ESPN.com in a recent interview.

Understandably, nobody's laughing much anymore when Patterson talks about the program's next goals, even after a seven-win debut in the Big 12 in 2012.

"Now we’re talking about someday winning a Big 12 championship and someday playing for a national championship," Patterson said.

TCU's best chance is now, with a wide-open Big 12 devoid of a preseason national title contender and the Frogs looking likely to tote a status as one of the league's favorites in the 2013 season. The dividends could be enormous, and Patterson doesn't have to look far to see proof.

"You just look at A&M. Nobody said they were going to do very well, but it’s helped them in recruiting because they surprised people with what they did in their first year in the SEC," Patterson said. "There’s not any doubt that if you can go win big early, you can reap the benefits faster."

The line of thinking is this: TCU has been in the Big 12 for only a season, just like A&M hadn't seen a season in the SEC. Early success means few, if any, examples of failing at the higher level of competition. Show that to recruits and it's a convincing sell. Those convincing sells mean signed letters of intent from players who might otherwise not be heading to your campus, and suddenly you've snowballed into a power based on a big splash in a new, bigger pond.

Texas A&M looks headed for that territory. TCU would love to do the same in the Big 12. At least that's the plan, even though Patterson makes it clear he's treating this season like any other. In fact, with a more experienced team, he's implemented the exact same practice plan as he did for the 2010 season when the Frogs went undefeated and knocked off Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

"Do we have good players? Yes. Do we have the depth we need? No, but we’ve grown in it at some positions," Patterson said. "If we can stay healthy, unlike we did a year ago, who knows what could happen?"

A Big 12 title could definitely happen, and history tells us if you win the Big 12, you won't be far out of the national title race. Catch a couple breaks and you might end up playing on college football's biggest stage. For TCU, that could mean taking big advantage of the natural assets the program was unable to capitalize on without major conference membership.

"We’ve always known who the best players were in the state," Patterson said. "There’s a lot more kids that walk in our doors now that maybe didn’t walk in our doors before. We recruited them but couldn’t get them."

There's no guarantee, but it's hard to see Patterson's sell being a lot harder to turn down if he walks into a recruit's living room with a Big 12 title ring on his hand and a claim that he's won the league 50 percent of the times he's tried to do it. Add to that the offer of playing for a title just a short drive away from home and the weight of what's on the table for TCU in 2013 becomes clearer.

"Like Devonte [Fields], he’s got about 30-35 family members who come watch him play every game," Patterson said of his star defensive end.

Fields won the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year honor as a true freshman in 2012 after signing with TCU as the nation's No. 73 overall prospect and the No. 11 player in Texas.

"Then everybody’s bought in," Patterson said. "It’s not just your mom and dad come up from Houston. You’ve got everybody that’s here."

There's no guarantee TCU can count on winning Big 12 titles in 50 percent of the seasons it plays. Oklahoma has done that over the past decade, though, and Patterson is not in the business of lowering the ambition of the goals he sets for his program.

"The key is can you grow and become a top-20 or top-15 team and top-10 team and in the Big 12 and keep it, not do it once every seven to eight years?" Patterson said. "You’ve got teams in this conference who have been able to do it every other year. We’ve got to make decisions that put us in a position to do that. That’s our whole mindset."

FORT WORTH, Texas -- It didn't take long for Gary Patterson to figure out his 2012 freshman class he'd signed in 2012 was different from most he'd encountered as TCU's coach.

For one, it was the first class he'd ever signed with the promise that each player would play out his career in the Big 12 Conference. More than that, though, when Patterson was forced to play 17 of his true freshmen in 2012, he wasn't too surprised when the result wasn't a disaster.

Instead, stars like defensive end Devonte Fields emerged. He won the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year award, and running back B.J. Catalon, place-kicker Jaden Oberkrom and offensive lineman Aviante Collins earned time as starters. Cornerback Deante' Gray played in the secondary and scored a touchdown on TCU's first touch of the season, a punt return in the season opener against Grambling.

"The freshman class, we knew they were a bit of a different class than what we’d had in the past anyway," Patterson told ESPN.com in a recent interview. "Just the way their mindset is, to the way they approached the summer time and the classwork they did and the offseason work they did with [strength and conditioning] Coach [Don] Sommer."

Before 2012, Patterson had never played more than six true freshmen as a head coach.

Twelve more redshirt freshmen like quarterback Trevone Boykin and receiver LaDarius Brown showed the ability to play immediately and contribute in a tougher conference than the Frogs were used to. Chris Hackett earned a starting safety job less than a third of the way through the season.

Now, it's time for those 28 first-year players to take the next step for the Frogs in one of the most highly anticipated seasons in school history.

"'I want to play and play well,' but playing, you already achieved that," Patterson said of his freshmen. "The biggest thing going forward now, it’s setting goals team-wise, winning championships and playing big and playing well in these kinds of ballgames."

Patterson saw inconsistency in games like losses to Oklahoma State, when the Frogs led 14-9 at halftime but were outscored 27-0 in the second half of the 36-14 loss. He wants consistency, but consistency at a high level.

"So, how do you do that? That comes with maturity and all the other things," Patterson said. "We spent a lot of time talking about the things we have to do to make sure that [inconsistency] doesn’t happen again."

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Thirteen years ago, Gary Patterson heard all kinds of criticism about his program while on recruiting trail in the thick of Big 12 country. It was his first year as head coach of TCU and the Horned Frogs' first season in Conference USA.

But with the Frogs now in the Big 12 and poised for a promising 2013 season, recruits in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex are running out of reasons not to sign close to home at TCU. The program turned heads in December when it swiped longtime Texas recruit Kyle Hicks, who had been committed to the Longhorns since February of 2012.

The Arlington, Texas native is the nation's No. 18 running back and the nation's No. 220 overall recruit. Does flipping a Longhorn commit -- something almost no one did with Mack Brown in charge before the 2013 class -- carry special significance?

"Only if he's a good player," Patterson told ESPN.com in a recent interview. "The key is to go out and find the guy that everybody says what they said about TCU before, is they come in and everybody thinks they’re a 'C' player, and they turn out to be 'A' players. The key is they come in as 'A' players and they’re 'A+' players."

That's what Patterson hopes will be the case with Hicks, whose services shouldn't be needed much in his first season on campus. Running back Waymon James returns alongside B.J. Catalon and blue-chip recruit turned Nebraska transfer Aaron Green, and the trio should be ready to shoulder the load in the backfield in 2013.

Devonte Fields came to TCU from nearby Arlington as a highly-touted recruit. All Petterson did was help turn him into the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a true freshman.

"That’s the same thing with Devonte and guys you have down the road. Can you make them live up to their hype? That’s what programs are supposed to do, and if we can do that, then more of them will come," Patterson said. "If you can prove that guy can come here and he can go to the NFL and he can be a great college player and get his degree just like you told him he could then I think what will happen is kids will stay close to home."

The Frogs are trying to turn their location in the thick of a college football talent hotbed into an advantage. Doing so will require more than winning just seven games like they did in 2012 -- their first season back in major conference football as a Big 12 member. Patterson could form a championship-caliber team from DFW high schoolers alone, in theory, but he's going to make sure they answer "yes" to two big questions before any offers are handed out.

"Do they have two things in mind: Do they want to get a degree and do they want to win a national championship?" Patterson said. "Both of them are hard work. There’s no inbetween on either one of them, that’s what our program is built upon: hard work and accountability. That’s how you stay somewhere long enough to do something."

Hicks' answer was "yes," and his legacy is only beginning at TCU. Patterson knows not a soul will remember or care that the Frogs swiped him from Texas if he doesn't take the next step as a player.

"In Kyle’s case, great young man, great player," Patterson said. "Now let’s make him from a great high school player to a great college player, and let’s also get him his college degree."

Ironically, Kansas State saw its program flounder late in Bill Snyder's tenure and throughout Ron Prince's time, despite major recruiting success and beating out national powers for big-time players like future NFL quarterback Josh Freeman. TCU has a chance to see its own recruiting rankings soar annually. But Patterson is focused on making sure his team is full of players with the intangibles that the Frogs have used to build their program over the past decade. Under Patterson, the school has routinely won at least 11 games in a season and their success has led them to membership in a major conference.

"The whole key is to make sure we’re still recruiting the TCU type of guy that is a guy that can come in and he becomes the player that everybody says he was supposed to be," Patterson said. "That’s what my job is, to develop them and not only make them that, but make them better."

FORT WORTH, Texas -- This time last year, Devonte Fields was shuffling to classes as dictated by a bell and gearing up for his high school graduation from Martin High in nearby Arlington, Texas.

TCU coach Gary Patterson says another graduation might be needed for his biggest defensive star.

Fields made a huge impact in TCU's fall camp after showing up to campus in the summer and started every game for the Frogs, making 18.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks to take home the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award from the media as a true freshman, despite being an unknown when the season kicked off.

His return this spring, though, hasn't pleased his head coach.

"He’s not had as good a spring as we would have liked him to have had," Patterson told ESPN.com in a recent interview. "You just expect him to get better and faster, but if I tell you all the things, then everybody knows about him. The biggest thing is sometimes you don’t think you have to work as hard and come back and do some things, so getting him back on the level of why he was the player that he was."

By season's end, Fields' profile (among fans and opposing offensive lines alike) was enormous compared to the rest of the Frogs' 17 freshmen who played in 2013, the most ever under Patterson at TCU. Fields' struggles aren't uncommon, but they're not welcome, either.

"The thing you’ve got to be worried about with freshmen, is they think they get that year over with and now everything’s easy. Well, it actually becomes harder," Patterson said. "People call it the sophomore jinx, so for us, we’re really pushing through and making them understand. I think a lot of them are going through that, including Devonte Fields."

This season, Fields won't have the luxury of an all-conference defensive end across from him attracting attention, especially early in the season. Stansly Maponga fought through foot and ankle injuries in 2012, but he was the Frogs' only preseason All-Big 12 selection last fall. Fields made just 4.5 of his 18.5 tackles for loss in the final six games of the season, and had just two of his 10 sacks over that period. The difficulty level also ratcheted up for Fields well before spring began.

"The reason was he was talented, but he played so hard. When you come back, you have to make sure you still do that every day. We don’t feel like we got that as much so far this spring as much as we need to," Patterson said.

Fields can change that with some more work in the weight room and on the practice field this summer and once fall camp begins, but the real measuring stick will come very soon when the Frogs open the season in Fields' hometown of Arlington, Texas at Cowboys Stadium against LSU.

"Freshmen sometimes they play -- scared’s not the right word -- but with great anticipation of the unknown. For us, how do you get it through now to get back and still want to win a conference championship and have the level of play that you have to do to beat the kind of opponents you have to beat in this league?" Patterson said. "We have to keep working forward and getting better."

Texas was labeled a Big 12 title "pretender" in our poll this week, despite winning nine games last season and bringing back the second-most starters in the Big 12.

Our readers, however, are much more sold on the prospects of TCU, which went 7-6 in its first year in the Big 12, despite suffering more personnel losses and injuries than any team in the league. In our poll, 55 percent of you say TCU is a Big 12 title contender. Just 45 percent voted for "pretender."

For me, I take that as a vote of confidence in quarterback Casey Pachall. Trevone Boykin gave some fantastic effort as a redshirt freshman who wasn't quite ready to step into the role of starter, but I don't really buy TCU's title chances with him at the helm in 2013. With Pachall, I do.

The defense? It's easy to believe in them as the league's best. They were the league's No. 1 defense a year ago with a bunch of freshmen and sophomores all over the place, and return two of the league's impact players on that side of the ball: Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Devonte Fields at defensive end, and Jason Verrett at cornerback.

Honestly, I'm a little surprised at the poll results. I'm definitely a believer in TCU's chances, but from the time the Frogs made their new conference union official, I've sensed a ton of skepticism from the league's fans about TCU's program proving itself as one of the Big 12's best.

Considering how the vote went, it looks like that first year in the Big 12, despite the average finish in the win-loss column, really did make an impression.

It's hard not to wake up with a smile on your face on a day like today. Sure, I cover football, but the first two days of the NCAA tournament are two of the best of the year. In just a few hours, 16 college basketball games will tip off and we'll do the same thing again on Friday.

To celebrate, we'll have a little theoretical bracket competition in the Big 12 with next season's teams.

Here's how I'm seeding the league's 10 teams:

1. Oklahoma State
2. TCU
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma
5. Baylor
6. Texas Tech
7. Kansas State
8. West Virginia
9. Iowa State
10. Kansas

So, how would a 10-team bracket play out? Here's how I slot it. Feel free to provide your own conclusions in the comments. The Big 12, like this year's NCAA tournament, is wide open. Anything could happen, but assume that these games are played during this week. (Note: Players injured this spring will be included, as will early enrolling freshmen. Freshmen not on campus are not eligible for these games).

Play-in games (at Hutchinson Junior College in Hutchinson, Kansas):

No. 7 Kansas State vs. No. 10 Kansas: KU's got a bit more experience on its side, but experience doesn't mean much in this latest iteration of the Sunflower Showdown. Bill Snyder gets the best of the Jayhawks on the kind of field he knows very, very well. Kansas State 38, Kansas 20

No. 8 West Virginia vs. No. 9 Iowa State: This game was too close for comfort in November, but Iowa State's Sam Richardson makes enough plays to outgun an inexperienced WVU offense and a still-learning defense. West Virginia goes with experience at quarterback in Paul Millard, but the timing is still a bit off. Iowa State 31, West Virginia 30

FIRST ROUND (in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas)

No. 1 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Kansas State: These two have had some classic battles over the past two years, but OSU quarterback Clint Chelf finishes without a turnover, and that gets the job done. If OSU hadn't thrown an interception against Kansas State in Manhattan last year, the Pokes might have pulled the upset. Cowboys running back Jeremy Smith goes off against Kansas State's new defensive line. Oklahoma State 47, Kansas State 31

No. 2 TCU vs. No. 9 Iowa State: Iowa State beat the heck out of TCU in Fort Worth last year, but that was just days after the Frogs lost quarterback Casey Pachall. Pachall is back, and so is running back Waymon James. Iowa State's green linebackers get bowled over by James' power. TCU 21, Iowa State 13

No. 3 Texas vs. No. 6 Texas Tech: Texas Tech is still searching for its offensive identity, and Texas defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat isn't all about giving the Red Raiders time to do it. The Red Raiders get off to a nice start, though Texas' running game seizes control in the second half. Tech's Michael Brewer hits Jace Amaro for a pair of long gains and finds Eric Ward for the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds. Sounds oddly familiar, no? Texas Tech 31, Texas 27

No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 5 Baylor: Oklahoma's quarterback gets off to a decent start, but Baylor's defense is still red-hot and Baylor's Bryce Petty outguns Oklahoma's Blake Bell in the debut for both quarterbacks. It's a breakout game for redshirt freshman Baylor receiver Jay Lee, too. The Sooners' young defense is caught off guard. Baylor 41, Oklahoma 31

SEMIFINALS (at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas)

No. 1 Oklahoma State vs. No. 5 Baylor: Baylor sprung the upset late in the season, and leads by double digits early in this one before Chelf rallies with a pair of touchdown passes to Charlie Moore and a third to Blake Jackson. The senior is trying to prove he deserves the job permanently, but OSU seals the game with a late score on the ground from J.W. Walsh in the short-yardage formation, overcoming 185 rushing yards from Baylor's Lache Seastrunk. Oklahoma State 44, Baylor 31

No. 2 TCU vs. No. 6 Texas Tech: Texas Tech's offense gets completely suffocated by TCU's defense, and defensive end Devonte Fields makes life tough for Tech's Brewer. Tech can't establish the running game to offset the rush, and TCU's cornerbacks lock down the Red Raiders' screen game, too. Ugly, ugly game to watch. For anyone but TCU fans, anyway. TCU 20, Texas Tech 10

CHAMPIONSHIP (at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas)

No. 1 Oklahoma State vs. No. 2 TCU: Are we allowed to have a Big 12 title game (and semifinals) without Texas or Oklahoma involved? The league's top two squads in my book survived a pair of games to reach the finals, and both teams are solid on both sides of the ball. Oklahoma State's offense is better. TCU's defense is better. Both teams' weaker units are still solid, though. At the end of the game, it's exactly what we wanted to see. Chelf, Smith and Tracy Moore going head to head with Fields and Jason Verrett for the Frogs. OSU has been there before and drives the length of the field before kicker Bobby Stonebraker proves Oklahoma State's edge in the special teams is the difference with a 45-yard, game-winning field goal. Oklahoma State 31, TCU 28

Cue up One Shining Moment!

We're back again looking at a different Big 12 team with title aspirations next fall. The Frogs limped (literally) through their first season in the Big 12, dealing with more injuries and personnel losses than any team in the Big 12, but still managed to finish 7-6 and earn a whole bunch of respect in its first season as a team in a BCS automatic qualifier conference.

So what happens in Year 2? Do you buy that a Big 12 title is in reach? Vote in our poll whether you believe TCU has a real chance or not. With Casey Pachall back on the field and back in practice, hopes are certainly high, but the Frogs' biggest asset is the Big 12's No. 1 offense from 2012 that returns nine starters.

Pachall still has to officially beat out Trevone Boykin, who was streaky but showed some promise filling in for Pachall over the last 2/3 of the 2012 season.

Defensive end Devonte Fields, the AP's Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, highlights the Frogs' hyped defense alongside cornerback Jason Verrett, the league's top shutdown corner from a year ago who led the league with six interceptions and 16 pass breakups. Great secondary play is a must-have in the Big 12, and TCU's got it.

The Frogs have to deal with the loss of receiver Josh Boyce, but the position is still strong with Brandon Carter returning and LaDarius Brown looking ready for an increased role after catching 27 passes for 385 yards and five scores last season.

The running backs will be a strength for the Frogs next season with Waymon James returning from a knee injury and B.J. Catalon and Nebraska transfer Aaron Green providing depth and variety to James' powerful running style.

Will it be enough to truly contend for a Big 12 title for the first time ever? Or are the Frogs a paper tiger bound for disappointment in 2013? Cast your vote. We'll revisit the results later.

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.

We're in the top 10 now, so it's about to get heated, I'm sure. If you've got complaints, I've got a mailbag. Let's hear it.

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. 6: Devonte Fields, DE, TCU

2012 numbers: Made 53 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Also had an interception, forced three fumbles and broke up four passes.

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

Making the case for Fields: You always hear about blessings in disguise, but sometimes it's hard to believe it's not just people spinning a bad situation. Fields may never have made this big of a splash if starter Ross Forrest hadn't suffered a shoulder injury in fall camp that sidelined him for the year. He moved to role of coach, and with the weight of heightened responsibility upon him, the freshman from Arlington, Texas, answered in a big way. He broke out with 8.5 tackles for loss in his first four games and despite being a true freshman who showed up on campus in the summer, he won the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year honors from the media. His 10 sacks were third most in the Big 12, but his 18.5 tackles for loss led the league, two more than any other player. Without time to truly understand the defense or build his body through an offseason program, he made a huge impact and set the stage for what could be a special career. He'll build on his 240-pound frame throughout his career and he'll perfect his raw technique, too. Keep an eye on him over the next couple years before he leaves to become a top-five pick in the NFL draft.

The rest of the list:

• No. 7: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• No. 8: Meshak Williams, DE, Kansas State
• No. 9: Gabe Ikard, OL, Oklahoma
• No. 10: A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
• No. 11: Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
• No. 12: Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
• No. 13: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• No. 14: Trey Millard, FB/RB/TE, Oklahoma
• No. 15: Cyril Richardson, OL, Baylor
• 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

Colleague KC Joyner took a look at five teams who could be sleepers to win conference titles in 2013, and from the Big 12, he's looking squarely at the new guys in Fort Worth.

You'll need Insider to see the full post, but Joyner loves nine starters coming back from TCU's defense, which gave up less than five yards a play in 2012, despite playing in league with five teams that ranked in the top 22 in yards per play. That is even more impressive when you consider how little help the defense got from a struggling offense after Casey Pachall left the team. TCU often struggled with field position and didn't have an offense to hang oodles of points and put pressure on opposing offenses to match a big number very often. TCU's defense is highlighted by the Big 12's best returning pass-rusher, defensive end Devonte Fields, and its best cover corner, Jason Verrett. In the Big 12, those are two fantastic positions to have big talents filling.

Pachall's return could obviously change things for the offense. Joyner also addresses the biggest criticism I've heard this offseason of TCU's Big 12 title chances: Its schedule.

Yes, the Frogs have to make trips to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State, as well as Texas Tech. As I noted last month, though, we could be headed for a historically rough season at the top of the Big 12 with a lack of an elite team. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if the Big 12 champion had two losses. We might see a breakout team this fall, but the Big 12 is likely to begin the season with zero teams in the top 10, and perhaps only a couple in the top 15.

TCU might be able to break through and win a Big 12 title, even with a brutal road schedule.

We're back ranking the top 10 players at positions across the Big 12. Today, we'll turn our eyes to the defensive lines across the Big 12. Here's what you've missed so far:

Here's what you've missed so far:

• Quarterbacks
• Running backs
• Receivers

Let's get to it.

1. Devonte Fields, TCU: You could make a case for either of these two guys, and Fields wasn't as productive in conference play, but Fields' raw talent is eye-popping. I give him the No. 1 spot on this list after leading the league with 18.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

2. Meshak Williams, Kansas State: Williams' motor runs higher than anyone else's in this league, and the juco transfer made a ton of the talent he was given to win the Big 12's Defensive Lineman of the Year Award. He was second in the league with 10.5 sacks and added 15.5 tackles for loss.

3. Alex Okafor, Texas: Okafor finished his career in unbelievable fashion, making 4.5 sacks and dominating Texas' Alamo Bowl win over Oregon State. That jolted him into the Big 12 title with 12.5 sacks and he was second in the league with 16.5 sacks. His career has been a bit up and down, but this was a fitting crescendo to a big talent.

4. Calvin Barnett, Oklahoma State: Barnett was the league's best interior defensive lineman this year, constantly getting a push and generally being a handful for offensive lines. He fixed his early-season penalty issues and finished with nine tackles for loss.

5. Jake McDonough, Iowa State: McDonough wasn't too far behind. He was a breakout star in the middle for Iowa State this season, pushing his way to two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. You can't grade interior linemen on numbers, but watch Iowa State's defense sometime. McDonough freed up a lot of space for the rest of the defense, one of the league's most underrated.

6. Adam Davis, Kansas State: Davis doesn't have the name recognition around the league that Williams did, but he was solid on the other side of the line, ranking fourth in the league with six sacks and eighth in the league with 11.5 sacks. K-State's defense was one of the Big 12's best last year. The D-line was a huge reason why.

7. Kerry Hyder, Texas Tech: Hyder was a breakout star this season for the much-improved Tech defense. He was fifth in the league with 14 tackles for loss and seventh with 5.5 sacks. The 6-foot-2, 281-pounder is versatile along the defensive line and could be due for a big 2013.

8. Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas: Jeffcoat's junior year came to a sad end when he injured his pectoral and underwent surgery, but even with the abbreviated season, he still had four sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in just six games. Ridiculous. He could be a top 10 pick next April after electing to return to Texas for his senior season in 2013.

9. Stansly Maponga, TCU: Maponga was a little underwhelming this year, but still turned in a solid effort when you look from a wide angle and not from the high expectations he brought in as the Frogs' only preseason All-Big 12 selection and an All-Mountain West first-teamer. He battled injuries all year and finished with four sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.

10. David King, Oklahoma: Maximus was mighty for the Sooners this season, who needed him to do a lot. Injuries and suspensions forced him to move all over the place on the defensive line. He was inside, outside and every other possible side. He finished with 2.5 sacks this season.

Honorable mention: Dartwan Bush, Texas Tech; Vai Lutui, Kansas State; Chris McAllister, Baylor; Chucky Hunter, TCU

Every year, there's lots of turnover and change for every college program. What do the Big 12 teams need to do before next fall? Let's continue our look with the Frogs here in Fort Worth.

1. See what Casey Pachall has to offer and make a decision. Pachall is back with the team, but we won't get a real feel for how good or bad he is until the spring when the team can begin practicing as a unit with coaches. In the meantime, this job is Trevone Boykin's to lose. The spring will be a showcase for Pachall, and we'll have a good idea of whether TCU is a real Big 12 title contender. I don't believe in the Frogs unless Boykin looks like a new man in 2013, but if Pachall returns to his 2011 and early 2012 form, TCU is legitimate.

2. Don't pay attention to stuff off the practice field. In that same vein, there's going to be some unprecedented preseason hype around this team. Pachall or not, this young team is likely to be one of the Big 12 favorites by the media at large around the league and some nationally. It showed promise in last year's 7-6 team, but the surest way to not win the Big 12 title is to believe you can win it without working for it. Read enough news clippings or believe all the nice things people say on campus, and that poisonous mindset might seep in.

3. Grow up. In that same vein, most of those predictions will be predicated upon the presupposition that next year's team will do a whole lot of improving this offseason. This team doesn't lose very much from the 2012 version. Six players on offense and a rousing nine (from arguably the Big 12's best defense) will return in 2013. This team will know its identity (balanced offense with big-play potential and a stingy defense with strengths in perfect places in the Big 12 -- pass rush and the secondary) and know what it wants to do next year. Teams across the league will spend the entire offseason trying to figure out how to beat guys like Devonte Fields and Jason Verrett and shut down Brandon Carter. Those guys have to get better at what they do best and add new facets to their games by next fall that makes life even harder for opponents.

More offseason to-do lists:

• Texas
• Texas Tech
• West Virginia

You need stars to win Big 12 titles, sure. Oklahoma State had two: Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden.

Kansas State had two this season, too: Collin Klein and Arthur Brown. What all too often got overlooked for both of those teams? The bushels of really, really good players who don't have national name recognition but show up week after week and are far above average for their position.

Both teams had outstanding offensive lines, but players like John Hubert, Meshak Williams, Ty Zimmerman and Nigel Malone were huge parts of those titles. Oklahoma State was deep at receiver with Josh Cooper and Michael Harrison and had huge pieces on defense like Jamie Blatnick and Markelle Martin, along with a pair of breakout cornerbacks in Brodrick Brown and Justin Gilbert.

We'll see about Casey Pachall, but TCU lost two players who are certainly far above average for their positions in receiver Josh Boyce and defensive end Stansly Maponga, a preseason All-Big 12 talent a year ago who had a disappointing season but was still a big talent with a chance for a huge 2013. Boyce wasn't a Biletnikoff Award-level talent, but he was likely a 1,000-yard receiver next season and the leader of a talented group that included Brandon Carter and LaDarius Brown.

TCU still has the talent to win a Big 12 title, but there's no doubt that without Boyce and Maponga, the road got a good bit harder. Devonte Fields and Pachall are the team's two most promising players, but a shutdown corner like Jason Verrett electing to return will be huge in helping TCU slow down the offensive juggernauts you'll find in the Big 12. That's the other big thing the last two Big 12 champions had in common: Watch K-State eviscerate good offenses like West Virginia, Texas Tech and slow down Oklahoma State. The Pokes a year earlier forced tons of turnovers, but also held Baylor's offense in check, shut down Texas A&M in the second half, shut out Texas Tech's offense and raced to a 40-point lead on Oklahoma before the Sooners scored their first touchdown.

TCU's got that kind of potential on defense, but the pass rush takes a hit without Maponga. The receivers lose Boyce and Skye Dawson, forcing LaDarius Brown to be a bigger piece of the offense. He'll be up for the task, but having Boyce would make life a lot easier on Trevone Boykin or Pachall.

Can TCU weather those losses and win its first Big 12 title in its second year in the league? Sure.

The odds, though, got longer when Boyce and Maponga took their talents to the NFL.

We're grading each Big 12 team's season right now, and we'll move on to the next team on the list: The TCU Horned Frogs.

OFFENSE: You have to wonder what could have been for TCU in Year 1 in the Big 12 if Casey Pachall had stayed on the team, Ed Wesley hadn't left in May and Waymon James' knee had remained healthy more than a couple games into the season. Ifs and buts, candy and nuts, etc., but that wasn't the case. The early season was plagued by turnovers and missed opportunities in the red zone even with Pachall, and that's factored into this grade. The toughest thing for this offense to swallow was how strong its receivers were, but Pachall's replacement, Trevone Boykin, couldn't get Josh Boyce and Brandon Carter the ball consistently enough to make this an offense good enough to hang in the upper half of the Big 12. Boykin played gutsy ball and used his legs well, and had an ability to hit the big play when TCU often needed it, and clearly grew throughout the season. After TCU got blasted at home by Iowa State, I all but eulogized TCU's season. A bowl game was out. And then it wasn't. Against K-State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, the offense looked really, really rough, and let winnable games slip out of reach. The Frogs had a really impressive season, but the post-Pachall offense wasn't the reason why it happened. GRADE: C

DEFENSE: The Frogs got my vote as the Big 12's best defense. Stansly Maponga was a bit underwhelming on the defensive line, but Devonte Fields was better than anyone could have ever thought, winning the league's Defensive Player of the Year honors as a true freshman who only started to begin the season because DE Ross Forrest missed the season with a shoulder injury. Jason Verrett emerged as the league's best shutdown corner, a far cry from his awful outing to begin 2011 when RG3 torched Verrett and the Frogs. Elisha Olabode and Sam Carter filled out a strong secondary that forced 32 turnovers, tied for the most in the Big 12. Joel Hasley and Kenny Cain played well for an underrated linebacking corps that was gutted by the loss of Tanner Brock before the season and rising star Deryck Gildon being ruled ineligible and leaving for junior college. Nobody dealt with losses as heavy as TCU, and they happened on both sides of the ball. Gary Patterson strung together an amazing defense, despite it all, and led the league in total defense and yards per play. The Frogs gave up just 4.92 yards per play, nearly half a yard per play fewer than any other team in the Big 12. GRADE: A+

OVERALL: It's tough to grade the Frogs, whose seven-win season felt like a 10-win season, considering the circumstances. The offense had to play with one hand tied behind its back at times, without basically its entire offensive backfield. The defense lost almost as much, but filled in the holes at linebacker and Fields was a breakout star. Every win down the stretch was emotional, but you can't ignore there were only two of them in the final seven games of the year. TCU's impact on the Big 12 in Year 1 was bigger than its number in the win total. It showed a lot of toughness and to some degree, answered the "depth" question. Still, 7-6 is 7-6. GRADE: B-

TCU built its program under Gary Patterson on home-grown talent.

Assuming the members of year's verbally-committed class all sign with the Frogs next month, TCU has signed just 17 players from outside Texas since 2009. The Frogs, meanwhile, have made a big dent in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Over that same time period, 30 of TCU's 108 signees hailed from the metroplex.

That number looks to be growing, too. TCU has 10 of its 19 commits in this year's class coming to Fort Worth from the metroplex and have had 23 in the past three years alone, thanks to two BCS bowl bids -- including a win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl -- and a ticket to join the Big 12, where TCU had longed to be since being exiled to college football's minor leagues after the breakup of the Southwest Conference.

The best of the bunch might have already arrived in defensive end Devonte Fields, who was the nation's No. 73 player a year ago and TCU's highest-ranked recruit. Patterson helped turn him into the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year as a true freshman.

Mining a rich recruiting base in the metroplex has never been easy for TCU, with bigger programs like Texas and Oklahoma constantly skimming off the recruiting cream of the crop. TCU didn't have the winning tradition of either school.

Then the Frogs started winning.

"Well, TCU might be winning, but it'll never play in a BCS game."

Then it played in a BCS game. Then it won one.

"Yeah, but TCU can't ever be in the Big 12. If you want to play in a BCS game, you better go undefeated. And you've got no shot to win a national title."

Well, now TCU is in the Big 12, and becoming a major player in the metroplex is a real possibility as long as it establishes early on in its membership that it can clear that final hurdle.

"Sure, TCU's in the Big 12, but it can't win consistently or compete for titles there."

Well, TCU will have a big shot in 2013, and Patterson already knows the bar he wants to clear.

"The metroplex has never had a Big 12 school," Patterson said last February when he signed his first class that would play their entire careers in the Big 12. "What we should become to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the same thing that Texas A&M is to Houston and Texas is to Austin."

TCU has always recruited hard in the area, but Big 12 membership gets the area's best players to listen. If TCU starts winning, it'll be a whole lot easier to get them to sign, too. In the process, they could shake up the entire Big 12 landscape, chipping away at Texas and Oklahoma's stranglehold on wins across the league -- on the field and on the recruiting trail.

"We've been recruiting against the Big 12 for the last seven or eight years," Patterson said at Big 12 Media Days this year. "And we always felt like if we could get a few of those guys that could play at that level that we could win the Mountain West or whatever conference we were part of. And we've won more of those battles here in the three or four years. So we know a lot about the players. Most of those teams we're talking about have Texas players. We recruited them. We had them in camp. We understand the kind of players they have. It's no different. That's the one great thing about coming back in the Big 12 for us is that when you do step on the field, you're stepping on the field that you knew all kids, they're going to know guys they played against in high school."

The biggest difference now? More and more of those better players might be wearing TCU colors.