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I've been inspired by the boys at the Big Ten Blog, and this should be a fun walk-through each week in the new-look Big 12 next season. I'll pick one game a week during the season that I'd attend if it were entirely up to me. I don't make the call, and things change as games are played, of course. I'll include road nonconference games, too.

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

Here's the Week 14 slate in the Big 12:

• Oklahoma State at Baylor
• Kansas at West Virginia
• Texas at Kansas State
• Oklahoma at TCU

My pick: Oklahoma at TCU

Really, really tough call here. I may do some research between now and then and try to be two places at once. Ultimately, this one will come down to what the Big 12 standings look like at season's end.

I could easily see Kansas State and Texas both a) play for a game with serious Big 12 title implications and b) play the Big 12 game with the fewest pass attempts since, uh, a long time ago.

For now, though, I'll go with two teams with two of the best offenses in the Big 12 and close my Big 12 regular season with another visit to newcomer TCU.

The Sooners' linebackers are solid, but face a tough task in Matthew Tucker, Ed Wesley and Waymon James, the best trio of running backs in the Big 12, who all topped 700 yards and 100 carries in 2011. Quite the platoon, no doubt.

Oklahoma could have a lot on the line in this one, and one final game away from home for senior Landry Jones, who's improved away from Owen Field tremendously throughout his career. TCU's defense wasn't outstanding in 2011, but Gary Patterson's staked a claim as a defensive coach, and this could be a game that gives the Horned Frogs a chance to prove themselves and perhaps earn a Big 12 title on the final weekend of the season.

It'd be quite the dream scenario for the boys in purple. Oklahoma's been by far the best Big 12 program in the history of the league. Now, the Sooners come to town with the Big 12 title on the line?

What an atmosphere that would be in brand-new Amon G. Carter Stadium. I know the Horned Frogs will be dreaming about that one all season if the wins start rolling in.

Could TCU win a Big 12 title in its first season in the league? Could Oklahoma wrap up its eighth since 2000? I can't wait to find out.

Time to continue our series breaking down each team's best and worst positions entering the 2012 season. TCU is up next.

More spring superlatives:

• Baylor
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma State
• Texas

Strongest position: Running back

Simply put, this position is pretty absurd for TCU. The Horned Frogs have by far the deepest set of running backs in the league. Ed Wesley, Waymon James and Matthew Tucker all topped 700 yards rushing but each got at least 120 carries and not more than 123. That's crazy balance.

The Horned Frogs may not have a gamebreaker in the unit, and they put those numbers up in the Mountain West, but it's still impressive. Casey Pachall spearheads a great passing attack, but the Horned Frogs are more than capable of getting physical on the ground. Balance has been a benchmark of Gary Patterson's program, and it'll be especially true this year. Nobody in the Big 12 can boast anything close to three 700-yard rushers coming back, and TCU will use them all liberally.

Weakest position: Safety

TCU's safeties outpace the linebackers here, but after Tanner Brock got mixed up in the campus drug sting, there's a big question mark at both positions. Tank Carder was a stalwart at the position for the past three seasons, including the Rose Bowl win in 2010, but he's gone now. Brock missed 2011 with an injury, but the former All-American was expected back. He almost certainly will not return.

Safeties Tekerrein Cuba and Johnny Fobbs are both gone, and the position was already a trouble spot last year. You saw plenty of it in the loss to Baylor that opened the season. Devin Johnson, a likely starter this season, was also arrested in the drug sting and barring a stunning turn of events, won't be with the team this year. Now, it's up to sophomores Sam Carter, Jonathan Anderson and juniors Elisha Olabode and Trent Thomas to fill the void.

The good news? Coach Chad Glasgow is back to coach them after a year coordinating the defense at Texas Tech. The Horned Frogs were the nation's leader in total defense in 2008, 2009 and 2010 with Glasgow. That'll change in their new home in the Big 12, but hopes are still high.

We'll cap our moving week by introducing a new team to the big stage: TCU, welcome to the Big 12.

Our former Southwest Conference teams surely remember the Horned Frogs, but it's time to get everyone acquainted. To help me out, we've got College Nation blogger Andrea Adelson.

David Ubben: Andrea, you've been around this program the last year or so. Most fans won't have to travel far when they make it to the newly renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium, but what can they expect for a game-day experience?

Andrea Adelson: TCU might not have a stadium as big as Texas or Oklahoma, but fans sure get loud and provide a really good home-field advantage. The Horned Frogs have won 26 of their last 27 home games, and coach Gary Patterson has lost only seven times there in his 11 seasons as head coach. The newly renovated stadium should provide even more of a home-field advantage as the student section has now been reconfigured to run goal line to goal line behind the opponent bench. Students typically get dressed up all in purple and there is one spirit organization known as the HyperFrogs that leads chants throughout the game to get everybody fired up. Word is that playing a full slate of Big 12 competition is going to spur even more excitement at games and lead to many more sellouts.

DU: I'm excited to see it. I've done baseball and basketball at TCU, but I've never been to a football game. I'll have to end that this year. I'm definitely buying the idea that TCU's attendance issues have been accentuated by some less-than-stellar opponents. I'm not impressed by the home record, though.

The Horned Frogs already have their hand signal ready, a signature of Texas teams from that old Southwest Conference, but what's this move, getting reacquainted with some old friends, mean to TCU?

AA: It means everything, David. TCU was so desperate to get into an automatic qualifying conference, it agreed back in 2010 to join the Big East and then tried to tell everybody that geography did not matter and making the move was the perfect fit. The truth is, TCU always had designs on the Big 12, but the league had no interest in the Horned Frogs. Maybe that is because they were viewed as the pesky little brother that needed to be kept locked in his room. But the shifting sands of realignment made it increasingly obvious that TCU was the no-brainer choice to join the Big 12. It is no wonder TCU jumped ship for a conference closer to home without ever having played a down of football in the Big East. The Horned Frogs have finally achieved the goal set when the Southwest Conference broke up -- and it took only three (and a half) league homes to get there.

DU: Yeah, people want to knock TCU for conference jumping, but how can you not when the non-AQ leagues are shifting as much as they have in the past couple of decades. There's no doubt about it: TCU is home. I was at the news conference when they announced the move, and I've never seen so many people in suits wearing enormous smiles.

Big 12 fans may know TCU's combo of quarterback Casey Pachall and receiver Josh Boyce, but who are a few names Big 12 fans should keep an eye out for in 2012?

AA: TCU has a three-headed running back trio in Ed Wesley, Matthew Tucker and Waymon James, and all three return for this season. The three nearly split their carries evenly in 2011 -- each getting over 100 -- and combined for 2,337 yards and 24 touchdown runs. On the defensive side of the ball, watch for DE Stansly Maponga, a first-team Mountain West selection who really blossomed in his sophomore season. Maponga had nine sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles and will be expected to anchor what should be a solid defensive line. I am also going to be intrigued to see how receiver Brandon Carter does in his sophomore season. He did play as a true freshman and had 352 yards and three touchdowns, but bigger things will be expected. He was one of the big gets in the 2011 recruiting class, a four-star prospect out of Euless, Texas.

DU: OU fans may remember Brandon Carter. He was almost a Sooner, but they wanted him to play corner. Safe to say he's feeling good about his decision now.

Time to put you on the spot, AA: Forecast the Horned Frogs' first year in the Big 12. Win total, conference record, bowl game and Big 12 finish.

AA: Without knowing the actual schedule, as in home games and away games, I am going to say at least eight wins and a finish in the top four. So that would project out to Alamo or Insight, and of course that depends on who else is eligible to be selected.

DU: Yeah, the Big 12 isn't really making this one easy on us.

I like what TCU's got coming back. This is a team that could run the table outside of the Big 12, but they may hit a few speed bumps in the transition. I'll say TCU wins nine games, finishes fourth in the Big 12 and heads to the Insight Bowl. Not a bad debut for a program that could see its success sky-rocket in years to come.

Time for our weekly checkup with the league's new members. We'll kick off the first West Virginia update later today. But first, keeping up with the Horned Frogs so you don't have to.

Yet, anyway.

Record: 6-2 (3-0 Mountain West)

National rank: Receiving votes in AP, USA Today polls. Unranked in BCS standings.

Last result: Beat BYU, 38-28, at Cowboys Stadium on Friday night.

What to know: While you were busy watching Game 7 of the World Series, Gary Patterson's crew was busy beating up on BYU inside JerryWorld. Another prospective Big 12 member was across the sidelines, but for a fourth consecutive season, the Horned Frogs emerged as winners. TCU led 35-10 until a late charge made the final score respectable.

The crowd was late-arriving, but despite the unfortunate timing of the game, an announced crowd of 50,094 showed up at Cowboys Stadium for the game. TCU scored on a 48-yard pass to speedy, shifty Skye Dawson (He'll be one of the most fun players to watch in the Big 12 next year. Trust me on that.) on the second play of the game, and didn't look back. Casey Pachall finished with 147 yards and two scores on 13-of-23 passing. Ed Wesley had 59 yards on 12 carries.

A rolling snap meant an illegal kick from BYU, who also had a punt blocked by the Horned Frogs. BYU's punter dropped a snap on another punt to set up another TCU score. Big day for the Frogs' special teamers.

Up next: at Wyoming (5-2) on Saturday

WACO, Texas -- TCU starting tailback Ed Wesley didn't play in the first quarter because he was suspended for missing class during summer session, coach Gary Patterson said after Baylor's stunning 50-48 victory over the No. 14 Horned Frogs.

"I told him next time he did it he wasn't going to start the first quarter," Patterson said. "So he didn't start the first quarter."

Wesley, nursing a sore shoulder for the last part of camp and through this week, finished with just six carries for 36 yards. He did not play in the second half because he aggravated the injury in the second quarter.

"He had been in a red shirt [signaling an injured player during practice] for the last week-and-a-half and we probably shouldn't have played him, to be honest," Patterson said. "He wanted to go in and the doc said he was healthy, but the other guys, [Matthew] Tucker was running great and so was [James] Waymon, and they're going to have to carry the load for a couple of weeks."

James finished with 64 yards on six carries and Tucker had 43 yards on 12 carries, plus a 30-yard reception on TCU's go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. The Frogs were forced to mostly throw in the second half after falling behind 47-23 with 6:10 to go in the third quarter.

Patterson said he won't know more about Wesley's availability for next week's game at Air Force until he's re-evaluated on Saturday.

The 51 preseason candidates for the 2011 Doak Walker Award presented to the nation's top running back were announced Friday.

Two TCU running backs made the list: Matthew Tucker and Ed Wesley. SMU's Zach Line and North Texas' Lance Dunbar also represent DFW schools.

Texas A&M's Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael were also tabbed. Nebraska back and Plano product Rex Burkhead also appears.

Last season's recipient, Oregon junior and Texarkana native LaMichael James, returns to the watch list after leading the nation in scoring and rushing in 2010.

Semifinalists will be named Nov. 11, and finalists will be determined Nov. 21. The winner will be announced Dec. 8 on ESPN.

With the college football season just around the corner, the Maxwell Football Club announced watch lists for two of its awards Tuesday.

The Maxwell Award has been presented to the country's top collegiate football player since 1937. The Bednarik Award, which has been around since 1995, goes to the nation's top defensive player.

The lists include 15 candidates from Big 12 South and DFW schools. Returning Maxwell semifinalists include Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles and Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin.

The Big 12 South landed 11 players on the lists. TCU has three representatives on the list: running back Ed Wesley and linebackers Tanner Brock and Tank Carder. SMU running back Zach Line is also up for the Maxwell.

Semifinalists for the awards will be announced Oct. 31st, and the three finalists for each will be revealed Nov. 21. Winners will be announced as part of the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 8.

Watch lists for the Biletnikoff and Mackey Awards will be released Wednesday.

2010 overall record: 13-0

2010 conference record: 8-0, champions

Returning starters

Offense: 5, defense 6, punter/kicker 2

Top returners

LB Tank Carder, WR Josh Boyce, RB Ed Wesley, LB Tanner Brock

Key losses

QB Andy Dalton, WR/PR Jeremy Kerley, S Tejay Johnson, DE Wayne Daniels

2010 statistical leaders (* denotes returners)

Rushing: Wesley* (1,078 yards, 11 TDs)

Passing: Dalton (209-of-316 for 2,857, 27 TDs, 6 INTs)

Receiving: Kerley (575 yards, 10 TDs)

Tackles: Brock* (106)

Sacks: Daniels (6.5)

Interceptions: Johnson (three)

Spring Answers

1. The defensive line looks strong. But then again, when does it not look strong? Coach Gary Patterson always does a tremendous job with his defense and 2011 is shaping up to be no exception. Patterson said coming out of spring that this unit has a chance to be even better than last season, despite losing Daniels. Braylon Broughton had a great spring, and so did Stansly Maponga.

2. Safeties looking good. TCU loses three of its five starters in the secondary, including safety Tejay Johnson. But Patterson was encouraged this spring by Johnny Fobbs and Sam Carter, who both had excellent springs. Fobbs, a senior who has waited for his opportunity, is penciled in at Johnson’s spot. Carter is a converted quarterback who made plays throughout practice and is listed as the backup behind Trenton Thomas.

3. Casey Pachall the man. Pachall and Matt Brown split the reps during the spring, and as expected, Pachall is the man to start at quarterback for TCU going forward. He simply has more experience than Brown, a redshirt freshman, and more knowledge of the offense.

Fall Questions

1. How many freshmen will contribute at receiver? This is the one area that TCU will rely on newcomers or help. Brandon Carter and LaDarius Brown are the two players who are mentioned the most, but there will also be opportunities for David Bush, David Porter and Cameron White.

2. Leadership. This is one area that Patterson wants to see develop in the offseason. The Horned Frogs lost 26 seniors and team leaders Andy Dalton and Johnson. It is imperative for players to step up and fill that void they have left. Tank Carder is an obvious choice to do just that.

3. Can Pachall step up right away? Pachall has been through three spring practices already and gotten some valuable playing time behind Dalton. But there is no way of knowing whether he has what it takes to be a winning starting quarterback until the season begins and he gets thrown into the fire.

PASADENA, Calif -- TCU opened the third quarter with a false start penalty, but the Frogs didn't lose their focus and rolled to a six-play, 71-yard touchdown drive to expand their lead to 21-13 with 11:56 to go.

Again, a big play set it up. Quarterback Andy Dalton hit running back Ed Wesley, who took it 33 yards to the Wisconsin 25. On the play, two Badgers' defenders flailed at Wesley and then ran into one another to help spring Wesley free.

Fullback Luke Shivers capped the impressive drive with a 1-yard scoring run.

The pressure is on the Badgers, who have moved the football, but have been able to put the ball in the end zone just once.

LOS ANGELES -- The overwhelming theme entering Saturday's Rose Bowl is the overwhelming size of the Wisconsin Badgers' offensive line. And, OK, with 6-foot-4, 315-pound right guard Kevin Zeitler being the shrimp of the group, those boys do have some pretty good size.

But, hold the scales. TCU Horned Frogs senior left tackle Marcus Cannon, all 6-6, 350 pounds of him, says his bunch of all-300-pound-plus linemen aren't exactly flyweights. In fact, TCU's offensive line weighs in just a few steaks fewer than Wisconsin's heavies, averaging four pounds less across the line and an inch shorter.

"We may not be as big as Wisconson, but we’re a tight-knit group. All of us have each other’s back," said Cannon, who turned a dominant final season. "It’s kind of like the movie "300" where if something goes down we’re all behind each other. That’s why we’re still in the single digits in sacks."

The Frogs have allowed just nine sacks in 12 regular-season games, tied for seventh in the nation. And they bulldozed their way to eighth in the nation in rushing, averaging 261.2 yards a game with Ed Wesley (1,065 yards) and Matthew Tucker (694), which actually comes in just higher than Wisconsin's 12th-ranked three-headed rushing attack (247.3).

Cannon, who will be play Sundays next season, said it's about power more than sheer size.

"We’ve got two or three guys on the offensive line that are doing 450 [pounds] or above on bench [press] and a lot of us are hitting 700 on squat," Cannon said. "We have a lot of big, strong guys and a lot of us are really fast. I don’t think there’s one of us on the line that doesn’t run a fast 40. So we’re real quick and good at using our hands.

"You know, size isn’t everything."

we’ve got two or three guys on the offensive line that are doing 450 or above on bench, a lot of us are hitting 700 on squat, a lot of big strong guys and a lot of us are really fast. I don’t there’s one of us on the line that doesn’t run a fast 40. So we’re real quick and good at using our hands. You know, size isn’t everything.

Brian Bennett talks with TCU running back Ed Wesley.

TCU's Ed Wesley has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2010 Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation's top running back.

Wesley is one of just two sophomores on the list, joining Oregon's LaMichael James.

Wesley tops TCU with 988 yards rushing. He needs 12 yards to become the third-ranked Horned Frogs’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Robert Merrill (1,107) in 2003. Wesley is averaging 6.6 yards per carry with a team-high 11 touchdowns, finding the end zone in eight of third-ranked TCU's 10 games.

An Irving, Texas, native, Wesley is on pace for 1,284 yards. It would mark TCU's highest single-season rushing total since LaDainian Tomlinson won the 2000 Doak Walker Award with a nation’s best 2,158 yards.

Here are the other nine semifinalists:

John Clay, Wisconsin
Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
Mark Ingram, Alabama
LaMichael James, Oregon
DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
Bilal Powell, Louisville
Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
Vai Taua, Nevada
Daniel Thomas, Kansas State

FORT WORTH, Texas -- TCU's 41-24 victory Friday night at SMU was good enough to drop it one spot in the lastest AP Top 25 poll. That's right, drop. The Horned Frogs are now ranked No. 5 in the nation.

Oregon, fresh off a 42-31 win against Arizona State at a hostile Sun Devil Stadium is the nation's new No. 4 team, just seven points ahead of the Frogs. In the USA Today coaches poll (Patterson is not among the voters this season), TCU stayed put at No. 5 with Oregon jumping to No. 4, taking the spot vacated by Texas.

TCU didn't play as sharply at SMU as it had in its first three games and it cost the Frogs an important spot. Judging by TCU coach Gary Patterson's unprovoked comments about the coming poll after the game, he was all but expecting Sunday's slip if Oregon played well.

"When I watched Oregon and I watched us the other night, I would have voted them ahead of us," Patterson said Sunday. "That may be the worst game we played as a team in two years and we still won by 17 points. There wasn't anything we did really well."

Patterson even found fault in the game-changing play, senior Jeremy Kerley's 83-yard kickoff return to set up a quick, retaliatory touchdown that gave TCU the lead back early in the third quarter. The Frogs would extend the margin to 35-17 early in the fourth quarter.

"Kerley caught a big return off the back side," Patterson said, "but it wasn't because anyone was blocking."

Patterson said that prior to his team returning to the locker room after pre-game drills, he sensed a lack of enthusiasm and he stoppped them for a little chat, something he normally does not do.

"I told them, 'You guys are not ready. You're going through the motions,'" Patterson said.

Patterson then heaped of blame on himself.

"I made a mistake. I talked about the big picture with my team. I won't do that again," Patterson said. "I tried to help them get fired up for the game, telling them that everybody was watching, that it was a chance to make an impression. That's the last time I talk to them about making an impression. ... We have one of those kind of games it seems like once a year. We picked the game on national TV to do it."

The Frogs now head into their eight-game Mountain West Conference schedule on Saturday at Colorado State, 36-34 winners against Idaho. He said he's not worried heading into league play on the road that he had to put a mid-week charge into his team during some lackluster practices leading up to the Baylor game two weeks ago or that he felt it necessary to gather his team before kickoff at SMU.

"I think we'll get their attention," Patterson said. "The last time we played at Colorado State we won 14-10. They just broke a 12-game losing streak. They could make their season by beating the No. 5 team in the country. You don't think they'll be ready to play us?"

Attention-grabbing started Sunday, especially for TCU's back seven defenders -- two linebackers and five defensive backs -- a group he was not happy with after the Mustangs gallop to 190 rushing yards tailback Zach Line went for a career-high 139 yards. The defensive players were greeted by a guest during film study who normally leaves that to players and their position coaches.

The mystery guest? Yep, Patterson.

*Running back Ed Wesley will have to pass a battery before being cleared to play Saturday. Wesley, the Frogs' leading rusher, sustained a concussion in the second quarter Friday and did not return. Patterson sounded as though he expects Wesley will be ready to play. He said Wesley has not experienced concussion-like symptoms since the game.

"He's fine. As far as I'm concerned he was fine 10 minutes after he got hurt," Patterson said. "But, it was good that we protected him."

After TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver Jeremy Kerley caught just one pass for 16 yards in Week 2 against Tennessee Tech, coach Gary Patterson has preached about putting the ball in Kerley's hands.

In the last two games, the senior has 10 catches for a team-leading 17. He had four catches for 33 yards Friday and was key in setting up an early touchdown. Of course, Kerley is also the Frogs' kick returner and he can be electric as the SMU Mustangs found out again in a hard-fought, 41-24 victory for the fourth-ranked Frogs.

Kerley had an 83-yard kickoff return that set up a quick, retaliatory touchdown after SMU briefly led 17-14 early in the third quarter.

"Kerley’s been doing that since he’s been here," Patterson said. "He did the same thing a year ago [against SMU]. We didn’t have any enthusiasm in our game and he runs a punt back for a touchdown."

Kerley had a tremendous game all-around game Friday night, racking up 234 all-purpose yards:

*Five kickoff returns for 172 yards
*Two punt returns for 23 yards
*Four receptions for 33 yards
*One rush for six yards

Kerley even threw in an 11-yard touchdown toss, but it was Bart Johnson who made a heck of a catch to get Kerley, a high school quarterback, his first completion of the season.

*Not be overlooked in Friday's win was third-string running back Waymon James, who filled in after Ed Wesley was knocked out in the first half with a concussion.

The freshman from Sherman, Texas, churned for 41 hard-charging yards on eight carries, plus a pair of touchdowns.

"Every year I talk about when guys have to come in and play," Patterson said. "Backup guys, that’s how you win championships. Waymon James did that."

FORT WORTH, Texas -- No. 4 TCU scored touchdowns on its first five possessions and the defense manhandled Baylor's offensive line and quarterback Robert Griffin III for a 35-3 halftime lead.

A sell-out crowd saw the Horned Frogs' offense execute near-flawlessly. Quarterback Andy Dalton started the game with a career-best 11 consecutive completions. He put TCU on the board just minutes into the game with a 28-yard strike to Jeremy Kerley. Ed Wesley added touchdown runs of 49 yards and 5 yards, Matthew Tucker toted it 1 yard for a touchdown and Luke Shivers scored TCU's final TD of a dominant first half from 2 yards out.

Dalton's 11 consecutive completions to start the game was also the second-best streak for consecutive completions in a game in TCU history, trailing only the 14 in a row by Jeff Ballard against San Diego State in 2006.

The TCU defense was tremendous in the first half, limiting Griffin to 2 net yards rushing on seven carries. Baylor trails in total yardage, 335-87. Griffin is 7-of-15 passing, but for just 51 yards. He's been sacked twice. The only thing the TCU defense failed to do was get a turnover.

Wesley, the TCU sophomore tailback, finished the first half with 99 yards on 11 carries and the two touchdowns. Dalton added 21 yards rushing to his 13-of-14 passing for 174 yards, the touchdown and no interceptions.

*Shivers, a junior fullback, scored his fifth career touchdown (four rushing, one receiving) on just eight touches.