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When it comes to quarterback, Bob Stoops lives a charmed life these days.

Not many coaches can boast a bona fide Heisman contender -- Landry Jones -- with 37 career starts to his name entering the 2012 season. Stoops can.

But looking at both of the Sooners' rivals, it's a different picture.

Texas is engrossed in a two-man derby between David Ash and Case McCoy. North of the Sooners, Oklahoma State is playing host to a battle between junior Clint Chelf and a pair of freshmen, J.W. Walsh (redshirt) and Wes Lunt (early enrollee).

Texas nearly has its man; Ash is handling the majority of the first-team snaps.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State is still splitting first-team reps evenly and doesn't have much separation between the three. Neither Texas or Oklahoma State has named a starter.

Stoops will have to replace Jones next season, but if he were in Mike Gundy or Mack Brown's shoes, he wouldn't hurry to name a quarterback.

"There's so much that can happen from the end of spring," Stoops told ESPN in Norman this week. "Just think about the amount of time before you take a snap in a game. So, I always felt having our guys continue to remain very competitive was the best thing."

Brown didn't name Garrett Gilbert his starter until the week before the Longhorns' opener against Rice last season. Texas' spring ended with Sunday's spring game and once again, Brown didn't name a starter.

Gundy, meanwhile, has seven practices remaining in the spring and wants separation. What about the notion that a team needs a commanding presence during the summer, when coaches can't oversee player workouts and it's up to a team leader to organize?

"I think that's overrated," Stoops said. "What, Ryan Broyles can't do that? A big-time receiver can't orchestrate it? Or the two (quarterbacks) can't say, 'Hey, we're meeting at this time.'?

“Or your team pride. What, I need the quarterback to tell me I need to come in here and work hard? You've got 100 guys on a team … they oughtta all be pushing each other to get in here and work. Heck, (former OU tight end) Jermaine Gresham could have grabbed everybody by the throat and made sure they were here."

Gundy and offensive coordinator Todd Monken see it quite differently.

"I don’t think it’s overrated," Gundy told ESPN in Stillwater this week. "I think it needs to be there. Can you have a lineman do it? Yeah. It’s not the same. This’ll be a big summer for us, because whoever we feel like is going to be our quarterback, he has to develop some leadership and I feel like that’s all part of it."

Said Monken: "You’re staring at two guys who played quarterback, Mike and I. So from our end of it, that’s how we’re going to see it. Stoops, he played DB, so he doesn’t care. He sees it a different way, and he’s right, anybody can organize it, but that’s not usually the case."

Monken's biggest reason? Quarterbacks need it more than anyone else. OSU receiver Justin Blackmon lived with a walk-on quarterback during his career, and anytime he wanted to get some work, he had an arm who could throw him balls at full speed.

Quarterbacks, though? Work is work, but throwing to walk-ons or friends isn't the same as throwing to targets with sub-4.5 speed like they will in live games.

"Quarterbacks need those guys to function," Monken said. "I don’t blame anybody for their opinion. That’s their opinion, but the reality is that the guys that are usually in charge of the summer workouts are the QBs because it affects them the most."

He added: "There’s something to be said for the guy that leads your team being the organizer. It doesn’t have to be, but it certainly helps."

Oklahoma State doesn't know who its quarterback will be. It would love to name him by spring. But even with the stakes high during the summer, they have no plans to force a decision.

"If we don’t know, then we won’t do it, but if we do, then we’ll do it," Gundy said. "That’s as important as anything we do in the offseason."

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

More spring superlatives:

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

Strongest position: Defensive end

Look out for these guys. Jackson Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor just might take both of the All-Big 12 spots by the end of the season. The same might be true for Texas' cornerbacks, who were narrowly edged out for my "strongest position" on the Longhorns. Okafor and Jeffcoat combined for 29.5 tackles for loss last season as first-year starters, both ranking in the Big 12's top eight. They also had 14 sacks, both in the top seven in the league. No defensive line duo was more productive, and that should continue this season. Jeffcoat, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2010 class, has a bit more upside, but both of these guys have potential to win the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2012. Texas will have the luxury this season to rush just four players and drop back seven in coverage, but still get plenty of pressure on quarterbacks. The biggest reason why: Okafor and Jeffcoat. When that happens, the defense can at times look impenetrable.

Weakest position: Quarterback

It's a sad state of affairs at quarterback for Texas right now. Blue-chip recruit Garrett Gilbert flopped, and the Longhorns have scrambled since. For now, Case McCoy and David Ash are what's left behind, and it wasn't pretty last season. Quarterback is the biggest hole for a team that's otherwise complete.

For Texas, that's a huge hole, especially considering the talents like Vince Young and Colt McCoy that filled it previously, sending Texas to national title games. Ash is the presumed starter for 2012, but from my perspective, no team in the Big 12 is weaker at quarterback. Kansas hopped the Longhorns when it brought in Notre Dame transfer Dayne Crist. Ash could show some major development after an offseason with a lot of first-team reps -- reps he didn't get as a fourth-string true freshman leading up to the 2011 season -- but he's got a long way to go to even meet the average production for Big 12 quarterbacks.

Former Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert's career in Austin came to an end with boos in a first-half benching against BYU last season. After shoulder surgery, however, he'll be ready to go for 2012 at his new home in Dallas.

Gilbert announced plans this winter to transfer to SMU, and was given an injury waiver by the NCAA, meaning he didn't lose a year of eligibility in 2011, when he played less than two games before being benched and undergoing surgery.

He'll compete for a starting job next fall after finishing his undergraduate degree in May, and have two remaining years of eligibility when he gets to campus in Dallas.

"It's great for Garrett that he did a tremendous job for us, and sorry it didn't work out where he wanted to stay, but we wish him good luck and really glad that he's a Texas grad or will be a Texas grad this summer and wish him well at SMU," coach Mack Brown said.

Great news for a good guy whose career just hasn't gone like most predicted. He showed so much promise in the 2010 national title game in relief of Colt McCoy, but in the following season, was one of several reasons for the Longhorns' fall to 5-7. For whatever reason, it didn't work out in Austin, but it's nice to see he'll get a fresh start as a Mustang.

Texas offensive lineman Sedrick Flowers was also granted an injury waiver.

Today, we'll kick off a look at the postseason rankings for each position in the Big 12. Here's a look back on where our first position, quarterback, stood in the preseason.

Quarterbacks' rushing talents are factored into these rankings. As such, it's tough to figure out how to weigh that vs. passing acumen. Ultimately, teams ranked 4-7 were really, really close.

In these position rankings, we take into account backups, though that impact is minimal at the quarterback spot.

1. Baylor

If your quarterback wins the Heisman, you're not finishing below No. 1 on this list. Robert Griffin IIIlit up defenses and broke the NCAA record for passing efficiency, even though Wisconsin's Russell Wilson did the same this year, and finished higher than RG3. Even when RG3 suffered concussion-like symptoms against Texas Tech, backup Nick Florencecame in and burned Texas Tech's defense in a 66-42 win. Griffin finished with as many touchdowns as Brandon Weeden (37), but threw as few interceptions as Collin Klein (6), despite throwing the ball 121 more times than Klein.

2. Oklahoma State

Brandon Weeden is a solid second place in this ranking, and backup Colton Chelflooked good in lots of mop-up duty, too. Weeden was the star, putting together an All-Big 12 caliber season, though Griffin's otherworldly performance in 2011 knocked him off his first-team perch from 2010. He led the league with 4,727 yards and 37 touchdowns. He also had the second-most pass attempts in the league, with 564.

3. Oklahoma

Landry Jones got some help late in the season when Blake Bell's BellDozer racked up a team-high 13 touchdowns. Jones wasn't outstanding late in the season after Ryan Broyles' knee injury, but his receivers didn't help him much, either. The dropsies seemed to infect everybody after Broyles' college career ended. Jones finished with 4,463 yards passing, second most in the Big 12. He also added 29 touchdowns but must improve on his 15 interceptions, a regression back to freshman-year Jones.

4. Kansas State

Don't like Collin Klein's release? Get over it. He deserves this spot via his ability as a runner. He ranked fourth in the league with his 1,141 rushing yards and tied the Big 12 record with 27 touchdowns. That also tied Ricky Dobbs' FBS record for quarterbacks. He also threw for 1,918 yards and 13 touchdowns.

5. Missouri

James Franklin's probably the best balance of runner and passer in the league, and quickly developed both throughout the season. He finished with 2,872 passing yards and 981 rushing yards. He also accounted for 36 touchdowns. Could we see a 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher in the SEC next year?

6. Texas Tech

Seth Doege was one of the nation's best early in the season, but slipped up later in the season. He'll have the NCAA record for single-game completion percentage after connecting on 40-of-44 passes in a win over New Mexico, and he threw for 4,004 yards with 28 scores and 10 interceptions on a Big 12-high 581 pass attempts. After the win over Oklahoma at midseason, Doege threw just three touchdowns passes over the next four games while Tech dropped to 5-7 on the season.

7. Texas A&M

Ryan Tannehill's a physically impressive quarterback with a future in the NFL, but he didn't get it done in 2011. He started the season at fourth on this list, but Tannehill's turnovers played a huge role in the Aggies' second-half struggles this year, when A&M lost five games after leading by double digits, including 17- and 18-point leads against top-five teams Oklahoma State and Arkansas, respectively. He finished fifth in the league with 3,744 yards, but was seventh in the league in completion percentage and only Landry Jones had as many picks as Tannehill's 15. Jones, though, threw for over 700 more yards on just 32 more attempts.

8. Iowa State

The Cyclones rotated Steele Jantz and Jared Barnett this season, with Jantz handling the first half of the season and Barnett the second, thought Jantz replaced a benched Barnett in the Pinstripe Bowl loss to Rutgers. Barnett had the best day of any ISU quarterback this year, topping 375 passing yards and 80 rushing yards in an upset of Oklahoma State. Both QBs strung together three-game winning streaks, and Jantz did it with three fourth-quarter comebacks to start the season.

9. Texas

Texas never quite settled on a guy during the season, but it looks like David Ash will be the man who has time invested in him during the offseason with first-team reps in spring, summer and fall. This year, Ash struggled with decision-making. That's no surprise for a freshman. Case McCoy, meanwhile, limited what Texas was able to do in the passing game with his lack of both arm strength (chiefly) and experience, like Ash. Garrett Gilbert was benched in the season's second game and eventually transferred to SMU.

10. Kansas

The Jayhawks ranked ninth in the league in pass defense and last in total offense by over 20 yards per game. KU fans would simply like to forget the last two years of quarterback play and focus on what could be a promising future under Charlie Weis with Dayne Crist set to take over and Jake Heaps waiting to grab the reins in 2013 and 2014.

Signing day is coming fast. Next Wednesday, the next round of players will sign up for their respective programs and start what could be storied careers.

Here's what each team across the Big 12 needs. You'll find Texas A&M and Mizzou on the SEC blog and West Virginia on the Big East Blog.

BAYLOR

Quarterback: This one's pretty simple. Robert Griffin III is taking his talents to the NFL early. Nick Florence is waiting to take over, and the Bears have Bryce Petty behind him, but more reinforcements at quarterback are needed. Dual-threat quarterbacks, ideally.

Defensive tackle: Baylor already was one of the nation's worst teams (102nd nationally) at stopping the run. Now it'll need to replace both its interior linemen, Nicolas Jean-Baptiste and Tracy Robertson.

Offensive linemen: Baylor's offensive line, meanwhile, has been solid. It loses junior college transfer and two-year starter Robert T. Griffin, as well as All-Big 12 center Philip Blake. John Jones, a reserve guard, also has exhausted his eligibility.

IOWA STATE

Receiver: This has been a weak spot for the team for several years, and its top overall talent, Darius Reynolds, is gone. Darius Darks is, too. Aaron Horne and Josh Lenz will be the team's best weapons in 2012, but the pair of shifty slot guys will be seniors. This position needs reinforcements.

Defensive back: The DBs have been a quiet strength for ISU, especially in 2011. Cornerback Leonard Johnson and safety Ter'Ran Benton both have exhausted their eligibility, though, and defensive backs coach Bobby Elliott left for Notre Dame. You'll see plenty of new faces in the Cyclones' secondary next year.

Defensive line: Experienced starters Stephen Ruempolhamer and Jacob Lattimer are both gone, and Iowa State has struggled to stop the run consistently the past few seasons.

KANSAS

Quarterback: Kansas landed high-profile transfers Dayne Crist (Notre Dame) and Jake Heaps (BYU), but this is still a huge position of need. Last year's starter, Jordan Webb, left the team. Quinn Mecham is out of eligibility. Heaps is sitting out his NCAA-mandated year after transferring. Crist is the starter, but he badly needs a backup, especially if Brock Berglund's transfer appeal allows him to leave.

Wide receiver: Kansas lacks a big threat at this position. It needs a talent upgrade in a big way. Oklahoma transfer Justin McCay is joining the team, but he's no guarantee to a) be granted immediate eligibility or b) become an impact player.

Defensive tackle: Kansas is thin here, too. Richard Johnson, Patrick Dorsey and Michael Martinovich are gone, and Kansas couldn't stop much of anything on defense. Some push up front could help make everything look better. A late addition to the 2012 class from a junior college seems like a no-brainer. The Jayhawks need physically mature players to contribute immediately.

KANSAS STATE

Offensive line: K-State's offensive line was much better in 2011 and could be again in 2012. It needs help replacing All-Big 12 lineman Clyde Aufner, though. Starter Colten Freeze is also gone.

Defensive line: Kansas State is bringing back about as many starters as anyone in the Big 12, but the biggest losses are along the defensive line. Kick-blocking specialist (five in 2011) Ralph Guidry is gone, along with tackle Ray Kibble. Juco transfer Jordan Voelker exploded onto the scene this year, but he's gone, too.

Defensive backs: Cornerback David Garrett leaves a huge hole behind. Tysyn Hartman may not be as talented as teammate Ty Zimmerman, but his experience leaves a big hole. Zimmerman will have to mentor a younger safety in the near future.

OKLAHOMA

Receiver: The Sooners are thin here in a big way. That was obvious late in the season when Ryan Broyles' storied college career ended a few weeks early with a knee injury. The team also lost Justin McCay (transfer) to Kansas. Jaz Reynolds and Kenny Stills are the likely top two targets, but they need help.

Tight end: This position inspired a bit of panic at the end of the season. Seniors James Hanna and Trent Ratterree are gone. Austin Haywood wasn't allowed back on the team, and two more tight ends left the team for various reasons. That left the Sooners suddenly without a scholarship player at the position returning in 2012.

Offensive line: Starting tackle Donald Stephenson must be replaced, as will guard Stephen Good, who moved in and out of the starting lineup throughout his career. The Sooners bring back a lot of talent and aren't dying for depth there, but those two will leave holes. Three more offensive line starters will be seniors in 2012.

OKLAHOMA STATE

Offensive line: The Cowboys need a whole lot of help here to fill in behind young players stepping into the starting lineup. Starters Levy Adcock, Nick Martinez and Grant Garner are gone. Backup center Casey LaBrue is gone, too. Those are two All-Big 12 linemen who leave big shoes to be filled.

Receiver: Justin Blackmon surprised no one by leaving a year early, and Josh Cooper leaves with perhaps the most underrated career of any receiver in school history. In OSU's offense, there's always room for depth here. Nine receivers had at least 19 catches in 2011. Blackmon and Cooper combined for 192, though.

Defensive ends: The pass rush was solid for Oklahoma State this year, but both starters, Jamie Blatnick and Richetti Jones, are gone. Replacing both is a necessity.

TEXAS

Receiver: Texas lacks a true game-changer at the position, though Jaxon Shipley and Mike Davis may develop into that role in 2012. Former blue-chip recruit Darius White left for Missouri, too.

Quarterback: David Ash and Case McCoy didn't show a ton of potential at quarterback this year, though Ash may grow with an offseason to prepare as starter. Garrett Gilbert got a big chunk of the work in the spring, summer 7-on-7 and fall preseason camp. Even if Ash does grow, the Longhorns need reinforcements at the position.

Linebacker: Two senior impact players are gone. Texas is left trying to replace Emmanuel Acho and Keenan Robinson, though Jordan Hicks may mature into a star in 2012.

TCU

Offensive line: TCU's offensive line is headed for some major turnover. OT Robert Deck, OG Kyle Dooley and OG Spencer Thompson are gone. Two more starters, OG Blaize Foltz and C James Fry, will be seniors in 2012.

Defensive linemen: TCU isn't losing a lot at this spot, but Ross Forrest and D.J. Yendrey will be seniors in 2012. The Horned Frogs would be well-served to prepare, and offer some depth next year.

Specialists: TCU will have to break in a pair of new starters on special teams next season. Kicker Ross Evans and punter Anson Kelton have exhausted their eligibility.

TEXAS TECH

Receiver: The Red Raiders' offense requires a lot of depth here. Tramain Swindall is the only loss at the position, but three more (Alex Torres, Cornelius Douglas, Darrin Moore) will be seniors. Douglas moved to cornerback this year after the team was racked with injury, but we'll see whether he moves back this offseason.

Offensive line: Tech has a huge need here. Four players won't be returning in 2012. Lonnie Edwards, Mickey Okafor and center Justin Keown must be replaced.

Defensive linemen: Tech's Donald Langley and Scott Smith are both out of eligibility, and juco transfer Leon Mackey will be a senior.

The Pac-10 and Big 12 nearly got married last year, but only Colorado ended up eloping with the now-Pac-12.

You know: The conference that can count!

But the Pac-12, which has, yes, 12 teams, and the Big 12, which has 10 teams (though it's often hard to keep up with which ones), play each other in three bowl games this holiday season.

Joy to the world.

So it seemed like a good time for the Pac-12 and Big 12 bloggers -- Ted Miller and David Ubben -- to say howdy and discuss all the coming fun.

Ted Miller: Ah, David, the bowl season. Pure bliss. Unless you’re the Pac-12, which is expected to get a whipping from your conference over the holidays. We have three Pac-12-Big 12 bowl games with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl between Stanford and Oklahoma State, the Valero Alamo with Baylor and Washington, and the Bridgepoint Education Holiday matching California and Texas. And the Big 12 is favored in all three!

Poor ole West Coast teams. What are we to do? It’s almost like the Big 12 is the SEC or something. Speaking of which, how are things with your Cowboys? Are they over not getting a shot at LSU for the national title? Are they excited about getting a shot at Andrew Luck and Stanford? We might as well start with that outstanding matchup in Glendale.

David Ubben: You know, I was actually a little surprised. I stuck around Stillwater for the BCS bowl selection show announcement, and the players took the news pretty well. They found out an hour before, but there wasn't a ton of down-in-the-dumpiness from the Pokes. When you've never been to this point before, it's a bit difficult to develop a sense of entitlement. If Oklahoma had OSU's record and was passed over by Alabama and sent to the Fiesta Bowl for the 17th time in the past six years, you might have had a different reaction.

But Oklahoma State's first trip to the BCS and first Big 12 title aren't being overlooked. These players are looking forward to this game. There's no doubt about that.

I know the Big 12 seems like the SEC, but I have a confession, Ted. I wasn't supposed to tell anybody, but I can't hold it in anymore. When the Big 12 began back in 1996 ... wow, I'm really going to do this ... then-SEC commissioner Roy Kramer graciously allowed the league to keep two of his teams. The league made a similar arrangement with the Big Eight a century ago, and the Southwest Conference around the same time. Missouri and Texas A&M are really wolves in sheep's clothing: SEC teams just pretending to be in other leagues. So, that might explain the Big 12's recent dominance.

These should all be fun games, though. I ranked two of the matchups among the top three in my bowl rankings.

As for the big one, they say you learn more by losing than by winning. Stanford got its first BCS win. How do you think that experience plays into this year's game? I hate to ruin the surprise, but Oklahoma State's a bit better than the Virginia Tech team Stanford beat last season. OSU's loss to Iowa State this season is bad, but it's nothing like the Hokies' loss to James Madison last season.

Ted Miller: Not only is Oklahoma State better than Virginia Tech, it's still questionable whether this Stanford team is better than last year's. Since we're going all crazy and whispering about the SEC, there was a feeling out West that by the end of the 2010 season the Cardinal might not only be the best team in the Pac-12 but also in the nation. They were big and physical and quarterback Luck actually had a solid receiving corps with which to work. After a loss to Oregon in the fifth game, they didn't lose again until playing, er, Oregon in this year's 10th game. If we could go back in time and have the Cardinal play Auburn, I think Stanford would have won the national title.

But that's 2010. The difference this year is the season-ending knee injury to middle linebacker Shayne Skov, who was an All-American candidate, a slight step back on the offensive line and a lack of top-flight receivers. But if Oklahoma State fans are looking for something to worry about it is this: Stanford's running game.

The Pokes are bad against the run, and they haven't faced a team that is as physical and creative in the running game as Stanford. As much as folks talk about Luck's passing, it's his run checks that often ruin a defense's evening.

The Fiesta Bowl matchup looks like a great one, perhaps the best of the bowl season. But I’m excited to see Mr. Excitement Robert Griffin III in the Alamo Bowl against Washington. Of course, I’m not sure that the Huskies, their fans and embattled Huskies defensive coordinator Nick Holt are as thrilled. First, tell us about what Washington should be most worried about with Griffin. Then tell us about Baylor in general. Such as: Can the Bears stop anyone?

David Ubben: Nope. Not really.

Oklahoma State's defense unfairly gets a bad rap. Baylor's bad rap is earned. This is the same team that won five consecutive games late in the season -- but became the first team ever to win four consecutive in a single season while giving up 30 points in each.

Which, if you ask me, says plenty about both the defense and the power of RG3. They've got a lot of athletes on the defense, but when four of your top five tacklers are defensive backs, well, you need a guy like RG3 to go 9-3.

The man is a nightmare. Top to bottom, he's the most accurate passer in a quarterback-driven league. Then, you add in his athleticism, which he doesn't even really need to be extremely productive. It sets him apart, though, and forces defenses to account for it, and it buys him time in the pocket. How many guys break a 20-plus yard run before hitting a receiver for a game-winning 39-yard score to beat a team like Oklahoma for the first time?

How do you think Washington will try to slow him down? What has to happen for them to have some success?

Ted Miller: This game matches the 99th (Washington) and 109th (Baylor) scoring defenses. It has a 78-point over-under, the biggest of any bowl game. The offenses are going to score plenty, at least that's the conventional wisdom.

How does Washington stop RGIII? His name is Chris Polk. He's a running back. Baylor gives up 199 yards rushing per game. Polk right, left and up the middle is a good way to contain Griffin. The Huskies' best hope is to reduce Griffin's touches with ball control. It also needs to convert touchdowns, not field goals, in the redzone. The Huskies are pretty good at that, scoring 36 TDs in 45 visits to the red zone.

The Huskies also have a pretty good quarterback in Keith Price, who set a school record with 29 touchdown passes this year. He and a solid crew of receivers have prevented teams from ganging up against Polk. But Polk is the guy who burns the clock.

Should be a fun game. As should, by the way, the Holiday Bowl. David, Cal fans are still mad at Texas coach Mack Brown and his politicking the Longhorns into the Rose Bowl in 2004. Every team wants to win its bowl game, but the Old Blues really want to beat Brown.

Of course, neither team is what it was in 2004. Cal has an excuse. It's not a college football superpower. Sure you've been asked this before, but give me the CliffsNotes version of why the Longhorns have fallen so hard since playing for the national title in 2009.

David Ubben: Cal fans are still mad? Really? I'd suggest they get over themselves. What's anybody on that Cal team ever done anyway? It's not like the best player in the NFL missed out on a chance to play in the Rose Bowl. Now, if that were the case, we might have a problem. But honestly, I don't think Tim Tebow cares all that much about the Rose Bowl.

As for Texas' struggles?

The easy answer is quarterback play. Texas relied on Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley more than anyone realized. When they were gone, Texas couldn't run the ball, and quarterback Garrett Gilbert never made it happen. Two seasons later, the Longhorns still don't have a quarterback.

The other big answer last season was turnover margin. Gilbert threw 17 interceptions and the Longhorns were minus-12 in turnovers, which ranked 115th nationally.

They were still only 90th this year, and without solid quarterback play in a Big 12 dominated by passers, they scored five, 13 and 17 points in three of their five losses. Texas keeps people from moving the ball and runs the ball better this year, but without a solid passing game and a defense that changes games, it's tough to rack up wins in the Big 12.

It's been awhile since Cal was in the mix for the BCS, even as USC has fallen. Oregon answered the call and rose, but what has prevented Cal from winning the Pac-10 and Super Pac-10 since the Trojans' swoon?

Ted Miller: You mention quarterback play. Cal fans ... any thoughts? You mention Aaron Rodgers. Cal fans? Oh, well, that's not very nice during this festive time of the year.

Cal has become a solid defensive team, but it's lost its offensive mojo, and that can be traced to a drop in quarterback play since Rodgers departed. The latest Bears quarterback, Zach Maynard, started fairly well, stumbled, but then seemed to catch on late in the season. It's reasonable to believe the team that gets better quarterback play -- mistake-free quarterback play -- is going to win this game.

Nice to cover a conference where quarterback play matters, eh David?

Speaking of quarterback play and winning, let's wind it up. Our specific predictions aren't coming on these games until after Christmas. But we can handicap the Big 12-Pac-12 side of things. We have a three-game series this bowl seasons.

I say the Pac-12, underdogs in all three games, goes 1-2. What say you?

David Ubben: And to think, before the season, all I heard was the Pac-12 had surpassed the Big 12 in quarterback play. Did somebody petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility for Jake Locker and/or clone Matt Barkley? You West Coast folk are geniuses; I figured you'd find a way. We can't all be Stanford alums ...

Clearing out all the tumbleweeds here in middle America, I'll go out on a limb for the Big 12 in this one. Every matchup is a good one, and I don't think Cal has seen a defense like Texas' and Washington hasn't seen an offense like Baylor's. People forget that, yeah, RG3 is outstanding, but the Bears also have the league's leading receiver and leading rusher.

Stanford-OSU is a toss-up, but I'll go with a perfect sweep for the Big 12. The Cowboys haven't played poorly on the big stage yet, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt in this one, and they clean up for the Big 12 against what was almost its new conference this fall.

Oh, what could have been. Ubben and Miller on the same blog? Divided ultimately by a little thing we call the Rockies.

Living life blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back is no fun.

Ask Texas' offense.

Already struggling at quarterback, it played the final four games with its top offensive weapons out of the lineup or in it while battling injuries.

Running back Fozzy Whittaker tore his ACL on an ugly play at Missouri with the team's leading rusher, freshman Malcolm Brown, already out with turf toe. Fellow freshman Joe Bergeron rumbled for 327 yards in wins over Texas Tech and Kansas, but managed just nine more carries the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.

Jaxon Shipley missed a three-game stretch late in the season, returning for the final two games with a bulky brace on his knee and playing through pain.

"You take Fozzy, the two young backs and Jaxon, that's your oldest senior leader and the heart of your team, and he got about every award at the banquet," coach Mack Brown told reporters on Thursday. "And then you take three of your best freshman stars that were all touching the ball and making a difference in the ballgame, I think it took everybody aback. People will sit and say don't talk about injuries. When it's everybody that's touching the ball it's hard not to talk about them and think about it a little bit."

Texas managed just five points in a loss to Missouri. It fought for all 13 in a loss to Kansas State the following week.

"It's extremely hard when you're playing with new people, when you're in sync with somebody else," said offensive lineman David Snow. "We did chop down some plays, some packages. We have certain packages for certain players."

The biggest loss was the "Wild Fozzy" formation that the Longhorns used to produce six touchdowns by giving Whittaker a direct snap.

Texas should mostly be healthy when it plays Cal in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28. It will be without Whittaker, though.

The duo of Brown and Bergeron should be back, and though Shipley's likely to retain his knee brace, he'll be on the field and healthier than he was in an upset win over Texas A&M to close the season.

"He's still limping. He's not 100 percent," Brown said. "He's got that big brace on his leg, but he's out there fighting for balls and diving. He likes to play, he's a fun player, and he just makes plays."

Chastise Brown for making "excuses" if you must, but it's the truth. The Longhorns, after benching Garrett Gilbert in the second game of the season, were relying on inexperience at every skill position, including quarterback where true freshman David Ash and sophomore Case McCoy shared time. They entered 2011 with one combined pass attempt.

Late in the season, that young talent thinned even further.

At Holiday Bowl, for the first time in almost two months, a Texas offense with a bright future may finally be close to full strength.

TEXAS LONGHORNS

Record: 7-5 (4-5)

This season was all about change for the Longhorns, and they made plenty in the offseason, bringing in offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to inject some youth and new ideas into Mack Brown's coaching staff, as well as a handful of new assistants.

Both were as advertised, though Diaz's side of the ball showed much better results. For a fourth consecutive season, Texas led the Big 12 in total defense, and did so by a wide, wide margin, exactly 67 yards a game. It also finished second in the Big 12 in scoring defense, limiting big plays all season and keeping a struggling offense within reach of several games.

Offensively, youth and injuries were the story all season. Garrett Gilbert made two starts before ceding the quarterback spot to inexperienced sophomore Case McCoy and true freshman David Ash. Their top weapons? True freshman running back Malcolm Brown and receiver Jaxon Shipley, as well as sophomore receiver Mike Davis. That wasn't a recipe for success, at least immediately. Texas didn't bounce back all the way from its 5-7 season in 2010, but it was better this year and much more focused offensively. Injuries to Brown and Shipley, as well as fellow freshman back Joe Bergeron, handcuffed Ash and McCoy late in the season, but the Longhorns had a season to build on.

Offensive MVP: Malcolm Brown, running back. Brown was slowed late with injuries, but helped Texas jump out to a 5-2 start, rushing for over 100 yards in three games over a five game stretch before suffering a toe injury. He didn't play in three games, and rushed for only 78 yards in the two games he appeared in over the final five, but still finished with a team-high 707 yards and five touchdowns, offering lots of hope for the future.

Defensive MVP: Emmanuel Acho, linebacker. Acho, a Lott Trophy finalist, racked up 109 tackles for the Longhorns, and was its most consistent performer, especially with a late charge of at least 12 tackles in four consecutive games before making just four against Baylor's wide-open offense last week. He also had 13.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, forcing a fumble and providing a lot of necessary senior leadership for a solid defense.

Turning point: Gilbert's benching. Quite frankly, Texas looked headed for another 5-7 season after the Longhorns struggled early against BYU, falling behind 13-3 while Gilbert tossed a pair of awful-looking picks. In came McCoy and Ash, who tag-teamed the QB spot for most of the rest of the season, and the duo helped the Horns' rally for a gutsy 17-16 win that included a Jaxon Shipley touchdown pass.

What’s next: Time to build on offense. Ash's decision-making and McCoy's lack of measurables and arm strength present big, big questions about whether either can be the quarterback of the future at Texas. Shipley, Brown, Davis and Bergeron will all be solid. One of the nation's top QBs, Connor Brewer, and running backs, Johnathan Gray, are on the way at Texas, but ultimately, Texas can't go very far in the Big 12 without solid quarterback play. Diaz and Harsin were solid hires who will get better and better, but the Longhorns need a quarterback.

If June Jones is heading to Arizona State, as sources have said, there's something inherently wrong about the SMU coach abandoning his players and the school on the day the Mustangs are supposed to announce they'll be joining the Big East at 4 p.m.

(Eds note: As of 3:30 p.m. CT, the June Jones-to-Arizona State negotiations have hit a contractual snag and are not complete, a source close to the negotiations told ESPN.com's Joe Schad.)

This is supposed to be a great day for SMU with its return to a big-time football conference -- at least it hopes so -- and some degree of national relevance.

Instead, Jones' decision to leave for Arizona State makes SMU a laughingstock.

Again.

But for every SMU fan and alum who's salty at Jones for leaving, they should at least thank him for resurrecting the program. Jones is 23-28 in four seasons at SMU while leading the Mustangs to three consecutive bowl games.

Remember, this program was in disarray when he arrived.

But he couldn't get it over the hump, and it became clear that Jones became disenchanted with the fan support. Only about 14,000 showed for the Mustangs' final home game against Rice.

SMU, though, missed a chance to capitalize on its momentum from upsetting TCU, when it was blown out by Southern Mississippi (27-3) and Tulsa (38-7) on consecutive weeks. SMU lost four of five after beating TCU, the signature win Jones had been searching for.

It's rarely tidy when a coach leaves.

They either lie. Or go underground, so they don’t have to lie.

A couple of days ago, Jones reportedly told his staff that he was happy at SMU and wasn't leaving. Apparently, something changed.

That won't make transfer quarterback Garrett Gilbert feel any better. He transferred from Texas after getting benched because he wanted to play in prolific passing offense that would help prepare him for the NFL.

Now he has no idea what offense the next coach will run.

Texas made it official this week, removing the "or" between David Ash and Case McCoy's names on the depth chart.

McCoy, after completing 16 of 27 passes for 110 yards and running 25 yards on seven carries in a 27-25 win over Texas A&M, took over the No. 1 spot. McCoy started and played most of the game, but the Longhorns have had a revolving door at quarterback all season.

Garrett Gilbert began the season as starter after winning the offseason quarterback battle. He was benched midway through the season's second game and eventually transferred to SMU after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Since then, Ash and McCoy have split the starter role. Ash, a true freshman, has had significantly more playing time until a string of five games midseason where he had no touchdowns and six interceptions.

McCoy threw the ball 16 times (the same number as Ash) against Kansas State, tied for his highest total this season before throwing it 27 times against Texas A&M. Ash didn't have a pass attempt, but entered the game on a handful of plays.

McCoy has yet to throw an interception this season.

Looking around the league, the trend at Texas is troubling. The Longhorns are the only team doing the quarterback shuffle.

Here's how the rest of the league has handled their quarterback situation.

• Baylor: Robert Griffin III started all 11 games, replaced in the second half on Saturday by Nick Florence after suffering concussion-like symptoms. Will return this week versus Texas.
• Iowa State: Started Steele Jantz for the season's first seven games, benched early for Jared Barnett in a loss to Texas A&M. Barnett started the next four games, winning three, including an upset of No. 2 Oklahoma State.
• Kansas: Jordan Webb started all 12 games. Quinn Mecham threw 18 passes.
• Kansas State: Collin Klein started 11 games and will start this week, rushing for 1,013 yards and 25 touchdowns, and throwing for 1,587 yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.

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  Missouri: James Franklin started all 12 games, throwing for 2,740 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and rushing for 839 yards and 13 scores.
• Oklahoma: Landry Jones started all 12 games, but the Sooners rotate in freshman Blake Bell in short yardage situations in the "BellDozer" formation. Bell has nine rushing touchdowns in four games.
• Oklahoma State: Brandon Weeden started all 12 games, ceding to Clint Chelf often in blowout wins.
• Texas A&M: Ryan Tannehill started all 12 games.
• Texas Tech: Seth Doege started all 12 games, though backup Jacob Karam threw a 43-yard touchdown pass on a trick play this week.

Not a good sign when the Big 12's best recruiting school can't settle on a player at the game's most important position, especially when every other team in the league hasn't had any troubles in that area.

Garrett Gilbert's exit from Texas was unceremonious, an ugly start against BYU that ended with Gilbert on the sidelines and Texas celebrating a 17-16 win.

Gilbert's second-quarter benching was accompanied by boos and he never saw the field again before transferring to SMU while David Ash and Case McCoy teamed up to replace him under center.

Gilbert opened up to the Texas student newspaper, The Daily Texan, about his time at Texas and his decision to leave.

"I don’t know why it happened, but for whatever reason, it didn’t work out [at Texas]," Gilbert told The Daily Texan. "All my focus is forward. I try not to get disappointed by the past because I feel like I’ve got a great opportunity ahead of me."

Gilbert considered Clemson before he "fell in love" with SMU and coach June Jones' high-flying offense. The Austin native decided to head north to Texas and become a Mustang.

"It was frustrating last year," he said. "I know I’d accidentally read stuff sometimes. I tried not to. I tried to stay away from it."

He admitted he heard the boos, but admitted he didn't live up to his own expectations about Texas quarterbacks.

"The expectations were not too high," Gilbert said. "At Texas, every year, it’s 10 wins, national championship or bust. I knew that when I came to school here. I knew that [expectations] would be part of it when I came here."

Good stuff from the folks in Austin.

Check out the full story here. Lots more there.

Here's what we learned on Saturday in the Big 12:

College football is far too often unfair: Ryan Broyles will finish his career as one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a college football field. However, his career ended far too early, with a handful of games left in his senior season. A torn ACL ended Broyles' career, but he'll finish as the FBS leader in receptions, a record that might stand for awhile. Broyles did it the right way and matured by wide lengths over his unbelievable career. It's over now, but here's a salute to a guy that's a perfect picture of everything right about college football. Broyles will have a great career at the next level.

Oklahoma State can take your punches and punch back: Which test was tougher? I'm going with Texas A&M, but Oklahoma State was pressed big time on Saturday and answered with two huge drives for the offense and one clutch defensive stop that might have saved a season. OSU coach Mike Gundy expected Bill Snyder to go for two if the Wildcats had scored at the end of regulation, but they never got the chance. OSU lost the turnover battle, 4-2, including a touchback and a pick-six, but survived the scare.

We might have a winless team this season in conference play: Kansas' chances are dwindling. Last season, it took a miracle for Kansas to notch its only conference win when it rallied from a 45-17 deficit in just over 11 minutes against Colorado. It might take another miracle this season. Baylor, Texas A&M and Mizzou are the last three teams on Kansas' schedule this season. Chances don't look good for the Jayhawks after dropping a 13-10 game to Iowa State on Saturday.

Missouri is back on the ropes, and Baylor's back in the history book: Baylor didn't make a bowl from 1994 up until last season, but the Bears have a fifth win on their record and a lot of winnable games ahead, including Kansas. The Bears should be back in the postseason, and would love a bowl win this time around. Mizzou, meanwhile, has three games left and must win two. Texas comes to Columbia next week, followed by games against Texas Tech and Kansas. It's going to be a tight squeeze for the Tigers, but they'll need some late-season magic.

Beware of Texas: This team, relying so heavily on freshmen, was bound to get a lot better, but the Longhorns are building toward a big finish after rolling over Texas Tech in a 52-20 blowout on Saturday. With a stifling pass defense and a powerful running game, this team is built to play with a lead, and that's two consecutive weeks with more than 400 yards rushing. I don't care who you're playing against, that's impressive. Ever since benching Garrett Gilbert, Texas has been solid, with the exception of a blowout loss to Oklahoma.

They're not back yet.

Oklahoma proved that for four hours in Dallas back in October.

Texas is building up steam to a big finish with its best performance of the year on Saturday, a complete victory over Texas Tech, 52-20.

The Longhorns finally look like they're running the ball like Mack Brown wanted them to all last season.

A week after rushing for 441 yards against Kansas, the Longhorns racked up another 439 against Texas Tech.

Both rush defenses rank in the bottom 10 nationally, but Texas has executed well for two consecutive weeks. The Longhorns don't need 400 yards rushing to win games, but when they run the ball like they did today, Texas showed how dominant it can be.

An offense reduced to a single dimension like Texas Tech's today is a welcome sight for defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. He loves the tastes of blitzes on a fall Saturday, and leads that balloon to 31-6 at halftime make him salivate.

His defense has answered.

Throw out that Oklahoma loss, and Texas has looked excellent every week this season. Undefeated Oklahoma State's passing game was held to its lowest total of the season and its second-lowest margin of victory against the Longhorns.

Since making the switch from Garrett Gilbert, Texas has won four games by an average of 33.5 points.

And, of course, Texas has officially qualified for a bowl game with its sixth win after last year's 5-7 season.

Today's effort was without two of the team's best players, too. Leading rusher Malcolm Brown and leading receiver Jaxon Shipley both sat out the game.

The big wins and return to the elite probably won't happen this year.

But Texas is moving in that direction fast, and picking up speed by the week.

Former Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert has told officials at SMU that he intends to enroll there, a source told ESPN's Joe Schad on Tuesday.

Gilbert visited campus earlier this season, and the Dallas university is about three hours north of Gilbert's hometown of Austin.

Gilbert lost his starting job after two games with Texas this season and then had season-ending shoulder surgery.

Gilbert was given an unconditional release from his scholarship to find another school.

His struggles last year were pretty public, but SMU seems like a nice place to start over. It just never worked out at Texas for Gilbert.

It's hard not to feel bad for the guy who left the field to boos for the last time he played at Texas against BYU, but look for him to make the most of any new opportunities.

He's a smart guy with a lot of physical ability. He just has to find a way to turn it into on-field production.

SMU coach June Jones would be near the top of the list of guys who could bring it out.

This from the University of Texas athletic department:

Austin -- Texas junior QB Garrett Gilbert has elected to transfer, he confirmed Wednesday. Gilbert, who has been given an unconditional release from his scholarship by UT, will depart the program after three seasons.

"This was a very difficult decision because I love TheUniversity of Texas and have had a great time playing there," Gilbert said. "I've talked to (Head) Coach (Mack) Brown, (Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) Coach (Bryan) Harsin and the staff and have decided it is in my best interest to transfer. I can't thank all of my teammates and everyone at Texas enough for all of their support, but I just think I'm at a point in my life where I need a fresh start.

"Coach Brown was very understanding and granted me a release to take some visits while I decide where I'm going to transfer to. That's what I'll be doing while I continue school at Texas this semester. I'm excited to focus on getting my shoulder back to 100 percent and to decide where my next step will be, but I will always be thankful for my opportunity at Texas and be pulling for all of my friends and family in the Longhorns program."

A second-team Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2010, Gilbert has played in 24 career games, including 14 starts. He has completed 305-of-538 passes for 3,301 yards (No. 9 on UT’s career list), including eleven 200-yard passing games. He also has rushed 118 times for 400 yards and six TDs to record 3,701 career yards of total offense. He started all 12 games in 2010, throwing for 2,744 yards (No. 7 on the UT single-season list) and registering 3,124 yards (No. 6 on the UT single-season list) of total offense.

Story to come