ESPN

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.

The NFL scouting combine is underway, with the first set of physical workouts to begin today. You can see the full schedule here.

A few things you can watch for from the Big 12's talents this week:

Who's the No. 1 quarterback? USC's Matt Barkley isn't throwing at the combine workouts, but West Virginia's Geno Smith surprised some by announcing that he planned to give it a try. If he performs well, he could definitely ascend to the No. 1 spot. He's already close behind Barkley, but his combine performance will have an impact. But in the new NFL where mobile quarterbacks are en vogue, Smith's versatility that WVU didn't use could come into play. He'll put up some very interesting measurables, and his accuracy will show up if he calms his nerves. If not, NC State's Mike Glennon or Arkansas' Tyler Wilson could jump over him in the pecking order.

What about the No. 1 receiver? Baylor's Terrance Williams will be in the house and so will West Virginia's Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. Tennessee's Cordarrelle Patterson is widely accepted as the top prospect, but could any of the Big 12's heavyweights make some noise with solid workouts and fight their way into first-round status?

Fixed up, but not quite ready to go. Jake Knott is still healing from his shoulder surgery this fall, but TCU's Stansly Maponga and Matthew Tucker should be all healed up from nagging ankle injuries. Knott won't be able to fully work out, but he'll do well in the interview process and was one of the most respected players in the league. It'll be interesting to see what NFL folk have to say about him after this week, despite not being able to see him work out.

Klein catching anyone's eyes (or their passes)? Collin Klein's Senior Bowl snub had fans around the Big 12 fired up and wondering how the Heisman third-place finisher could be left out of the premier postseason exhibition for scouts, but he doesn't quite fit the NFL mold. He's been working with former Denver Bronco Jake Plummer over the past few weeks, though he struggled in his one postseason all-star game experience. Could he build some buzz this week, either at quarterback or another position (receiver, tight end?) and convince an NFL team to fall for him? He'll knock his interviews out of the park.

Fastest man in the building. Could Austin take home the title? What about Marquise Goodwin? We may finally get some answers about who truly is the fastest man in the Big 12, and perhaps all of college football. The combine tells all, and the 40 times are always reliable. Seeing what those two put on the board will be interesting. How close to 4.3 could we see?

Time is money. Tony Jefferson has big-time instincts and plays physically, but he could help himself out in a big way by posting a great 40 time. His straight-line speed is his biggest knock, but he's spent the last month or so working out, and we'll see how much his work has paid off. Some of that speed work is so specifically tailored to 40 times that sometimes it doesn't show up on the field, but silliness aside, Jefferson has a ton to gain in that workout.

Big moving day? Every year somebody wows at the combine and ascends from out of nowhere to becoming a consensus first-round pick. Call it silly if you'd like, but that's the truth. Could any Big 12 talents be that guy this year? Keep an eye out. The Big 12 is likely to be shut out of the top 10 and may only have two to four first-round picks. That could change this week. Here's a few guys who might make that happen.

The NFL scouting combine is the biggest annual showcase of future football stars before the NFL draft, where players who have entered the draft get measured, run through drills and show scouts and coaches what they can do without any pads on.

This year, a record 333 players have been invited, and the Big 12 landed 30 invitations.

Draft stock can swing wildly during the week, with the main event -- the 40 time -- often serving as the catalyst for that stock. Call it silly, and in some ways it is, but it's the reality of the process. Here's who's headed to Indianapolis from the Big 12:

• Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
• Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia
• Josh Boyce, WR, TCU
• Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• Anthony Cantele, K, Kansas State
• Marquise Goodwin, WR, Texas
• Chris Harper, WR, Kansas State
• Tanner Hawkinson, OL, Kansas
• Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma
• Lane Johnson, OL, Oklahoma
• Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
• Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State
• Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State
• Joe Madsen, OL, West Virginia
• Stansly Maponga, DE, TCU
• Bradley McDougald, DB, Kansas
• Stacy McGee, DL, Oklahoma
• Tracy Moore, WR, Oklahoma State
• Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
• Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• Lanear Sampson, WR, Baylor
• Quinn Sharp, K/P, Oklahoma State
• Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
• Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma
• Matthew Tucker, RB, TCU
• Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
• Braden Wilson, RB, Kansas State
• Tom Wort, LB, Oklahoma

Pretty good set of players there. You can see them when the combine kicks off Feb. 20.

The season has come and gone, and brought with it lots of change in the Big 12 Power Rankings. Still, with all the games officially over, here's how I ranked the Big 12 to close the season:

1. Kansas State (11-2, 8-1 Big 12, last week: 1) K-State's year met an unsatisfying end in the desert with another ugly bowl loss. Like last season, the loss was to a team not very far outside of the BCS title picture. Oregon knocked off K-State, but the loss didn't mar all the fantastic things K-State accomplished this year.

2. Oklahoma (10-3, 8-1, last week: 2) Oklahoma suffered a bad bowl loss too, but it mostly exposed defensive deficiencies that may get worse next year. Oklahoma shared a Big 12 title this season, but lacked a big, impressive win. It did have two home losses, but the gap between K-State and OU and the rest of the Big 12 is wide in the standings.

3. Baylor (8-5, 4-5, last week: 4) No team was hotter than the Bears, who closed the season with four consecutive victories, including a home win against then-BCS No. 1 Kansas State to kick off the finish. The streak that featured three wins against ranked teams and the blowout bowl victory over UCLA has Baylor thinking big in 2013.

4. Oklahoma State (8-5, 5-4, last week: 3) The Pokes were better than their record this year, with blowout wins over decent teams such as Texas Tech, West Virginia and TCU. OSU wishes it had those Arizona and Texas games to do over again, but winning eight games with the injuries at quarterback is no small feat. The Pokes will be loaded for 2013, especially if Joseph Randle returns.

5. Texas (9-4, 5-4, last week: 5) Texas rescued a bowl win against a top-15 team, but David Ash still must be better if the Longhorns are going to return to Big 12 prominence. The tenor of spring practice will be heavily influenced by how an ongoing sexual assault investigation plays out. Regardless, until it's over, it's a possible distraction that could substantially affect personnel.

6. TCU (7-6, 4-5, last week: 6) With a bowl win, TCU might have slid inside the league's top five, but coughing up a late lead put a really frustrating end to a gutsy season from the Frogs. Trevone Boykin and Matthew Tucker did their best filling in for injured players, but the Frogs didn't have enough offense without Casey Pachall and Waymon James to win big in 2012.

7. Texas Tech (8-5, 4-5, last week: 8) Tech's finish was ugly, and narrowly surviving against a barely mediocre Minnesota team didn't really impress many folks. The Red Raiders' losing four of five in Big 12 play didn't inspire much confidence, but the future will be really, really intriguing in Lubbock.

8. West Virginia (7-6, 4-5, last week: 7) West Virginia's ugly bowl loss to Syracuse removed any question about the conference's biggest disappointment in 2012. The defense is nowhere near good enough to be competitive in the Big 12, and the offense didn't have enough juice to outscore very many good teams.

9. Iowa State (6-7, 3-6, last week: 9) Beating teams twice is never easy, but Iowa State had an opportunity to move up in these rankings with a win over the Golden Hurricane. Instead, Tulsa dominated the final three quarters, and did so on the line of scrimmage. A second lopsided bowl loss in as many years is not the finish Paul Rhoads wanted.

10. Kansas (1-11, 0-9, last week: 10) No bowl, and not much to report, but the recruiting class is loaded up with about 70 percent junior college commits. We'll see how that looks in the fall, but this spring should be interesting, too.

Let's take a look at three keys for TCU in today's Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

1. Be patient, young ones. TCU's offense hasn't been real effective after losing Casey Pachall, with a couple exceptions. However, they love to run the ball with B.J. Catalon and Matthew Tucker. Trevone Boykin provides another weapon with his legs at quarterback. The Frogs have had a lot of effectiveness working that scheme and then beating teams over the top. They may have to do that with Michigan State, who should be one of the better rush defenses (rank eighth nationally) TCU sees this year. Finding the right time for that big play and hitting it could be the difference in what should be a low-scoring game.

2. Wrap up, wrap up, wrap up. If you didn't already know, the first five minutes of tonight's game will make it very, very obvious: They simply do not make backs like Le'Veon Bell in the Big 12. The 250-pounder runs hard and leads the nation in yards after contact. He can also hurdle you with little hesitation. You cannot arm tackle this man, no matter how hard you try or how much you believe you can. TCU's got to be disciplined tacklers and swarm to him when he's got the ball, otherwise he's going for 200 and TCU's not winning this game.

3. Keep making big plays defensively. TCU kept itself in the game with a pair of defensive plays in the loss to OU, and the offense is likely going to have a tough night against the Spartans. Michigan State quarterback Andrew Maxwell has multiple interceptions in his last two games after throwing two picks in his previous nine games. TCU, meanwhile, are fourth nationally with 21 interceptions this season. MSU won't chuck it around like Big 12 teams, but the Frogs' Jason Verrett, Sam Carter and Elisha Olabode have combined for 14 picks and could do some more thieving. I can't emphasize it enough: This game very likely will turn on a big play. TCU's defense may be just as likely to make it as the offense.

Time for one final week of picks. I'm headed to Fort Worth, Texas, this weekend for Oklahoma versus TCU. The staff at HornsNation will have you covered out in Manhattan, Kan., for Kansas State-Texas. You'll be covered from all angles this weekend, as usual.

Let's get to the picks.

Iowa State and Texas Tech have completed their regular seasons.

Last week: 3-1 (.750)
Overall: 52-19 (.732)

No. 23 Oklahoma State 44, Baylor 34: There's something to Oklahoma State's mastery of Baylor. The Bears are better, but Oklahoma State is playing great football late in the season and has found its stride with Clint Chelf taking care of the ball and producing. The Bears' defense faces a much tougher test in a more balanced Oklahoma State offense, and the Pokes make them pay. Solid day for Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith.

No. 11 Oklahoma 27, TCU 21: There's lots of upset potential here; I just couldn't bring myself to pick it. The Sooners are tired and susceptible to teams strong against the run. This one gets uglied up by the TCU defense, and the Frogs have success with the zone read with Trevone Boykin and Matthew Tucker. Too much aerial attack by Landry Jones and his growing set of receivers. He turns it over one or twice but finds Kenny Stills and Jalen Saunders enough to outweigh the mistakes against ball-hawking TCU secondary that has 20 interceptions, four more than any team in the Big 12 and tied for third-most nationally.

West Virginia 51, Kansas 21: Fast-paced offense. Lots of talented players in one-on-one matchups. That spells all kinds of trouble for Kansas, which has played decent team defense, but the Jayhawks don't have the talent on defense to slow down Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin. The KU running game might make a difference and keep West Virginia's offense off the field, but I'm not betting on it. KU's imperfect season is complete.

No. 6 Kansas State 31, No. 18 Texas 20: With Case McCoy against a really disruptive Kansas State defense, I just don't see the Horns pulling off the upset. Meshak Williams is all over McCoy for 60 minutes, and Arthur Brown does a solid job spying and making sure he doesn't get loose scrambling on broken plays. Collin Klein bounced back with a good game, but one that's just average for him this season, accounting for all four touchdowns.

TCU coach Gary Patterson knew the Big 12 would be full of new challenges. Chief among them: close games.

The last time TCU had more than one conference game decided by one possession was 2008. That season, it was only two. Since then, the Horned Frogs have coasted through the Mountain West with three consecutive league titles and only three total conference games decided by seven points or fewer.

In the Big 12, it has been a whole new ballgame for the Frogs. Two of the past three games for TCU have gone to overtime, one in the Frogs' favor against West Virginia on Saturday and the other tipped toward their in-state rival Texas Tech two weeks ago.

"It just depends on whether you win or lose. After the Texas Tech game, nobody felt good," Patterson said. TCU led 14-9 against Oklahoma State in the week between the two close games and Patterson harped on his team to finish. It didn't, dropping a 36-14 decision to the reigning Big 12 champs.

He gave the team Sunday off to rest, and it paid off with a comeback victory against the Mountaineers in which the Frogs played their best ball late in the fourth quarter and in overtime.

That rest allowed TCU to get offensive lineman Blaize Foltz and receiver Brandon Carter back on the field, as well as defensive end Stansly Maponga. Even banged-up back Matthew Tucker returned to the field.

"He still wasn’t where we needed him to be last week, but we’ll need all of our bullets to have a chance against Kansas State because they’re a really good football team," Patterson said.

A 9-0 football team, to be exact. Still, the lesson was learned for TCU, which is still getting used to needing all its bullets every week in the Big 12.

"I feel like it helped us last Saturday at West Virginia. Both players and coaches, how do you manage the season? I think that’s one thing we’ve talked about," Patterson said. "To get ready for Kansas State you’ve got to be doing the same thing. You’ve got to be able to run and be able to get the soreness out of your body because they’ll make you play for three hours."

That's nothing new for the Cats, the reigning masters of the tight decisions. Since 2011, the Wildcats are 10-1 in games decided by one possession. Only two of those wins came outside Big 12 play and the only team to notch a win against K-State in one of those games won a Big 12 title in 2011.

"I’m probably like all coaches. Regardless of what the score is, they’re all tight games," Wildcats coach Bill Snyder said. "It’s never over until it’s over, and I think we’re all that way, but I can’t tell you in all honesty that there’s any great difference in how I am during the course of a ballgame. I don’t think it really has been all that different for me."

The Wildcats have shown the poise of an experienced team even when they didn't necessarily have that experience a year ago. The execution late in games provided them opportunities to consistently erase deficits and notch 10 victories. A year later, tight wins against Oklahoma and Iowa State on the road have the Wildcats right in the thick of the national championship race.

Can TCU give its players opportunities in practice to simulate the tight situations that haven't existed on the field with this kind of frequency in a long time around Fort Worth?

"We’re always trying to create adversity to get things ready to go," Patterson said. "When you’re in a conference where the competition level is so close, you’re going to have to get ready for those kinds of games. For as young a football team as we have, I think we’re building valuable experience, especially going on the road."

All three of TCU's Big 12 victories have been on the road this season, including last week's close victory at West Virginia -- the latest of many lessons for the Horned Frogs in 2012.

"There’s a lot of things that are being learned at this point by coaches and players. I don’t think it’s just the players," Patterson said. "The coaches, we’re trying to learn about our kids and how they play and how they handle things and we’ve got to do a better job on our side of getting them ready."

TCU

Record: 5-1, 2-1 Big 12

The Frogs' season feels a lot more traumatic than it's actually been. In four days, TCU lost its best player and its first game, and it felt much like the sky was falling. After last week's 49-21 win over Baylor, things are looking up in Fort Worth.

Casey Pachall's DWI arrest and disenrollment from the university to seek treatment for drug and alcohol addiction was the biggest story of the season for the Frogs, and Iowa State came into the new Amon G. Carter Stadium and ruined the first Big 12 game ever in the Frogs' new pond. Trevone Boykin struggled and turned the ball over four times.

Last week, with a full week to practice at QB after playing just one day at QB the week before, he threw four touchdowns. The Frogs are second in the Big 12 and 14th nationally in total defense. The team's best running back, Waymon James, is out for the year with a knee injury and Matthew Tucker's been banged up, too. He sat out the loss to Iowa State. That was a big loss, and with no QB and a running game left to B.J. Catalon and Aundre Dean, the Frogs looked pretty average. That defense leads the nation in turnovers forced, though, and will keep the Frogs in plenty of games down the stretch. The final six games of the schedule will be brutal and truly tell us just how good TCU can be.

Offensive MVP: Brandon Carter and Josh Boyce, WRs. I'm not going to put Pachall on here, though he's the clear candidate. He's gone. Carter and Boyce have been outstanding and produced similar output in the passing game. They've combined for 56 catches, 806 yards and eight touchdowns over the first half of the season, which included a rain-soaked night against SMU, too.

Defensive MVP: Devonte Fields, DE. Fields is my defensive player of the year in the entire Big 12, and the true freshman has been the breakout star of the entire league, even though he hasn't gotten much press on a national level. He leads the Big 12 with 6.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss, two more than any player in the Big 12.

When was the last time a player worked as a third-string running back in practice during the week, and on Saturday took the field as a team's starting quarterback?

Before Saturday, it had to have been awhile. TCU's Trevone Boykin made both unorthodox moves out of necessity, but couldn't lead TCU to a win over Iowa State in the Frogs' first Big 12 home game.

Boykin won the TCU backup quarterback job ahead of Matt Brown, but the 6-foot-2, 215-pound redshirt freshman from Mesquite, Texas, worked at running back with Waymon James out for the season with a knee injury and Matthew Tucker a game-time decision with an ankle injury.

On Thursday morning, TCU coach Gary Patterson dealt with the news that his starting quarterback, Casey Pachall, had been arrested on suspicion of DWI. Pachall was suspended indefinitely, and all of a sudden, it was Boykin's time.

For one practice, he was the team's starting quarterback. After Thursday, it was time to go head-to-head against the Big 12's No. 3 scoring defense.

"We wish we had a little bit more for [time for] it. The biggest thing is he doesn’t have the experience to do it," Patterson said. "Trevone runs better, but just needs the experience of seeing the field better."

TCU's offense didn't change much with Boykin in place instead of Pachall, but to make matters worse, Tucker couldn't play to provide Boykin a safety valve. When James went down with a knee injury, Patterson said he had one back he trusted. Now, that one back was down, and only freshman B.J. Catalon and senior Aundre Dean were left.

Still, TCU managed 455 yards of offense, more than any offense against Iowa State all season.

"You’re talking about playing your first Big 12 [game] and I consider Iowa State a pretty good defense," Patterson said. "The key is you can’t throw interceptions, especially not for touchdowns, and you can’t turn the ball over. He’s got to do a better job of managing the game."

Will Boykin get another chance this week against Baylor, which has had two weeks to prepare for the Frogs? Patterson says he'll address Pachall's status at his Tuesday media luncheon, after meeting with the school's AD and chancellor on Sunday.

Boykin was responsible for three interceptions, and Catalon coughed up a pair of fumbles, including one inside Iowa State's 5-yard line.

Boykin's last interception was returned for a score, but his speediness provides a new facet to TCU's offense that Pachall couldn't.

"We’re excited about it; he gave us some options we didn’t have before," Patterson said. "We’ll move forward with that."

Here's what I'm keeping an eye on in this week's four games across the Big 12:

PODCAST
Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville talks about being undefeated through the first three weeks, this weekend's game against Iowa State, starting conference play and more. Listen

1. Who's the man? I'm skeptical of Wes Lunt's supernatural healing powers. So, considering his knee was immobilized until Monday, and he wasn't expected to practice until today, I'm also skeptical that he'll play a down Saturday against Texas, the roughest and best defense in the Big 12 with the biggest and fastest defensive line. Call me crazy, but that doesn't sound like the best idea for your true freshman's long-term health. Still, Lunt was listed as a co-starter alongside J.W. Walsh on this week's depth chart. Will he play? We may find out Friday when OSU releases its injury report. Walsh will get a much tougher test, but he looked pretty solid against Louisiana-Lafayette.

2. Are we done yet? I agree with coach Gary Patterson -- the red zone turnovers are out of character for the Frogs. Still, they've turned potential blowout wins into just OK wins in two consecutive weeks. The Frogs turned it over four times in the red zone against Kansas and twice against Virginia. How much longer can they get away with that? SMU would love to take advantage, so TCU had better fix it.

3. Feeling the need for speed: Tevin Reese and Tavon Austin are on the short list of the Big 12's fastest players. They've both had huge games early on this season, but which speedster outraces the other in Morgantown? It may ultimately decide the game. They both have a teammate who can go up and grab jump balls, but with two questionable defenses, these two may have the day's biggest highlights.

4. Is it real? Is it spectacular? Texas Tech leads the nation in total defense, which is unlikely to last but impressive nonetheless. Just how good is this defense? The first three games told us pretty much nothing, except that the Red Raiders are better than last year and won't be giving up chunks of yardage to bad teams. Iowa State is not a bad team and has plenty of playmakers. What can Tech prove as its schedule toughens up?

5. Calvin's last stand: Heading into this weekend, it feels like Texas' running game versus Oklahoma State's defensive line is one of the biggest mismatches on the Week 5 slate. Will that be the case? The Longhorns have looked efficient and physical running both inside and outside the tackles, and Arizona worked over OSU's defense with a zone read. If anybody's going to slow down Texas, it's Calvin Barnett getting a push up front and mucking up the Longhorns' schemes.

6. All Tuckered out. Matthew Tucker was pretty average against Virginia, gaining 52 yards on 15 carries. He's the one back Patterson says he trusts, but what will he look like on the road against SMU? TCU needs him to play big this year, and he needs to show something before Big 12 play really hits its stride. Can he top 100 yards?

7. Throw it to the guys in white. Nick Florence has put up big numbers. But when I saw the Bears play SMU, he tested fate pretty often, throwing the ball into coverage a handful of times but getting away with it. He wasn't picked off all night. He did it again last week against Louisiana-Monroe, with one really bad interception and another that came on a ball thrown while he was being hit. Simply put: He can't throw interceptions this week. More than one will all but eliminate Baylor's opportunity to win this game. He has to make better decisions.

8. They just keep coming, Clones. Texas Tech has about 74 receivers on its team who can be productive in this offense, and Seth Doege finds them all. Still, Tech might have the league's deepest receiving corps and Doege spreads it out really well. It'll be a tough test for the Cyclones. Texas Tech has already had 13 players catch at least four passes through just three games. ISU's defense showed up big time against OSU last year, and it may need a similar effort to win this one.

9. Can you say Heisman? What's the deal with David Ash? Did we see a flash on the road against Ole Miss a couple of weeks ago? Or was this the beginning of a special season for Ash in Austin? We'll get a pretty good idea in Stillwater on Saturday. OSU's corners, Brodrick Brown and Justin Gilbert, are as good as any in the Big 12.

10. Big test for a big D. Texas' defense, unlike Texas Tech's, has not been overly strong through its first three games. Saturday could be a good opportunity for the Longhorns' D to prove what it can do long-term. The Longhorns have the horses to be elite, but giving up 31 points to Ole Miss won't impress anybody. Tackling issues were pervasive in that win. Linebacker Jordan Hicks isn't healthy, and his status is up in the air, but I'd expect him to play, despite an injured hip.

Last week was a good one, my second week this season without a missed pick. That wasn't too difficult, though. This week, it gets harder.

No big surprises in my Saturday location: I'm heading to Norman to see the Sooners and Wildcats tangle in a Saturday night prime-time showdown.

Here's who I've got in this weekend's games:

Last week: 8-0

Season record: 22-3 (.880)

Texas, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are off this week.

Baylor 41, Louisiana-Monroe 28: I don't buy the upset potential here. Tyler Wilson looked fine against the Warhawks before he got hurt. Nick Florence should do the same. Terrance Williams and Tevin Reese give Louisiana-Monroe fits. The Bears will take care of business and have too much offense, though Kolton Browning will make plenty of plays to make Baylor's defense sweat.

No. 8 West Virginia 55, Maryland 17: Maryland is better this year under Randy Edsall, but not good enough to make this a game. West Virginia is playing like a top-10 team and will keep it going to close out nonconference play. Stedman Bailey will grab two more touchdowns and Tavon Austin will hit double digits in receptions once again. Business as usual for the 'Eers.

No. 17 TCU 44, Virginia 20: Gary Patterson is not sweating the turnovers from last week because the fumbles were so out of character for his team. The Horned Frogs will prove it this week, dominating the line of scrimmage against the Cavaliers. Matthew Tucker will clear 100 yards easily, and Skye Dawson will finally get in the mix after a Week 1 suspension and quiet game at KU last week.

Kansas 28, Northern Illinois 27: This was by far the toughest pick of the week. Ultimately, I think NIU is a bit overrated based on its reputation this season and won't be able to stop Kansas' running game. Tony Pierson and James Sims are quite the duo in the backfield, and Sims will be fired up after returning from suspension. He's ready, and KU will get a big win on the road against the Huskies. Dayne Crist should learn from his mistakes and make a couple of big throws late, instead of interceptions.

No. 6 Oklahoma 37, No. 15 Kansas State 31: This is (obviously) my game of the week. Come back later today for a video explaining why I picked the game to play out like this.

You won’t find Gary Patterson with his head in his hands at any point this week, up late trying to find a cure for the Frogs’ red zone woes.

Last week, the Frogs trekked into Kansas' red zone seven times and left with points just three times. There were three turnovers and a missed field goal. A fourth turnover came just outside the red zone in the first quarter, allowing Kansas to keep a slim lead in the Frogs' eventual 20-6 win.

"I didn’t say much. All those guys played a lot of football, the center and the quarterback and the running backs," Patterson said of his message to his team. "We’re fortunate we won a ballgame, but play like we’re supposed to. I’m not making a really big deal out of it. Those guys have played a lot of football."

He's right. Casey Pachall's a junior entering his second year as the team's starting quarterback. He threw just seven interceptions a year ago, and the Frogs lost just 14 fumbles.

Senior Matthew Tucker had 376 carries entering the season. Center James Fry, whose snap dribbled between Pachall's legs inside the 10-yard line on the opening drive, started all last season and earned spot duty in 2010, too.

"It’s not been a re-occurring thing. They didn’t do it all year last year," Patterson said. "It happened in one ballgame; they didn’t do it in the first game."

TCU had just one turnover in its season-opening win against Grambling, but it came from backup quarterback Trevone Boykin in the fourth quarter with the Frogs already sitting on a 56-0 lead.

The remedy for what ailed the Frogs against Kansas? Don't spend the week searching for a fix to a freak problem.

"For us, sometimes, those kinds of things, if you talk about them, they keep happening," Patterson said. "I just told them they need to concentrate, go about their business and act like they usually do."

Hasn't TCU suffered enough attrition since the end of last season?

Apparently not. Add the team's leading rusher in 2011 and 2012 to the list. Waymon James won't be on the field for the Horned Frogs for the rest of 2012 after suffering a knee injury in last week's 20-6 win over Kansas.

From our news story:

TCU junior running back Waymon James will miss the rest of the season, a TCU official confirmed to ESPN.com Wednesday afternoon.

James suffered an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter of last week's 20-6 win over Kansas, and coach Gary Patterson told reporters this week he believed James would be a game-time decision for Saturday's game against Virginia.

James' injury, which TCU declined to go into detail on, will keep him off the field for the rest of TCU's first season in the Big 12.

For now, that means the TCU running back spot belongs to Matthew Tucker. That's a pretty big surprise, but Tucker will be capable.

Even still, expect more of the offense to fall on junior quarterback Casey Pachall's shoulders. With less depth at running back and plenty at receiver with a capable passer in Pachall, it may be time for TCU to depend a little more on the passing game.

TCU's team is a prime example of how quickly depth can disappear. Tucker entered spring camp as the team's third running back in carries and rushing yards a year ago, despite the Frogs triple threat of running backs that each turned 120 carries into at least 700 yards in 2011.

In late May, Ed Wesley left the team because of family reasons and entered the NFL's supplemental draft. After James' injury, the Frogs are down to just one proven commodity in the backfield.

Tucker will get help from senior Aundre Dean and freshman B.J. Catalon, but TCU entered the season with arguably the best backfield in its new league, the Big 12.

Now? The Frogs are pretty average at the position.

And after all, that's the last thing TCU needed. The biggest question about the Frogs entering the Big 12 was if they had enough depth to win on a weekly basis in a major conference, rather than spending a whole season preparing for one big game to start the season or a big midseason showdown with Utah or Boise State, and then a bowl game.

Now, it looks like TCU won't even get a chance to prove whether or not that's the case. Here's who TCU won't have now in 2012 that at the end of 2011, it believed it would have:

• The team's best linebacker and probable best overall defender, Tanner Brock (drug arrest, removed from team)
• The team's second-best linebacker, Deryck Gildon (academics)
• The team's second-best running back, Wesley (left team) and best running back, James (injury).
• Starting defensive end Ross Forrest (knee injury)
• Probable starting safety Devin Johnson (drug arrest, removed from team)
• Probable starting offensive lineman Ty Horn (drug arrest, removed from team)
• Probable starting defensive lineman D.J. Yendrey (drug arrest, removed from team)

That's a huge, huge deficit that Patterson's team has to try and make up when conference play heats up this fall. The result: TCU is playing 15 true freshmen already this season, as many as any team in the country and far more than any team in the Big 12.

Through two games, that lack of depth and experience hasn't shown up. It may not for awhile. TCU will likely favored to win its first seven games before a brutal finish to 2012.

TCU's final five games are on the road at Oklahoma State, at No. 8 West Virginia, home vs. No. 15 Kansas State, at No. 12 Texas and home vs. No. 6 Oklahoma.

TCU can hold court until then, barring an upset.

But once it gets to that stretch, will the Frogs have enough to make their first season in the Big 12 one to remember?

TCU came to Lawrence to play its first Big 12 game.

It left with a win.

The Frogs can leave with that knowledge, but they also leave with a long list of mistakes that could have made Saturday's 20-6 win much more impressive.

TCU won and convincingly looked like the better team, but it also looked like a team prone to bone-headed mistakes when it mattered most.

On the game's opening drive, TCU quarterback Casey Pachall had a snap go between his legs on a play inside the KU 10-yard line. A scramble resulted in KU possession all the way back at the Jayhawks 47-yard line.

On TCU's next drive, Pachall was sacked and fumbled on a play at the KU 23-yard line. The Jayhawks took over, but threw an interception on the ensuing play.

With a 20-6 lead and a chance to seal the win early in the fourth quarter, Pachall was stripped at the 1-yard line on what would have been a touchdown. The ball squirted out the back of the end zone for a touchback and seven more points that would never be on the scoreboard for the Frogs.

Most unbelievably: Running back Matthew Tucker fumbled with just over three minutes to go inside the 10-yard line and TCU nursing that same two-touchdown lead.

The Frogs' Jaden Oberkrom also missed a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter.

By game's end, TCU had been inside Kansas' red zone six times. It finished with 10 points, three turnovers and a missed field goal. Not good at all.

TCU got the win, but the focus in the days to come will undoubtedly be on those big, big mistakes.

Make those same kinds of mistakes, and how many Big 12 teams does TCU beat? Anyone besides Kansas? It's certainly debatable, especially considering nine different Big 12 teams got votes in polls this past week.

The Frogs were the more physical team in this one, and running backs Waymon James and Tucker combined for 164 yards on 24 carries. James left the game late in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.

Tucker's fumble marred an otherwise good day for the backs, too.

Fortunately for the Frogs, the defense picked up the slack on this day. Through two weeks, though, Kansas had been the Big 12's worst defense. How many Big 12 offenses can TCU hold to six points?

Gary Patterson doesn't need anybody to tell him scoring 20 points, especially on the road, won't get it done in Big 12 play.

The mistakes were out of character for the Frogs, but they happened on this day.

To Kansas' credit, the Jayhawks have now forced 12 turnovers through just three games. In all likelihood, that'll be the best mark of any team in the league by day's end. No Big 12 team had more than five through two games.

On one hand, it's impressive that TCU could do so much wrong and still win somewhat comfortably on the road in conference. When you lose the turnover battle 4-2, that's not easy to do. TCU kept from sweating in the final minutes by forcing a Dayne Crist fumble near the goal line.

On the other hand it's definitely going to be big, big trouble later in the season if TCU does anything like this again.

To begin the season, I see six teams with a legitimate chance to win the Big 12. Today we'll continue our series looking at why each team will or will not win the league. Next up: The other new guys -- TCU

More contenders:

• Oklahoma
• West Virginia
• Kansas State
• Texas
• Oklahoma State

Why TCU will win the Big 12

1. Experience on offense. TCU is throwing out two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore on the offensive line, including one of the league's best in Blaize Foltz at right guard, with James Dunbar helping form another solid piece on the right side of the line at tackle. Quarterback Casey Pachall grew up a lot on the field as a sophomore first-year starter and has what should be four great targets, if you count LaDarius Brown. We know Josh Boyce will be an elite talent at receiver. Skye Dawson and Brandon Carter might join him. And at running back? Forget any questions there, even with the loss of Ed Wesley. Waymon James and Matthew Tucker are more than capable of handling the load.

2. They're well-equipped to handle the transition. The framework that Gary Patterson built his program upon is still very much in place. The players know what's expected of them in this program, even if they don't know what to expect in the fall. Never underestimate that. Patterson's studied up on Big 12 teams and recruited many of the same players he'll be facing. That's a big deal, too. There's plenty of familiarity for TCU and the rest of the league, and that's got to inspire confidence.

3. Big games? Who cares? That's nothing new. So TCU's been in the Mountain West? News flash: The Mountain West has been better than the Big East the past few years, where West Virginia's coming from. The bottom of the league is nothing short of awful, but at the top? Boise State and TCU played a classic last year, and BYU and Utah are solid teams, too. TCU also took down a very good Wisconsin team to win the Rose Bowl. TCU hasn't played quite as many Top 25 teams as the rest of the Big 12, but they've played 11 since 2008. And which Big 12 team has the best record against Top 25 teams over that period? That would be the Horned Frogs.

Why TCU won't win the Big 12

1. The defensive losses are just too much. TCU played without Tanner Brock last season, but he probably would have been the best player on this defense. He's gone after the drug scandal in the offseason. Grades took down Deryck Gildon, one of the players on the defense with the biggest upside who could have broken out this year. Likely starter Devin Johnson is gone, too. The Horned Frogs are replacing two more safeties. Defensive end Stansly Maponga is a load, but one impact player on the entire defense won't be enough.

2. It can handle big games, but can it handle them (literally) every week? Scoff if you want, but it's going to be an issue late in the season for the Frogs. They may be favored in their first seven games of the season, but TCU closes its season with five games against the other five teams on my list of Big 12 contenders in six weeks -- who could all be in the Top 25. Three of those games (Texas, West Virginia, Oklahoma State) are on the road. That's just absolutely brutal. The Frogs close with Oklahoma at home. Anybody believe TCU can get through that stretch 4-1? That's what it will take to win the Big 12.

3. It doesn't have enough high-level Big 12 talent. TCU's first team is definitely good enough to win this league. No doubt in my mind. However, injuries happen and guys get banged up, especially in a stretch like I described in my last point. TCU's recruiting hasn't been strong enough to the point where freshmen and sophomores are going to be serviceable replacements in the Big 12 that will allow the Frogs to keep winning. Ask Texas Tech. A handful of injuries can turn you from a truly great team into a very mortal one.