ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Every team is green someplace. Here are the specific areas of the most inexperience for each Big 12 team.

Baylor offensive tackle: The Bears need to break in two new starters after losing Jason Smith and Dan Gay.

Colorado defensive line: Help is needed along the defensive front where the Buffaloes lose starting defensive end Maurice Lucas, starting defensive tackle George Hypolite and starting nose tackle Brandon Nicolas.

Iowa State defensive line: Coach Paul Rhoads desperately wants somebody to emerge on the defensive line where the Cyclones lose starting defensive tackle Michael Tate, starting defensive end Kurtis Taylor and top backup defensive back Travis Ferguson.

Kansas linebackers: Even as Mark Mangino is contemplating going to a two-linebacker base defense because of the Big 12's spread offenses, he still needs to find those two players. The Jayhawks lose starters James Holt, Mike Rivera and Joe Mortensen at the position from last season.

Kansas State quarterback: Josh Freeman departed for the NFL early, leaving Carson Coffman and junior college transfer Daniel Thomas to compete for the starting job. It's not a pleasant introduction back to football for returning KSU coach Bill Snyder.

Missouri skill-position players: The Tigers need a quick infusion of playmakers after losing quarterback Chase Daniel, wide receiver/kick returner Jeremy Maclin and tight end Chase Coffman. All of them arguably were the greatest players at their respective positions in Missouri history. Blake Gabbert will receive first look at quarterback and Andrew Jones will work at tight end. It could take several players to fill in for what Maclin did.

Nebraska quarterback: It will be tough for the Cornhuskers to replace all that Joe Ganz did for them, both as a playmaker and a leader at quarterback. Zac Lee will get the first shot, along with freshman Cody Green and redshirt freshman Kody Spano. Maybe the Cornhuskers really could use former Miami quarterback Robert Marve next season.

Oklahoma offensive line: The departure of starting center Jon Cooper, tackle Phil Loadholt and guards Duke Robinson and Brandon Walker means that Sam Bradford will have an inexperienced group protecting him next season. Trent Williams moves to left tackle and Bob Stoops likes his incoming talent, if not its early work habits.

Oklahoma State defensive tackles: The Cowboys ranked last in the conference in sacks last season and lost starting defensive tackles Tonga Tea and Jeray Chatham. It will mean that new defensive coordinator Bill Young will need somebody to step up in the trenches to help shore up that weakness.

Texas defensive line: The major question dogging the Longhorns' national title hopes will be rebuilding a defensive front that loses All-American defensive end Brian Orakpo, defensive tackle Roy Miller, defensive tackleAaron Lewis and defensive end Henry Melton from last season.

Texas Tech offensive line: New quarterback Taylor Potts will be relying on a retooled offensive line protecting his blind side after left tackle Rylan Reed, left guard Louis Vasquez and center Stephen Hamby all departed from last year.

Texas A&M running backs: The Aggies' offensive backfield will need to restock players: Michael Goodson left school early to declare for the NFL draft and fullbacks Jorvorskie Lane and Nick LaMantia are gone. Look for Cyrus Gray to get most of the work this spring with heralded freshman Bradley Stephens arriving in the summer.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

The kid from the Denver suburbs made a triumphant return to his old stomping grounds Saturday night.

Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson rushed for one touchdown and passed for another score to key the Cowboys' 30-17 victory over Colorado.

Robinson, a junior from nearby Littleton, Colo., punctuated his rushing touchdown by throwing his hands high in the air to signal to friends and family members who attended the game.

The victory keeps the Cowboys' hopes alive for a New Year's Day bowl.

The Colorado-Oklahoma State game turned out to be the most competitive Big 12 game of the day, but it was that way only because of some good fortune for the Buffaloes.

Colorado got a gift touchdown in the third quarter on a fortunate fourth-down rebound of a Cody Hawkins' pass that glanced off Cody Crawford's hands into the waiting grab of Scotty McKnight for a 29-yard touchdown. If Colorado didn't get that play, the Cowboys likely would have cruised to an easy victory.

Colorado had persevered for fourth-quarter comeback victories over Oklahoma and West Virginia during the last two seasons. And the Buffaloes appeared to have seized that momentum after Demetrius Sumler's 3-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

But the Buffaloes never could climb back into the game as they struggled with poor field position and Hawkins' inability to make big plays when the Buffaloes needed them.

It means the 5-6 Colorado has to win at Nebraska on the day after Thanksgiving in order to qualify for a bowl game.

And considering the way that the Cornhuskers have been playing recently, that sounds like a huge test for the offensively-challenged Buffaloes.

Here are some other things I noticed while watching the game.

• Injuries to Kendall Hunter (jammed left knee) and Brandon Pettigrew (apparent concussion) made Oklahoma State look pedestrian on offense at the end of the game. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has to hope both can heal up during their off week as they prepare for the Bedlam game with Oklahoma in two weeks.
• One thing that struck me was how few tackles that the Colorado defensive line made throughout the game. George Hypolite's name was barely called.
• I was surprised that we didn't see Colorado freshman quarterback Tyler Hansen play for the Buffaloes - particularly as Hawkins struggled in the second half. A change of pace provided by a running quarterback might have helped diversify the Buffaloes' offense.
• Gundy needs to make sure that punter Matt Fodge gets a game ball for his performance in the fourth quarter. The biggest reason why Colorado's offense never got going late in the game was because they started drives at their own 7 and 10 when they still had a chance to climb back into the game.
  

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

As anybody who has read this blog for any amount of time knows, I'm a sucker for the history of college football.

That's why I was attracted to a great series in this morning's Kansas City Star.

The newspaper has a regular series called "Star Stories" where they link stories from the newspaper's storied past. Today's edition included stories and pictures from the 1958 Kansas-Kansas State game.

It had some great content and was an even better idea. Now if newspapers only made their archives free to the average reader all the time ... ah, but I'm getting way ahead of myself.

Check these stories and pictures out on the Star's Web site. You can almost hear Elvis Presley and Danny and the Juniors playing in the background.

And here are some other links from around the Big 12. Enjoy them.

• It's no surprise that Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is a prime topic for today's Big 12 disseminators. The Rocky Mountain News' B.G. Brooks says it's time for Leach to prove something to the nation. Kansas City Star's Blair Kerkhoff chimes in a column on Leach's big opportunity for a national breakthrough Saturday against Texas. And the Austin American-Stateman's Randy Riggs writes of the mutual infatuation he shares with Leach for Sherlock Holmes stories.
• Louisiana native Earl Patin can handle playing at Baylor, as long as his mother occasionally brings him a pot of gumbo from back home, the Waco Tribune-Herald's John Werner writes.
• The Denver Post's Woody Paige is full of suggestions today for Colorado coach Dan Hawkins. How about moving cornerback Cha'pelle Brown for an occasional stint at wide receiver or defensive tackle George Hypolite at "Buffalo Back" in short-yardage stints?
• Des Moines Register's Andrew Logue writes about the musical passion of Iowa State tight end Collin Franklin, who plays guitar, trumpet, piano and drums. And he also catches a few passes, too.
• Starting freshman Kansas State running back Logan Dold has confounded his old high school coach, who thought his old pupil was headed for a defensive career in college, the Kansas City Star/Wichita Eagle's Jeffrey Martin writes.
• When Bob Stoops and his wife, Carol, were newlyweds back in Manhattan, Kan., they had an extended houseguest for several months. It was none other than Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, who was then working for the Wildcats as a graduate assistant.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

With my flight for Kansas City fast approaching, I figured this would be my best chance to provide a few Big 12 links that caught my attention. Thanks to the the free wireless at San Antonio International Airport, here they are:

• The Kansas City Star's Blair Kerkhoff compares the Big 12's relatively soft non-conference schedule to the NFL's preseason. But now, the real games begin.
• Oklahoma State safety Quinton Moore is trying to overcome the memory of his critical roughing-the-kicker penalty that helped wrap up Texas A&M's victory over the Cowboys last season.
• Texas players and coaches say they harbor no grudges against Colorado tailback Darrell Scott, who almost ended up playing for the Longhorns and likely would have if Ken Rucker had remained the Longhorns' running backs coach.
• After leading the Big 12 in all-purpose yardage in 2006, Texas Tech running back Shannon Woods was demoted to the scout team last season. Woods has battled back from that adversity to become a key producer for the Red Raiders.
• Colorado defenders are convinced that Texas quarterback Colt McCoy is the real deal. Defensive tackle George Hypolite calls him as dangerous as Chase Daniel, only more athletic.
• Baylor tackle Jason Smith is doing more than calling Oklahoma out this week and being one of the most notable alumni of the team-roping program at W.T. White High School in Dallas. He's also the Bears' top potential NFL draft pick in more than 10 years.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Colorado's defense had been rocked and knocked back on its collective heels early in its most recent game against Eastern Washington.

Despite those struggles against an FCS opponent, Colorado DT George Hypolite's confidence never wavered. He knew his unit would come back, loudly proclaiming to anyone who would listen that the Buffaloes' defense would eventually provide the difference in the game.

"Even after those early struggles, we had to have a short memory," Hypolite said. "I told everybody on the bench that we were coming back and making a play to win us the game. Fortunately, Cha'pelle was listening."

Undersized CB Cha'pelle Brown made Hypolite sound like a prophet. His 27-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1:44 left enabled the Buffaloes to escape with a 31-24 victory over the plucky Eagles, allowing Colorado to avoid the ignominy of losing two straight games against FCS opponents in three seasons.

Those struggles against the Eagles wouldn't appear to bode well before Colorado's game Thursday night against West Virginia and talented multi-faceted QB Pat White. But Hypolite is ready for the challenge and excited about improvements the Colorado defense has made during a bye week to prepare for the Mountaineers.

"This is one of those games you dream about playing," Hypolite said. "Everybody in the country will be watching. It's the only game on. If you make big plays, you're going to be getting text messages from your friends around the country for the next few days. I'm excited about it."

White has his own struggles. The Mountaineers managed only 251 yards and converted only three of 12 third-down plays in a loss to East Carolina two weeks ago. And the Mountaineers will be matched against a Colorado defense that is permitting only 59 yards rushing per game (11th nationally) and hasn't allowed an opposing back to rush for 100 yards since 2004.

The Mountaineers will be running the same spread-option attack that has helped them to three straight bowl victories and a combined 34-6 record in the last three-plus seasons. The Mountaineers have ranked fourth, second and 18th nationally in rushing from 2005-07.

"It's not really the offense, but just the players they have," Hypolite said. "Pat White and Noel Devine really make it difficult on a defense. You can do a great job on them for most of a game and then they can jump on you for three or four plays. And it's really difficult because we don't see a lot of spread option offenses in this part of the country."

Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said that containing White will rank among the most difficult challenges his team will face this season.

"He's as fast, if not faster than anybody in our conference," Hawkins said. "He can throw it and he's definitely a dual-threat guy. If you look at their game against Oklahoma last year, he had some huge throwing plays. I don't know if we've seen anybody who runs like him. You're talking about him being one of the best players in the country."

The challenge in the secondary will fall to Brown, who has been tested by bigger competitors most of his career.

"People have always questioned me because of my height," the 5-foot-7 Brown said. "But that doesn't matter -- as a defensive back we want to prove ourselves. I've played with a chip on my shoulder my entire career because of that."

That attitude has permeated the Colorado defense, which has similarly disproved naysayers in the first two games of the season.

"We knew going into the season that we were inexperienced and didn't have much depth," Hypolite said. "We knew we would play like a young team at times. But against Eastern Washington, we dug deep and exhibited a lot of resiliency. That shows a lot about this team and our character."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

The worst scheduling week in Big 12 history might be approaching.

Four Big 12 teams will be playing opponents from the Football Championship Subdivision in contests that have euphemistically been termed by many coaches as "body-bag games."

Coaches of those FCS schools know what they have to do in these games. Mainly, collect a big check and hope they emerge out of the game relatively unscathed for the rest of the season.

A 12-game season makes these games more necessary for the big boys from the Football Bowl Series, even if they aren't necessarily appealing, according to Texas coach Mack Brown.

"It's probably better if we didn't," Brown said, "but I don't know if it's possible right now."

Brown knows about these games after once coaching at Division I-AA Appalachian State, which then played two games against Division I-A teams as financial salvation for the rest of the school's athletic department.

"As tough as it is with the score and kids being mismatched sometimes," Brown said, "it is a positive for the university from the standpoint of exposure.

"And a lot of the kids I've talked to like the experience of going into big stadiums, even though they lose."

But try telling that to fans who pay full price, with increasing full costs, to travel to stadiums in order to watch these glorified exhibitions.

The difference is more than just the 22 extra scholarships that the FBS teams have -- 85 scholarship athletes on a roster compared to 63 for FCS teams.

During the first week of the season, FBS teams went 31-1 against their siblings from the FCS. The lone FCS victory was Cal-Poly's 29-27 triumph over San Diego State, coached by former Oklahoma assistant Chuck Long.

Baylor, Colorado, Kansas State and Missouri can only hope not to join the Aztecs on that dubious list this week.

Until then, here are a few morning links that are always competitive.

• Colorado can't afford a reprise of the last visit by a Football Championship Series when Eastern Washington visits on Saturday. The Buffaloes lost 19-10 to Montana State in their 2006 opener. "It's almost surreal when you look back and you think about it," DT George Hypolite told the Boulder Camera.
• Texas A&M may consider a change in kickers after Richie Bean shanked two short attempts in the Aggies' loss to Arkansas State last week.
• Natalie England of the San Antonio Express-News writes about Texas QB Colt McCoy's emergence as a running threat.
• We now know who wears the pants in Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy's family. If you don't believe it, check the 7:43 mark of this Oklahoman video to find out.
• Steve Sipple of the Lincoln Journal-Star writes about the development of Nebraska LB Cody Glenn and QB Joe Ganz, two seniors who have hardly played most of their college careers.
• Oklahoma WR Manny Johnson is filling the void after Malcolm Kelly's departure to the NFL.
• The Columbia Tribune's Dave Matter writes about improvement necessary for Missouri's leaky secondary, which allowed Juice Williams to squeeze them for 451 passing yards.
• Missouri beat writer Mike DeArmond of the Kansas City Star writes and has video on the development of Missouri TB Derrick Washington.
• Baylor CB Dwain Crawford, a converted safety, tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Dwain Price about his enjoyment of his new position's challenges.
• Des Moines Register beat writer Andrew Logue chats about Iowa State's extra rest from playing on Thursday, the Cyclones' memories of Kent State from last season and the Cyclones' looming rivalry game against Iowa next week.
• Iowa State RB J.J. Bass will suit up for his first game this season after being suspended for the opener.
• Kansas coach Mark Mangino isn't expecting Louisiana Tech to be a cupcake.
• Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant's athleticism makes him effective in jump-ball situations.
• Texas Tech inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley is responsible for providing Mike Leach reports from the press box. It's not a surprising evolution, considering Riley has been Leach's right-hand man since he was 19 and helping coach quarterbacks as a student assistant.
• Kansas State's passing game was effective -- as QB Josh Freeman predicted before the start of the season -- even without graduated WR Jordy Nelson.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

It was getting obvious that most fans at Darrell K. Royal/Texas Memorial Stadium were getting a little bored.

The appearance of Matthew McConaughey hyping his "Surfer Dude" movie stirred them more than anything Texas QB Colt McCoy had done earlier in the game against Florida Atlantic University's undermanned defense. 

That was until late in the fourth quarter, when the biggest response of the second half came after the final score of Arkansas State's 18-14 upset over Texas A&M was flashed on the giant Godzillatron scoreboard. It prompted a celebratory cannonade from the handlers of Smokey the Cannon down on the field and chants of "Poor Aggies" from some fans in the stadium.

That jubilant reaction wasn't shared among Aggie fans or by officials at the Big 12 offices in Dallas, who understand that a loss by one of their member institutions to a non-BCS school isn't good for business.

But that reaction is being shared today in other conference offices around the country. The Aggies aren't alone. Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Michigan and Mississippi State all know what it feels like to lose to non-BCS schools in their opener.

The Aggies' loss was the only real blemish in the Big 12's 10-2 opening weekend. Baylor was expected to lose to No. 23 Wake Forest, although they might have found their quarterback of the future with a strong debut by Robert Griffin.

The conference's most impressive winners during the first weekend of the season included Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. The Buffaloes punctuated the weekend with a strong 38-17 debut over Colorado State, as heralded freshman running back Darrell Scott showed flashes of why he was the nation's top running back prospect by some recruiting services. And his uncle, Josh Smith, also wowed the crowd with a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

This weekend will feature few challenges for the Big 12, as only one conference school will face a challenge against an opponent from a BCS conference. Oklahoma will host Cincinnati while the 11 other conference members all will opt for weaker opponents.

Which will mean they will face the challenge of trying to win a game they are supposed to win -- which isn't nearly as easy in college football today than it might have been a few years ago.

Here's a collection of morning links in honor of Labor Day. Enjoy the holiday.

• Dallas Morning News columnist Chuck Carlton writes that Mike Sherman's honeymoon at Texas A&M is over after only one game.
• The San Antonio Express-News' Mike Finger ranks the Big 12's most embarrassing nonconference losses in history. And yes, A&M's 18-14 loss against Arkansas State is included, checking in at No. 4. Finger also writes that Dennis Franchione still is a handy scapegoat for the Aggies' loss.
• Missouri WR Jeremy Maclin is expected to return to practice this week after an MRI Sunday revealed a strained peroneal tendon in his twisted left ankle.
• Colorado notched an impressive victory over cross-state rival Colorado State that was the largest margin in the series since 2001. The victory left CU tackle George Hypolite in a chipper mood when he told the Boulder Camera: "We're 1-0, so obviously we're still in the national championship picture."
• Rocky Mountain News columnist Dave Krieger writes how Colorado QB Cody Hawkins starred in his big performance in the Buffaloes' victory over Colorado State. I really enjoyed it," he said. "I get to look unathletic in front of millions of people."
• The Kansas City Star's Mike DeArmond writes of concern about Missouri's secondary after the Tigers were blistered for 451 yards in their victory over Illinois.
• Omaha World Herald columnist Tom Shatel isn't ready to break out the Blackshirts after Nebraska's less-than-impressive 47-24 victory over Western Michigan.
• Oklahoma State TB Kendall "Spud" Hunter emerged as a prime offensive weapon, rushing for 107 yards in the Cowboys' impressive victory over Washington State,
• The impressive debut by Oklahoma State has Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World writing about the potential for a 5-0 start for the Cowboys.
• Texas Tech players were angry about their struggling opening-game performance in a pedestrian 49-24 triumph over Eastern Washington.
• Texas' balanced offense in its season-opening victory over Florida Atlantic was picked apart by the Austin American Statesman's Suzanne Halliburton.
• Only a thunderstorm that delayed Oklahoma's 57-2 beat-down of Tennessee-Chattanooga could derail the Sooners, the Norman Transcript's John Shinn writes. The Sooners scored on seven straight possessions before the storm hit.  
• Kansas struggled running the ball against Florida International, posting only 128 yards on the ground. It marked only the second time in the last 18 regular-season games the Jayhawks failed to rush for at least 160 yards.
• Despite producing five touchdowns in Kansas State's season-opening victory over North Texas, KSU QB Josh Freeman tells the Wichita Eagle/Kansas City Star's Jeffrey Martin that he would grade himself a "B-minus."
• Former Iowa State coach Dan McCarney is fine, thank you, as Florida's defensive line coach.
• The Waco Tribune-Herald's John Werner writes that Robert Griffin is arguably the most gifted athlete that Baylor has ever had at quarterback. And his youth doesn't concern Art Briles with installing him as the team's starting quarterback. "I feel Robert is the quarterback most capable of helping us put points on the board," Briles said. "No matter what his birth certificate says, Robert is that person."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

The Big 12 featured its top collection of talent last season with eight conference players selected to consensus All-America teams. It might be even more pronounced this season with another strong cast back.

Here's my list for all-conference players before the season:

OFFENSE 

QB: Chase Daniel, Missouri
RB: Marlon Lucky, Nebraska
RB: DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
WR: Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
WR: Jeremy Maclin, Missouri
TE: Chase Coffman, Missouri
T: Phil Loadholt, Oklahoma
T: Ryan Miller, Colorado
G: Duke Robinson, Oklahoma
G: Louis Vasquez, Texas Tech
C: Jon Cooper, Oklahoma
K: Jeff Wolfert, Missouri
KR: DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma

DEFENSE

DE: Auston English, Oklahoma
DT: George Hypolite, Colorado
DT: Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma
DE: Ian Campbell, Kansas State
LB: Mike Rivera, Kansas
LB: Joe Mortensen, Kansas
LB: Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri
CB: Chris Harris, Kansas
CB: Jamar Wall, Texas Tech
S: William Moore, Missouri
S: Nic Harris, Oklahoma
P: Justin Brantly, Texas A&M
PR: Jeremy Maclin, Missouri

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Colorado defensive tackle George Hypolite is by far my favorite Big 12 player -- at least in terms of doing my job.

Hypolite enlivened an otherwise relatively sedate media days with stories about serving as a telemarketer this season selling Colorado season tickets. He's as quick with a quip as he is rushing an opposing quarterback.

"I tell them they better buy their tickets early before we start making our BCS push," Hypolite said.

The outgoing Hypolite, along with Missouri's Chase Daniel, will serve as contributors to the rejuvenated Sporting News that made its debut earlier this week. And, if some of Hypolite's stories are as good as his soundbites, they'll really be something. But he might have taken hyperbole to a new level when he compared incoming Colorado freshman Darrell Scott to Adrian Peterson and Jim Brown.

"He's a physical specimen," Hypolite told the New York Times blog this week. "There's not too many guys running around who are that big, that strong and that fast."

But Hypolite sounded more like a carnival barker when he predicted some major accomplishments for Colorado's heralded recruit.

"If I'm worth my salt and the rest of the leaders on this team are worth their salt, he'll be up for the Heisman in two years," Hypolite told the Times. "That would be awesome and great for Colorado football."

Maybe true, as Hypolite has obviously learned a little about whetting the consumer's appetite during his telemarketing career.

But shouldn't we wait and see Scott play a couple of college games first before we start sending him to New York City for the Heisman presentation?

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin 

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini can hardly tell this is the Big 12 since his return after being away at the LSU since 2005. The proliferation of spread offenses has resulted in a record-setting binge on offensive numbers across the conference.Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle gleaned that all Big 12 teams except Texas have set single-season passing records since 2002 --  including Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas and Kansas State last season.

"I think it's not just the Big 12, but college football in general," Pelini said. "You see all the spread offenses that are happening. It's gone from option football to zone read and spreading the field with fast break-type offenses."

Here are a couple of other numbers that Duarte developed to prove that point. In the conference's inaugural season in 1996, Colorado's Koy Detmer passed for a league-high 3,156 yards. That total would have been good for sixth in Big 12 passing last year as the number was eclipsed by five quarterbacks a year ago -- Texas Tech's Graham Harrell, Missouri's Chase Daniel, Kansas' Todd Reesing, Kansas State's Josh Freeman and Texas' Colt McCoy.

But most worrisome for Pelini is this: His leaky secondary will be playing all of them except McCoy this season.

Top of the mornin' from Kansas City, where we'll have one more day of hype about the upcoming season. Until then, here are some morning links tastier than any baby backs you might find at Arthur Bryant's legendary pits.

• The Daily Oklahoman's Scott Wright profiles Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson, one of only two quarterbacks last season who rushed for more than 800 yards and passed for more than 2,800 yards last season. The other? Florida's Tim Tebow.

My take -- Robinson might be one of the most underrated players in the nation.

• Oklahoma State megabooster T. Boone Pickens pitches a plan to the U.S. Senate he hopes will lessen America's dependence on foreign oil.

My take -- With $4 dollar a gallon gasoline prices, Pickens is finding it's a lot easier to get on the front page these days than when he was merely writing checks for buildings at his old school.

• Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that season-ticket demand at Texas Tech has already exceeded last season. The Red Raiders have sold 27,085 in 2008, compared to 27,027 last year.

My take -- Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree help make the Tech football program about as recession-proof an economic commodity in West Texas as can be found.

• Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy arrived at the Big 12 media days basking in the glow of his Internet notoriety, Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News writes. Gundy said that he's not concerned, even after Reid complained in an ESPN.com story that his celebrated rant "basically ended [his] life" before he transferred to Texas Southern. "I don't have any problems sleeping at night," Gundy told Finger.

My take -- Nobody will be happier than Gundy to start the 2008 season. At least then, most of the attention will be focused on the results on the field rather than what happened last season.

• Jeffrey Martin of the Kansas City Star/Wichita Eagle examines the pressures surrounding Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman, who will be attempting to better his school-record passing totals of last season without record-breaking receiver Jordy Nelson. "It's his time," KSU coach Ron Prince told Martin about Freeman. "It's his team."

My take -- Hard to believe that Freeman isn't mentioned in the same breath as some of the other top Big 12 quarterbacks -- particularly considering he was as highly recruited as any of them coming into college football.

• Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said that he might consider using heralded freshman running back Darrell Scott as a punter in some situations.

My take -- If Scott gets banged up punting, Colorado fans will think that Hawkins is nuttier than when he made his legendary "This is Big 12 football, it ain't intramurals" declaration.

• Hawk Digest has a list of 14 wishes for Kansas football this season.

My take -- If the Jayhawks accomplish half of them, Mark Mangino might be cashing in on another contract extension.

• Thayer Evans of the New York Times follows "The George Hypolite Show."

My take -- Hypolite -- by far -- is the early leader in the clubhouse as the Big 12's quote machine for this season.