ESPN College Football

With spring practice set to begin soon -- Texas opens its camp on March 2 -- here’s a quick look at how I have the teams ranked heading into spring practice. In formulating my rankings, I took into account returning players, transfers, arriving freshmen and a teams’ schedules.

1. Texas (14 starters back: 6 offensive, 7 defensive, 1 special teams). Garrett Gilbert got a head start on replacing Colt McCoy with his considerable playing time in the national title game, an invaluable learning experience for a young player. The Longhorns return most of the defense that improved in its second season under Will Muschamp. The biggest chores will be for offensive coordinator Greg Davis, who has to boost running game production and find a replacement for record-breaking wide receiver Jordan Shipley.

2. Nebraska (18 starters back: 8 offensive, 8 defensive, 2 special teams). Bo Pelini has the Cornhuskers positioned for a potential top-10 preseason ranking. Most of the offensive weapons will be back from a unit that sputtered down the stretch before breaking out in the Holiday Bowl victory. Quarterback Zac Lee will miss some of spring practice as he recovers from postseason surgery. Cody Green and Kody Spano will get most of the work until Lee returns. Nebraska coaches think the defense can be better this season, even without the up-the-middle strength of Ndamukong Suh, Phillip Dillard, Larry Asante and Matt O’Hanlon.

3. Oklahoma (15 starters back: 9 offensive, 4 defensive, 2 special teams). The Sooners overcame a debilitating run of injuries last season to finish with a flourish, knocking Oklahoma State out of a BCS game and winning the Sun Bowl in their final two games. Landry Jones will be infinitely better in his second season as a starter and Ryan Broyles and DeMarco Murray may be the best one-two receiving/running back combination in the conference. Bob Stoops will be facing a big renovation on defense where key players like Gerald McCoy and Dominique Franks left early for the NFL draft. Look for Travis Lewis to be the key to a defense that will need to improve by the time Big 12 play begins if the Sooners are to have any hope of claiming a seventh Big 12 title this season.

4. Missouri (19 starters back: 9 offensive, 9 defensive, 1 special teams). The Tigers will miss Danario Alexander and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who were arguably the best players at their positions in the conference last season. But Blaine Gabbert is back for a second season as starting quarterback and some talented recruits are expected to emerge on defense. A key for the Tigers’ success will be a more productive running game and consistency from the offensive line. Improvement on both will be critical for coordinator David Yost during the spring.

5. Texas Tech (15 starters back: 7 offensive, 6 defensive, 2 special teams). New coach Tommy Tuberville immediately will have to sort through a potentially difficult decision at quarterback between Taylor Potts and fan favorite Steven Sheffield. New coordinator James Willis hopes to install a 3-4 defense that should be a haven for athletic linebackers. But the group’s success will hinge on replacing Jamar Wall at cornerback and finding some pass-rushing threats to replace Brandon Sharpe, Richard Jones and Daniel Howard along the front.

6. Texas A&M (19 starters back: 8 offensive, 9 defensive, 2 special teams). With Jerrod Johnson, Jeff Fuller, Uzoma Nwachukwu and Christine Michael back, the Aggies shouldn’t have trouble scoring points, although the line needs to do a better job of protecting Johnson. But the Aggies’ success will depend on the returning starters quickly taking to new coordinator Tim DeRuyter’s teachings. The group was blistered for at least 35 points in seven games last season and allowed at least 30 points in two other games. So needless to say that even with nine starters back, DeRuyter has his work cut out.

7. Kansas (16 starters back: 7 offensive, 7 defensive, 2 special teams). New coach Turner Gill inherits an uncertain quarterback situation, but has the framework for a strong running attack with all of his starting linemen back, along with Toben Opurum and heralded back Brandon Bourbon as running threats. The Jayhawks will need to fill in for the loss of Darrell Stuckey in the secondary, but new coordinator Carl Torbush should find the elements for a blitzing, attacking defense among the returnees. But the biggest reason the Jayhawks might be bound for a bowl game in Gill’s first season is swapping Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma for Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Baylor in their cross-divisional schedule.

8. Iowa State (13 starters back: 8 offensive, 4 defensive, 1 special teams). Paul Rhoads returns most of the offensive weapons that led the Cyclones to the Insight Bowl, most notably quarterback Austen Arnaud and running back Alexander Robinson. But the team loses all of its starting linebackers; veteran coordinator Wally Burnham will be challenged to cobble together a serviceable unit. The Cyclones could actually be a better team in 2010 but post a worse record. A tougher schedule featuring nonconference games against Utah, Iowa and Northern Illinois and the addition of South Division powers Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech will make last season’s bowl trip much tougher to duplicate.

9. Oklahoma State (10 starters back: 4 offensive, 4 defensive, 2 special teams). The Cowboys must find replacements for key players like Zac Robinson, Keith Tosten, four offensive linemen (including Outland finalist Russell Okung) and six of their back seven on defense. New offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen finds an uncertain quarterback situation but will lean heavily on a healthy Kendall Hunter. A manageable nonconference schedule should have them in bowl contention, but this should be a step back from Mike Gundy’s last two teams.

10. Kansas State (15 starters back: 7 offensive, 6 defensive, 2 special teams). The Wildcats missed out on a bowl trip last season only because they scheduled two FCS teams, but they surprisingly challenged for the Big 12 North title up to their last game of the season. It might be tougher to do that this season, although Daniel Thomas will provide the foundation on offense. Carson Coffman has the inside track at quarterback, but keep an eye out for Oregon transfer Chris Harper at either that position or wide receiver. Players like Jeffrey Fitzgerald and John Houlik will be missed on defense, but all four starters are back in the secondary.

11. Colorado (16 starters back: 8 offensive, 7 defensive, 1 special teams). Dan Hawkins’ seat is the hottest in the Big 12 and arguably in college football after missing a bowl for a second straight season last year. Tyler Hansen returns as the starting quarterback, but the Buffaloes need to find some help in the backfield with only three scholarship backs in spring practice. The defense was young last season and should be improved, but will miss the leadership provided by Jeff Smart and Cha’pelle Brown. A bowl trip likely will be necessary to save Hawkins’ job and a tough nonconference schedule featuring games at California and against Hawaii and Georgia will prove troublesome even before Big 12 play begins.

12. Baylor (14 starters back: 6 offensive, 6 defensive, 2 special teams). The Bears’ hopes of stopping the conference’s longest bowl drought will hinge largely on the health of Robert Griffin, who is recovering from knee surgery that forced him to miss the final nine games of the 2009 season. New offensive lineman “Big” Robert Griffin will have to protect his quarterback if coach Art Briles has any hope of making a bowl trip. Jay Finley and Kendall Wright are underrated offensive threats, but the Bears will miss key defensive leaders like Joe Pawelek and Jordan Lake who were stalwarts for several years.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Tech could be facing a huge injury concern considering that defensive end Ra'Jon Henley and Ryan Haliburton both will not play tonight.

Henley's ankle injury kept him back in Lubbock and Haliburton also isn't expected to play.

It means that Richard Jones will switch to the starting position at defensive end or linebacker Bront Bird would move from linebacker to defensive end.

Whoever starts, it will still mean a reduced rotation against a Texas offense that will likely try to establish the tempo with its running game.

And mammoth 334-pound Texas Tech guard Brandon Carter has been twittering on his account about flu-like symptoms.

And despite the rumors to the contrary, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy looks hale and hearty while taking part in pre-game workouts. A rumor about McCoy struggling with the flu has been bouncing across the message boards today, but it appears untrue.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

LUBBOCK, Texas -- To say tonight is a big game at Jones Stadium wouldn't do justice to hyperbole.

It's so big that for the first time in recorded history, a scout from the Rose Bowl has ventured to Jones AT&T Stadium to cover the game for bowl purposes.

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said he has been inundated with more media requests than any time during his career. And he still didn't relent and let Graham Harrell or Michael Crabtree talk to any out-of-town media members.

Texas arrives in the final game of a final stretch of four games against top 12 opponents. No team has been able to make that stretch against top teams since Notre Dame in 1943. If the Longhorns can win tonight, they would appear to have a relatively easy finish until the Big 12 championship game.

Tech's 8-0 start is its best since 1976 and has stretched a 10-game winning streak that is tied for the best in the nation. The Red Raiders will be taking a perfect record into November for the first time since 1938. But the program will still have doubters until it can topple Texas and climb into the BCS discussion.

Heading into the game, here are some things I'm looking for:

• The Heisman chase: Colt McCoy can put a hammerlock on becoming the first Texas quarterback in history to win the Heisman with a strong performance tonight. But a big outing and a victory by Harrell could throw the competition back open. Harrell needs a victory to show that he's not merely a "system quarterback" in Leach's passing offense. And he has a nice finishing schedule that will enable him to keep his profile before voters -- if he can win tonight.
• Can Tech come up with some big stops on defense?: Texas has lined up and dominated the Red Raiders in the past, particularly in the past two seasons. In those games, Texas has clicked on 17 of 27 third-down plays and 5-of-5 fourth down attempts against the Red Raiders. Getting a key third-down stop early in the game would be huge for their confidence and to get the sellout crowd into the game
• Tech's kicking game: Walk-on kicker Matt Williams was 9-for-9 kicking point after touchdowns last week, but still hasn't tried a field goal. The Red Raiders' kicking game is spotty as Donnie Carona has converted only three of eight attempts. Leach has hinted that he might be willing to try Williams on shorter attempts. But Tech's kicking will be a question and I can't see them winning a game on a tight attempt in the final minutes or overtime.
• Texas' running game: The Longhorns have pounded Tech in the trenches in recent seasons, but they don't have a feature back like Cedric Benson or Jamaal Charles to provide key carries. Mack Brown has gotten around that with a backfield-by-committee grouping that's resulted in Colt McCoy becoming Texas' leading rusher. It will also be tougher to run against Tech, which is allowing only 101 yards per game and is 14th nationally.
• Watch if Texas can dictate the clock: The best way to beat Tech is to keep their offense off the field. Nebraska nearly used that strategy in an overtime loss here earlier this season where the Cornhuskers controlled the clock for 40:12. If Texas can do that tonight, they've got a great chance to extend what might be the most significant statistic I've seen. The Longhorns are 90-2 under Brown when they've produced at least 400 yards and 62-0 when producing at least 200 rushing yards.

WEATHER: It's an ideal day for football with temperatures currently in the high 70s. The temperatures are expected to drop before leveling out in the low-60s late in the game. Wind will not be a factor, as it can occasionally be in this stadium. It's expected to be from the south at 5 to 10 mph. Humidity is only 15 percent and there is no chance of any precipitation expected.

INJURIES: Texas' biggest concern is cornerback Chykie Brown, who missed last week with an ankle injury. If he can't go tonight, he'll be replaced by Curtis Brown.
Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree's sprained ankle has gotten better, but he's still not likely to be at 100 percent. Crabtree was injured returning a kickoff against Texas A&M two weeks ago. And starting defensive tackle Rajon Henley has been sidelined for the last two games with a knee injury. Junior Richard Jones would start in front of him if he can't go tonight.