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Had colleague Ivan Maisel not spelled out a little-known rule about the College Football Hall of Fame's induction procedures, there would likely be some righteous outrage in Lincoln, Neb., and Columbus, Ohio, today.

Maisel wrote this morning that the Hall has a rule preventing the selection of players from the same school in back-to-back years. That must have been the only thing keeping Nebraska's Tommie Frazier and Ohio State's Orlando Pace from being elected this year.

Frazier is simply one of the greatest college football players of all time, leading the Cornhuskers to two national titles. Pace is the only player ever to win the Lombardi Award twice as one of the best offensive linemen in the history of the sport.

But Nebraska and Ohio State both had inductees last year in Will Shields and Eddie George, respectively. So it was no dice for Frazier and Pace. What makes no sense, though, is that both players were on the ballot for induction this year, even though they apparently weren't eligible.

Sometimes it's an honor just to be nominated. But in the case of these two legends, it will be a miscarriage of justice if they're not enshrined. Certainly, you can't say that Syracuse's Art Monk -- who had 102 catches in his college career and never more than 40 in a season for the Orange -- is more deserving than Pace or Frazier when it comes to college achievements.

The rule does not seem necessary, given how many great players come from major schools. But the voters should do the right thing and elect Frazier and Pace next year -- unanimously.

The official 2012 FBS ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame selection is out, and it includes 15 former Big Ten players, one former Big Ten coach as well as five former Nebraska and Penn State players who didn't compete in the league.

Let's take a look at the group:

• Trev Alberts, LB, Nebraska, 1990-93*
• Erick Anderson, LB, Michigan, 1988-91
• Otis Armstrong, RB, Purdue, 1970-72
• Larry Burton, SE, Purdue, 1973-74
• Dave Butz, DT, Purdue, 1970-72
• Marv Cook, TE, Iowa, 1985-88
• Eric Crouch, QB, Nebraska, 1998-2001*
• D.J. Dozier, RB, Penn State, 1983-86*
• Jumbo Elliott, OT, Michigan, 1984-87
• Dave Foley, OT, Ohio State, 1966-68
• Tommie Frazier, QB, Nebraska, 1992-95*
• Kirk Gibson, WR, Michigan State, 1975-78
• Tim Krumrie, DL, Wisconsin, 1979-83
• Robert Lytle, RB, Michigan, 1974-76
• Tom Nowatzke, FB, Indiana, 1961-64
• Jim Otis, FB, Ohio State, 1967-69
• Orlando Pace, OT, Ohio State, 1994-96
• Percy Snow, LB, Michigan State, 1986-89
• Lorenzo White, RB, Michigan State, 1984-87
• Steve Wisniewski, G, Penn State, 1985-88*
• Darryl Rogers, coach, Michigan State, 1976-79 (also coached at Cal-State Hayward, Fresno State, San Jose State and Arizona State)

*-played for team not in Big Ten

The 2012 Hall of Fame class will be announced May 15 and inducted Dec. 4.

Selection criteria:

To be eligible for the ballot, players must have been named a First Team All-America by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least ten years prior; played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football. Coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head coach; won at least 60 percent of their games; and be retired from coaching for at least three years. If a coach is retired and over the age of 70, there is no waiting period. If he is over the age of 75, he is eligible as an active coach. In both cases, the candidate's post-football record as a citizen may also be weighed.

It's a strong group from the Big Ten, and you can definitely expect to see some names announced May 15. It's interesting to see several clusters of nominees from certain eras, like the three Purdue players from the early 1970s, the two Penn State players from the mid 1980s, the two Ohio State players from the late 1960s and the two Michigan State players from the mid to late 1980s.

1. The more I see Nebraska merge into the Big Ten, the more I like it. The league moved the season-ending game between Nebraska and Iowa to Thanksgiving Friday for the next two seasons. The Big Ten hasn’t played games on that Friday in the past. But the Huskers have played on the day after Thanksgiving since 1990 (Oklahoma in the Big Eight, Colorado in the Big 12). The Big Ten didn’t say, “We don’t do that.” The adoption of Nebraska’s tradition illustrates why this will be a happy marriage.

2. Quarterbacks Tommie Frazier of Nebraska and Joe Hamilton of Georgia Tech may have been the two best players who failed to win the Heisman Trophy during the 1990s. Frazier remains the best option quarterback I’ve ever covered. Hamilton combined running and passing in a manner that we now take for granted from the Cam Newtons and Denard Robinsons. Both appear on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. I feel for the holdover quarterbacks on the ballot.

3. Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports performed strong journalistic legwork in their piece last week on the number of college football players who have a criminal record. But the response from Iowa, which had 18 players with a record, provided perspective that muted the sensationalism. Hawkeye athletic director Gary Barta said of the 18 players, 15 had a record because of underage drinking. That’s an issue, yes, but if underage drinkers are a large percentage of college football’s “criminal element,” then the athletic department isn’t so different from the rest of campus after all.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Cody Green couldn’t have asked for a better setting for his college debut as a starting quarterback.

Friends and family from his hometown of nearby Dayton, Texas, turned out in droves at Baylor’s Floyd Casey Stadium -- already one of the least imposing locales in the Big 12.

But that familiarity came with a cost, after Green received a strong rebuke from his old high school coach Jerry Stewart for some of his late struggles in an uneven debut.

	Karl Anderson/Icon SMI
	Cody Green had a successful debut as the Cornhuskers’ starting quarterback.

“My head coach back at home, he’s straight-laced, not going to tell me anything that I want to hear,” Green said. “I called him after the game and he goes, ‘You know what? You choked that second half.’ I go, ‘Golly, c’mon coach. It’s just my first game.’”

After driving the three hours back home after the game, Stewart had a little softer recollection the following day for his former player when they hooked up.

“He called me and said, ‘You know what? I watched the film. I analyzed it. It wasn’t that bad,'" Green said. “'But you can still do better.'”

Green shares those sentiments after his first start last week directed the Cornhuskers to a crucial 20-10 victory over Baylor. His numbers were pedestrian, as he completed 12 of 21 passes for 128 yards and added 43 yards rushing. But they were still enough to lead the Cornhuskers to a huge victory that snapped a two-game losing streak while keeping their North Division title hopes alive.

Sure, Green’s second-half interception and fumble detracted a little. But he still guided the Cornhuskers on scoring drives on his first three possessions and had an extra zip that seemed to have been missing from the Cornhuskers’ attack in recent weeks when Zac Lee was starting.

It was a marked contrast from the previous two weeks when the Cornhuskers combined to score 17 points in home losses to Texas Tech and Iowa State. The misery bottomed out when they had eight turnovers in the ISU game.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Green made history in the game by becoming the first Nebraska quarterback since Tommie Frazier to start a game as a true freshman. And he impressed teammates and coaches with the moxie he showed during that game.

“He’s a confident young man with a lot of poise. Things are going to happen and you’re going to make mistakes,” Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. “But at the end of the day, I thought he handled it well. It’s not like he lacks confidence. I don’t think he’ll crawl into a shell. Cody’s not that kind of kid.”

But Pelini and Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson have stopped short of naming Green the starter for Saturday’s crucial game against Oklahoma.

“He still has a lot to learn,” Watson told reporters earlier this week. “The first time you walk out onto the field is obviously different than practice. You can’t simulate a game, the emotions of the game and the highs and lows. He had a valuable learning experience in that game.”

That first start should especially help against Oklahoma, which will arrive at Memorial Stadium with one of the nation’s top defenses. Along with Nebraska, the Sooners are the only Big 12 team to rank among the top-20 teams nationally in rush defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense, scoring defense, sacks and tackles for losses.

Wily Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables is well known for his intricate blitz packages. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was knocked to the ground 14 times in the first half by the Sooners. After the game, he said that he had never seen most of the blitzes that Oklahoma employed.

“I expect they’ll bring the house on me, try to change things up and show me things I hadn’t seen on tape before,” Green said.

McCoy is a senior who was making his 45th career start in that game. Asking Green to combat that stout Oklahoma defense will be a tall order in his second career start.

But Green is confident in his abilities to run the offense, despite his lack of experience.

“I just really have to rely on my instincts,” Green said. “Lean on the offense and the coaches to explain to me things on the field and off the field that will really help me out.''

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

1. Texas (8-0, 5-0 in South): The Longhorns’ movement in the BCS standings and the national polls Sunday was largely superficial. All they have to do is keep winning and they’ll be playing in the BCS title game. The Longhorns’ secondary is playing at levels reminiscent of the 2005 title team with Earl Thomas developing into a legitimate Thorpe Award candidate. The running game is a concern, but the Longhorns have a few weeks to work on that before it will really become a worry.

2. Oklahoma State (6-2, 3-1 in South): We saw how much Dez Bryant and a healthy Kendall Hunter really were needed against Texas. The Cowboys had a strong defensive plan and shut down the Longhorns for much of the game, but struggled offensively with mistakes that were returned for touchdowns and a bad case of the dropsies by Hubert Anyiam. The loss assuredly dims their divisional hopes. But the Cowboys can play in a New Year’s Day bowl game and still have a slim hope at a BCS bowl if there’s a lot of implosion in front of them during November.

3. Oklahoma (5-3, 3-1 in South): The Sooners have won two straight since the Texas loss and are heading into Nebraska with some momentum. Landry Jones appears to have found another productive receiver with the emergence of Dejuan Miller, who adds another weapon for the Sooners. The Sooners showed some uncharacteristic struggles against Kansas State in the second half, but still had enough offense left to enable them to claim the victory. It will be more of a challenge this week in Lincoln -- even with the Cornhuskers’ recent struggles.

4. Texas Tech (6-3, 3-2 in South): Mike Leach’s trip to the ESPN studios in Bristol, Conn., Monday and his team’s bye week will be much happier after the Red Raiders’ comeback against Kansas on Saturday. The victory enabled Leach to tie Spike Dykes as the winningest coach in school history with 82 triumphs. Taylor Potts’ heroics off the bench throw the quarterback situation back into a quandary. But the biggest story was the comeback of the Tech defense, which bounced back from its struggles against Texas A&M to limit Kansas to 258 yards while recording six sacks and recovering four fumbles.

5. Kansas State (5-4, 3-2 in North): The gutsy Wildcats might have shown more in their loss to Oklahoma than in any of their previous victories. Despite spotting the Sooners an early 21-0 lead, they came storming back to make it a competitive game in the second half. That game should provide Bill Snyder’s team with a shot of momentum heading into the Kansas game that will be pivotal in their improbable trip to the Big 12 North title. The biggest reason for their recent success has been Brandon Banks, who had a career game with 351 all-purpose yards against Oklahoma, equaling the school single-game record set by Darren Sproles.

6. Texas A&M (5-3, 2-2 in South): The Aggies took another step to a bowl berth by manhandling Iowa State. The developing running game keyed by Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael has helped them soar to No. 23 in rushing offense. A&M now is the nation’s only team to rank in the top 25 in the four major offensive categories of rushing offense, scoring offense, passing offense and total offense. Jerrod Johnson’s offensive statistics are as good as any quarterback in the league. The Aggies’ recent surge has enabled them to win back-to-back Big 12 victories by more than 20 points for the first time since beating Baylor and Kansas in 2002.

7. Nebraska (5-3, 2-2 in North): Cody Green was the first freshman quarterback to start for Nebraska since Tommie Frazier in 1992, and his magic worked in the first half to spark the Cornhuskers’ victory at Baylor. Whether it will pass muster against Oklahoma is an entirely different story. The Cornhuskers’ inconsistency in the second half won’t give Bo Pelini much confidence as he prepares for the Sooners. But the defense, which has held the last seven opponents to 280 yards or less, will give them a chance to be competitive.

8. Kansas (5-4, 1-3 in North): Are the Jayhawks heading into meltdown mode? With the stunning benching of Todd Reesing, it appears that coach Mark Mangino is looking for some kind of spark to get them back on track. And it won’t be easy Saturday at Kansas State, in a stadium where Bill Snyder has defeated the Jayhawks the last eight times he coached against his archrivals. With the recent slump in production and all of the offensive turnovers, it will be a big change to turn that around.

9. Iowa State (5-4, 2-3 in North): Even after the loss at Texas A&M, the Cyclones' bowl hopes look pretty good. All they need to do is win one of their last three games of the season in a gauntlet that starts Saturday against Oklahoma State. Alexander Robinson was back against the Aggies, although Austen Arnaud was missing. His return will be vital for any upset bowl hopes they might have, even with Jerome Tiller’s strong recent play.

10. Missouri (5-3, 1-3 in North): The Tigers still have a shot at the North championship if they can run the table. Their offense perked up with the use of a two-back alignment that boosted their running game against Colorado. And Blaine Gabbert didn’t look like his ankle was bothering him nearly as bad against the Buffaloes. Dave Steckel’s defense produced eight sacks against Tyler Hansen, the most since 2006 and a good sign heading into the Baylor game on Saturday.

11. Colorado (2-6, 1-3 in North): There’s no doubt that Colorado doesn’t like to play Missouri. After the Buffaloes fell into an early 33-0 hole against the Tigers, it marked a streak of 139 consecutive points scored by the Tigers against Colorado’s defense over two-plus seasons. And it won’t get any easier against Texas A&M. Colorado fans are becoming more vocal about a coaching change after the end of the season. And it won’t be a picnic for the struggling Colorado offensive line, which will try to contain the nation's sack leader, Von Miller, a week after allowing eight sacks against Missouri -- the most by a Colorado team since 1984.

12. Baylor (3-5, 0-4 in South): Bowl hopes aren’t officially dead, but they have been on life support since Robert Griffin’s injury. The Bears’ woes on offense continue as the conference losses in the tough South Division keep mounting. Baylor’s only TD against Nebraska came on an interception return. In four conference games, the Bears have averaged 8.5 points per game and have scored no more than 10 points in any single game. Missouri’s improving defense will provide a huge challenge to surpass those numbers.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

It’s been the kind of early start that has Nebraska fans reminiscing about all the storied quarterbacks who have played for the Cornhuskers in the past.

Sure, there’s that Heisman Trophy winner named Eric Crouch, but he was more of a runner anyway. Tommie Frazier, all he did was run the option and win national championships.

	Bruce Thorson/US Presswire
	Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee is starting his Cornhuskers career well.

But as far as pure passers, there have been few to match new starter Zac Lee, whose deep arm has some pundits calling him Nebraska’s most accomplished pocket passer since Vince Ferragamo in the mid-1970s.

Lee leads the Big 12 in passing efficiency after two games and ranks seventh nationally. He’s thrown for 553 yards and six touchdowns in the kind of debut that the junior said he always expected once he received his starting opportunity.

“I’d like to say I have pretty high expectations for myself, so I feel like I’m pretty much right on track,” Lee said.

Nebraska’s new quarterback was the Cornhuskers’ biggest question coming into the season. And Lee, a junior who transferred into the Nebraska program in January 2007 from San Francisco City College, appears to have answered most of those early concerns with an unexpectedly quick start.

His early work was punctuated by a 340-yard, four-TD pass effort last week that sparked the Cornhuskers’ 38-9 triumph over Arkansas State. Most impressively, he distributed the ball to 11 different receivers while playing.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has been impressed with Lee’s early work, but not stunned.

“I think Zac is doing what we thought he was capable of doing,” Pelini said. “I’ve said all along that I have a tremendous amount of confidence in him. I think if you asked anybody associated with our team they feel the same way. It doesn’t surprise me at all.”

But some are wondering how he will handle his first road game against a traditional power like Virginia Tech. The Hokies are 46-7-1 against nonconference teams at Lane Stadium since 1991, winning 31 straight nonleague games.

Despite those daunting odds, Lee is excited about his team’s opportunity heading into Saturday’s game.

"This is what college football is all about,” Lee said. “Going into places like that, a great atmosphere and just competing. That’s why this is fun.”

His coaches believe that Lee won’t wilt in the heightened competitive atmosphere.

“This dude is a cool customer, man,” Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson told reporters earlier this week. “He’s a ballplayer. None of that stuff is going to bother him. He’s a cool dude.”

Some of Watson’s confidence stems from Lee’s bloodlines. His father, Bob, was a quarterback in the NFL for 12 seasons and was active in developing his son’s talents.

That detail has produced a quarterback who appears impervious to some of the typical concerns that would worry coaches about many first-game starters on the road.

“He’s been raised by a professional football player and he gets it,” Watson said. “He understands it. He’s been around it his whole life. It’ll be nothing to him.”

But playing the Hokies will represent a step up after his first two games against FAU and Arkansas State.

“I’d imagine things might move a little faster,” Lee said. “You’ll probably have to be a little more precise with things overall. We need to be more precise and detailed because of the caliber of athletes and the coaching they have.”

Saturday’s game could be judged as a litmus test for the No. 19 Cornhuskers, who are still looking for a breakout victory that would grab national attention for Pelini’s program.

The Cornhuskers will bring in a six-game winning streak into Saturday’s game -- longest since winning 13 straight games in 2000-01.

A win over the Hokies would be a signal to the nation that Pelini’s team is getting closer to the levels of the Cornhuskers of old.

“This is a great opportunity for us, especially against a team like Virginia Tech that has had such long-term success,” Lee said. “I think this is something that we're really looking forward to.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

I hope you guys understand the deep appreciation I have for football history and tradition. As such, I'm going to continue something I did at my last newspaper that a lot of the readers really seemed to like.

On each Big 12 game day, I'm going to run a post called "The Way Back Machine," dealing with memorable events that happened on that date in the history of Big 12 schools.

Here's my first effort for Aug. 28 -- the date that Baylor opens with Wake Forest Thursday night in Waco and Iowa State meets South Dakota State in Ames.

The Way Back Machine for Aug. 28

Aug. 28, 1993 -- No. 1 Florida State 42, Kansas 0 (East Rutherford, N.J.): The Seminoles turned the game around by stoning the Jayhawks on nine plays inside their own 3-yard line early in the second quarter.

Aug. 28, 1994 -- No. 4 Nebraska 31, No. 24 West Virginia 0 (East Rutherford, N.J.): The Cornhuskers hold a massive 468-89 yard advantage in total offense as Tommie Frazier runs for three TDs (25, 27 and 42 yards) and also added a fourth-quarter passing touchdown.

Aug. 28, 1999 -- North Carolina State 23, No. 17 Texas 20 (Austin, Texas): Despite producing only 172 yards and seven first downs, the Wolfpack parlayed three blocked punts into an upset victory capped by a late 48-yard game-winning TD run by Eric Leak.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

And people thought it was known just for its jazz history and barbecue.  

Kansas City is undoubtedly the northern hub of the Big 12. It was always the center for the old Big Eight Conference and some of the locals still haven't forgotten the interlopers from Texas who pushed the Big 12's offices to Dallas when the conference opened.

But "The City of Fountains" is bigger than just a few fax machines and file cabinets. And it will be proved again today when Iowa State and Kansas State announce they are coming soon.

Multiple newspapers reported this morning that the Cyclones and Wildcats will move 2009 and 2010 games to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Sources told the Topeka Capital-Journal the two teamswill receive payments of at least $1.8 million per game. KSU nets about $1 million from a normal game in Manhattan, according to the Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle.

Kansas City is on a roll attracting Big 12 events. Arrowhead Stadium will be the site for the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 6. The breathtaking new Sprint Center was the host for the Big 12's men's basketball championships in March and will be solidly in the rotation for future tournament events. And the venerable Municipal Auditorium, with its stately art-deco ambience, is the best arena around for the women's title.

It's surprising that more regular-season Big 12 games don't end up in facilities like Arrowhead Stadium. The Missouri-Kansas game last season was one of the most ballyhooed sports events I've ever seen and the atmosphere lived up to the hype.

That game was bigger than any Texas-Oklahoma game I had ever attended because it had significant championship ramifications penned solely on that game. Now if we could get those Kansas City engineers to figure out how to get traffic moving a little faster, the next time might be easier.

The Kansas City Chiefs' organization appears more than willing to shell out big guarantees for games that it feels will be successful. I'm surprised that Nebraska hasn't convinced an opponent to move a home game to Arrowhead for those kind of windfall profits after a successful game there in 1998 against Oklahoma State.

So don't be surprised to see more Big 12 events end up at "The Paris of the Plains" in the future.  

Just save a few extra cinnamon rolls for me at the legendary Stroud's Restaurant when you get there.

Until then, here are some tasty Big 12 links. They are almost as habit-forming and not nearly as gooey on your fingers.

• Club Med in cleats? Colorado prepared for its opener against Colorado State earlier this week by playing dodge ball, having a diving/belly flop contest, a 3-point basketball shooting competition and playing video games at a Boulder-area restaurant. "I just really believe there is so much magic in the world and so much magic in people, and sometimes we let life trample that down," Colorado coach Dan Hawkins told the Boulder Daily Camera.
• Missouri TE Chase Coffman was back catching passes for the first time Wednesday as he recovers from a broken right pinkie finger. Coffman scored touchdowns on consecutive red-zone plays.
• After watching Usain Bolt perform in the Olympics, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach believes that Jamaica could be a recruiting and vacation paradise. (Tip to the Dallas Morning News)
• Heralded Nebraska WR prospect Khiry Cooper talks about his early practices in a video interview with huskers.com.
• The Oklahoman's Jake Trotter details how important Bob Stoops has been in turning the Oklahoma program solidly in the black financially. "We can tie everything back to Bob Stoops," Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione told the newspaper. "The success of our football program has been like the high tide in the harbor that has raised all of the boats." 
• Billionaire financier T. Boone Pickens is pumping up support for Oklahoma State across Nebraska.
• The Tulsa World's Guerin Emig writes about Oklahoma backup QB Joey Halzle, who earned his teammates' respect with a strong relief performance last season against Texas Tech.
• The dog days of training camp brought a water balloon fight to Texas A&M on Wednesday. "Humor is one of the greatest components of having great chemistry when you can laugh at things together," A&M coach Mike Sherman told the Bryan-College Station Eagle.
• Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger expanded on his comments about his team's opener with Texas with the San Antonio Express-News' Natalie England. "I was trying to explain to the kids on campus here that the University of Texas has a long tradition of winning," Schnellenberger said. "They have such great players. There's no way we're going to match up with as good as players as they have, but we're coming down there to try and win the game."
• Massive 305-pound T Rylan Reed is back healthy for Texas Tech after suffering a serious ankle injury in last year's Gator Bowl.
• Quan Cosby and Jordan Shipley are set as Texas' top receivers. But after that the Longhorns' receiving rotation is a jumble, Austin American-Statesman's Alan Trubow reports.
• Colorado and Colorado State appear to have different ideas where they want future games in the series to be played, according to B.G. Brooks of the Rocky Mountain News. The Buffaloes want games played at Boulder to provide a six-game home package of games, starting next season. The Rams are interested in continuing the series in Denver.
• WR Howard Morrow's return from an injury could settle one of Texas A&M's biggest questions, San Antonio Express-News reporter Brent Zwerneman writes.
• Brent Nickerson and LaRon Moore are emerging as likely replacements for injured starting Texas Tech CB L.A. Reed, whose condition remains undetermined.
• Nebraska offensive line coach Barney Cotton told the Lincoln Journal-Star he's energized after spending last season as a volunteer assistant coach at Ames (Iowa) High School. "As hard as it was getting fired," said Cotton, who previously was an offensive coordinator three years at Iowa State, "it was also a blessing in disguise, because it kind of gave me a chance to re-energize myself and refocus on why I was a coach."
• Nebraska QB Joe Ganz tells the Omaha World-Herald's Tom Shatel that he grew up in suburban Chicago wanting to be Tommie Frazier.
• NFL scouts are telling Kansas State coach Ron Prince that QB Josh Freeman could be the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. "That's what NFL people tell me," Prince told the Manhattan Mercury.
• Iowa State freshman DE Cleyon Laing, a Canadian native,  is adjusting to American football before the new culture. "I haven't really had time to get culture shock yet," Laing told the Ames Daily Tribune. "It's just practice, sleep, meetings, sleep, and repeat. It's football 24/7."
• Baylor coach Art Briles is intent on boosting production from a running game that ranked 113th nationally last season and last in the nation in 2006.
• Heralded freshman TB back Darrell Scott sprained his left thumb at Colorado's morning practice, but returned for the Buffaloes' afternoon work.
• Lawrence Journal-World columnist Tom Keegan predicts that Kansas still will have a productive running game this season, despite the loss of two starting offensive tackles and leading rusher Brandon McAnderson.
• Missouri coach Gary Pinkel expects his younger players will receive most of the snaps Thursday at his team's final training-camp scrimmage.