ESPN College Football

Spring football is already under way at Texas Tech, but in the coming weeks, the Big 12's other nine programs will join the Red Raiders in taking the field as a team for the first time since January, December or November for some.

Here's a preview of what to expect:

BAYLOR BEARS

Spring practice start date: March 19
Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• Nick Florence: It's not official, but the Baylor quarterback job is Florence's to lose. That means he inherits the unenviable task of replacing the school's first Heisman winner. He replaced RG3 in 2009 with mixed results, but showed some major potential in a win over Texas Tech when RG3 took a shot to the head and sat out the second half. Can he keep the bowl streak alive at Baylor? We'll get an idea this spring.
• The defense's progression: You didn't need to see much more than the 67-56 Alamo Bowl win over Washington to know the Bears needed some work on defense. In the month of November, Baylor became the first team in FBS history to win four consecutive games in a single season while also giving up at least 30 points in each of those games. The defense can't make Florence pick up the slack to that level. Year 2 under Phil Bennett must be better. Baylor has no excuses. The Bears have the athletes on campus necessary to be at least a decent defense.
• The team's attitude/motivation: Baylor played with a lot of purpose the past two seasons, and made history in both, cracking a 16-year bowl drought and winning 10 games this year. Is that fire still there? Baylor has to prove it is without RG3 (and Kendall Wright) carrying the team on the field, emotionally and mentally.

IOWA STATE CYCLONES

Spring practice start date: March 20
Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• The quarterback battle: Or is it? Jared Barnett looked like the man of the future in Ames late in the season, leading the Cyclones to an historic upset of No. 2 Oklahoma State. But in the ugly Pinstripe Bowl loss to a mediocre Rutgers team, Barnett's inaccuracy posed big questions. He was benched and Steele Jantz stepped in, though he didn't play much better than Barnett. Turnovers were an issue for Jantz early on, but Barnett has to bounce back in the spring to make sure the job doesn't come open.
• The receivers: Darius Reynolds was the big-play man for the Cyclones, but he's gone. It's going to be tough to replace him. Slot receivers Aaron Horne and Josh Lenz were productive, but did little to stretch defenses like Reynolds did. Can ISU find someone to fill the void?
• The new man at left tackle: Iowa State had the luxury of having a future pro, Kelechi Osemele, at left tackle for the past three seasons. He earned All-Big 12 nods in each of those seasons, but he's gone now. Junior Carter Bykowski was behind Osemele on the depth chart, but will the converted tight end be the new man at tackle for the Cyclones?

KANSAS JAYHAWKS

Spring practice start date: March 27
Spring game: April 28

What to watch:

• Uh, everything?: I mean, what's not to watch at KU? Charlie Weis steps in for the fired Turner Gill and tries to build KU up from nothing. The Jayhawks were one of the worst teams in Big 12 history last season, losing six games by at least 30 points. Weis will speak his mind and watching him rebuilding the Jayhawks is going to be fun. It all starts next month -- on the field, at least.
• KU's new pass-catch combo: Dayne Crist is on campus, and so is Oklahoma transfer Justin McCay, a former blue-chip recruit who didn't quite catch on in Norman. Quarterback and receiver were arguably the two biggest positions of need for KU last year, and we'll get a preview of what could be a productive combo next season. McCay isn't officially eligible for the 2012 season yet -- he needs the NCAA to waive its mandated redshirt year after a transfer -- but the coaching staff is confident he'll have it granted.
• The uncertainty on the depth chart: When a new staff comes in, you never know what to expect. Kansas' leading rusher in its final season under Mark Mangino, Toben Opurum, is now one of its best defensive linemen. Look for Weis to shake things up, too. Where? Who knows?

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS

Spring practice start date: April 4
Spring game: April 28

What to watch:

• Collin Klein's maturation: Kansas State's quarterback could be fun to watch this spring and next fall. His throwing motion isn't pretty, but his accuracy improved in a big way throughout the season. If that continues at a pace anything close to what we saw last year, K-State's going to be a load for everyone. Look out.
• Developing depth at running back: John Hubert is back, and so is seldom-used Angelo Pease. Bryce Brown is gone, though. Klein handles a lot of the heavy lifting in the running game, but it'd be some nice insurance if K-State could establish some more depth in the backfield. Making Klein carry the ball 300 times again is tempting fate.
• Stars becoming superstars: Kansas State brings back more starters than all but seven teams in college football, so this team is going to look remarkably similar in 2012 to the way it did last year. However, it should get better. And its two transfers could look dominant this spring. Cornerback Nigel Malone and linebacker Arthur Brown emerged as stars last year, but we could see the duo emerge as true game-changers this spring. Look out, Big 12 offenses.

OKLAHOMA SOONERS

Spring practice start date: March 8
Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• New faces on, off the field: Mike Stoops' arrival as the defensive coordinator was the biggest news this offseason in the Big 12, and Brent Venables, who had been at OU for all of Bob Stoops' tenure, left for Clemson rather than become co-defensive coordinator. Hopes are high that Stoops can revitalize Oklahoma's defense. He was in charge when the Sooners rode a dominant D to the 2000 national title, and the Sooners have the talent to win it all in 2012. Receiver Trey Metoyer joins the team this spring, and could be a major contributor immediately. Two of the team's four new tight ends are also enrolled early.
• QB Blake Bell's role: The Belldozer is back … but so is full-time quarterback Landry Jones. How will the balance between the duo look this spring? And what new wrinkles will we see in Oklahoma's simple, yet near-unstoppable short-yardage formation that scored 13 touchdowns in the second half of 2011?
• The battle at defensive end: Oklahoma must fill two huge holes at defensive end. Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Frank Alexander is gone, as is possible first-round pick Ronnell Lewis. R.J. Washington contributed late and has potential, but David King filled in for Lewis in the final three games of the season. The duo could be great, but it could also be pretty pedestrian. We'll get an idea this spring, but Lewis and Alexander set a high, high bar.

OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS

Spring practice start date: March 12
Spring game: April 21

What to watch:

• The quarterback battle: This will easily be the highest-profile, highest-quality quarterback battle in the Big 12. It won't be at the level of Texas Tech in 2010, but it won't be too far off. Clint Chelf, J.W. Walsh and Wes Lunt will go head to head. All have plenty of potential, though Lunt may have the most. The big-armed true freshman also has the least experience. Anything could happen here.
• Which receivers rise: Justin Blackmon and Josh Cooper leave huge holes behind. It's not every day a two-time Biletnikoff Award winner walks on campus. Hubert Anyiam is gone, too. Michael Harrison is unlikely to play for the 2012 season, but the school has offered no confirmation on his status. He had the most potential, but OSU is deep at the position. Who emerges as the top target? Isaiah Anderson? Tracy Moore? Josh Stewart? Anything could happen there, too.
• Defense needs a leader: Safety Markelle Martin has been the heart of the defense the past two seasons, but his big-hitting days are over. Who becomes the new voice of the defense? It needs to find leadership this spring heading into summer voluntary workouts.

TEXAS LONGHORNS

Spring practice start date: Feb. 23
Spring game: April 1

What to watch:

• The quarterback competition: I still think having a competition at the spot, which Texas says it will, isn't the best option, but David Ash and Case McCoy will go at it alongside early-enrolling freshman Connor Brewer. If Ash secures the job, expect an announcement heading into summer officially anointing the sophomore.
• More sophistication on both sides of the ball: The progression is natural and likely. Offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz had good first years in Austin, but this is Year 2. The spring won't be devoted to learning the playbook. It's time to master it. Both units could look markedly different, and much more refined next fall. Deny it all you like: Texas is back on its way to the top after a rough two years.
• Maturing offensive weapons: Last season, the Longhorns relied on two true freshman running backs (Malcolm Brown/Joe Bergeron), a freshman/sophomore rotation at quarterback and its top receiver (Jaxon Shipley) was a true freshman. No. 2 (Mike Davis) was a sophomore. I hope I don't have to tell you what freshmen and sophomores do in college football. Look. Out.

TCU HORNED FROGS

Spring practice start date: Feb. 25
Spring end date: April 5

What to watch:

• Can TCU shut out the scandal? Four team members were arrested in a recent drug sting and kicked off the team. How much of a distraction will that be for a program undergoing the most monumental change in its history? Quantifying the effects of the scandal will be pretty impossible, and we've got no idea how they'll handle the change, but will it be on players' minds?
• The offense tightens up: The Horned Frogs' offense is absolutely loaded and ready to go for 2012. Quarterback Casey Pachall returns and brings his top three weapons (Josh Boyce, Skye Dawson and Brandon Carter) with him. Running backs Waymon James, Ed Wesley and Matthew Tucker each topped 700 yards rushing in 2011 and all return. The spring will be all about fine-tuning an already stellar offense, and it'll be fun to watch.
• Replacing departed starters: All-America linebacker Tanner Brock was among the four football players arrested and booted from the team, as was all-conference defensive tackle D.J. Yendrey and likely starting safety Devin Johnson. Those were unforeseen losses, but TCU can't feel sorry for itself. Gary Patterson has no choice but to find new faces to fill those holes.

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS

Spring practice start date: Feb. 17
Spring game: March 24

What to watch:

• Once again, a new defense: Texas Tech sounds like a broken record these days when it comes to defensive coordinators. This time, Art Kaufman will be stepping to the microphone as the fourth defensive coordinator in Lubbock in four years. He's bringing a 4-3, a shift back to what Ruffin McNeil ran in 2009. Chad Glasgow's 4-2-5 and James Willis' 3-4 failed miserably in 2011 and 2010, respectively, the first two years under Tommy Tuberville.
• The battle at running back: No one knows yet if Eric Stephens will be back next season. There's still a long way to go in his rehab from a dislocated knee he suffered last season in a loss to Texas A&M. DeAndre Washington is also out this spring after tearing his ACL against Missouri. Harrison Jeffers hung up his cleats. Who will prove to be reliable this spring? Look for the Red Raiders to try to use sophomore Bradley Marquez, freshman Javares McRoy and junior SaDale Foster in a manner similar to the way Oregon uses scatback De'Anthony Thomas, with lots of short passes and bubble screens to get them the ball in space, where they can use their speed and shiftiness to make plays.
• Team health: Tuberville said earlier this month that the team is missing 15 players this spring. It can't afford any more injuries. It's already going to be tough to get enough done this spring, but Tech can't start getting banged up.

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

Spring practice start date: March 11
Spring game: April 21

What to watch:

• Dana Holgorsen's offense in Year 2: Holgorsen didn't get a chance to coach his talented offense at Oklahoma State in its second year. The results could have been crazy. They might be at West Virginia in 2012, and the beginning steps will be taken this spring as Geno Smith & Co. get more and more comfortable with the system and Holgorsen adds more wrinkles.
• The battle at running back: Sophomore Dustin Garrison hurt his knee in practices leading up to the Mountaineers' 70-33 Orange Bowl win over Clemson, and won't be there for the spring. What does senior Shawne Alston have in store for the spring? Garrison was the featured back last season, but a big spring could help Alston earn a few carries next year.
• Defense needs help: Najee Goode leaves a big hole at linebacker, and defensive back Eain Smith's exit means the Mountaineers enter the season without two of their top three tacklers from a year ago. Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller's talents on the defensive line will be tough to replace, and in a league that requires a great pass rush, Irvin, Goode and Miller's 19 combined sacks must be replaced somehow.

When he arrived, new Kansas coach Charlie Weis said to expect changes.

The biggest arrived on Monday.

Ten players will be leaving the team, but Weis introduced his three highest-profile arrivals on Monday, too.

Quarterbacks Dayne Crist and Jake Heaps transferred from Notre Dame and BYU after spending seasons there as starters. Receiver Justin McCay transferred in from Oklahoma after failing to catch on in two seasons as a Sooner.

McCay's eligibility is in flux, but the school is petitioning the NCAA to allow him to play this season. If granted, he would be a sophomore and have three years of eligibility remaining. If it’s not granted, he would have to sit out this season and could compete as a junior beginning in 2013. McCay redshirted in 2010 at Oklahoma

Kansas running back Darrian Miller's departure will have the most impact. He was arguably the team's most electrifying player on offense this season, and was second on the team with 559 rushing yards.

"I don't care if they're all starters. It doesn't make a difference," Weis told reporters of the players who left. "There's a right and wrong way of doing things, and you're going to do it the right way. That's all there is to it. It's a whole combination of things, but there's a right and wrong way of doing business. You can't make decisions, especially coming into a program, based on how good they are."

JaQwaylin Arps, Dexter McDonald, Adonis Saunders, Brock Berglund and Keeston Terry were the other five players Weis dismissed. Terry was a four-star recruit and ranked fourth on the team with 66 tackles.

Berglund, a quarterback, was one of the top players in Colorado, but returned home after enrolling early to deal with an assault charge stemming from an incident last year. He sat out the 2011 season, but it looks like he won't be back for 2012.

"In every one of the players' cases that had to be dismissed, these were clear-cut. They were gone, and I was fighting to give them opportunities to be able to stay," Weis told reporters. "Then they decided not to take advantage of the opportunities."

Jordan Webb, Tyrone Sellers and Tom Mabry left voluntarily, but will remain enrolled at KU. Webb started at quarterback in 2011, but could graduate and transfer to another school without having to sit out a year, like Crist did.

Offensive lineman Travis Bodenstein also plans to transfer.

Seeing that Weis saw fit to dismiss six players is a bit surprising, especially considering two were major contributors in 2010. Gill earned a reputation as a disciplinarian, but perhaps the difference in Weis and Gill's rules didn't sit well with leftover players. Weis declined to get into specifics in any case, but the number still seems high.

As with any coaching change, there's a natural attrition, but I never expected the number to be as high as it is, especially before players got a feel in practice for what life in the Weis Era will be like.

Even still, it's a new start, and a place to build from for Weis.

Welp, this is it. The college football season is over, and two teams have closed up shop in the Big 12. This will be Texas A&M's and Missouri's last time to make an appearance in the Big 12 Power Rankings.

After 14 weeks of the regular season and eight bowl games (the Big 12 went 6-2), here's how the league sits.

1. Oklahoma State (12-1, beat Stanford, 41-38 in overtime): The Cowboys needed some help from Stanford's kicker to get their BCS win, but their spot atop the Big 12 was never at stake. The Cowboys proved themselves as the Big 12's best team throughout the season and beat Stanford to make history. Stillwater's never seen a season like this, and Mike Gundy was rewarded with a $1.6 million raise after the season for his efforts.

2. Kansas State (10-3, lost to Arkansas, 29-16): The Wildcats' Cotton Bowl experience wasn't a fun one after early mistakes, but K-State earned its first double-digit-win season since 2003 and earned the tiebreaker against Baylor on the field. Arkansas, too, is a whole lot better than Washington. This was a disappointing end for the purple folks from the Little Apple, but they bring back almost the entire core of the 2011 team. The Wildcats look like 2012 Big 12 title contenders.

3. Baylor (10-3, beat Washington, 67-56): The Bears put on a show and Terrance Ganaway's 200 yards, along with two other 100-yard rushers, iced the win over the Huskies. That gave Baylor the third 10-win season in school history and the first bowl win since 1992. Now, the big question awaits: Is RG3 gone, or is the allure of one more year in college for the Heisman winner enough to convince him to provide one more memorable season in Waco?

4. Oklahoma (10-3, beat Iowa, 31-14): The Sooners stumbled at the end of the season, but closed it in fine fashion, not playing their best game but soundly beating Iowa. Landry Jones will return. Will former DC and former Arizona coach Mike Stoops? Oklahoma's secondary was a liability this year, and Sooners fans would love to see Bob Stoops' brother put in charge to change it.

5. Missouri (8-5, beat North Carolina, 41-24): Missouri's season wasn't too memorable, but the Tigers rebounded from a 3-4 start to win eight games, including the best offensive performance of the season against the Tar Heels. That gave Mizzou eight wins for a sixth consecutive year. Only a handful of programs have duplicated that feat.

6. Texas (8-5, beat California, 21-10): The Longhorns' defense shut down the Bears and David Ash made a few big throws to make Texas' return to the postseason a good one. Ash has to show he's the guy for Texas moving forward. He'll get more offseason work than he did last year, which may show up in the fall. Freshman Connor Brewer will be joining, but it looks like a juco quarterback won't.

7. Texas A&M (7-6, beat Northwestern, 33-22): The Aggies head to the SEC after the most disappointing season in recent history. A team stocked full of NFL talent and toting a top-10 ranking lost four of its final five Big 12 games, with the only win coming at home over 2-10 Kansas. Now, new coach Kevin Sumlin returns to lead A&M into its new conference after coaching four years at Houston and winning 10 games in two seasons.

8. Iowa State (6-7, lost to Rutgers, 27-13): Paul Rhoads is already only the second coach to win a bowl game at Iowa State, but he couldn't win his second bowl in three years in Ames. Either way, the Cyclones have a good shot to be even better in 2012. Redshirt freshman Jared Barnett showed a lot of promise, and he'll progress during the offseason, even though he was benched in the bowl game for Steele Jantz, who started the season's first half.

9. Texas Tech (5-7, idle): A disappointing season gave way to a tumultuous offseason in Lubbock, with a handful of new assistant coaches and defensive coordinator Chad Glasgow heading back to TCU, who joins the Big 12 next season. The Red Raiders have to be better. Offensively, they were good enough, despite injuries, in 2011. They weren't great, though, like Texas Tech has been. Defensively, they've been awful for both seasons under Tommy Tuberville. Injuries have played a role in that, but improvement starts there.

10. Kansas (2-10, idle): Get ready to see much-needed new blood in Kansas. Turner Gill is out after two terrible seasons and a 2-10 record in 2011 that included six losses by at least 30 points. Now, it's time for Charlie Weis to take over, and he's brought two big quarterbacks and a receiver with him.

This week, we'll take a look at the biggest surprises across the Big 12 this season.

1. Robert Griffin III is a lot more than just a good player on a bad team. That's mostly what you heard about Griffin before this year. The Bears got walloped by the Big 12 powers in 2010 and didn't make a bowl with Griffin in 2008. What more could Baylor really do, even if it had a transcendent quarterback? Uh, apparently, a whole lot. Griffin nabbed the school's first Heisman Trophy and the 9-3 Bears finished third in the Big 12, including the school's first win over Oklahoma.

2. Iowa State can truly play giant killer. All of Iowa State's early benchmark wins under Paul Rhoads had something in common: They mostly came to middling teams with big names and no offense. Texas in 2010 was in the top 25, but the Longhorns finished 5-7. Nebraska gifted the Cyclones eight turnovers and scored seven points in ISU's upset in 2009. But Oklahoma State? That was near impossible. The Cowboys were maybe the best offense in the nation and played well, jumping out to a 24-7 lead before the Cyclones rallied for a shocking upset and shook up the college football landscape.

3. It's possible to get fired in two years. It seems odd and perhaps unfair for a coach to only get two years, but Turner Gill came to Kansas as one of the hottest coaches in college football, fresh off an unbelievable rebuilding job at Buffalo. But Gill's Kansas teams were permanent fixtures in the Big 12 basement, losing the final 10 games of 2011 and six of them by at least 30 points.

4. Collin Klein deserves Heisman buzz and a spot on the All-Big 12 team. Klein came into the year as a former receiver with an ugly throwing motion that he'd only actually used in a game 19 times before 2011. He left the regular season with a staggering 26 rushing touchdowns. Only two players in college football had more. He carried the ball 293 times, more than anyone in the Big 12 and nearly 100 more times than the Big 12's third-most used back. He's no polished passer like Brandon Weeden, Landry Jones or RG3, but his play compelled some to create an "all-purpose" position on the All-Big 12 first team.

5. Missouri is an ... SEC school? Missouri's desire to leave the Big 12 for the Big Ten was the league's worst-kept secret in the summer of 2010, but the SEC? Oklahoma dropped a bombshell back in September when it openly admitted it was shopping around for conferences. A bigger bombshell came later that month when reports indicated the SEC was interested in Mizzou. Months later, that relationship was consummated and the Big 12 had lost its fourth member in the past year and a half.

More on Friday...

We're not done spinning just yet, but if you're a bit lost, here's the changes to the coaching staffs across the Big 12 thus far.

BAYLOR (9-3)

• Out: Receivers coach Dino Babers took the head-coaching job at Eastern Illinois. No replacement named.

IOWA STATE (6-6)

• Out: Offensive coordinator Tom Herman took the offensive coordinator job under Urban Meyer at Ohio State. No replacement named.

KANSAS (2-10)

• Out: Head coach Turner Gill fired. Other staff positions up for discussion.
• In: Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis hired to replace Gill. Akron QB coach Ron Powlus hired to coach quarterbacks. Bishop Miege (KS) coach Tim Grunhard hired to coach offensive line. Running backs coach/recruiting coordinator Reggie Mitchell retained from Gill's staff.

KANSAS STATE (10-2)

• No changes.

MISSOURI (7-5)

• Out: Safeties coach Barry Odom left to become defensive coordinator at Memphis. No replacement named.

OKLAHOMA (9-3)

• No changes.

OKLAHOMA STATE (11-1)

• No changes yet, but OC Todd Monken has drawn interest from several programs.

TEXAS (7-5)

• No changes, though Texas was forced to proactively shoot down rumors of Mack Brown's retirement.

TEXAS A&M (6-6)

• Out: Fired coach Mike Sherman. Defensive coordinator/interim coach Tim DeRuyter took head-coaching job at Fresno State but will remain on staff through the bowl game. Other staff positions up for review.
• In: Hired Houston coach Kevin Sumlin. Sumlin will recruit while the other coaches prepare for the bowl game.

TEXAS TECH (5-7)

• Out: Fired DBs coach Otis Mounds and offensive line coach Matt Moore. Moved defensive line coach Sam McElroy into a non-coaching role on staff.
• In: Hired former Miami DC John Lovett to coach defensive backs and former Ole Miss defensive line coach Terry Price to coach the defensive line. No offensive line replacement named yet.

Turner Gill didn't go very long before finding a new job.

He'll be introduced at 1 p.m. today as the new head coach at FCS school Liberty, a Christian university in Lynchburg, Va.

"In our search for a new head football coach, almost every advisor recommended Turner Gill," chancellor and president Jerry Falwell, Jr. said in a university release. "Every indication is that he is a perfect fit for Liberty University. His experience is at the level where we would like to take our football program. His Christian faith is strong and sincere and what any new recruit would expect to see in a Liberty University head football coach. I think Liberty University and Turner Gill were made for each other."

Seems right to me. Gill, 49, went just 5-19 as Kansas coach before being fired Nov. 27. Kansas replaced him with former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who had served as offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs and Florida Gators in the interim.

Kansas coach Charlie Weis wasn't looking to make friends the first time he addressed his new football team.

Christmas break is approaching after a week of finals tests, and Weis warned his Jayhawks. They'd better enjoy it. When they returned to campus, the mood wouldn't be quite so jolly.

"It’s not going to be pleasant," he told them. "I can’t promise you much, but I can promise you that."

If he was going to rebuild a program, he was going to start it with a grueling offseason conditioning program, and the least he could do was offer his new team a fair warning.

"Honestly, some guys, their ears perked up when they heard him say that," said senior offensive lineman Tanner Hawkinson. "But hey, I’m all for working hard. That’s what builds a team, ultimately. Knowing you’re playing with guys to your right and left that went through those grueling workouts with you in the offseason."

Hawkinson has been through coaching changes before. He signed with Mark Mangino in 2008 and stuck around for the transition to Turner Gill after earning All-Big 12 and Freshman All-American honors in 2009.

Players like Hawkinson will be charged with the oft-mentioned "senior leadership" in smoothing over the transition this time around.

"There’s just a lot of excitement and anxiousness. Some guys are ready to get other coaches in place so we can get the ball rolling. Everyone’s excited," he said. "There was quite a bit of surprise on the team when he was named head coach because, following the search this past week and a half or so, his name never really came in the conversation."

Hawkinson followed the search closely like many of his teammates, waiting to hear who would coach his final season of college football.

Weis brought with him a reputation and respect earned in the NFL and at Notre Dame and Florida, where other candidates with less experience may have had to build up.

"He’s really easy-going, really personable," Hawkinson said. "He’s cracking jokes every now and then, but he’s also getting his point across about how he’s wanting to build this program back on top."

He added: "You hear him, but never would I have thought he’d be the coach at Kansas while I was here."

The Jayhawks have a long, long way to go to reach the top after a 2-10 season that features six losses by 30 points or more. Weis' focus for now is taking down the "other program in the state" that finished the year 10-2 and worrying about the rest of college football once that score is settled.

Kansas State has beaten Kansas in all three seasons since coach Bill Snyder took over, including 52 and 38-point losses in each of the last two meetings.

"He told us as well, from what he’s seen, it all goes back to those little things, making sure you do the little things right, even making it to class on time. All that kind of starts in the weight room," Hawkinson said.

The hard part is waiting to hear who the new man would be, but the hardest part will arrive next month.

"You worry about the future and who’s coming in, but we’ve got coach Weis in place. We don’t have to worry about that anymore. We’ve just got to worry about these workouts coming up."

Kansas? Well, it's not Notre Dame.

The disadvantages of each are unique, as are the advantages. Different programs require different fits.

Kansas hopes former Notre Dame coach and Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis is the right fit.

Weis brings Kansas the one thing the Jayhawks have craved since a 5-0 season in 2009 crashed to earth with a seven game losing streak. Since that start, Kansas has lost 23 of 24 Big 12 games. That losing streak has brought with it paralyzing irrelevance.

Consider that problem fixed.

Who else could Kansas have hired that would have everyone buzzing (even Dick Vitale!) about the new head Jayhawk?

Maybe you want to laugh about Weis, a bizarre hire who didn't work out at Notre Dame. After two BCS bowl appearances in his first two years, he finished above .500 just once in his final three seasons in South Bend.

Maybe you want to ask, "Why the heck are they doing that?"

But you're paying attention.

For all of Turner Gill's character and good intentions, he didn't offer much in the arena of intrigue.

Weis does. And he gets a fresh start at Kansas free of the intense scrutiny from fans, boosters and media. The sky-high expectations at Notre Dame are a bit more measured in Lawrence.

Why can't that be a recipe for success?

Maybe this hire is a disaster. Maybe it's a godsend, the man that finally gets Kansas back into the BCS. (Yes, believe it or not, three years and 11 months ago, Kansas won an Orange Bowl.)

Either way, mastery or failure, people will be watching.

For Kansas, that's a step in the right direction.

The college game, where Weis has spent just six total years, is obviously different from the NFL, where Weis coached for 16 years.

Recruiting is a unique game in which it's difficult to develop proficiency. Weis has a master recruiter, Reggie Mitchell, already on his staff.

Kansas has lots of young talent, especially on offense, but it needs more.

Like Gill, that's objective No. 1 for Weis.

Objective No. 2 is fixing a defense that was among the worst in college football history this season. As an offensive mind, Weis will likely need to make a strong, calculated hire as his defensive coordinator to fix that problem, which he struggled with at Notre Dame.

Gill didn't win and didn't fill seats. There were just over 35,000 fans in 50,000-seat Memorial Stadium for the final home game.

Weis, by name alone, probably won't fill seats. Losses will peck away at that attendance number, but Weis will produce record amounts of intrigue and skepticism that with one contract signature, landed Kansas back on the college football map.

He's a smart guy. Ask Bill Belichick. Why can't Weis learn from the mistakes made at Notre Dame and win at Kansas?

Win or lose, it'll be fun to watch.

And unlike much of the Gill Era, it will be watched.

Turner Gill was fired on Sunday, but released a statement on Monday.

"I would like to thank the University of Kansas for the opportunity to be its head football coach. On behalf of our staff, I want to thank the players for putting their heart and soul into this football program the past two years. I hope nothing but the best for all their future endeavors, both on and off the field."

Nice touch.

Gill's all class, and he'll land on his feet before too long. More later today from the Big 12's coaches on Gill's exit.

Today's the day commonly known in the coaching profession as Black Monday, the first weekday after most regular seasons are finished. One Big 12 coach, Kansas' Turner Gill, already got his plug pulled.

What about the Big 12's other two coaches on the hot seat?

Let's take a look.

Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech (13-12, 5-12 Big 12)

What should happen: Stay

What will happen: Stay

Why: Breaking a streak of 18 consecutive winning seasons is a good way to maximize fan frustration, and that happened at Texas Tech this season. That said, it would be wrong not to factor in injuries. Texas Tech dealt with injuries the past two seasons unlike any other team in the Big 12. This season, it got so bad the Red Raiders ended up moving receivers to starters at defensive back.

The team also lost its leading rusher, Eric Stephens, in midseason and played most of its final two games without Alex Torres. Darrin Moore is the team's most talented receiver, but he battled injuries all season after racking up 221 receiving yards in the season opener.

Additionally, Tuberville reeled in the best recruiting class in school history last February, but this year's might be even better. The Red Raiders have three ESPNU 150 commits. Only Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M have more in the 2012 class. The defense struggled for most of the season, but it was forced to switch from a 3-4 under James Willis last year to a 4-2-5 under Chad Glasgow this year, and injuries made the transition even more difficult.

The frustration is warranted, but a change at head coach is not.

Mike Sherman, Texas A&M (25-25, 15-18 Big 12)

What should happen: Stay

What will happen: Stay

Why: There's no question Mike Sherman has resuscitated this program, loading it with big-time assistant coaches and upgrading the talent every single season. The Aggies, in Sherman's third year, had as much talent as any team in the Big 12. That means a lot. Texas A&M was favored in 11 games this season and led 11 of those games by double digits.

The second-half failures, however, have produced understandable frustration. Texas A&M, though, is headed to the SEC next season and will lose a lot of major contributors from this season's team like quarterback Ryan Tannehill, running back Cyrus Gray, wide receiver Jeff Fuller, safety Trent Hunter, linebacker Garrick Williams and defensive end Tony Jerod-Eddie. That's a lot.

The transition to the SEC could be significantly smoother if the Aggies aren't dealing with a complete system overhaul, too. The A&M recruiting class in 2012 is likely to rank in the national top 10, but 6-6 is 6-6. Next season is going to be difficult, and it's not very likely that Texas A&M would be in position to win more than 7-8 games with a young roster and a new, more difficult conference home.

All the negatives for Sherman showed up on the record this year, but you can't ignore the biggest positive: This team got a whole lot better very fast under Sherman. The Aggies lost three games by a combined seven points and lost two more in overtime this year. The 6-6 record could have easily have been 11-1. Do the Aggies believe a new coach could continue that growth and get A&M over the hump? Seems like a big risk from my perspective, and despite the frustrations of this season, Sherman deserves another chance to prove he can get the program over the hump.

» Power Rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC

It's "Championship Week" in the Big 12 with Bedlam set to go down Saturday night in Stillwater. This one's for all the flavors — all 23 of 'em.

1. Oklahoma State (10-1, 7-1, last week: 1) The Cowboys didn't get any national title help from Auburn, and had to stare at the loss to Iowa State during the bye week, but there's no time to feel sorry for themselves. OSU's never been to the BCS and never won the Big 12. It can do both with a victory over Oklahoma, even if the national title is off the table.

2. Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2, LW: 2) The offense isn't its usual self without Ryan Broyles and Dominique Whaley, and the Sooners will need more than five catches for 70 yards from new No. 1 target Kenny Stills to beat Oklahoma State. Oklahoma will get an opportunity for its eighth Big 12 title since 2000 in Stillwater — and a chance to ruin rival OSU's dream season.

3. Kansas State (9-2, 6-2, LW: 3) Kansas State is a victory over Iowa State from a 10-win season in Bill Snyder's third year of his second tenure as head coach. How crazy is that? That's what happens when you play great team defense and have a running, throwing, bleeding stone pillar for a quarterback in Collin Klein.

4. Baylor (8-3, 5-3, LW: 4) Baylor experienced life without Robert Griffin III for the second half on Saturday night, but the Bears responded well, outscoring Texas Tech 35-14 over the final 30 minutes. If RG3 leaves after this season, Nick Florence and Terrance Ganaway showed they're ready to be playmakers.

5. Missouri (7-5, 5-4, LW: 5) A nice finish for Missouri on Saturday after a tough start. The Tigers won four of their final five games to finish at 7-5 and get a winning record in conference play. It wasn't the kind of season Mizzou would have liked on its way to the SEC, but it's still solid and something to build on as the offense matures.

6. Texas (7-4, 4-4, LW: 8) The Longhorns are a big reason why teams like Nebraska and Texas A&M left the Big 12, but you've gotta give it up for the Longhorns' defending Big 12 turf against both teams. The Huskers and Aggies didn't get the last laugh against the Horns, and Texas's rebuilding project continues with seven wins this year after last year's five-win disaster. They'll have a chance for No. 8 Saturday against Baylor.

7. Texas A&M (6-6, 4-5, LW: 6) Oh, Aggies. So much talent. So many blown leads. We've never seen anything like this. In 11 of Texas A&M's 12 games this year, it led by double digits. And yet, the preseason top-10 squad won six games this year. If this had happened last year, would Texas A&M have had the gumption to leave for the SEC? It's certainly up for debate, but coach Mike Sherman's status apparently is not.

8. Iowa State (6-5, 3-5, LW: 7) The Cyclones couldn't get the victory against Oklahoma, but the biggest mission's been accomplished in Ames: bowl eligibility. Iowa State beating Kansas State in Farmageddon on Saturday could be a delicious finish, dessert at the end of a tasty three months.

9. Texas Tech (5-7, 2-7, LW: 9) Injuries aren't the only reason, but it's clear that they've cost Texas Tech a lot in the past two seasons. The Red Raiders lost six of their final seven games and suffered through their first losing season since 1992, but who could have ever thought that Tech's one win over that stretch would be Oklahoma? How badly would the Sooners like a mulligan on that stormy Norman night back in October?

10. Kansas (2-10, 0-9, LW: 10) The Jayhawks' offense was awful for most of the season and the defense was one of the worst in college football history. The Big 12's offenses helped worsen those numbers, but Kansas held leads of at least 20 points against Texas Tech and Baylor but still went winless in Big 12 play and lost its final 10 games. Turner Gill is 1-16 in Big 12 play and the coach he beat (Dan Hawkins) was fired before he could coach another game.

Kansas decided on Sunday that Jayhawks coach Turner Gill wasn't good enough to earn a third year on his five-year, $10 million contract.

For all the recent controversial firings across the Big 12, this one was anything but. Simply put: Gill was far from good enough to earn another season at Kansas.

Fans turned apathetic and losses occasionally strayed from being embarrassing to painful, but Gill's tenure provided little hope that better times were on the way.

The numbers reveal plenty. Gill won just one Big 12 game in 17 tries over two seasons. In that one win, the Jayhawks erased a 45-17 fourth-quarter deficit at home against the Big 12's second-worst team, Colorado, and Buffaloes coach Dan Hawkins was fired days later.

That's just not good enough.

Two years might not seem like a lot, but Gill didn't provide enough reason that he deserved more time. He didn't need to win more games to keep his job for 2012, but he needed to be competitive. Kansas didn't come close.

Making matters more difficult was that Gill was the sole stakeholder in his future. He was hired by athletic director Lew Perkins, who retired in September 2010 amid a ticket scandal. Perkins' replacement, Sheahon Zenger, had little reason to invest another season in Gill, and on Sunday made the call that Kansas fans were waiting for.

A program that won an Orange Bowl four years ago has been reduced to a Big 12 laughingstock, enduring six losses by at least 30 points during a 10-game losing streak that ended the 2011 season.

Only Kansas State scored fewer points in the Big 12 this year, but the Bill Snyder-coached Wildcats are 9-2 and beat Gill's Jayhawks 59-21.

Kansas ranked last in the FBS in total defense, giving up more than 516 yards per game and just fewer than 44 points per game to rank last in scoring defense, too.

Gill strategically redshirted almost his entire freshman class in 2010, electing to try to weather a difficult season in 2011 with a young, but more talented team.

It failed. Kansas was worse in 2011 than it was in 2010, and now, a new face will take over the talented youth that the Jayhawks have stocked on their roster.

There's no discounting Gill's character. He took criticism for banning players from Twitter and taking away their cellphones before games, but he's a man who truly cared about his players. They defended him throughout the struggles in 2011, but Gill's time at Kansas boiled down to one simple truth.

His team wasn't good enough.

If nothing else, Missouri is not Nebraska and it is not Texas A&M.

The Tigers won their final Big 12 game over Kansas, 24-10, even after a frustrating start full of turnovers and a 10-point deficit. The final Border Showdown for the foreseeable future was played in front of an unimpressive 47,059, an all-time low for the recent series at Arrowhead Stadium.

Two years ago, attendance was 70,072 before dipping to 55,788 last season. Perhaps this rivalry won't be missed as much as we think, but I'd attribute that drop more to Kansas' five wins over the past two seasons than any indicator of the way fans view the rivalry.

Either way, the end of a rivalry that's been fought 120 times, more than just one rivalry, is nothing but sad for all involved. Fans are robbed. Egos of those preventing it from continuing make everyone involved look bad, and players that grew up in Missouri and Kansas facing each other in high school likely won't get the chance to do it in college. There's nothing good about discontinuing this rivalry.

Missouri took care of business and heads to a bowl game with a seven-win season, reaching a bowl game for the seventh consecutive season. Despite struggling with three interceptions in the first half, James Franklin threw two touchdown passes and one incompletion in the second half. Exactly what Missouri needed to get out of Kansas City with a big win.

The on-field season is over for Kansas, but the off-field season may be heating up. Turner Gill's status will be the main topic of conversation for the future, and deservedly so.

As a general rule, I believe coaches deserve three years. But Gill won two games this season after winning three a year ago, and finished 2011 on a 10-game losing streak. Six of those losses came by at least 30 points.

If the Kansas administration, featuring a new athletic director in Sheahon Zenger who didn't hire Gill, decides it's time to go in a new direction, what, exactly, is the argument to the contrary?

I'm struggling to find one.

The Jayhawks were young this year, loaded with true and redshirt freshmen, but were not a better team. Statistically, the Jayhawks fielded one of the worst defenses of all-time, though coordinator Carl Torbush retired after an offseason cancer diagnosis. Offensively, the Jayhawks rank ninth in the Big 12, but the only team below them, Kansas State, has nine wins with one game left to play. The 344 yards of offense entering today's game ranked 96th nationally.

Gill recruited well in 2011, but his 2012 class is far from extraordinary, with seven commitments featuring none higher than three stars and just one Kansas native.

The Jayhawks took a clear step back in 2011, and there's no question Gill has to bear the brunt of the blame for those failures. Saturday's attendance signifies one of the worst things that can happen to a program: apathy.

In Lawrence, it's basketball season, and a Kansas team that all too often looked hopeless in 2011 is the reason why. Now, the time has come to decide if the KU administration still believes Gill is the man who can fix it.

It was not a good half for Mizzou, with the Jayhawks ahead 10-3 at halftime of the 120th and perhaps final Border Showdown.

The Tigers' offense is out of sorts, and we've seen an inspired effort from the Kansas defense.

Turning point: Bradley McDougald intercepted James Franklin and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown to give Kansas a double-digit lead at 10-0 early in the second quarter.

Stat of the half: Kansas had five interceptions in 11 games before today. It intercepted Franklin three times in the first half, earning all 10 points off those turnovers.

Best player in the half: Kansas' secondary. All three of Franklin's interceptions have been forced, but Kansas has taken advantage and made plays when necessary. Franklin is 6-of-14 for 47 yards.

What Missouri needs to do: Remember that it has the best rushing offense in the Big 12. The Tigers need to recommit themselves to the ground game. Franklin's confidence is low and he's looking indecisive and unwilling to throw the ball downfield.

What Kansas needs to do: Keep from making a big mistake to change the game, and run the ball plenty themselves. Kansas can win this game, but the offense hasn't been able to make anything happen. If Kansas wins this game, it's going to have to do it with defense. Don't give up a big play and don't get too aggressive on offense and shift the game's momentum.

Texas says, "Sorry, our schedule's booked up."

Turner Gill says the rivalry belongs in the Big 12.

Thursday night, Texas and Texas A&M will play for the 118th time. Only two rivalries have been played more.

It might be the last time. It will be the last time for the foreseeable future.

On Saturday, Missouri and Kansas will meet for the 119th time. Minnesota and Wisconsin are the only teams that have met on more occasions.

Realignment will claim two more victims upon Missouri and Texas A&M's exits to the SEC: Two of the nation's best rivalries.

"It’ll be difficult to ignore. Everybody knows what’s out there," Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said. "It’s all part of it. I think there’s enough things on the table to motivate them. It’s certainly something everybody’s aware of."

That includes players. Here's thoughts from a few that grew up around the rivalry think about the rivalries' existence and ending.

Additional reporting by Carter Strickland of HornsNation.

What's your best memory in this rivalry, whether you played in the game or watched it?

Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M: Growing up as a Longhorn, I just remember how intense these games were. It didn't matter, the rankings didn't play a factor. Every game was just a battle. It was hard-nosed football. So much tradition involved in the game, and that's the main thing.

Tanner Hawkinson, OT, Kansas: Most recently, the one in '08 when Todd Reesing hit Kerry Meier at the end to win the game. I was redshirting, but I was at the game and it was just a crazy, crazy game. One of the better games I've witnessed.

There's quite a bit of hatred between the two schools going back to the Civil War and the battles between the Jayhawkers and Missouri. There's just a lot of hatred between the two schools.

T.J. Moe, WR, Missouri: The one in '07, the big one, was when I started watching because (former MU corner) Carl Gettis was playing and he was my high school teammate. Everybody knows what kind of game that was. That was kind of the start of, when both teams had great seasons, they started calling it the Border Showdown. That was a big game and a fight for No. 1. We got that safety in the end zone on Todd Reesing, and in 2008 they came back and got us, and thats how rivalry's supposed to be, back and forth like that. The '09 game was great, too. We had to win on a last-second field goal.

Are you for or against Texas A&M leaving for the SEC?

Blake Gideon, S, Texas: Against.

Does it matter that they're leaving?

Gideon: It doesn’t matter to me. This is my last year playing them anyway. It’s definitely one of those deals kind of like Nebraska last year that we want to send them off the right way. At Missouri we failed to do that this year.

What did you think when you heard it was probably ending?

Hawkinson: It's something that's gone on for a ton of years now, I'm not even sure how many. Obviously, it's disappointing. I wish it could go on, but we wish them well. It's something I feel like should stay in the Big 12, and they're going to the SEC, so, it's something they're going to just have to deal with if they're not in the Big 12 anymore.

Moe: I don't have any control over that. As far as players go, I think both sides would love to play each other. I can't speak for the administration. I think the administration over there keeps saying it's done if you're not going to be in the Big 12 anymore, but I'm sure players on both sides would love to continue the rivalry and we hope to do that.

Swope: There's so much tradition and history involved, it's going to be tough not to see Texas on the schedule, but it's a fun game. We're going to enjoy this one and we want to go out the right way.

Where you're from [Gilmer, Texas], are there a lot of Aggies?

David Snow, OL, Texas: Let’s just be honest — I’m the only one in my top 10 percent that came here. Everybody else is at A&M. Once they went to the dark side, I haven’t really stayed in that much contact with them. Changing my phone number and stuff.

Is there more pressure to win because it is the last one?

Snow: We have a lot of pressure every week to win, hell we’re Texas. You don’t expect to lose and you don’t want to lose.

Would you call it a nasty rivalry?

Snow: Yeah. I mean certain things happen there. When you hate two people certain cheap shots go on, especially on the other side. Never by us.



What's this rivalry mean to you?

Swope: It's a very personal game for me. I've got a lot of friends that are graduated from Texas or at Texas right now. Growing up in Austin, growing up a Longhorns fan, it's going to be real personal. My dad graduated from Texas. I have friends that go to school there and friends that are players for the other team.

Hawkinson: It's a great sense of pride for not only the university, but for the state of Kansas. It'd be a huge win not only for the university, but for the people that live in Kansas.

Moe: I didn't watch a whole lot of college football growing up, but when I did, it was Missouri-Kansas. It's a pretty special thing. It's been so close. It's almost tied up for the 100-something years we've been playing. It's just fun and something you look forward to. It doesn't matter if either team is bowl-eligible. We might have both gone winless and this game would still be special. It goes back to the Civil War days when it was a lot more serious than it is now.



What will you miss most about it?

Hawkinson: Getting prepared. The week leading up to it, this week, guys come in to practice and they're already excited. It's kind of an easy week to get pumped up for and practice hard for. Especially going up and playing at Arrowhead, it's a great environment, especially with two teams playing against each other with all the hatred toward each other. All that leading up to the game and one you get to the game, just playing in that atmosphere.

Swope: All the tradition and the history in this game. It goes back to the Bonfire and how big this game is and how much history it holds. It's one of those things. Everyone pulls tickets for this game. It's on Thanksgiving. It's a very traditional game being played and they've been doing it for so long, I think I'm just going to miss almost everything about the game.

Moe: If I miss a year of it, that's pretty sad. It's your rival. We had Nebraska, we lost them and we had Kansas. Those were our two big rivals. Now, of course, we'll move to the SEC and we'll kind of have A&M maybe as our new rival or whatever, but I don't know if it's ever going to be the same without Kansas because it has such deep roots, especially the guys on the team from Kansas City. They live in the war zone over there and it's pretty special to them.

I did my best to answer your questions. I've been more or less banned from speaking about Kansas this year, so I couldn't have a whole lot of fun.