National signing day is upon us with the country's top high school's set to sign their national letter of intents on Wednesday.

It's no secret ranking high school prospects is far more of an art than an exact science.  Some prospects will undoubtedly turn into superstars while others will fall by the wayside never to be heard from again, regardless of whatever star ranking the recruiting services have placed next to their name.

They'll be plenty made of where the five and four star recruits are headed after they sign on the dotted line tomorrow, but that doesn't ensure they'll find their name among all-conference teams in two or three years.

Take a look at this year's All-Big 12 football team and where they were ranked following high school (or junior college in several cases).

There were of course the recruiting gems who lived up to the billing.  Among them were Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Alex Okafor, Devonte Fields, Joseph Randle, Arthur Brown, Tony Jefferson and Kenny Vaccaro.  All received four stars or better from Rivals and Scout.com high school following their high school careers.

Then there were the less heralded players who were two star players and received little attention on signing day.  Collin Klein?  He finished third in the Heisman voting and Scout assigned him two-stars coming out of Loveland High School in Colorado.

Terrance Williams from Baylor racked up 97 catches and 1832 while catching 12 touchdown passes in 2012.  Yes, just a two star.

Jake Knott at Iowa State was one of the best linebackers in the Big 12 the past two seasons.  Two-star.

The same can be said of offensive guard, Lane Taylor, at Oklahoma State.  He was one of four unanimous selections on this year's all-conference team but received just a two star rating coming out of high school.

Here's the full look at the 2012 All-Big 12 team and where how many stars Rivals and Scout said they were worthy of before they set foot on campus.

The moral of the story, more stars are better than fewer stars in a lot of cases, but those stars ensure nothing.  And don't write off those guys that are part of your school's class that nobody is talking about on Wednesday.  You never know, they may just turn out to be your team's best players.

Pos.	Player	School	Class	Rivals Rank	Scout
QB	Collin Klein	Kansas State	2008	***	**
RB	Joseph Randle	Oklahoma State	2010	****	****
RB	John Hubert	Kansas State	2009	***	**
FB	Trey Millard	Oklahoma	2010	**** TE	*** LB
WR	Terrance Williams	Baylor	2008	**	**
WR	Tavon Austin	West Virginia	2009	**** RB	***** RB
WR	Stedman Bailey	West Virginia	2009	****	***
TE	Travis Tannahill	Kansas State	2009	**	***
OL	Cyril Richardson	Baylor	2009	***	***
OL	Cornelius Lucas	Kansas State	2009	**	**
OL	Gabe Ikard	Oklahoma	2009	*** TE	*** TE
OL	Lane Taylor	Oklahoma State	2008	**	**
OL	LaAdrian Waddle	Texas Tech	2009	***	**
K	Quinn Sharp	Oklahoma State	2008	***	***
	DEFENSE
DL	Jake McDonough	Iowa State	2008	***	***
DL	Meshak Williams	Kansas State	2011 (JC)	**	***
DL	Calvin Barnett	Oklahoma State	2012 (JC)	***	***
DL	Devonte Fields	TCU	2012	****	****
DL	Stansly Maponga	TCU	2009	***	**
DL	Alex Okafor	Texas	2009	*****	*****
LB	A.J. Klein	Iowa State	2009	***	***
LB	Jake Knott	Iowa State	2009	**	**
LB	Arthur Brown*	Kansas State	2008	*****	*****
DB	Ty Zimmerman	Kansas State	2009	**	**
DB	Aaron Colvin	Oklahoma	2010	***	***
DB	Tony Jefferson	Oklahoma	2010	****	**** OLB
DB	Jason Verrett	TCU	2011 (JC)	***	**
DB	Kenny Vaccaro	Texas	2009	****	****

If any coach in America deserves a contract extension, it is Bill Snyder so it wasn't a huge surprise when Kansas State announced on Thursday morning that Snyder had agreed to a contract extension that runs through the 2017 season.

Of course, it's not as if Snyder was on the brink of losing his job, but the extension likely puts to rest any notion that he was pondering retirement in the near future which is a thought that had crept into some people's mind for several reasons.

Snyder came back prior to the 2009 season in hopes of righting the ship and "calming the waters," as he put it following Ron Prince's short tenure. Well, the waters certainly should be calm following 21 wins over the past two seasons and another Big 12 championship trophy now sitting on the mantle in Manhattan.

Plus, Kansas State lost two assistants over the past month leaving some to wonder if they were taking other jobs to get out in front of the curve should Snyder decide to head back into retirement.

It now appears if Snyder has no intentions of riding off into the sunset just yet even though he could still leave any time prior to the end of the contract if that is what he so chooses.

The move should help in recruiting if nothing else. If there were any schools out there whispering into a prospect's ear about Snyder being a short-timer, the Wildcats now have something concrete that says he'll be around as long as he likes.

Kansas State athletic director John Currie was asked if he expects Snyder to still be around in 2017, “I sure hope so,” Currie said. “He has certainly spoken very positively about himself and the future of the program.”

Snyder's contract will pay him $2.75 million in 2013 with annual increases of $100,000 through the 2017 season.

“Bill Snyder is one of college football’s most respected legends and a complete ambassador for K-State and Manhattan,” KSU Presiden Kirk Schulz said. “We are so fortunate to have one of the very best coaches in college football history who also fully embraces and understands the value and mission of our university.

A couple weeks back, Patrick Steven's of D1scourse.com compiled a list off all the current coaching tenures in college football at the FBS level.

None of this is earth shattering news necessarily, after all, most of us know how long the coach has been at our favorite school, but then again, it's shocking to see the information in one list showing just how unstable the coaching ranks have become.

Outside of a select few, the days of one coach staying at one school for any sustainable length of time are slowly coming to an end. 

Given the revenue schools can generate with a winning football program, universities are as impatient as ever with new coaches.  Combine that with the fact today's coaches don't bat an eye to look at other opportunities when they think their might be greener pastures ahead, and what you have is a whole lot of turnover.

Take a look at the Big 12's coaching ranks, and things actually look stable when put into perspective with what has gone on around the country.

Nat'l Rank	Coach	School	Hire date	Seasons at School
3	Mack Brown	Texas	12/3/1997	15
4	Bob Stoops	Oklahoma	12/1/1998	14
6	Gary Patterson	TCU	12/8/2000	12
17	Mike Gundy	Oklahoma State	1/3/2005	7
25	Art Briles	Baylor	11/28/2007	5
33	Bill Snyder*	Kansas State	11/24/2008	4(21 total at KSU)
T- 38.	Paul Rhoads	Iowa State	12/21/2008	4
71	Dana Holgorsen	West Virginia	6/11/2011	2
T-80.	Charlie Weis	Kansas	12/8/2011	1
T-114.	Kliff Kingsbury	Texas Tech	12/12/2012	0

(*Bill Snyder's first tenure at Kansas State went from 1989 to 2005.  Add those year's to his time at KSU and he would be number two on the entire list and tops in the Big 12).

The stability comes from the fact the Big 12 currently has three of the top ten longest tenured coaches in the country with Mack Brown, Bob Stoops, and Gary Patterson.  If you added Snyder's first run at KSU into the numbers, the Big 12 would have 40% of the top 10.

Looking beyond the top 10, didn't Art Briles just take over in Waco?  Well, yes and no.  He's been there for five seasons, not a long time in the big picture, but it is still long enough to put him in the top 25.

Dana Holgorsen has coached exactly two seasons at West Virginia and he's been there longer than almost half (43.2% to be exact) of the other coaches in the country have been at their jobs.

Heck, Kliff Kingsbury hasn't even coached a game at Texas Tech yet and there has already been 10 other coaches hired since he was named the head man in Lubbock on December 12th.  He'll be one of 29 coaches coaching their first game at a new school when the 2013 kicks off.  Twenty-nine?  Man, that's a big number given their are only 125 FBS jobs out there.

In 2011 and 2012 alone (and first month of 2013), 62 schools have hired a new head football coach.

The mantra in all this seems to be win now or else coming from the schools.  Of course, when a coach wins as he's expected to do, it's time to find a better job.

 

 

The Big 12 hasn't had a team in the BCS national title game since Texas lost to Alabama following the 2009 season.  And the conference hasn't had a national champion since Texas beat USC in the Rose Bowl following the 2005 season.

The SEC has reigned supreme every season since. 

The 2013 season is still over eight months away but that doesn't mean you can't get in on some early BCS national title odds if you're into that sort of thing.

Sportsbook.ag released their early lines of the favorites to bring home the BCS trophy next season which will also be the last season of the BCS as we know it.

It's no surprise that the odds show Alabama a clear cut favorite to repeat again next season checking in at +250 (a $100 wager would pay you $250, or said in fractional terms, 5/2), followed by Ohio State (+600) Oregon (+800), Georgia (+1200) and South Carolina (+1200).

There's plenty that can change between now and the start of next season, but the odds are in favor of the Big 12 being left out of the national title picture for the fourth straight season.  One, because it doesn't appear the league is going to have a clearly dominate team next season.  And two, because the parity in the league is as high as it's ever been.

What do you say, is there a team in the Big 12 capable of running the table next season and playing for all the marbles?  According to Sportsbook, here are the odds of it actually happening.

If your team isn't listed here, that means a national title is clearly out of the picture -sorry Iowa State and Kansas.  Well, that's not actually true.  That what be a bet on the "field" which currently has odds of +5000 or 50/1.

National title odds of Big 12 teams in 2013 (per Sportsbook.ag).

Team	Odds
Oklahoma State	+2000
Texas	+3000
Oklahoma	+4000
TCU	+10000
Baylor	+30000
Kansas State	+30000
Texas Tech	+50000
West Virginia	+50000

 

It's probably no surprise the Cowboys are leading the pack.  They'll have plenty of firepower on offense to go along with an improving defense, although that doesn't mean they're aren't plenty of questions yet to be answered in Stillwater.

Texas has more returning starters coming back than any team in the country next season.  If David Ash continues to improve and the Longhorn defense rediscovers how to stop the run, never say never as far as the Longhorns are concerned.

I also wouldn't count out TCU, either.  Casey Pachall may be back under center next season and the Horned Frogs may have the best defense in the Big 12 next season.  TCU's defense could very well carry them in a year when it appears - on paper at least - that the offfensive firepower may not be what it typically is in the Big 12.

What do you think, will the Big 12 be on the outside looking in again in the national title hunt?

 

Who will be the favorite to win the Big 12 next season?  There's plenty of time between now and then to figure that out, but this is probably a good place to start.

Yesterday Phil Steele released his tally of all the returning starters at FBS level schools and here's how things shake out in the Big 12.

Texas has the most starting experience coming back in 2013 not only in the Big 12, but also in the country.  Does that mean the Longhorns are national title contenders next season?  Well, not by itself.  But then again, it beats the alternative.

Here are the rankings for the Big 12 with a few comments to follow.

Big 12 returning starters in 2013:

Team	Total	Offense	Defense
Texas	19	10	9
TCU	15	6	9
Oklahoma State	14	7	7
Baylor	13	6	7
Texas Tech	13	5	8
Kansas	11	5	6
Oklahoma	11	7	4
Iowa State	9	5	4
West Virginia	9	3	6
Kansas State	8	7	1

 

**It's interesting to note that the three teams with the most returning experience next season are also the only three teams in the Big 12 that return their starting quarterback.

David Ash is back for Texas although there are those out there that would argue that's not necessarily a positive.

Trevone Boykin will be back for his sophomore season at TCU but with Casey Pachall now back on campus, you'd have to figure he'd be the clubhouse leader to regain the starting spot in 2013 assuming he can keep his nose clean, of course.

Oklahoma State also returns their starting quarterback, whoever that may be. After his strong play the second half of the season, Clint Chelf is probably the odds on favorite to keep the job he ended the season with although the competition from Wes Lunt and J.W. Walsh will make for another interesting spring practice at the position.

Steele doesn't have them marked as returning starters, but Kansas and Iowa State also return quarterback's with starting experience in Michael Cummings and Sam Richardson. Cummings will face stiff competition from BYU transfer Jake Heaps this offseason to win the job at Kansas. At Iowa State, Richardson should be the odds on favorite to start in 2013 although he'll face competition from redshirt sophomore-to-be Brandon Horbach.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Texas has played a lot of young guys over the past couple seasons and they've had their share of struggles as a result. Is the 2013 the year those growing pains turn into more wins? The Big 12 will be without a dominant, clear cut, front runner heading into the season so now seems like a good as time as any for Texas to once again starting challenging for a Big 12 title.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**TCU is another team that will benefit from playing the 2012 season with a two deep roster made up almost entirely of underclassmen. If Boykin and or Pachall shore up the quarterback spot to go a long with a defense that might be the best in the Big 12, TCU has a chance at winner the first Big 12 crown sooner that most expected.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Kansas State's Bill Snyder has worked more than a few miracles during his time in Manhattan and he'll have to do it again next year. The Wildcats return just one starter on defense (linebacker Tre Walker should also return from injury). Not to mention, Collin Klein leaves a fairly big hole to fill at quarterback although John Hubert will return at running back along with receivers Tyler Locket and Tramaine Thompson to help ease the transition with either Daniel Sams or Jake Waters likely to take over for Klein.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Can Kansas win a Big 12 game in 2013? Charlie Weis will have 11 starters returning including a trio of running backs that might be the best in the Big 12. The Jayhawks will try and plug the dyke will a plethora of JC transfers this offseason and if more than a handful of those guys pan out, Kansas will be a team to keep an eye on next season.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**What will Oklahoma look like with Landry Jones at quarterback? Blake Bell will most likely take over the starting spot and he'll have to expand his game beyond the Belldozer package, but OU returns seven starters and offense and have plenty of firepower around him to help ease the transition.

One of the downsides of winning 21 games over the past two seasons - if there is a downside - is that assistant coaches on your staff become that much more attractive to other programs as Kansas State found out over the past 10 days.

During that time, the Wildcats have lost two assistant coaches. Defensive ends coach Joe Bob Clements left to become the defensive line coach at Oklahoma State and only a few days later, wide receivers coach, Michael Smith, left to take the same job at Arkansas.

Both were former Wildcat players. Both left to take seemingly the same job at another school although Clements will take over coaching the whole defensive line at Oklahoma State rather than just the defensive ends as he had done in Manhattan. Both played as big part in the Wildcats' recent success with the two coaches generally believed to be Kansas State's top recruiters.

So why make the move?

Your guess is as good as mine. Each will likely make more money at their new destination so that was likely a consideration. You could also make the argument that recruiting at Arkansas and Oklahoma State is easier than it is/was at Kansas State, although despite what the recruiting rankings say, the Wildcats seemed to be doing just fine in that area based on their recent success.

One also has to wonder about Bill Snyder's second tenure at Kansas State coming to an end sooner rather than later. Snyder will be 74 years old this October and although he's still going strong, he can't coach forever.

Is retirement on his mind? Only he likely knows the answer to that, but given the fact two of his assistants left their alma mater for seemingly lateral moves at a minimum raises the question how much longer he'll walk the sideline in Manhattan.

If he did decide to hang up the whistle, any coaching change obviously causes a good bit of unrest among the current coaching staff even if they were to hire within (Snyder has said in the past he'd like to see his son, Sean, take over the program when that day does come).

Maybe Clements and Smith are getting out in front of a pending change in the Wildcat program by taking good jobs at good schools while the offer was on the table. Or maybe their reasons for leaving had nothing to do with any of that and were strictly personal in nature.

Yes, this is nothing more than pure speculation, but the moves were certainly head scratchers from the outside looking in.

Whatever the case, Kansas State has already moved to fill one of the openings with the hiring of Blake Sieler to replace Clements as the defensive ends coach. Sieler played for Snyder from 2004-2006 and had been a defensive graduate assistant the past two seasons.

“After spending eight years at K-State as a player and graduate assistant, I am very appreciative that Coach Snyder has granted me the opportunity to join his staff as a full-time assistant coach,” said Seiler. “It is an honor and a privilege to work at my alma mater, and I look forward to continuing to work with an outstanding group of coaches.”

The Wildcats will have their work cut out to maintain the success of the past two seasons in 2013.  Kansas State returns the fewest starting players of any team in the Big 12 next season and have gigantic shoes to fill in trying to replace Collin Klein and Arthur Brown.

Of course, as long as Snyder is running the show, it's probably a safe bet to say Kansas State will be better next season than most people think.  That much we should know by now.

What we don't know is exactly how much longer he'll don the purple jacked and Nike Cortez shoes every Saturday.  Maybe his assistants know something rest of us can only speculate about.  Or maybe they know nothing at all.

Baylor opens the 2013 season on September 7th when they host Buffalo.  While it's unknown if they'll debut the new lids running backs coach Jeff Lebby tweeted out on Saturday, I say go for it. 

While they shouldn't have much trouble in handling the Bulls, any advantage - such as the sun's glare in the other team's eyes - is probably worth taking advantage of.

Take a look for yourselves.

 

NEW HAT! twitter.com/JeffLebby/stat…

— Jeff Lebby (@JeffLebby) January 19, 2013

 

I'm guessing these won't be the every Saturday attire for the Bears since there was also a shot of a new matte black helmet, but there's really no point in waiting for say, the Big12 home opener against West Virginia.

These things are sharp topped off by the all gold face mask.

Oklahoma State claimed they were going to be the Oregon of the midwest with their new arsenal of uniforms they broke out over the past two seasons, but I'd say Baylor may have just raised the bar with these beauties.

His one season at Kansas didn't go as planned, but that doesn't mean former Notre Dame and KU quarterback, Dayne Crist, has given up on trying to make a career playing football.

After a season that saw him lose his starting job while completing just 47.7% of his passes and throwing only four touchdown passes against nine interceptions, Crist had a strong showing Saturday in the NFLPA Collegiate all-star game.

Crist was named the game's MVP after completing seven of his 10 pass attempts for 61 yards and a touchdown. He also had a one yard touchdown run in the second quarter on a naked bootleg around the left end.

The NFLPA all-star game was his second post season showing after playing in the Casino Del Sol game last week in Tucson, AZ. In that game, he completed six of 12 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Although he's still likely a long shot to get drafted, he's not doing anything to hurt his chances of landing in an NFL camp even if it comes via the free agent.

He's 6'4" tall and weighs in at 235 pounds which any scout will love, plus he's been playing in Charlie Weis' pro-style offense nearly his whole career meaning the learning curve into most NFL's team offense would be shorter than most.

He'll still have to overcome the inconsistent play that defined his college football career, but if he's put in a situation with talent around him, who knows what could happen when given the chance.

ESPN draft analysis Todd McShay said during Saturday night's broadcast, Crist wasn't a guy who necessarily stood out during the practices leading up to the game, but looked as comfortable as any of them running the National's offense whose team was coached by former Eagles and Chiefs head coach, Dick Vermeil.

The next step would be for him to get an invite to the NFL combine (the invitation list will be announced in early February) but even if he's not invited, he'll have planning of chances to work out in front of NFL scouts between now and the draft.

All the guy is looking for is a chance and even if you don't put much stock in these all-star performances, it definitely appears like he's going to earn that chance which wasn't a given based on his senior year performance.

Another season has come and gone.  For the Big 12, it was a second straight year of transition with the conference playing it's first season since losing two more members while adding TCU and West Virginia in their place. 

It was a season in which there was an unbelievable run by Kansas State, a shot at another Heisman trophy not by Landry Jones or Geno Smith, but by KSU's Collin Klein, and another year without a team playing for the national title.  There were plenty of "ups" as well as "downs" and just about everything in between. 

Here's a week-by-week look at some of the highlights of the season that was 2012 as we ride off into the sunset towards another offseason.

 

Week one: Saturday, September 1st

West Virginia came into the season off of the thrashing they put on Clemson in the Orange Bowl ranked 11th in the preseason coaches and AP poll.  Marshall didn't put up much of a fight as the Mountaineer offense racked up 655 yards of offense in their 69-34 dismantling of the Thundering Herd.  Tavon Austin (pictured) ran for 76 yards on three carries and hauled in 10 catches including a touchdown in the season opener.

 

The Charlie Weis era officially got underway in Lawrence with a 31-17 victory over South Dakota State.  Things didn't start out well for the Jayhawks, however, as Jackrabbit running back Zach Zenner (pictured) opened the scoring with a 99 yard touchdown jaunt threw the heart of the Kansas defense.  Hopefully KU savored the win because it would be the only one they would get all season.

 

Was this going to be the year Oklahoma broke through for another national title?  The Sooners came into the season ranked fourth in both polls although it was a less than impressive start to the season.  It wasn't until this Damien Williams 65 yard touchdown run in his OU debut with three minutes remaining the game that the Sooners put it out of reach in their 24-7 victory over the Miners.

 

Week two: Saturday, September 8th

Despite a 10 win season in 2011, many people were still not believers that Kansas State could do it again.  After their 52-13 demolition of the Hurricanes, there was little doubt that K-State was back for more.  Quarterback Collin Klein accounted for four touchdowns as the Wildcats jumped six spots up to #14 and #15 in the polls following the Miami victory.

 

Oklahoma State was coming off their first ever Big 12 title minus two key pieces that got them there, Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon, leaving many wondering how the Cowboys would respond in 2012. 

After an 84 point win in their season opening scrimmage against Savannah State, the Pokes traveled to the desert to take on Arizona and their new head coach, Rich Rodriguez.  The trip west didn't go well. 

Referee Shawn Hochuli had a busy night flagging the Cowboys 15 times for 167 yards.  Oklahoma State's defense was abysmal giving up 636 yards and the offense didn't help matters turning the ball over four times.  Arizona won, 59-36.

 

Week three: Saturday, September 15th

TCU traveled north to play Kansas in their first ever Big 12 conference game.  The Horned Frogs came away with a win, but it was much tougher than many expecting with Kansas coming up with four TCU fumbles to keep the game in reach before falling, 20-6. 

The win didn't come without a price, however, as TCU running back Waymon James injured his knee against the Jayhawks and would miss the rest off the season.

 

Oklahoma State's attempt to rebound from their loss to Arizona got off to a rocky start when freshman quarterback, Wes Lunt, injured his knee early in the first quarter the following week against UL-Lafayette. 

The Pokes' offense didn't miss a beat with J.W. Walsh finishing 21-30 through the air for 347 yards and four TD's.  He also added 73 yards and a score on the ground.  Lunt's injury started a game of musical chairs at the quarterback position the rest of the season in Stillwater.

 

Week four: Saturday, September 22nd

Who would have guessed Northern Illinois was headed to a BCS game after their 30-23 win over Kansas?  The Jayhawks found out all about NIU quarterback, Jordan Lynch, early on as the Huskies QB ran for 137 yards and threw for another 235 in Northern Illinois' win.

 

Everyone knew the importance of the season opening Big 12 game for both Oklahoma and Kansas State and as it turns out, it was the most important game either team would play all season. The Wildcats victory over OU in Norman would give KSU the tiebreaker in the Big 12 come season's end sending them to the Fiesta Bowl.

K-State's John Hubert rushed for 131 yards against the Sooner defense and scored on this nine yard run in the fourth quarter that would prove to be the difference in KSU's 24-19 victory.

 

And that party was on for Kansas State.  A little bit of redemption, perhaps, after Oklahoma routed KSU the season before.

 

Week five: Saturday, September 29th

TCU quarterback, Casey Pachall, would play his last game of the season against SMU as he was arrested and charged with DWI the Thursday after the game.  The Horned Frogs pulled out a 24-16 win in the rain against the Mustangs, but Pachall's season long suspension would alter the rest of the year for the Horned Frogs.

 

West Virginia quarterback, Geno Smith, had what can be explained as a good day at the office against Baylor. 

The Mountaineer signal caller threw for 656 and eight - count them eight - touchdowns while completing an unbelievable 45 of his 51 attempts.  Smith's output allowed WVU to escape with a seven point win despite their defense allowing Baylor to rack up 63 points over their own.

 

Oklahoma State running back, Joseph Randle, had a field day against the UT defense gashing the Longhorn defense for 199 yards.  It still wasn't enough, however, has Joe Bergeron's controversial touchdown run in the game's final seconds was allowed to stand giving Texas a much needed 41-36 victory over the Cowboys.

 

Week six: Saturday, October 6th

Obama won the presidential election, but it's not likely he carried the popular vote in Manhattan.  Kansas State took care of their instate rival Kansas on this Saturday with little trouble by a score of 56-16.  Collin Klein continued his superb season with 116 yards rushing and accounted for four Wildcat touchdowns.

 

The Red Raiders came into their game against Oklahoma at 4-0, but were no match for the Sooners who played their best game to date in taking care of Texas Tech, 41-20. 

Oklahoma's win avenged their loss the season prior when Tech went into Norman and beat OU who was ranked number one in the country at the time.  Justin Brown got the scoring started with this 13 yard touchdown reception from Landry Jones in the first quarter.

 

West Virginia went to 5-0 on the season following their 48-45 win over Texas iin Austin.  The win moved WVU into the top five in both polls the following week. 

Who would have guessed the Mountaineers would start a free fall the following week that would take them all the way out of the polls.  This was on October 6th and the Mountaineers wouldn't see the win column again until November 23rd.

 

Week seven: October 13th

The below photo tells you about all you need to know in this year's Red River Rivalry.  Oklahoma took it to Texas for the second straight season, this time by the score of 63-21. 

The lopsided OU victory once again ignited the Texas fans base into wondering whether or not Mack Brown had enough left in the tank to get the program back to where it once was.

 

TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin got his first win as a starting quarterback by throwing for four touchdowns and running for another against Baylor.  The Bears didn't help themselves by turning the ball over six times in the 49-21 loss.

 

The celebration was on in Lubbock after Texas Tech's dominating performance over West Virginia.  The Red Raider defense held the Mountaineers to just 14 points and 408 total yards.  The loss by WVU was some serious foreshadowing into what would become of their season in the coming weeks.

 

Tight end Jace Amaro had 156 yards receiving including this 39 yard pass from Seth Doege that gave Texas Tech a 7-0 lead and the route was on.

 

Week eight: October 20th, 2012

West Virginia's problems continued following the loss to Texas Tech.  This time it happened on their home field at the hands of Kansas State.  What was once a high-flying offense for WVU finished with just 243 total yards. 

K-State's Tyler Lockett hauled in nine catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns.  It became clear in back-to-back weeks that WVU wouldn't be sniffing a conference title during the first season on the Big 12.

 

This is what it looks like when you win in triple overtime.  Texas Tech 56 TCU 53.

 

Week nine: October 27th, 2012

Baylor's midseason swoon continued with a 35-21 loss to Iowa State.  The loss to the Cylones was Baylor's fourth straight defeat and left them 0-4 in the Big 12. 

Steele Jantz had his best game as a Cyclone throwing for 381 yards and five touchdowns.

 

Texas Tech was looking to stay in the Big 12 race after back-to-back wins over West Virginia and TCU but it wasn't happening in Manhattan.  Kansas State cruised to an easy 55-24 victory.

 

A win over Notre Dame would have put Oklahoma squarely back in the national title race but it wasn't happening.  Instead, it was Notre Dame who was headed in that direction following thie Irish's huge win in Norman. 

Manti Te'o had a little something to do with OU's desmise finishing with 11 tackles and an interception.

 

Brian Bosworth?  Oklahoma's defense could have used him in the second half against the Irish.

 

Week ten: November 3rd, 2012

TCU had their second overtime game in three weeks and this time, they came out on top beating the Mountaineers 39-38 after Gary Patterson decided to go for two in the second overtime rather than kick the extra point.  The Horned Frog defense held West Virginia to 338 yards on the night.

 

You mad?  Whatever Mack Brown had to say worked as Texas went to Lubbock and held off the Red Raiders, 31-22.

 

Week eleven: November 10th, 2012

Dana Holgorsen's return to Stillwater ended in West Virginia's fourth straight defeat.  Cowboy quarterback Clint Chelf picked up his first win since taking over the starting quarterback job and looked good throwing for 292 yards and four touchdowns.

 

Who says the Belldozer is only good in short yardage situations?  Blake Bell scored on this 55 yard touchdown run as Oklahoma took out Baylor, 42-34.  The loss by Baylor means they'll need to win two of their last three games to head to a bowl game for the third straight season.

 

Kansas State moved to 10-0 on the season with their 23-10 against TCU although KSU's offense struggled to get anything going against the TCU defense. 

Did the injury Collin Klein suffered the week before against Oklahoma State play any part in that?  Maybe, mabye not, but those theories wouldn't go away next week, either.

 

Week twelve: November 17th 2012

Who is this guy?  Redshirt freshman Sam Richardson makes the surprise start at quarterback for Iowa State and all he does is complete 23 of 27 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns.  Not bad for a guy who had never thrown a collegiate pass going in.

 

And week 12 featured one of the biggest upsets of the season.  Just as Kansas State was thinking about playing for the national title, they had to make a trip to Waco to take on Baylor and things would go from bad to worse for KSU. 

The Bears jumped out to a 28-7 lead and never looked back in their stunning 52-24 win.  As for Collin Klein's Heisman hopes, those went up in smoke along with the Cats' national title aspirations.

 

Let the party begin in Waco.

 

Baylor's upset over Kansas State was certainly the talk of the weekend, but there happened to be another fairly exciting game played in Morgantown where Oklahoma scored in the final minute to edge out West Virginia, 50-49. 

In a performance that was probably the best of the entire season (especially in defeat), Tavon Austin put on a show out of the tailback spot when he rushed for 344 yards against an OU defense that had no idea how to slow him down.

 

Week thirteen: weekend of Nov. 22nd

It wasn't the Thanksgiving Texas was hoping for as TCU took care of the Longhorns, 20-13, in Austin.  Three first half turnovers sent David Ash to the bench in the second half, but Case McCoy couldn't do much to get Texas rolling, either.  Beating Texas in their first year in the Big 12? Yes, it was a big win for the Horned Frogs.

 

Bedlam.  It took an overtime, but OU kept their Big 12 title hopes alive by knocking off Oklahoma State, 51-48.  The Sooners trailed for a good portion of the game but Jalen Saunders 81 yard punt return (pictured) to start the fourth quarter keyed the OU comeback.

 

Week fourteen: December 1st

The Big 12 played another season without a conference championship game, but for the second straight season, the title wasn't decided until the final weekend.

Oklahoma took care of business against TCU while Kansas State knocked off Texas for the fifth straight time meaning the Big 12 has it's first ever co-champions.  Say what you will, but given KSU's head-to-head victory over OU, is the "co" really necessary?

Tony Jefferson (#1) celebrates the Sooners' fourth down stop in the games' final minute that preserved OU's win.

 

I guess you could say Kansas State owns Texas - and most of the rest of the Big 12 the past two seasons - for that matter.  Collin Klein, Arthur Brown and the rest of the Wildcats had plenty to celebrate after winning the Big 12 with an 11-1 overall record.

 

The Bowl Season

Back to back bowl wins for Baylor? Yes sir, and it really wasn't that close.  Baylor 49 UCLA 26.

 

The Longhorns defense showed up at the Alamo Bowl and held Oregon State to under 300 yards of offense while sacking OSU quarterback Cody Vaz a grand total of 10 times, 4.5 of which came from Alex Okafor.

 

Johnny Manziel, Johnny football, Heisman winner, call him whatever you like but the simple fact is, the Sooner defense had no idea how to slow him down.  Manziel tore apart the OU defense racking up 516 yards of total offense in Texas A&M's 41-13 win over the Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

 

It wasn't the ending Kansas State and Collin Klein had hoped for, but there's no shame in an 11-2 season.  Oregon beat the Wildcats 35-17 in the Fiesta Bowl.

 

So that's it.  Another season is officially in the books.  Hopefully you enjoyed it as much as we did.

The 2013 season is just around the corner, right? Right?  Not exactly, but here's hoping it gets here as quickly as this one went by.  Thanks much for taking the time to stop by although we'll still be here trying to make the next nine months as enjoyable as possible.  Thanks again.

 

The season has come to close and what does that mean? All-Star games! While schools are feverishly working to close their 2013 recruiting classes, those players hoping to make it at the next level are busy prepping to audition their skills in front of NFL scouts.

The college all-star games begin in earnest this weekend with the East-West Shrine, NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and the Raycom All-Star Classic set to kickoff this Saturday.

The Big 12 will be well represented with 16 players set to take the field this weekend.

The highest profile player participating is Kansas State's Collin Klein who will be one of four quarterback's on the East's Roster in the Shrine Game.

Klein is probably a long shot to get drafted in the NFL as a quarterback, but that doesn't mean there isn't a spot for him on an NFL roster. He began his career as a wide receiver and although he'll be working out this week as a quarterback, it wouldn't be shocking to see teams take a look at him at other positions as the draft draws closer.

Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege will also get a look this weekend. Most prognostications have Doege as a long shot to get drafted but you can bet he'll find he way into an NFL camp as a free agent should nobody select him when the draft rolls around in April.

Here's a look at the Big 12 players that will be in action this weekend starting with the East-West Shrine Game.

East-West Shrine Game Rosters

West
Player	Pos	School
Seth Doege	QB	Texas Tech
Tanner Hawkinson	OL	Kansas
Cody Davis	S	Texas Tech
Demontre Hurst	CB	Oklahoma
A.J. Klein	LB	Iowa State
Nigel Malone	CB	Kansas State
Bradley McDougald	S	Kansas
East
Colin Klein	QB	Kansas State

 

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl (no teams designated on NFLPA website)

Player	Pos	School
Jeremy Coleman	NT	TCU
Trevor Morrongelli	C	Kansas
D.J. Monroe	RB	Texas
Marquise Goodwin	WR	Texas

 

Raycom College Football All-Star Classic (Stars vs. Stripes)

Player	Pos	School
Jonathan Rush	OL	Oklahoma State
Nigel Nicholas	DL	Oklahoma State
Jamarkus McFarland	DL	Oklahoma
Jeremy Reeves	CB	Iowa State