We're 21 games into the Bo Pelini era – please, no counting the 2003 Alamo Bowl – and we've got a pretty good handle on the guy as a coach.

Where Bo's good – namely, defense – he's performed as advertised. He's a little rough on the media, but we can take it. He'll pull the trigger on off-the-field issues (booting Quentin Castille off the team) and playing freshmen.

He left the offense fully in the hands of offensive coordinator Shawn Watson for more than a year, but now he's got his fingers in it a little bit, and the Cornhuskers will, bit by bit, eventually define itself by the same kind of power running game imposed on Watson by Gary Barnett in Colorado. It worked at CU. It'll work here.

The recruiting wonks say Bo needs to work a little harder in the summer, press kids more effectively on their official visits and build more bridges. Eh, maybe. I say Bo's smart not to sell kids a bill of goods, which they repay with a bill of effort.

Pelini's 14-7 overall, and only one those games – Iowa State - was an unexpected loss. NU isn't “back.” It's not eating worms, either.

But here comes the first mid-term. Here comes the measuring stick, being pulled from the closet of expectation, to see how Nebraska stacks up with Oklahoma. How Bo stacks up against Bob Stoops.

"I'm at the infant stages of my tenure," Pelini said Thursday. "I'm not in a position to measure up to what Bob's done. He's won a national championship, he's won Big 12 Championships. I'm finding my way and trying to build a program here. Obviously, he's set a helluva benchmark on how to go about that."

Fair enough. Beat Oklahoma. Or hang with OU for four quarters. Start there.

Considering the variables - reputation, control of the Big 12 North, momentum, a nice TV audience, a huge recruiting weekend – games like this are either a big step forward or several steps back. They don't often break you. But they can make you. And they usually define you.

The process may not be complete, but Bo's put his imprint on the Huskers, no denying it, shaping the emotional and athletic makeup of the team.

It's Bo who redshirted the entire 2009 recruiting class, and Bo who's chosen to burn the redshirts of several freshmen this year. Bo who adjusts like a demon on defense, and Bo who wastes timeouts on that same defense. Bo who argues too much with game officials. And Bo who riles up with players with passionate pregame speeches.

Some of his strengths can be weaknesses, and vice versa. So it is with most of us. The man is who he is. The team is what it is. Time to find out if that's enough to handle the Sooners.

Bo was hired to win the pitcher's duels, the low-scoring games often played in the SEC. Bo knows stalemates and four-quarter games.

Stoops used to win those games without much sweat. These days, the longer a game remains in doubt, the more you can count on the Sooners falling apart.

Can NU keep OU on the burner long enough to hit its melting point?

This is no vintage Oklahoma squad – its weak offensive line and speed remind me of Clemson in the Gator Bowl – but it's still the best team Nebraska's played since the last dance with the Sooners in 2008.

The best lesson from 62-28? Don't get buried early. Stick with the gameplan. Eat clock. Stop momentum. Get some first downs.

Earlier this week, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson seemed to have a pretty good handle on how the game might unfold by calling it “a NFL game.” Manage the clock. Don't waste timeouts. Don't waste time, period, bawling out the referees.

Watson's bound to get cute with Saturday's gameplan at some point. These West Coast Offense guys, God love em, might call three running plays in a row only to switch each of them to a pass because a strong safety might be creeping into the box. It's on Bo to tell Watson “run it anyway.” It's on Watson to know it without being told, which goes back to planning during the week, knowing the hook on which you'll hang your hat.

We'll be watching NU's discipline in the game, too. How about a night with zero personal fouls, false start and illegal motion penalties? How many yards do the Huskers just hand to Oklahoma?

Does Bo switch quarterbacks if Cody Green starts cold? Does he remember to look for crafty punt fakes and onsides kickoffs? When does he dial up blitzes? Do they work?

Remember Clemson? Nebraska was rocked back on its heels by the faster, more athletic Tigers. Ask the NU conditioning crew, and they'll say it was that game that opened their eyes to reality about Nebraska's speed and power. Folks, it's not there yet, as Oklahoma's speed and athleticism will make clear.

But Bo won all the coaching points in the Gator Bowl. Made the right blitzes. Seemingly had plays diagnosed before they occurred. Got field goals instead of gambling for touchdowns. Watson won some, too, pounding Castille in the power run game and schooling then-quarterback Joe Ganz into stepping up in the pocket, and buying enough time to hit big passes.

Coaching won that game. Saturday could boil down to that, too. For either team.

Nebraska isn't favored to win. It shouldn't be. But this game could reveal so much about the team, Bo, Watson and their direction together.

See also: 10 Key Players and Commentary: A Big Measuring Stick for Bo and Five Keys: Oklahoma and OU scouting report and video breakdown.

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Childhood friends, former colleagues and now Big 12 head coaches on opposite sides of the field, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Nebraska's Bo Pelini both reflected Monday on the renewal of the NU-OU rivalry, watered down as it may be after the formation of the Big 12 Conference and its North and South divisions.

“Anytime you've played for a long time and the games were meaningful, there's going to be a different air to the game,” Pelini said during Monday's Big 12 coaches' teleconference. “A lot of people take it real seriously and we're looking forward to it.”

Stoops said the rivalry has “no question” changed now that the teams only play two out of every four years, but the OU staff – which includes former Sooners Cale Gundy, Josh Heupel, Chris Wilson and Jackie Shipp - “puts it in front of the players” during game week. In the past, Oklahoma has shown a video of classic moments from the series.

“You do your best to educate them on it,” Stoops said. “You'd like them to sure understand where the rivalry used to be and the tradition of it.”

Another common thread in the 2009 game: Defense. Nebraska and Oklahoma are near the top of the Big 12 and the nation in several defensive categories – NU is 9th and 4th in total and scoring defense, while OU is 11th and 8th against slightly better competition – and have accomplished their success in similar fashion: With strong pass rushes – both teams average more than three sacks per game – and tough run defenses.

“Very physical,” Stoops said of NU's defense. “A great front four. Better defenses are really good up front. Strong, physical guys up front and physical guys across the board. Very disciplined, which you'd expect from watching Bo's defenses.”

Said Pelini of OU: “There's some similarities, some differences. They're a little more pressure-oriented than us right now and they've been in the system a lot longer than we have. They do a good job.”

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Husker Locker will be counting down and breaking down each of the teams in the conference. We hope you view this series as more interesting, comprehensive and definitive than what you may find elsewhere. Where we can make strong takes – we will.

We rank the teams 12 to 1 in overall strength. Then we’ll provide for you the North/South breakdown – and the preseason All Big 12 team, as well.

Enjoy!

Today: No. 2 Oklahoma

Coach:Bob Stoops
2008 Record: 12-2 (lost 24-14 to Florida in the BCS national title game)

What’s Changed Since 2008: That big, dominating offensive line is mostly gone. In its place, a big line that will probably dominate in 2010, but struggle, at times in 2009. OU lost two receivers, as well, but the Sooners generally just reload. Otherwise, this is the same mean, lean bunch it’s been for several years now.

2009 Non-Conference Schedule: Kicks off in Cowboys Stadium vs. BYU, which is being billed as a bigger game than it will probably turn out to be. The key non-conference tilt is at Miami (Fla.), where, we suspect, Randy Shannon’s Hurricanes will already be 0-3, causing Shannon, who will either be fired by then or close to it, or his replacement to throw every stupid thing in the playbook at OU. It could be one of those 24-21 upsets or a 55-14 bloodbath. You just don’t know.

2009 Conference Schedule: Second in difficulty only to Kansas. OU must play Texas, of course, travel to KU, Nebraska and Texas Tech, and tangle with Oklahoma State at the end.

Offense: Spread/Multiple

Coordinator: Kevin Wilson, whose no-huddle offense knocked every team but Florida and Texas for a loop last year. And, of course, the Sooners blew two key opportunities vs. Florida – probably because of the no huddle.

Strength: Sam Bradford doesn’t look like much off the field, but on it he’s a cool customer. Canny – that’s the word for him. He knows where to place the ball and how to get it there. He’s exceedingly accurate, and he’ll press the ball downfield. Tight end Jermaine Gresham is almost – almost – good enough to surpass Keith Jackson as OU’s best tight end in history. We’re not as enamored with running backs DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown as some are, but they do run hard, and downhill. Murray is a superior receiver, and could play that role in the NFL.

Weakness:OU made a killing on the right side last year in the running game. With a brand new guard and tackle, easy yards will be harder to come by. And Bradford, while terrific, can be sacked if he’s pressured. Let’s see how well he holds up without Phil Loadholt and Duke Robinson protecting him.

Defense: 4-3/Attacking

Coordinator: Brent Venables, who loves to stress the opposing quarterback with multiple looks and well-timed blitzes. Occasionally, he leaves his safeties left on an island, and if you can get OU’s linebackers peeking into the backfield and throw behind them, you’ve got a chance.

Strength: The front seven is a jaw-dropping array of talent, really, and it should be even better with the return of middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds. OU’s run defense has been more susceptible to breakdowns in the last two years. Don’t expect that to be the case in 2009. The Sooners’ corners, Dominique Franks and Keenan Clayton, are NFL types.

Weakness: Just the safeties, really, where Oklahoma must replace Nic Harris and Lendy Holmes. If OU’s defense is going to be tested, it’s right down the seam, preferably with playaction. BYU will certainly try.

Special Teams Ryan Broyles is a capable punt returner. On kickoffs, DeMarco Murray was quite good, but can OU risk another injury to him? Jimmy Stevens is a fair kicker.

Intangibles: That no-huddle offense is a real pain to prepare for in just one week; for a bowl game, it’d probably be easier. Oklahoma has chosen to become a rhythm, momentum team, which stuns and pummels lesser foes – Nebraska in 2008, for example - but can backfire against an equally matched opponent. It did against Florida, which weathered the initial onslaught and eventually dominated the fourth quarter, when the Sooners ran out of gas.

Best-Case Scenario: Another Big 12 Championship, another shot at the national title.

Worst-Case Scenario: Three, maybe four losses in the Big 12.

Our Take: It’s OU vs. UT for all the glitz, again, and we like Texas by a hair. And trust us – Oklahoma isn’t winning that BCS tiebreaker again this year even if Christy Turlington personally lobbies on the Sooners’ behalf. 11-1 or 10-2. BCS or Cotton. Bradford third in the Heisman race.

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Grim and a little frustrated, Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel hustled up to the podium Tuesday at the Big 12 Media Days and immediately apologized for a delay at the Dallas airport that left him tardy for his appointed engagement.

Not long after Pinkel settled in, he was quickly peppered with queries about the immense talent – especially on offense – that he lost in the offseason to the NFL. Chase Daniel. Chase Coffman. Jeremy Maclin.

First, replacing Daniel, that love him/hate him quarterback that put Mizzou in the national spotlight and won two straight Big 12 North titles.

Pinkel shot straight: Former prep phenom (and Nebraska commit) Blaine Gabbert is the guy.

“Any time you have a transition quarterback,” Pinkel said, “everybody sits back and goes, ‘Wow, what's going to happen?’ When you lose a high level guy like that, hopefully, we can replace him with a high-level guy.”

Pinkel said he’ll bring along Gabbert, a sophomore, much as he did Daniel in his corresponding season. Daniel was inconsistent in 2006, alternating between excellent and average. He made “the leap” in 2007. Pinkel’s hoping the same for Gabbert.

He’s not so sure Maclin, the receiving and return whiz, can be replaced. But, he added, this version of the Tigers was his fastest.

On replacing two coordinators, Pinkel referenced the “Bill Belichick approach” of training and promoting from within. Pinkel the admitted he hasn’t lost two coaches, much less coordinators, in nine years at Mizzou.

***

Baylor’s Art Briles delighted the media with clever lines and quick answers. Briles kept referring to “turning hope into happen” throughout his interviews, because, at this point, that the Bears’ next step.

Briles talked a lot of about his quarterback, Robert Griffin, the fast, gifted sophomore quarterback. Griffin has helped with TV exposure, with recruiting, with fan recognition, with everything.

But Griffin, and his Bear teammates, won’t be sneaking up on anyone in 2008. Teams that narrowly escaped with wins – like Missouri, Nebraska and Texas Tech – learned their lesson.

“People are going to approach us differently on the other side, in other staff rooms and on other practice fields because they're going to come into Baylor with a different mindset than they did a year ago,” Briles said. “We understand that. We understand we're going to have to rise up and be better in all facets
of the game, not only physically, to deal with the charges that are going to come our way.”


Briles drew laughs for his stories about accompanying Jason Smith to the NFL Draft, and his comments on the wardrobe of some of his questioners. Briles is going to make an interesting push in the Big 12 South. He’s the first with the raw charm to recruit head-to-head with Mack Brown. His program doesn’t have the facilities, it doesn’t have the tradition, and it doesn’t have any recent success. But Baylor does have Briles.


***


There’s a curious, gentlemanly quality to the way Kansas Coach Mark Mangino handles himself in front of media. You tend to see a lot of different sides of the guy. You see the pride, the attention to detail, the self-made aspect. Just about every coach brings that to the table. But with Mangino it’s something a little more – a vulnerability, perhaps? A love for the little guy?


The coach talked with great care about recruiting quarterback Todd Reesing to KU several years ago, about how Reesing, tiny as he was, just had a confidence, a style, a belief that belied his looks. You could see why that might impress a guy like Mangino, who gets more comments about his appearance than he did his coaching.


Yes, Reesing runs around a little too much – and sometimes gets himself in trouble for doing it.


“But that's what makes him unique, you know, the idea that he believes in himself and that
he can make plays when there's not one,” Mangino said. “Kind of really reflects his personality; that he always thinks he can overcome. He always wants to prove the opposition wrong. Those traits have served him well.”


Good coaches tend to know – what’s best for each player is to fulfill their potential…through their own personality.


Also appreciated that Mangino admitted he likes to recruit “tough” players – read, guys a little rough around the edges – and that “sometimes we fail in that area, but we like kids that love to play this
game.”


***


Mr. Heisman and Big Game Bob was last to appear Tuesday, as Oklahoma took the podium.


The big questions for OU, of course, revolved around its offensive line. Everything else about the Sooners – QB Sam Bradford, the running backs, the extraordinary defense – is in place. But the line, which must replace three starters, remains a weakness.


“Mistakes they were making on day one, day two, they weren’t making on day 14 and day 15,” Bradford said. “I think we still need that progress once we’re in camp.”


Bradford also touched upon the “frustration” of never having won a bowl game. Especially when reporters, who have to find something negative about the kid, ask so often.


“It’s not something we like to do – “oh, we had a good season, let’s lose the last game,’” he said. “It’s starting to really to get to everyone.”



At one time, Bradford didn’t much care for the no-huddle offense, either.


“When we first switched to it, I didn’t it like it,” Bradford said. “It just seemed like chaos, it seemed like no one was on the same page. It sucked. If you would have seen us trying to run it the first couple days, you would have thought it was just a disaster.


“But the more time we spent on it, and the better we got, the more I fell love with it.”

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In light of Bo Pelini’s new contract at Nebraska, we decided to review the coveted coaching jobs in the Big 12 Conference and determine, top to bottom, which job was hardest and which was easiest.

We decided to eschew “best” and “worst” in part because that debate automatically thrusts Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska to the top of the list and schools like Baylor and Iowa State to the bottom, based on sheer tradition.

Rather, we decided to take a bold stab at figuring out which jobs – perks and warts combined – were the kind coaches could tackle with enthusiasm and effort, and which jobs needed, shall we say, a bit more than that. Like a few a well-placed prayers to the pigskin karma saints.

Our list goes from easiest to hardest, and takes into account five categories:

Recruiting Base/Interest
Administrative/Booster Support
Media/Fan Expectation
Chance of “Success”
An “X” factor

Today, we run down we deem to be the six easiest jobs in the Big 12. Tomorrow, the sixth toughest.

And as we count them down, know this: None of them are what you’d call “easy.” All take 60-hour workweeks, strength, smarts, stamina and personality.

One other thing…the list partially takes into account who’s coaching the program, which, in the case of Kansas State’s Bill Snyder, frankly, makes the job easier than it would have been for Snyder’s predecessor, Ron Prince, or whoever follows Snyder.

On with the countdown!

No. 12 KANSAS

Head Coach: Mark Mangino. Compensation: $2.3 millon per year, with tons of performance bonuses. Mangino gets five grand just for beating Nebraska, for example. For every game televised on ESPN that KU wins, Mangino scores ten grand.

Recruiting Base: KU has direct access to the best talent in Kansas City and Wichita, along with reasonable access to the second-tier prospects in Oklahoma. The Jayhawk State is also home to many of the Midwest’s best junior college football programs. Mangino still plucks his share of players out of Texas – that’s one of the secrets to his success – but there are more home-grown kids to choose from, too.

Administrative/Booster Support: For football, it’s better than ever, after KU finished a $33 million football complex in 2008. Basketball will always be king in Lawrence, but football is being embraced like never before.

Media/Fan Expectation: Tempered by the hulking monolith that is the basketball program, KU football is expected to compete for the Big 12 North trophy and beat its rivals, Missouri and Kansas State. Beyond that? Gravy. At least a quarter of the Big 12 programs would like a national title in the next decade. If that doesn’t happen at Kansas, nobody is losing sleep over it.

Chance of “Success”: Mangino has upped the ante and created his own success story. Still – “success” at KU is defined by eight, nine wins a year, a solid bowl game, and win over Mizzou. Would many Kansas fans have considered 2008 a “down” year? Following 2007, yes, it was. Overall? It was quite good by historical Jayhawks standards.

X Factor: Kansas football is not, and never will be, the flagship sports program in Lawrence. Outside of possibly Iowa State, it’d be hard to claim that about anywhere else right now.

No. 11 OKLAHOMA

Head Coach: Bob Stoops Compensation: Around $6 million. This includes a $3 million lump sum Stoops received recently for his tenth anniversary as OU coach and bonuses he earned last year.

Recruiting Base: It’s national, really, but Oklahoma does most of its damage at home and in Texas, routinely plucking great players from both states. Some years, OU outperforms Texas for coveted players in the Lone Star State. Stoops is a good recruiter, sure, but he resides in and near the land of milk and honey, too.

Administrative/Booster Support: Very strong. Stoops has the full support of the old guard (guys like Barry Switzer) and his athletic director, Joe Castiglione, is a proactive standout in his field. As far as facilities go, we’ll take Nebraska’s swank spread of OU’s ten-year-old digs, but the Sooners want for very little. Stoops has all the tradition, support and booster bucks he wants. He’s created a lot of success, yes. He’s also been given a lot to create it with.

Media/Fan Expectation: They’re high. Very high. But they’re not lunatic high, like they are at certain SEC programs, and the fans aren’t fickle, like they are at Texas. Sooner fans want to win. Stoops does win. But he’s not required to be a messiah (again: see the SEC).

Chance of “Success:” OU has every advantage in this regard. It’s one of the great programs, and has been since Bud Wilkinson. There’s talent. There’s tradition. There’s reasonably warm weather for recruiting purposes.

“X” Factor: Stoops’ recent run of losses in bowl games makes fan groan a little. Not that they want him to go anywhere.

No. 10 TEXAS

Head Coach: Mack Brown Compensation: Around $3 million.

Recruiting Base: None better. The best talent in the state of Texas. And most of them are rounded up by the end of spring football. UT’s recruiting budget must be equal to the military budget of Albania.

Administrative/Booster Support: Some would call DeLoss Dodds the nation’s most powerful athletic director. He’s sure one of them. In defense of Brown, he’s done a really good job winning back his share of boosters after the long, dark period after Darryl Royal retired. Then again, it was Brown’s predecessor, John Mackovic, who got the unpleasant job of bluntly telling those boosters UT’s facilities were woefully out of date. Brown walked into a better situation than Mackovic left when he was fired.

Media/Fan Expectation: We know some Texas fans, and, outside of rubbing OU’s nose in it, the goals are sometimes fuzzy. UT will cherish Vince Young and the national title he won for the Longhorns for the next century. But do they blame Brown for the one loss that blemished an otherwise terrific 2008? Success doesn’t always bring out the fans anyway, as witnessed by the occasional empty seats in UT’s stadium.

Chance of “Success”: Right up there with OU. Texas has all the advantages. At this point, any number of coaches – say, Will Muschamp – could be plugged into that job and coast on fumes for five years.

“X” Factor: The University of Texas has more beautiful women on its campus than any other in America, in one of the nation’s best college towns. It helps.

No. 9 KANSAS STATE

Head Coach: Bill Snyder Compensation: 1.85 million

Recruiting Base: The same as Kansas, except that Snyder leans much more heavily on the JUCOs.

Administrative/Booster Support: Basically, Snyder will get the “Joe Gibbs” treatment. He’s already performed “The Miracle in Manhattan” and if he carves out a modicum of success, any setbacks will just be blamed on Ron Prince’s three years at KSU. Snyder runs that town, and he’ll make darn sure the Wildcats schedule three or four wins per year.

Fan/Media Expectations: A respectable program. Coaches who don’t have to run stadium stairs.

Chance of “Success”: Pretty good, if 7-5 is the standard, and we don’t really see Kansas State doing much better than that in whatever time Snyder chooses to put into this second act.

“X” Factor: Snyder will need one year, and maybe two, to clean up the mess Prince left behind. And he won’t have Stoops and Mangino to help him do it.

No. 8 TEXAS A&M

Head coach: Mike Sherman Compensation: $1.8 million

Recruiting base: The central/southern part Texas seems pretty sweet to us. The Aggies make a killing in NASA country (that’s Houston). A&M probably draws a little too much talent from a 100-mile radius, for that matter.

Administrative/Booster Support: Aggies are plenty competitive, and will spend top dollar to win in almost every sport. Athletic director Bill Byrne is no less competitive, even if his zeal in the past, including at Nebraska, was for non-revenue sports that could inch him closer to a Sears Directors Trophy. Still – at A&M, excellence is the standard. Another season like 2008, and Sherman might be gone very soon.

Fan/Media Expectation: For a solid decade, A&M was the premier program in Texas. Getting there again is a top priority, and it’s not completely out of the question, either. The Longhorns are due for a dry spell. Oklahoma, on other hand…we don’t see the Sooners going anywhere. The fans at A&M are terrific. The closest to Nebraska fans, in fact.

Chance of “Success”: Ten wins, a Big 12 South crown and bragging rights over UT are a lot to ask for right now. Maybe a little too much to ask. But the Aggies are committed, support is entrenched, and the area talent is rich. This is fertile ground for winning. Sherman has no excuses, really, because Dennis Franchione didn’t exactly run the program into the ground.

“X” Factor: A&M is making the painful transition from option zone read to West Coast Offense with a former NFL coach. Ask Nebraska how well that turned out.

No. 7 TEXAS TECH

Head Coach: Mike Leach Compensation: $2.3 million

Recruiting Base: Leach has made inroads into central and the Texas Panhandle to go along with the football-rich region of West Texas.

Booster/Administrative Support: It’s no great secret that Leach and his athletic director aren’t great chums. But Leach won the war of public opinion in a recent contract dispute, and let’s just say wasn’t the proletariat that turned the tide, but the Tech bourgeoisie. The Red Raiders just finished a $84 million renovation to Jones Stadium.

Media/Fan Expectation: Leach seems to win eight every year – 11 in 2008 – and fans don’t seem too riled up if he can’t win the big games, which he rarely does. He’s brought more publicity to Lubbock than anyone since Buddy Holly. Yeah, even more than Bob Knight.They love the big pirate-lovin lug.

Chance of “Success:” Every four years or so, Tech might be able to climb that national title mountain like it did in 2008. Otherwise, since fans seem content with nine wins and a fun offense each year – and the Wes Welkers and Michael Crabtrees of the world are still willing to enroll – chances are pretty good, we’d say.

“X” Factor: Leach makes this job easier for himself, because Leach is Texas Tech. We pity, really, the coach who must follow him.

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Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops has too much tunnel vision to dwell on the fact that he’s coaching against childhood buddy Bo Pelini when OU takes on Nebraska this Saturday in Norman.


But there was a moment last summer, when Stoops and
Pelini were at a coaching clinic in their hometown of
Youngstown, Ohio, that he just had to chuckle.



“Bo and I were just hanging out with everybody,” Stoops said in Monday’s Big 12 Teleconference, “and we said, ‘isn’t it ironic two guys from the south side of Youngstown end up coaching, hell, Oklahoma and Nebraska, and the rivalry that it is?’ It’s just unusual.”



Now focused on the task at hand, Stoops said “it’s never exciting going against your friends” and OU-NU rivalry than his friendship with Pelini, who served as co-defensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 2004.



“This game’s about a lot more than he and I,” Stoops said. “It’s been going on for a long time and it’ll be going on for a long time after us. I don’t take anything in my business as personal. It’s all about programs and teams.”



Because of that, Stoops said, he’ll spend time this week reminding his players of the game’s history, the magnitude of which has been diminished since the inception of the Big 12 Conference and the splitting of Nebraska and Oklahoma into separate divisions.



Stoops already runs clips of the rivalry during two-a-days in fall camp. But the Huskers and Sooners haven’t tangled since the 2006 Big 12 Championship game, nearly two years ago.



“I believe our older players have seen it enough but you have to keep reminding them,” Stoops said. “It’s funny how young guys and kids are. History is the last couple of years to them sometimes. We do our best to educate them. We’ll talk about it and make sure they’re aware.”



Stoops said the Cornhuskers look better after eight games under Pelini.



“Defensively they’re just different in the way they play,” he said. “That’s been noticeable for sure. You see them playing hard, defensively. You see them very sound in what they’re doing.”




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No. 1 Texas (6-0 overall, 2-0 in the Big 12, Beat Oklahoma 45-35) The Longhorns are, for now, the league’s most complete team, led by the league’s best-named quarterback Colt McCoy. McCoy made several crucial plays in the win over OU, converting third downs into first downs with his arm and legs. UT’s defense struggles a little against skilled passing attacks, but the Sooners quickly abandoned the running game because it was having little success.


Remember this game, folks. This could be the moment when Texas officially surpasses Oklahoma as the premier program in the Big 12. UT has won 3 of the last 6 meetings and it has been better in bowl games. Stoops has run this league for eight years. His reign might just be over.


No. 2 Oklahoma State (6-0, 2-0 Beat Missouri 28-23) Surprise, surprise – it was the Cowboys’ talented-but-maligned defense, not their offense, that secured the biggest OSU victory in, well, some time. Oklahoma State’s offense is indeed diverse, and running back Kendall Hunter is absolutely the league’s best. But that defense has two or three athletes that Nebraska simply lacks. That’s the difference between Chase Daniel coasting along in Lincoln, and getting flushed and frustrated at home.


No. 3 Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1, Lost to Texas 45-35) The Sooners have their terrible defensive game out of their system. Now it’s time to head to Kansas, where the Jayhawks run a strikingly similar offense and boast a fairly stingy defense. Once again, OU Coach Bob Stoops revealed his relative lack of belief in his own defense to stop an opponent when he tried a fake punt. At some point, one must ask: Why does Oklahoma, with arguably the most talent in college football, consistently have a “meltdown” game year after year?


No. 4 Missouri (5-1, 1-1, Lost to Oklahoma State 28-23) What has to kill the Tigers is that OSU didn’t play near its best game on offense. Nope, Mizzou lost this puppy all on its own, as quarterback Chase Daniel came out cold and forced too many balls in the second half. This game was a monumental choke by Daniel and Missouri’s “unstoppable” offense. But the Tigers aren’t out of it; beat Texas this week (and it is possible) and Mizzou puts itself right back in the national championship conversation.


No. 5 Texas Tech (6-0, 2-0, Beat Nebraska 37-31) Same old Red Raiders, relying on smoke, mirrors and a few whacky West Texas plays to mask over a smallish, undisciplined defense. Tech has a whole fleet of offensive weapons, though. I was especially impressed with slippery running back Baron Batch. Graham Harrell’s not bad, but if you put pressure on him, he’ll screw up.


No. 6 Kansas (5-1, 2-0, Beat Colorado 30-14) KU’s won two games it was supposed to win. Neither were very pretty, but the Jayhawks did begin to find their running game against the Buffs, as junior Jake Sharp went over 100 yards on the ground. Todd Reesing’s still Todd Reesing, which means Kansas is never out of a game. Even against Oklahoma.


No. 7 Baylor (3-3, 1-1, Beat Iowa State 38-10) In truth, Nebraska played well enough to inhabit this spot – until Baylor put a major number on a game Cyclones bunch. ISU probably suffered a letdown after two heartbreaking losses and quarterback Phillip Bates quitting the team, but, still – BU quarterback Robert Griffin is ahead of the breakneck pace Vince Young set a few years ago. And Griffin is in the right offense. Baylor has a real shot at a bowl game.


No. 8 Nebraska (3-3, 0-2, Lost to Texas Tech 37-31) The Huskers flashed some of the potential we thought they had, but they couldn’t close the crucial deal in Lubbock. NU should win by 10 or more in Ames next week – emphasis on should.


No. 9 Kansas State (4-2, 1-1, Beat Texas A&M 44-30) KSU gave up another 500 yards to an opposing offense, but the pathetic A&M has no defense of its own. Kansas State’s not winning another game in the Big 12 with that kind of defense.


No. 10 Colorado (3-3, 0-2, Lost to Kansas 30-14) I’ve soured on this team. CU only mounts two or three good drives a game, and the Buffs are handicapped by the coach’s son, quarterback Cody Hawkins, who isn’t mobile enough to run the shotgun spread offense. The Buffs play fair defense, but rarely for four quarters.


No. 11 Iowa State (2-4, 0-2, Lost to Baylor 38-10) ISU took a step back in Waco, and have to regroup quickly for a desperate, newly confident Nebraska team.


No. 12 Texas A&M (2-4, 0-2, Lost to Kansas State 44-30) Knock knock. Who’s there? Fire. Fire who? Fire Mike Sherman.

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