Texas Longhorns

The Lombardi Award, which has my personal favorite description for its award, released its 145-man preseason watch list (you'll see why in a bit) and the Big 12 landed 17 players on it.

Here's who's eligible:

• Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• Blaize Foltz, OG, TCU
• Ben Habern, C, Oklahoma
• Jordan Hicks, LB, Texas
• Gabe Ikard, OG, Oklahoma
• Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas
• A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
• Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State
• Shaun Lewis, LB, Oklahoma State
• Joe Madsen, C, West Virginia
• Stansly Maponga, DE, TCU
• Corey Nelson, LB, Oklahoma
• Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
• Cyril Richardson, OG, Baylor
• Lane Taylor, OG, Oklahoma State
• LaAdrian Waddle, OT, Texas Tech
• Mason Walters, OG, Texas

That's quite a hefty list. Here's the description I love to hear every year for who can win the award:

To be considered for the Rotary Lombardi Award players must be a Division I college football team member and meet the following qualifications:

• Be a down lineman, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, setting up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball at the time of snap.
• Be a linebacker on defense, setting up no farther than 5 yards deep from the line of scrimmage.
• May not come out of the offensive backfield and set up on the line of scrimmage as a blocker or receiver, or be listed as a back or receiver.
• Shows leadership, courage, desire, respect for authority and discipline.

The voting electorate is made up of the head coaches from all Division I schools, sports media personnel from across the country and former winners and finalists of the Rotary Lombardi Award. Currently the total number of voters is approximately 500.

Complicated, no? It's fun anyway. It also has my favorite trophy of any of the college football awards. I'm an unashamed Lombardi Award lover, folks.

Boston College's Luke Kuechly won the award last season. Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh (2009) was the last player from the Big 12 to win the award. Texas' Brian Orakpo (2008) was the last player from the current Big 12 configuration to win it.

Oklahoma and Texas both have three winners all-time, tied for the fourth-most nationally. Nebraska's five winners is second all-time behind only Ohio State (six).

The Outland Trophy, given annually to college football's best interior lineman (offense or defense) has released its 71-man watch list.

Seven players from the Big 12 made the cut. Here they are:

• Blaize Foltz, guard, TCU
• Ben Habern, center, Oklahoma
• Gabe Ikard, guard, Oklahoma
• Cyril Richardson, guard, Baylor
• Lane Taylor, guard, Oklahoma State
• LaAdrian Waddle, guard, Texas Tech
• Mason Walters, guard, Texas

That's a pretty good list, but I probably would have liked to see Kansas State center B.J. Finney crack the list, too. The Outland Trophy is only for interior linemen, meaning no offensive tackles or defensive ends. These are truly the big uglies in the middle. Their names don't get mentioned enough.

Ndamukong Suh (2009) was the last Big 12 talent to win the award. Before him, it was Jammal Brown at Oklahoma in 2004.

Nebraska's nine and Oklahoma's five Outland Trophies are the most in college football.

The Big 12's seven candidates are fourth-most of the major conferences, led by the SEC's 19.

College football guru Phil Steele is previewing his must-read offseason magazine, and with it, he's releasing his all-conference and All-America teams.

Here's who he slated as his first-team All-Big 12 squad:

OFFENSE

QB: Landry Jones, Oklahoma
RB: Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State
RB: Malcolm Brown, Texas
WR: Tavon Austin, West Virginia
WR: Kenny Stills, Oklahoma
WR: Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
TE: Jordan Najvar, Baylor
C: Ben Habern, Oklahoma
OL: Lane Taylor, Oklahoma State
OL: Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma
OL: LaAdrian Waddle, Texas Tech
OL: Cyril Richardson, Baylor

• I'd probably go with Geno Smith ahead of Jones, but it's close. You could definitely make a compelling case for both.
• I'd also lean more toward Terrance Williams at Baylor for that third receiver spot ahead of Stills. Stills' upside is still really high, but again, it's close between those two.
• Good grief, the tight end spot in the Big 12 is a rough. Navjar is a good selection. Travis Tannahill at Kansas State could grab that spot, too. You're almost better off picking a sixth offensive lineman or a fullback like Trey Millard at Oklahoma, who's more valuable than any of the league's tight ends.

DEFENSE

DL: Alex Okafor, Texas
DL: Stansly Maponga, TCU
DL: Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas
DL: Jamarkus McFarland, Oklahoma
LB: Jake Knott, Iowa State
LB: Tom Wort, Oklahoma
LB: A.J. Klein, Iowa State
LB: Arthur Brown, Kansas State
CB: Nigel Malone, Kansas State
CB: Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State
S: Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
S: Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma

SPECIALISTS

P: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
K: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
PR: Tavon Austin, West Virginia
KR: Tyler Lockett, Kansas State

• No complaints among the specialists, but I'd definitely have kept a more traditional three linebackers. You could afford to leave Tom Wort off that list. Not so with the other three.
• After a sad group of cornerbacks in 2011, the position looks pretty loaded this year. There's no fewer than five guys in my book who deserve strong consideration and probably a spot on the first team. It's too bad there are only two spots. Clearly, Malone and Brown are deserving, but so are Justin Gilbert, Carrington Byndom and Quandre Diggs.
• Safeties are both loaded. Maybe two of the best defenders in the league.

Here's who Steele tabbed as All-Americans, too.

FIRST TEAM

• Alex Okafor, DE, Texas

SECOND TEAM

• Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
• Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• Quinn Sharp, K, Oklahoma State

THIRD TEAM

• Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma
• Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia
• Lane Taylor, OL, Oklahoma State
• Quinn Sharp, P, Oklahoma State
• Tyler Lockett, KR, Kansas State

FOURTH TEAM

• Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
• Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
• Gabe Ikard, OL, Oklahoma
• Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas
• A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
• Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma
• Tavon Austin, KR, West Virginia

This week's Senior Bowl and next month's NFL scouting combine will help decide who will hear their names called, and when, in April's NFL draft, but what about next year?

Mel Kiper unleashed his top five returning players for 2012, the top prospects at their positions in next year's draft.

Lots of interesting names. Here's where the Big 12 talents sit.

Quarterbacks

• No. 2: Landry Jones, Oklahoma
• No. 4: Geno Smith, West Virginia

Fullbacks

• No. 1: Braden Wilson, Kansas State
• No. 5: Ryan Clarke, West Virginia

My take: Good to see Wilson's name on this list. He's impressed coach Bill Snyder from the start, and Wilson was an underrated reason for K-State's success running the ball the past two seasons with Daniel Thomas in 2010 and Collin Klein/John Hubert in 2011. One of the Big 12's toughest players.

Receivers

• No. 1: Terrance Williams, Baylor
• No. 3: Tavon Austin, West Virginia

My take: Both of those names made me do a double take. Williams was a great player this season, and you perhaps best know him as the player who caught the game-winning touchdown to beat Oklahoma, but he's never looked to me like a player who could be the first receiver drafted. We'll see how he does in 2012 as Baylor's No. 1 receiver, with Nick Florence throwing him the ball instead of Robert Griffin III. Williams could become a star.

Austin always struck me as an undersized player, but there's no denying his playmaking ability. Few can match his game-breaking ability with the ball in his hands.

Offensive tackles

• No. 5: Tanner Hawkinson, Kansas

Centers

• No. 4: Ben Habern, Oklahoma

Defensive ends

• No. 1: Alex Okafor, Texas

My take: No surprise there. Okafor burst on the scene this season, and has that combination of size and speed you rarely see outside of players who become first-round picks.

Inside linebackers

• No. 4: Arthur Brown, Kansas State

Outside linebackers

• No. 4: Sean Porter, Texas A&M
• No. 5: Zaviar Gooden, Missouri

Cornerbacks

• No. 4: Demontre Hurst, Oklahoma

Punters

• No. 2: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State