Texas Longhorns

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- What was being billed as the biggest home game in Kansas State history turned into the biggest Wildcat home win in history. Faced with the opportunity to win a conference title for only the third time in school history, make it to a BCS bowl game and quite possible push their senior leader, Collin Klein, to the front of the Heisman line, Kansas State at least delivered on the first two with its 42-24 win over Texas. As for the Heisman, that will have to wait. Despite the win, the the odds of grabbing the school's first remain quite long.

It was over when: Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett grabbed a 55-yard touchdown pass to start the fourth quarter and put the Wildcats up 28-17. The play-action pass was set up by the Wildcats' previous drive in which Klein kept the ball on the ground for the majority of the 67-yard drive.

Stat of the game: After being held to just 114 yards in the first half and Klein being largely pedestrian, KSU scored the first three times it touched the ball in the second half. Kansas State put scoring drives of 75, 67 and 55 yards together to pull away from Texas.

Stat of the game, part 2: Texas quarterback Case McCoy completed 17 straight passes after starting the game with an incompletion and an interception. Texas has not had a quarterback complete 17 straight since Case's brother, Colt, did it. Colt McCoy holds the record for completions with 18 straight.

Game ball goes to: Although Klein did not put up the stats necessary to wow Heisman voters, his senior leadership steadied KSU in the second half and his command of the offense allowed the Wildcats to pull away. Klein was 4-of-10 passing for 72 yards with an interception in the first half, adding 19 yards rushing and a touchdown. Klein came out and rushed for 54 yards in the third quarter alone and was 3-of-3 passing for 57 yards in that quarter.

What it means for Texas: The Longhorns appear to be entrenched in the Cotton Bowl. Texas will finish third in the Bg 12 behind Kansas State and Oklahoma. Both those teams should go to BCS bowls, leaving Texas as the clear choice for the Cotton Bowl. Texas' likely opponent is LSU, but there is a scenario that would allow Georgia to come to the Cotton Bowl.

What it means for KSU: For only the third time in school history the Wildcats have won a conference title, with the most recent coming in 2003. The other occasion was 1934. While Klein did not do himself any favors in Heisman voting, the team did wrap up a bid to the Fiesta Bowl.

Collin Klein might get all the hype, but the Kansas State skill players who surround him will get plenty of attention from Texas’ defense this week.

One of the most dangerous members of that group is a Texas native who didn’t get much attention coming out of high school: John Hubert.

The Wildcats got a steal in Hubert, a junior running back who was ranked No. 182 among running back prospects in 2009 by ESPN. The recruiting rankings weren’t alone in overlooking him.

He rushed for more than 2,800 yards and 41 touchdowns as a senior at Waco (Texas) Midway. You’d think that would be enough to put him on several in-state schools’ radar. Instead, the closest offer close to home came from North Texas.

Hubert ended up picking KSU over Idaho State, Louisiana Tech, North Texas and Montana State. Other Big 12 schools, including hometown school Baylor, gave him a look but didn’t bite.

At 5-foot-7 and 191 pounds, Hubert was an easy one to pass up. Last season, he should’ve been relegated to a minor role behind five-star transfer Bryce Brown. But the former No. 8 overall recruit and Philadelphia Eagles back left KSU after three carries in two games.

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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

We're continuing our look at the postseason rankings for each position in the Big 12. Here's a look back at where the receivers ranked in the preseason.

In this position, unlike quarterback, depth is a major, major factor in these rankings.

More postseason position rankings:

• Quarterbacks
• Running backs

1. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys boasted two-time Biletnikoff winner Justin Blackmon, but he wasn't the only weapon. The Cowboys had nine (!) receivers with at least 19 catches and 200 yards receiving this season. Insane. Life is good with Brandon Weeden at quarterback.

2. Baylor: Kendall Wright actually outperformed Blackmon and Ryan Broyles on the stat sheet, catching 108 balls for 1,663 yards. The Bears didn't have the insane depth of OSU, but the trio of Wright, Terrance Williams (59 rec, 957 yards, 11 TDs) and Tevin Reese (51 rec, 877 yards, 7 TDs) were all in the Big 12's top seven receivers.

3. Texas A&M: Ryan Swope emerged to become one of just four Big 12 receivers to notch 1,000-yard seasons. Jeff Fuller's season was disappointing, but he still finished eighth in the league in receiving, and Uzoma Nwachukwu was in the league's top 15 in receiving.

4. Oklahoma: The Sooners weren't quite as solid as they thought to begin the season. Broyles was as advertised, though his Biletnikoff-contending season was cut short by a torn ACL. The unit was productive, but came down with the drops late in the season. Broyles and Kenny Stills were both in the league's top seven in receiving, and Jaz Reynolds caught 41 passes for 715 yards to crack the top 10.

5. Texas Tech: Tech's top target, Darrin Moore, battled injuries all year, but Eric Ward emerged as the team's most consistent target, catching 84 passes for 800 yards and 11 scores. Alex Torres missed two games, but added 616 more yards.

6. Missouri: The Tigers' receivers had their production dip with a dual-threat passer in James Franklin who ran the ball more than his predecessor, but they were still pretty good, despite lacking a true big-time threat. T.J. Moe caught 54 passes for 649 yards and four scores. Tight end Michael Egnew added 50 grabs for 523 yards and three scores. L'Damian Washington, Marcus Lucas and Wes Kemp had unremarkable individual seasons, but their production added up to a good year for Mizzou's receivers.

7. Kansas State: Kansas State was better than most thought to begin the season, but the ground-based offense limited their receivers' ability to finish with big production. Chris Harper (40 rec, 547 yards, 5 TDs) led the group. Tramaine Thompson and Tyler Lockett showed some good promise, too.

8. Texas: The Longhorns could get really good, really fast at this spot. The uncertainty/struggles at quarterback limited this group, but Jaxon Shipley and Mike Davis could both mature into absolute stars. For now, though, they didn't quite crack the top 15 in the Big 12 in receiving. Both topped 40 catches and 600 receiving yards.

9. Iowa State: Darius Reynolds' size downfield will be missed, but Aaron Horne and Josh Lenz are tough covers working the middle of the field. Reynolds caught seven touchdowns, and Horne and Lenz both topped 38 catches.

10. Kansas: Yikes. The Jayhawks didn't have a receiver in the league's top 20, but D.J. Beshears led the team with 40 grabs for 437 yards and three touchdowns. He was the only Jayhawk in the Big 12's top 32 in receiving.

Time for a collection of fun facts, courtesy of the Big 12 Conference heading into eight Big 12 bowl games this postseason.

• The Big 12 has five Heisman winners since its inception in 1996, the most of any conference over that span.
• Every Big 12 team has gone to a bowl since 2008.
• Since that year, seven Big 12 teams have won bowl games.
• The Big 12 and SEC are the only conferences with 10 or more teams in which every team's played in a bowl game over the last four seasons.
• In 2012, the Big 12 will have three conference champions and seven teams ranked in the final regular season BCS rankings.
• A Big 12 player has won the Lou Groza Award as the nation's top kicker in the past two consecutive seasons. (Randy Bullock, Texas A&M; Dan Bailey, Oklahoma State)
• The Big 12 set an attendance record with an average of over 63,000 fans for each home game.
• Every Big 12 team leads its series against its bowl opponent this year, if the teams had previously met.
• Baylor leads its series against Washington, 3-1.
• Oklahoma leads its series against Iowa, 1-0.
• Kansas State leads its series against Arkansas, 3-1.
• Missouri leads its series against North Carolina, 2-0.
• Texas leads its series against Cal, 4-0.
• Iowa State and Rutgers have never met. This year will be Iowa State's 11th bowl game in school history. It's gone to the postseason twice in three years under Paul Rhoads.
• Northwestern and Texas A&M have never met.
• Oklahoma State and Stanford have never met.
• Baylor is 7-8 all-time in bowl games.
• When holding teams under 24 points, Iowa State is 15-1.
• Kansas State took home Newcomer of the Year (Arthur Brown), Coach of the Year (Bill Snyder) and Offensive Freshman of the Year (Tyler Lockett). The three awards are the most in school history.
• Missouri has 2,835 yards rushing and 2,834 yards passing. The Tigers are one of only two teams in the country to average at least 235 yards per game both through the air and on the ground.
• Oklahoma and Iowa have one common opponent: Iowa State. The Sooners won, 26-6, in Norman. Iowa lost in triple overtime in Ames, 44-41.
• Texas has played in 49 bowl games, which ranks second in the FBS.

The regular season is over, but with the end of any season, you can't help but look to the future. In college football, that means youth, i.e. freshmen.

There were plenty of big talents playing their first season in the Big 12 this year, and here were the best of the bunch.

It should come as no surprise that the bulk of the young talent plays offense, assuring that the Big 12's reputation as an offense-driven league looks like it'll remain a constant.

Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas: The Longhorns were tentative to let Brown start early in the season, but he emerged as the team's top back and into the starting slot, finishing the season as the team's leading rusher, at 707 yards and five touchdowns.

Tyler Lockett, WR/KR, Kansas State: Lockett became one of K-State's best playmakers late in the year, and the Big 12's best kick returner. He returned two kicks for scores and averaged over 35 yards per return, catching 18 passes for 246 yards and three scores. No small accomplishment in the Wildcats' run-heavy offense.

Jaxon Shipley, WR, Texas: Shipley was hampered by a knee injury for much of the season, but he was the Longhorns most reliable receiver, leading the team with three touchdown catches. He was narrowly edged for the team lead in catches (40) and receiving yards (593).

Jared Barnett, QB, Iowa State: Barnett's best known for playing an unbelievable game against Oklahoma State. He took over for Steele Jantz in midseason and led the Cyclones from 3-4 to 6-4 and a bowl berth, with a blowout win over Texas Tech and dramatic wins over OSU and Kansas. He threw for 376 yards and three scores against OSU and ran 84 more yards.

Quandre Diggs, CB, Texas: Diggs has star written all over him. Don't be surprised if he's the Big 12's best defensive back next year. He showed flashes in the spring game after enrolling early, and started nine games for Texas as a true freshman. A rare feat in most years, especially for the defense. He led the team with three interceptions forced two fumbles with 43 tackles and 13 pass breakups. Unbelievable freshman year for the Horn.

Darrian Miller, RB, Kansas: Miller's got some great wiggle to his running style as one of the league's most elusive backs, and ran for 559 yards and four scores on just 136 yards.

Blake Dees, LB, Texas Tech: Dees looked like a potential starter in spring practice and showed up once fall came for the Red Raiders. Despite an ankle injury that basically erased the second half of his season, he made 32 tackles with four tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

Tony Pierson, RB, Kansas: Memo to Charlie Weis: You've got a heck of a backfield, better use it. Pierson, Miller and James Sims are all solid for the Jayhawks, and Pierson might have as much upside as any of them. He's an electrifying player like Miller, but with more size and averaged over 5.5 yards on his 71 carries, scoring three times. Here's guessing the scoring numbers and touches go up next year.

Josh Stewart, WR, Oklahoma State: Stewart was a nice piece of a powerful OSU offense and showed plenty of promise as a kick returner, too, averaging better than 20 yards on his 11 returns. He caught 19 balls for 291 yards and two scores.

Blake Bell, QB, Oklahoma: Bell redshirted before showing up midseason in the valuable BellDozer formation that OU came up with after Dominique Whaley went down with a fractured ankle. He scored an unbelievable 10 touchdowns on 34 carries, but the throwing thing could use some work. In four attempts, he completed as many passes to the other team (1) as his own.

Editor’s Note: Tune into the “AT&T ESPN All America Team Show” on Saturday (ABC, 1:30 p.m. ET) to see who ESPN’s writers and experts selected.

It's been a fun season across the Big 12, with a few big names who didn't play as well as we thought, and lots of unknowns who became household names by the end of the season.

I'll offer my comments below, but here's our All-Big 12 team for 2011.

OFFENSE

QB: Robert Griffin III, Baylor
All-purpose: Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State
RB: Terrance Ganaway, Baylor
RB: Henry Josey, Missouri
FB: Trey Millard, Oklahoma
WR: Kendall Wright, Baylor
WR: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
WR: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
TE: Michael Egnew, Missouri
C: Grant Garner, Oklahoma State
OL: Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State
OL: Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State
OL: Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma
OL: Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M

DEFENSE

DE: Frank Alexander, Oklahoma
DT: Dominique Hamilton, Missouri
DE: Alex Okafor, Texas
DE: Jamie Blatnick, Oklahoma State
LB: Sean Porter, Texas A&M
LB: Jake Knott, Iowa State
LB: Emmanuel Acho, Texas
NB: Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
CB: Nigel Malone, Kansas State
CB: Carrington Byndom, Texas
S: Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
S: Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State

SPECIALISTS

P: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
PK: Randy Bullock, Texas A&M
PR: Dustin Harris, Texas A&M
KR: Tyler Lockett, Kansas State

Finally, a few notes and explanations:

• I loved the media's idea to craft an all-purpose spot to accomodate Collin Klein. The Big Ten did the same for Michigan's Denard Robinson last season. I followed suit, and did so on the defensive side of the ball with a nickel-back spot for Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson. Two players that missed first-team designation by the coaches, but clearly deserve to be recognized.
• Additionally, I prefer the teams to reflect the Big 12 style of play, so the nickel back fits. Each team doesn't have 11 players, but there were deserving linebackers. The same with Egnew and Millard. Does every team use a fullback or a tight end? No, but both are standout performers. They'd rotate in anyway, just as Jefferson would in a theoretical package.
• Tough call to leave Philip Blake from Baylor off my team, but Garner's been better. Blake is very, very close, though.
• Hated to leave off Brodrick Brown and E.J. Gaines, but I went with a more traditional two corners and two safeties, rather than four corners like the media's team.
• Steven Johnson and Arthur Brown would have been right behind my three linebackers. That race was probably closer than at any other position, except maybe cornerback. Difficult to leave either of those guys off my first team, but the three on the team were better. I gave Brown my Newcomer of the Year nod, though.
• I don't like going with three defensive ends and one defensive tackle, but there wasn't a defensive tackle who deserved the honor more than Okafor, my third defensive end. Okafor was a defensive tackle last year anyway, so that's close enough, right? He moved from tackle to end before spring practice earlier this year. In the Big 12, an additional pass rusher is necessary, too, right?
• I made a similar move with my offensive line. Went tackle-heavy, but the guards didn't have quite as many standouts.