Over the past two months I have previewed seven of the 12 teams in the Big 12: Colorado, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Following are shorter looks at five more Big 12 schools -- Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas, Baylor and Missouri.

OKLAHOMA STATE
The Cowboys are the most significant team on the rise in the Big 12. They are vastly improved under head coach Les Miles, who has done a nice job fortifying the talent in Stillwater. Plus, they have momentum off their upset of Oklahoma last year. The problem is that Oklahoma State must survive an incredibly tough schedule.

	Oklahoma State WR Rashaun Woods is one of college football's top big-play threats.

Two weeks after they open at Louisiana Tech, the Cowboys host UCLA. Then, in a stretch of games between Oct. 5 and Nov. 9, they play at Texas, at Kansas State, at home against Nebraska and Texas A&M and then at Texas Tech. They finish on Nov. 30 against the Sooners, who will be seeking revenge in Stillwater. Of the 12 games, four are ones they should definitely win. But the others come against some of the best teams in the country.

Oklahoma State begins the season with a very competitive quarterback situation. Josh Fields didn't start a game last season, but he was a key player in wins over Baylor and Oklahoma. He has the edge over Aso Pogi for the starting job, even though Pogi started every game last season.

There is more competition at running back. The returning starter is junior Tatum Bell, but he has to take care of the football better; he lost seven fumbles last year. However, he is bigger and more physicaly gifted, now packing 215 pounds on his 5-foot-11 frame rather than the 190 he carried last season. Vernand Morency, a true freshman at age 22, is competing with Bell and is an interesting player to watch. He played in the Colorado Rockies' organization and has a chance to be a significant performer.

The Cowboys have arguably the top receiver in the country in Rashaun Woods -- and that is saying a lot, considering the presence of Charles Rogers, Reggie Williams, Roy Williams, Andre Johnson and a few others. But Woods takes a backseat to no one. Last season he caught 80 passes for 1,023 yards and 10 touchdowns. They also have three other major contributors at receiver, including senior John Lewis, the team's fast player. Their offensive line, however, is a question mark because their center and two guards are new.

Defensively, Oklahoma State should be very good. Senior defensive tackles Kevin Williams and LaWaylon Brown have been unblockable in practice. The Cowboys also have a steady inside linebacker in Terrence Robinson, their defensive captain. They return every starter in the secondary, but they need to show improvement. The top player is sophomore cornerback Darrent Williams, who had two interception returns for touchdowns against Baylor.

While they are on the right track, the Cowboys must somehow overcome their difficult schedule. But outside of the offensive line and the secondary, they have a heck of a team on paper.

IOWA STATE
Dan McCarney has led the Cyclones to back-to-back winning seasons. Two years ago, they went 9-3 and won their first bowl game ever over Pittsburgh. It was their first nine-win season since 1906. Last year they were 7-5, and ticket sales were at an all-time high. Cyclone Stadium holds 46,814, and last year they averaged 45,172. There is a lot of excitement in Ames because the Cyclones have had success.

They have also had a 1,000-yard rusher for seven straight years, even though it seems like the offensive line is a question mark every year. They suffered a blow in practice last week when they lost guard Luke Vander Sanden to a broken ankle during a non-contact drill.

Iowa State's offensive strength is QB Seneca Wallace, who completed 62 percent of his passes last year and accounted for 18 touchdowns overall. Behind Wallace's skill level, the Cyclones were able to convert more than 46 percent of the time on third and fourth down, which was second in the Big 12.

The main running back is Michael Wagner, but they really like backup Hiawatha Rutland. The depth with Wagner and Rutland enabled the Cyclones to move JaMaine Billups to safety. Coming out of high school, he was considred one of the top 10 defensive backs in the country. At receiver, Wallace's top target is junior Lane Danielsen. But the receiver who has turned heads is true freshman Jon Davis, a 6-3, 185-pounder. The skill positions look solid as long as the line holds up.

Defensively, the Cyclones have outstanding depth at safety now that Billups has moved to SS. Anthony Forrest is another solid SS. One of their top players is FS Marc Timmons, who is being challenged by redshirt freshman Steve Paris. They are part of McCarney's best secondary in his eight years at Iowa State, but the cornerbacks are only 5-foot-8 or smaller.

The Cyclones have one of the best linebacking corps in the Big 12. MLB Matt Word had 108 tackles a year ago, while Jeremy Loyd was their defensive MVP. Up front, they have an outstanding defensive tackle in junior Jordan Carstens.

On special teams, sophomore Tony Yelk was a great punter a year ago, averaging 44 yards per punt. His kickoffs were excellent as well, but his field-goal kicking was a bit shaky. He missed four field-goal attempts against Texas A&M in a game they lost 24-21. This season Yelk will handle field goals over 40 yards, while Adam Benike will handle shorter attempts.

KANSAS
As former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Mark Mangino begins his first year as head coach in Lawrence, there are still lingering battles taking place at both QB and RB. A pair of juniors, Zach Dyer and Bill Whittemore are in the hunt for the starting QB job, with Dyer reportedly maintaining a slight edge.

At RB, junior Reggie Duncan figures to open as the starter, but expect redshirt freshman Clark Green to see a great deal of action as well. Because of dehydration problems, WR Harrison Hill won't be back with the Jayhawks for what would have been his sixth year of eligibility. By not being able to participate this season, Hill comes up just 26 catches short of being the all-time leading receiver in KU history.

With Hill not available, senior Byron Gassaway becomes the go-to option, coming off just an 18-catch performance last season. Diminutive 5-7, 165-pound junior Derick Mills will work opposite Gassaway.

Up front, the starting offensive line, led into battle by blue-chip senior left tackle Justin Sands, should be able to hold their own, but if any injuries occur, you could see a dramatic dropoff in performance.

Defensively, the front seven looks OK, highlighted by senior DE Charlie Dennis, sophomore DT Travis Watkins, senior LB Leo Etienne (leading returning tackler with 94 stops last year), and senior LB Greg Cole. Dennis is the Jayhawks' top returning pass rusher (six sacks last year), and Watkins is shifting from end to DT, but the player to keep a close eye on is highly regarded junior-college transfer Cory Kipp. The 6-4, 255-pounder comes to KU from Riverside Community College, but actually began his college career at Arizona.

The secondary is definitely a potential problem area. The only returning starter is senior SS Jake Letourneau. At CB, redshirt freshman Donnie Amadi and former juco transfer Remuise Johnson, who sat out last season, move into the starting lineup, with the latter checking in at just 5-7, 170 pounds.

BAYLOR
This is a critical season for head coach Kevin Steele, who is entering his fourth season in Waco. The Bears have had six straight losing seasons since joining the Big 12. Joining Steele's staff is new offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin, the former head coach at San Jose State and offensive coordinator at Cincinnati. Baldwin has a history of producing quality offensive units. Baldwin, who learned under Jack Elway, will run a spread-type offense with a West Coast flair.

The problem for Baldwin is that the Bears don't have any game-breakers. Senior QB Greg Cicero was inconsistent last season. Although he is smart and has good size, he has only an average arm. Cicero could be ousted by sophomore Davon Vinson, an athletic player with a strong arm at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds. If Vinson can grasp the offense, he could be under center early in the season.

The Bears' top two offensive players are senior WR Reggie Newhouse and sophomore RB Anthony Krieg, a multi-dimensional back who runs hard and can be split outside. Neither are game-breakers, but they are solid players.

On defense, the Bears have their most talented and deepest defensive line since the 1980s. Senior DE A.C. Collier, one of the Big 12's top pass rushers, had two sacks against Oklahoma, two against Texas and one against Texas A&M.

Their biggest question mark is the secondary. Derrick Cash is making the move from free safety to strong safety. They also have junior Bobby Hart, who is adequate at one corner spot, but the Bears are still questionable at free safety and the other corner. They were 10th in the Big 12 in total defense last year, but at the same time they received no help from the offense. If Baldwin's influence on offense can help and Vinson can settle in at QB, the defense has a chance to be pretty good and to keep the Bears competitive in some games.

Steele and the program have two critical non-conference games: at Cal on Aug. 30 and at New Mexico on Sept. 14. The Bears need to gain some confidence early by winning one of those two road games.

MISSOURI
The Tigers' most critical area is quarterback. Kirk Farmer, who was healthy during the spring but has had injury problems during his career, is being challenged by highly regarded redshirt freshman Brad Smith. While Smith is not a prototypical pocket passer, he is a very creative scrambler.

The Tigers have some decent skill-position players to lean on. The most prominent is outstanding receiver Justin Gage, who also plays on the basketball team and caught 74 passes for 920 yards and five touchdowns in 2001. Missouri also has Zack Abron, a bowling-ball type of running back at 5-10, 228 pounds. Up front, the Tigers have one of the Big 12's top centers in junior A.J. Ricker.

Defensively, the Tigers had a lot of trouble controlling the line of scimmrage last year. The key will be the defensive interior. They have some experience, with senior Cedric Harden, who is physically talented but needs to be more consistent from game to game. Their best defensive player, however, is senior defensive tackle Keith Wright. They also have a pretty good MLB in Sean Doyle.