A year ago, on the way to the Big 12 preseason media days in Dallas, Colorado coach Gary Barnett was inspired to take his players on a tour of Texas Stadium, where the Big 12 Championship game was scheduled to be played four-and-a-half months later.

The motivational ploy worked, and the Buffaloes upset Nebraska to get to the title game and then Texas to win it.

	Around The Big 12
	Baylor Bears
	Colorado Buffaloes
	Iowa State Cyclones
	Kansas Jayhawks
	Kansas State Wildcats
	Missouri Tigers
	Nebraska Cornhuskers
	Oklahoma Sooners
	Oklahoma State Cowboys
	Texas Longhorns
	Texas A&M Aggies
	Texas Tech Red Raiders

It didn't take long at this year's Big 12 media days in Houston for Barnett to be asked if he and his players were planning a side trip to Reliant Stadium, where the 2002 game will be played.

"Naw,'' he said. "The traffic is too bad."

Barnett was talking about the ubiquitous Houston gridlock, but he could have just as easily been describing the Big 12 race. The Buffaloes return 15 starters, including a formidable stable of running backs, most of their front seven and their entire kicking game, and are ranked No. 6 in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll.

That makes them no better than third-rated in the Big 12.

Texas and Oklahoma are the consensus choices to lead the way, and even though Kansas State and Nebraska appear to be in down cycles, the Big 12 has four teams ranked in the top eight.

Texas, with perhaps the best group of offensive skill players in the nation, and OU, with a defense that may not drop off despite the loss of Thorpe and Nagurski award winner Roy Williams and Butkus Award winner Rocky Calmus, have to be considered the favorites. Give OU an edge in schedule -- while UT must play Kansas State and Nebraska on the road, OU dumps those two in favor of Colorado, Missouri and Iowa State.

Colorado, which returns halfbacks Chris Brown, Bobby Purify and Marcus Houston, peaked at the right time last season and could contend if Barnett is able to retool an offensive line/tight end unit that lost three All-America caliber performers and a secondary that has been the Buffaloes trouble spot in recent years.

Nebraska, without a standout offensive line and quarterback Eric Crouch, may take a while to find its offensive identity. KSU, which dropped to 6-6 last year, is still unsettled at quarterback.

The Big 12 has long claimed to be the pre-eminent college football conference -- the league boasts four of the last eight national champions and has had at least one team finish in the top three of all eight of the final Alliance/Bowl Championship Series final polls. This may be the year the league makes its strongest case yet.

Game of the Year
Texas-Oklahoma. Think of it: Mack Brown's Longhorns gird up, win a "big game" over the Sooners on Oct. 12, both teams go unbeaten the rest of the year and … they meet again for the national title -- the real "big game" -- on Jan. 3 in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. If you want hyperacidity and twisted colons, this is your recipe. The offseason BCS makeover didn't include a provision to limit the title game participants to conference champions (see Nebraska, 2001) so it's possible. If you're a Texas fan, try not to think of the scenario -- the ulcer you save may be your own.

Offensive Player of the Year
Kliff Kingsbury, Tech. Critics say he's a product of the spread offense and he clearly piled up stats using short passes to halfback Ricky Williams, who had 92 catches. With Williams gone, an experienced offensive line in place and a group of veteran receivers staying healthy, Kingsbury will get a chance to throw downfield more, which is to say, some. A solid performance by an improved defense and Tech could easily improve on last year's 7-5 mark, thrusting Kingsbury into the Heisman picture.

Defensive Player of the Year
OU defensive tackle Tommie Harris. On his very first play as a true freshman opening day starter last year he dropped the North Carolina ballcarrier for a 3-yard loss. Then he got better. He's strong (440-pound bench), fast (4.67 in the 40) and dominated (17 tackles for loss) at a position where freshmen usually don't star.

Mark Wangrin covers the Big 12 for the San Antonio Express-News.