Texas Longhorns
2001 record: 11-2 (7-1)
Coach: Mack Brown (5th season, 38-13)
Starters returning: 8 offense, 5 defense, 2 kickers

Outlook: Mack Brown grouses that the media thinks all he can do is recruit. This year he gets a chance to prove otherwise by turning year after year of banner classes into the Longhorns first national champion since 1970.

Texas will have one of the most talented set of offensive skill position players in the nation, led by receiver Roy Williams and running back Cedric Benson, both of whom earned preseason all-America consideration. Quarterback Chris Simms shouldn't feel pressure to win games, with Williams, Benson and flanker B.J. Johnson. But the loss of tight end Bo Scaife to a knee injury could be significant.

	Around The Big 12
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	Missouri Tigers
	Nebraska Cornhuskers
	Oklahoma Sooners
	Oklahoma State Cowboys
	Texas Longhorns
	Texas A&M Aggies
	Texas Tech Red Raiders

On defense the 'Horns have a capable line, a solid set of cornerbacks and two of the best playmakers they've had in years in linebacker Derrick Johnson and safety-turned-cornerback Nathan Vasher. A talented group of freshman defenders could see immediate impact, particularly in the front seven.

The schedule is tougher than in recent years, with trips to Kansas State and Nebraska -- places where no team has swept games since Oklahoma in 1987 -- and always dangerous Texas Tech.

Key game: Is there any doubt? In his 10 years at North Carolina, Mack Brown's chief nemesis was Florida State, which he never beat. Though he's 2-2 against Oklahoma, he's lost the last two -- both derailing seasons where the Longhorns fancied themselves national title contenders. A win over the Sooners in Dallas on Oct. 12 will reduce pucker quotient in the Longhorn sector, at least until the next week, when the 'Horns visit Kansas State.

Keep an eye on: Jonathan Scott. The redshirt freshman stands 6-7, 297 and looks like a basketball power forward, but no one less than quarterback Chris Simms -- who will trust his blindside to the newcomer -- says he'll continue in the tradition of UT offensive tackles going in the first round of the NFL Draft. He hasn't taken a snap yet but UT coaches were so impressed by his play in the spring that they moved him from the backup at left tackle to the starter on the right side, where he'll be counted on to be the left-handed Simms' security blanket.

It's a good year if . . . The Longhorns beat Oklahoma handily, cruise past Kansas State and Nebraska, win the Big 12 unbeaten and play for the national title. It'll be a great year if they win the national title game. Such are the expectations at Texas, where three national No. 1 recruiting classes under Brown are expected to lead to the ultimate prize.

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