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No games have been played since our spring power rankings so there’s not much movement in our preseason big 12 power rankings below. Baylor kicks things off for the conference and the entire country Thursday night when they host Wake Forest and everybody else finally gets underway Saturday. A week from now in our first regular season power rankings things will begin to clear up, but here’s our preseason conference rankings:

1. Oklahoma

   
   LW: 1

   The Sooners are on many lists as a top national title contender and until at least October will likely remain the class of the conference. We won’t learn a thing about them in week one against Chattanooga .

2. Texas

   
   LW: 2

   Muschamp fever is spreading and I’ve definitely caught it. The Texas defensive depth chart is incredibly young but with Muschamp calling the shots there could be a big improvement over last year.

3. Missouri

   
   LW: 4

   Mizzou moves up because I’ve got less and less faith in Texas Tech as we get closer to kickoff. The offense will be great, can Gary Pinkel and the defense hold up their end of the bargain?

4. Texas Tech

   
   LW: 3

   Improved defense? Where? The Red Raiders played four good teams after the coaching change and gave up 41, 59, 27, and 28 points. They’ll be good but they’ll fade again when they hit the tough stretch.

5. Colorado

   
   LW: 6

   I’m not the biggest Darrell Scott fan after his recruitment but I think he’s going to make a big difference for CU starting this season. They’ve got an incredibly tough schedule starting with week one so I wanted to give them some love now because they might drop fast.

6. Nebraska

   
   LW: 5

   I like Bo Pelini but I’m starting to get a bad feeling about his tenure in Lincoln. It’s just incredibly quiet up there and with a program with the history and prestige of Nebraska I don’t think that’s a good thing.

7. Texas A&M

   
   LW: 7

   With the way they’re “recruiting” for 2009 Aggie fans better hope they overachieve this year or Mike Sherman is a coaching god because it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I like Stephen McGee, can he remember how to pass now that he’s in a real offense?

8. Kansas State

   
   LW: 8

   Something is still missing about this team, I thought they’d have turned a corner by now. I’m still glad they’re off our schedule this year. Can Ron Prince and Josh Freeman lead them to any upsets and get them in a bowl game this year?

9. Kansas

   
   LW: 9

   I thought I might be alone on my opinion of the Jayhawks return to the bottom third of the league but I haven’t really seen too many national experts expecting them to come close to repeating this season. We won’t know anything about them till week three.

10. Iowa State

    
    LW: 10

    Probably the easiest schedule of any Big 12 team. They play Iowa in non-conference play but they manage to avoid Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech. Gene Chizik is thanking the scheduling gods every morning.

11. Oklahoma State

    
    LW: 11

    I don’t know what happened to Oklahoma State… oh wait I do: Mike Gundy. As much as I thought Les Miles was a dufus he had the Cowboys headed in the right direction before he left.

12. Baylor

    
    LW: 12

    Art Briles looks like he’s going to put things in true freshman QB Robert Griffin’s hands early and reports are he’ll be a good one. I think Briles’ has the offensive mind to take advantage of his great size and speed.

Big 12 teams as hot celebrity women. Texas is Jenny McCarthy & Oklahoma State as Anna Nicole is awesome.

Longhorns lose to Oklahoma State on error in 11th. Lineup shakeup doesn’t help as baseball team’s struggles continue.

Bobby Reid: Mike Gundy’s rant “basically ended my life”. As has been my impression from the very beginning, Gundy seems like a complete scum bag.

The Longhorns got past the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Friday afternoon by a score of 66-59. The Horns were up by a comfortable margin for almost the entire second half but could never quite put the Cowboys away and had to hold them off during one final run late. DJ Augustin and Damion James led the team on offense, both shooting the ball very well from the outside. On the defensive side of things Justin Mason was active as usual and big man Connor Atchley blocked four more shots.

Check out some video highlights below:

With the win Texas advances to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. They’ll face off against the fourth-seeded Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday at 1pm. The game will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN+ in Big 12 markets.

1. Oklahoma

   
   

   I’m not 100% behind Sam Bradford as a top quarterback but he’s definitely good enough to lead this team. They lost several good players early to the NFL Draft, but they’ve got talent and running back DeMarco Murray is a stud.

2. Texas

   
   

   Too many question marks to be ranked any higher this early, but early practice reports from this spring are encouraging. If the Horns’ secondary and linebackers improve and flourish under coach Will Muschamp they’ll be my conference favorite.

3. Texas Tech

   
   

   I struggled deciding between Tech and Missouri, but I ended up placing the Red Raiders third thanks to a slightly better defense and a love for pirates and Michael Crabtree.

4. Missouri

   
   

   I don’t trust Gary Pinkel, I think he lucked into last year’s success and was tempted to put the Tigers much lower. Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin could be poised for a huge season, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired.

5. Nebraska

   
   

   I think the Cornhusker players will play with a new enthusiasm after being rescued from Bill Callahan’s regime. Marlon Lucky is a very talented running back and coach Bo Pelini’s return should immediately improve the defense.

6. Colorado

   
   

   This is a team I’m really not sure about. They could go either way, either compete for the Big 12 North or completely suck. They lost a couple of good linebackers but if QB Cody Hawkins makes plays and Darrell Scott is as advertised they could compete.

7. Texas A&M

   
   

   I think this is a transition year for the Aggies and new head coach Mike Sherman. I think he’s a step up from Fran but I’m not sure he’s the longterm solution. The defense should be improved under new coordinator Joe Kines, but losing Yemi Babalola off the offensive line hurts bad.

8. Kansas State

   
   

   I like quarterback Josh Freeman a lot but the two other guys that killed the Horns the last two years (particularly Jordy Nelson) are gone. Ian Campbell is a beast on defense.

9. Kansas

   
   

   Welcome back to reality Kansas fans, though I still think the Fightin’ Manginos are headed in the right direction. They don’t have the same season they did in 2007 but they’re going to be a contender in the Big 12 North again soon if Mangino stays.

10. Iowa State

    
    

    Other than a win over rival Iowa last season the Cyclones and former Texas coach Gene Chizik had a rough 2007. Chizik reportedly has things headed in the right direction and two conference wins late last year might be an indication of that.

11. Oklahoma State

    
    

    The only coach in the Big 12 I think less of than Mizzou’s Pinkel is the Cowboys’ Mike Gundy. They’ve had more talent in previous years and not done much with it, this is a down year and they’ll finish near the bottom and Gundy won’t be back in 2009.

12. Baylor

    
    

    I think bringing in Art Briles was a genius move by Baylor. It is going to take a couple years for him implement his scheme and bring in his type of players, but he’s got a chance to turn the Bears into a Texas Tech caliber team. They’ll suck this year.

Update: Preseason Big 12 Power Rankings are released! (8/27/2008)

CFN takes another look back at 2007 season in the Big 12. Nice capsules on all the teams.

None of Texas’ wins against Oklahoma State the last few years have come easily and that isn’t likely to change today. This team showed last week it could come back from a big deficit and win, but hopefully they don’t have to keep doing that. I wouldn’t mind jumping out to an early 17-point lead like last year, that might be the only way I’m not a nervous wreck this afternoon.

Here are three keys to a Texas victory against the Cowboys:

1. Find a way to run the football

Oklahoma State isn’t a terrible football team but they’re not a good one either. This is a team that’s giving up an average of nearly 26 points per game and gave up 41 in an early season loss to Troy. The Longhorns won against Nebraska because they suddenly rediscovered the zone read, against the Cowboys they’ll have to try that and a bunch more because they can’t win if they can’t run the ball. Jamaal Charles showed what he can do when he’s feeling it, let’s hope he can stay on a roll, find a few holes, and make some more big plays this week.

2. Beat the blitz

Texas got lucky last week. The Cornhuskers blitzed often and with tons of success against the Longhorns for the first three quarters. Quarterback Colt McCoy didn’t have time to think let alone throw and that resulted in one of the worst performances in his career. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is 40 years old and claims his team won’t blitz like Nebraska did but I don’t buy it, they’d be stupid not to. McCoy and the Texas offense have to threaten the defense deep in order to open on the quick hot routes they’ll need to hit to beat the blitz. Of course if Charles rushes for nearly 300 yards again that would be nice as well.

3. Have a linebacker lead the team in tackles

The bad news: Sergio Kindle is out this week. The good news: the coaching staff appears to be noticing that the young, athletic linebackers can make more plays that the veteran group. Last week the team’s top three tacklers were all linebackers (when is the last time that happened?) and the defense needs to be led again by it’s linebackers against OSU and their option attack. If Marcus Griffin or another member of the Texas secondary is the game’s leading tackler that probably means OSU running back Dantrell Savage had a big day and the Horns are headed home to Austin as losers.

Prediction: Texas 35, Oklahoma State 31

Longhorns hoping for two strong halves against Okie Lite. I might not survive a first half like the last few years.

One day after claiming no new injuries, Texas training staff announces Sergio Kindle is out for Oklahoma State game. Crap.

No new injuries for the Horns after Nebraska game. Roy Miller and Sergio Kindle are fortunately both healthy for OSU.

The Longhorns finally looked like a complete and dangerous basketball team for the first time since the win over Texas Tech. All five starters scored in double figures and the Texas defense locked down Oklahoma State, holding the Cowboys to 38% shooting and forcing 16 turnovers. OSU star forward Mario Boggan chipped in 16 points but only grabbed three rebounds and had none on the offensive end.

Star of the game for Texas was the much maligned A.J. Abrams who finally snapped out of his shooting slump with 17 points and even added some solid work on defense. Abrams’ shot was falling and he did a much better job of getting open for his shots and not settling for mid-range jumpers on the move. After struggling to get involved in the first half, Kevin Durant did his usual thing in the second half and finished with a game high 21 points and 12 boards. D.J. Augustin was a little rough at the start of the game and turned the ball over carelessly a few times but settled in and contributed 19 points and 8 assists. Augustin’s 3-pointer from the state of Texas emblem at half court to beat the shot clock was the play of game.

Check out highlights from the game below:

The Longhorns and Cowboys faced off last night in one of the best college basketball games of the season. Three overtimes, last second heroics, amazing Hail Mary shots, and more in the great atmosphere of Gallagher-Iba Arena. ESPN has really been hyping the game (and Kevin Durant) on all their shows last night and today.

If you missed it (shame on you), check out the highlights from College GameNight below:

Don’t you just love ESPN’s behind-the-old-guy’s-head camera angle? Really makes you feel like you’re there at the arena.

If you were busy watching American Idol, ESPN has deemed the game an “Instant Classic” and will be re-airing it Thursday on ESPN Classic at 4 p.m. Set your TiVo’s.

Man, that sure was a tough way for the game to end last night. In TRIPLE OVERTIME, to lose by a prayer that Mario Boggan sloppily threw up was disappointing. Texas played tough all game and Kevin Durant showed why he is the best player in the land. And just in case you were curious, Boggan was shooting an impressive 16% from the 3-point line all season.

It was interesting to see Rick Barnes smiling so much after the game. It sure looks like he is having fun out there doesn’t it? Although, I guess I would be too if I had someone with the talent of Kevin Durant on my team.

And on another note, this Conner Atchley guy is starting to get on my nerves. Yeah he hit that big three in overtime, but that lay-up he blew was horrendous and some of the defense he plays is mind-boggling bad. What’s the deal?

Denver Broncos cornerback and former Oklahoma State Cowboy Darrent Williams was killed early New Year’s morning in a drive-by shooting. Williams had an excellent career at Oklahoma State and had two solid season in Denver on defense and as punt returner. Williams was a Texas kid who attended O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth.

A little after 2 a.m., a white Hummer limousine was sprayed with bullets from a vehicle that pulled up along its side, said Sonny Jackson, spokesperson for the Denver Police Department.

Three people in the limousine were hit and were taken to area hospitals, where one man was pronounced dead, Jackson said. The other man and woman who were shot were not identified.

Pretty shocking news but if you’ve been following professional sports lately you knew something like this would be coming soon. I don’t know the particulars and it’s possible Williams did absolutely nothing to provoke the shooting, but professional athletes such as the Bears’ Tank Johnson and the Pacers’ Stephen Jackson keep ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The leagues really need to do more to educated their players about the dangers of being a ludicrously rich and famous person out in the middle of the night. And they need to do more to discipline the guys who have such a knack for finding trouble. Incidents such as this are only going to get more common and more violent.

Our thoughts go out to Williams’ family and friends as they begin the new year with some very tough news.

Texas blows out Oklahoma State on national TV to run their winning streak to nine games. Team is really rolling since Daniel Gibson moved away from the point and has been able to focus on scoring. He’s been lights out from 3 lately and Kenton Paulino and AJ Abrams have been more than able handling the ball. And the 2-3 zone defense has been downight Syracusian. If we’re playing like this in March will be able to make a run.

Be sure to check out the highlights for PJ Tucker’s alley oop dunk, pretty sick.

The Horns take on the Sooners in Norman Saturday at 8 p.m. on ESPN 2.

Tonight’s game will be the first TBS televised game I’ve watched all the way through, so it will be interesting to see what kind of job they do. I don’t recognize either of the announcers but they can’t be any worse than the guys ABC trots out there every week.

First Quarter

• Good kick by Greg Johnson and an even better hit! Oklahoma State returner had a seam and Johnson just came flying up and laid him out.
• Good first series from the defense, had a chance to get a turnover but still forced a three and out.
• Ramonce Taylor drops a wide open pass and we’ve got 4th down. If he catches that one in stride he might be able to get into the end zone with his speed.
• I don’t know what the wind is like but I’m pretty confident that David Pino won’t make too many 52 yard field goals. We should have tried to pin them back deep or go for it, but we don’t and we get the kick blocked.
• Great play design on 4th and one by Okie State for the touchdown. They rushed up to the line, looked like they were going to go for the short gain with everything they got and snuck a wide receiver out of the backfield. Dajuan Woods ran wide open down the field all by himself.

Texas 0, Okie State 7

• Great run from Vince Young on 3rd and long, 45 yards or so. He’s looked a little off again today so let’s hope this settles him down.
• Another holding penalty from David Thomas. He seems to get one of those and a false start every week. We just flat out can’t do that on first and goal. 2nd and goal from the 5 is a lot better than a tough 10 yard penalty.
• Wow, Vince air mailed that one about 10 yards over Quan Cosby’s head. Wasn’t even close. Somehow the announcers blamed it on Cosby.
• Another holding penalty. We may have the best offensive line in the country but we are the worst at holding I’ve ever seen. We seem to get caught more than any team I’ve ever seen.
• Touchdown David Thomas! Great pass from VY on 3rd and goal from the 20 yard line. Threaded it in there. Thomas needs to do more catching with those great hands of them and stop using them to hold.
• Did they just claim the holder, Matt Nordgren, falst started on the extra point? It looked like the right side of the line moved, but I’m pretty sure they said number 7. Crap, it just caused us to get the kick blocked. Way too much penetration in the middle of the line.

Texas 6, Okie State 7

• We’re playing absolutely terrible, the only way this game is remotely close is if we give it to them. We’ve got to settle down on offense.
• Decent kick and much better coverage. Of course, we were freaking offsides on the thing. How many penalties is that already? 4? 5? Ugh.
• The Cowboys are just playing with a lot more energy than we are. It sure looks like we must’ve spent all week celebrating our number one BCS ranking. Another big run and they’re inside our 10. They’re running right down our throats right now.
• Anytime they run the toss we have about 5 guys crash down inside for no reason and then they can just run untouched around the corner. We’ve got to pull our heads out.

Texas 6, Okie State 14

• Another high throw from Vince and this one’s picked off.
• And Oklahoma State immediately converts it into points. Our defense looked like they’d never seen the zone read before as OSU QB Al Pena runs untouched into the end zone. Embarassing.

Texas 6, Okie State 21

• Let’s come out and run it down their throats with Vince and Jamaal Charles.
• Big keeper from Vince. Down to the OSU 30.
• Looks like the OSU defense is forcing Charles outside and then they’re bottling him up. No seams up the middle for him yet.
• Vince has missed every throw by a mile. He hasn’t been close at all. 4th down.
• Pino converts the 45 yard field goal. More bad protection but he gets the 3 points.

Texas 9, Okie State 21

• Deep kick into the end zone by Johnson and great coverage. Cowboys will start at the 15 yard line, let’s hope we take the field position and get the ball back for our offense.

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