Big 12 Team Capsules

Kansas Jayhawks

HEAD COACH: Mark Mangino (Seventh year, 37-36)

LAST SEASON: 12-1 (7-1 Big 12 North)

STARTERS RETURNING: Offense (6) -- LG Adrian Mayes, C Ryan Cantrell, RG Chet Hartley, WR Dezmon Briscoe, WR Dexton Fields, QB Todd Reesing. Defense (9) -- DE Russell Borsen, DT Caleb Blakesley, DE John Larson, LB James Holt, LB Joe Mortensen, LB Mike Rivera, SS Patrick Resby, FS Darrell Stuckey, CB Chris Harris.

NOTING: Kansas was second nationally in scoring offense (42.8 points per game) and fourth in scoring defense (16.4) last season. … Junior quarterback Todd Reesing is the program's all-time leader in touchdown passes with 36. He also set a single-season school record with 3,486 yards passing in 2007. … KU has won 15 of its last 17 games and four of its last five bowl games, including a 24-21 victory over Virginia Tech in last year's Orange Bowl. The Jayhawks had 12 victories in a season for the first time in school history in 2007.

QUOTING: "We've always said that we want our program to be able to compete with the best teams in the league and the fact that we are picking up Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech is something that we look forward to. We want to be able to play against all the best teams in our league and be able to beat them. That's the test for our program. We will never truly get over the hump, in my eyes  --  I don't know how anybody else sees it  --  but in my eyes until we're able to defeat those teams as well."  --  Kansas coach Mark Mangino on his team's 2008 schedule featuring the three most highly regarded South Division opponents.

Colorado Buffaloes

HEAD COACH: Dan Hawkins (Third year at CU, 8-17; Eighth year overall, 61-28)

LAST SEASON: 6-7 (4-4 Big 12 North)

STARTERS RETURNING: Offense (6) -- TE Riar Greer, QB Cody Hawkins, WR Scotty McKnight, T Ryan Miller, C Daniel Sanders, WR Patrick Williams. Defense (8) -- CB Benjamin Burney, SS D.J. Dykes, DT George Hypolite, LB Brad Jones, DE Maurice Lucas, NT Brandon Nicolas, FS Ryan Walters, LB Jeff Smart. Specialists (1) -- P Matt DiLallo.

NOTING: Colorado's defense returns seven of its eight top tacklers, including leading tackler Brad Jones, who had 81 total stops. … Quarterback Cody Hawkins  --  son of the head coach  --  set freshman program records for passing yards (2,693), attempts (424), completions (239) and touchdown passes (19). He had nine 200-yard passing games, including six consecutive 200-yard efforts. … The Buffaloes have added a talented newcomer in Darrell Scott, who was ranked by many recruiting services as the top running back in the country. He rushed for 6,500 yards and 85 touchdowns at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, Calif.

QUOTING: "I'm not a very patient guy, like the rest of the country, and so I expected to win 10, 11, 12 our first year out of the gate. So that's always a shocker. I always have those expectations. I really do. They're not false. I really believe that if we're able to reach down in the hearts and minds of young men and push the right buttons and do the right things, you can develop that kind of chemistry and that kind of magic and make that thing happen."  --  Colorado coach Dan Hawkins on his expectations for the 2008 season.

Kansas State Wildcats

HEAD COACH: Ron Prince (Third year at KSU, 12-13)

LAST SEASON: 5-7 (3-5 Big 12 North)

STARTERS RETURNING: Offense (7) -- OL Alesana Alesana, QB Josh Freeman, OL Penisini Liu, TE Jeron Mastrud, WR Deon Murphy, OL Gerard Spexarth, OL Trevor Viers. Defense (5) -- DE Ian Campbell, DB Chris Carney, DB Gary Chandler, LB Eric Childs, LB Reggie Walker. Specialists (1) -- PK Brooks Rossman.

NOTING: Quarterback Josh Freeman finished his sophomore year as the program's single-season passing leader with 3,353 yards. He enters his junior campaign ranked fourth in school history with 5,133 passing yards. … Kansas State's 41-21 victory at No. 7-ranked Texas last season marked the program's first-ever road win against a team ranked in the top 10. … The Wildcats return 44 letter-winners from last season, including 13 full-time starters and a total of 28 players who have made at least one career start.

QUOTING: "The recruiting philosophy was to really do what Kansas State is best at and what they've always done which is to really have a unique mix of high school players and community college players. We really felt like coming into the year three, we were going to face some of the more veteran teams in the country and we wanted to make sure when the big fish eat the little fish  --  22-, 23-year-olds are pushing around the 18- and 19-year-olds  --  we've been through all that. We want to move through that stage and into a place where we can be a veteran team."  --  Kansas State coach Ron Prince on signing a 2008 recruiting class dominated by junior college players.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

HEAD COACH: Mike Gundy (Fourth year, 18-19)

LAST SEASON: 7-6 (4-4 Big 12 South)

STARTERS RETURNING: Offense (7) -- OL Brady Bond, OL Steve Denning, OL Andrew Lewis, OL Russell Okung, TE Brandon Pettigrew, QB Zac Robinson, C David Washington. Defense (6) -- DL Jeray Chatman, CB Perish Cox, S Ricky Price, CB Jacob Lacey, CB Patrick Lavine, LB Andre Sexton. Specialists (2) -- PK Dan Bailey, P Matt Fodge.

NOTING: Despite not taking over as the starting quarterback until the third game of the season, Zac Robinson posted a school-record 3,671 yards of total offense. He enters his junior season already ranking ninth on Oklahoma State's total offense charts with 4,160 yards. … The Cowboys achieved absolute balance on offense last season, rushing and passing for an average of 243 yards per game last season. … Three of OSU's six losses were to teams ranked the final AP top 10.

QUOTING: "You'd have to ask the players how it's affected the team. I don't think that they put as much into it as maybe what the media does and I think in society today that those are things that people thrive on, unfortunately, in my opinion. It was something that happened in a reaction and I felt it needed to be talked about from a head coach that should do the right thing for a player on his team. The only contemplation I had prior to the (news) conference was if that was my son, what would I do? And (my wife) Kristen and I are lucky enough to have three sons, so I felt if that had happened to him, I would want whoever was his coach to do that for one of those three."  --  Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy on his postgame rant in defense of quarterback Bobby Reid that made national headlines last season.



 -- Terry Douglass