Kansas City, Mo. ? Some rely on their wives to tell them what’s going on. Some try to watch an all-news channel a few minutes before falling into bed for a few hours of sleep.

But most Big 12 Conference coaches agree that this time of year when jobs are 24/7 propositions, keeping up with things like wars, hurricanes and political campaigns can be tough.

They try, however. It’s a subject that hits close to home this week as the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks draws near.

At first, the Big 12 office said games that weekend would be played. But when the Pac-10 and NFL canceled their games, the Big 12 decided it would follow suit.

“I just remember the shock of it all,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. “(The cancellations) took us out of our normal routine. But it was necessary for all the people who had to deal with the tragedy.”

Stoops tries to stay current with events in the real world.

“It’s a conscious effort to. I was thinking today, all the hurricanes and all that’s happening with the elections, I have to remind myself not to be so engrossed in what I’m doing — make sure you’re reading the front page and check headline news to make sure you’re up with what’s happening.”

Missouri’s Gary Pinkel probably is as absorbed with football as any coach this time of year. But he tries to scan the newspapers and spend at least a few minutes watching news channels.

“I always try to keep in touch with what’s going on,” he said. “But my focus is trying to win football games. It’s very difficult for me to get my mind off what’s important.”

Since the attacks, Iowa State coach Dan McCarney does not find it so difficult to pay attention to news events.

“You can’t help but be sensitive to those things,” he said.

Texas coach Mack Brown counts on his wife to make sure he’s at least partially informed about the world outside football.

“The other thing I do is try to turn on CNN and catch world and national events before I go to bed,” he said. “Other than that, every now and then I turn on the Weather Channel to make sure the hurricanes aren’t tearing us up too badly.”