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Texas

That national championship? Two seasons ago. Ditto the Big 12 title.

As good as the Texas Longhorns were for most of 2006, they crumbled at the end to finish 10-3 with no title and a return of the empty feeling that comes when a good team fails to be great.

Ah, but that's what always makes the start of a new season so enticing at Texas. So much talent, so much hype and such high expectations of championships.

SCHOOL COLORS: Burnt orange and white

FOUNDED: 1883

ENROLLMENT: 49,738

LOCATED: Austin

COACH: Mack Brown, 10th season at Texas (93-22), 24th overall (179-96-1)

2006 RECORD: 10-3 (6-2, 2nd Big 12 South)

LAST BOWL: 2006 Alamo Bowl, beat Iowa 26-24

STADIUM: Darrell K. Royal/Memorial Stadium (79,866)

RETURNING STARTERS: 13 (7 offense, 6 defense)

KEY PLAYERS: QB Colt McCoy, RB Jamaal Charles, WR Limas Sweed, DT Derek Lokey

KEY RECRUITS: QB John Chiles, OL Tray Allen, DB Curtis Brown

KEY DEPARTURES: S Aaron Ross, S Michael Griffin, DE Tim Crowder

COACHSPEAK: "Right now, we feel like Colt has complete control of this football team." - Brown on sophomore QB Colt McCoy, who tied an NCAA freshman record with 29 TD passes last season.

2007 SCHEDULE

Sept. 1 - Arkansas State

Sept. 8 - TCU

Sept. 15 - at Central Florida

Sept. 22 - Rice

Sept. 29 - Kansas State

Oct. 6 - vs. Oklahoma, at Dallas

Oct. 13 - at Iowa State

Oct. 20 - at Baylor

Oct. 27 - Nebraska

Nov. 3 - at Oklahoma State

Nov. 10 - Texas Tech

Nov. 23 - at Texas A&M

Oklahoma

For a team that lost one of the most prolific running backs in school history, Oklahoma sure doesn't seem concerned.

While it would be a luxury to have Adrian Peterson back for his senior season, the Sooners don't expect to miss a beat with a quintet of tailbacks being groomed to take his spot.

SCHOOL COLORS: Crimson and cream

FOUNDED: 1890

ENROLLMENT: 29,721

LOCATED: Norman, Okla.

COACH: Bob Stoops, ninth season at Oklahoma and overall (86-19)

2006 RECORD: 11-3 (7-1, Big 12 champion)

LAST BOWL: 2007 Fiesta Bowl, lost to Boise State 43-42 in OT

STADIUM: Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

RETURNING STARTERS: 15 (8 offense, 7 defense)

KEY PLAYERS: WR Malcolm Kelly, CB Reggie Smith, RB Allen Patrick, DB Nic Harris

KEY RECRUITS: LB Mike Reed, OT Phil Loadholt, QB Keith Nichol, LB Austin Box

KEY DEPARTURES: RB Adrian Peterson, LB Rufus Alexander, DE C.J. Ah You, QB Paul Thompson

COACHSPEAK: "We've had four different quarterbacks win four different Big 12 championships. So this isn't anything new to us." - Stoops, on the Sooners' need to break in a new quarterback.

2007 SCHEDULE

Sept. 1 - North Texas

Sept. 8 - Miami (Fla.)

Sept. 15 - Utah State

Sept. 21 - at Tulsa

Sept. 29 - at Colorado

Oct. 6 - vs. Texas, at Dallas

Oct. 13 - Missouri

Oct. 20 - at Iowa State

Nov. 3 - Texas A&M

Nov. 10 - Baylor

Nov. 17 - at Texas Tech

Nov. 24 - Oklahoma State

Texas A&M

As the final seconds ticked away, the Texas A&M Aggies swarmed their embattled coach and raced to the corner of Texas' Memorial Stadium, where ecstatic fans saluted them with "Horns Down" hand signals.

A season of wild road victories and bitter home defeats had culminated in a gritty 12-7 win over Texas, A&M's first victory in Austin in a dozen years.

Now, it's time to move forward. Time to prove that the landmark win over their biggest rival wasn't a fluke, but a declaration that A&M is a Big 12 power again.

SCHOOL COLORS: Maroon and White

FOUNDED: 1871

ENROLLMENT: 46,587

LOCATED: College Station, Texas

COACH: Dennis Franchione, fifth season at Texas A&M (25-23), 25th overall (180-97-2)

2006 RECORD: 9-4 (5-3 third in Big 12 South)

LAST BOWL: 2006 Holiday Bowl, lost to California 45-10

STADIUM: Kyle Field (82,600)

RETURNING STARTERS: 16 (9 offense, 7 defense)

KEY PLAYERS: QB Stephen McGee, RB Jorvorskie Lane, RB Michael Goodson, DT Red Bryant, LB Misi Tupe

KEY RECRUITS: LB Billy Chavis, RB Bradley Stephens, DL Von Miller

KEY DEPARTURES: S Melvin Bullitt, WR Chad Schroeder, LB Justin Warren, PK Layne Neumann

COACHSPEAK: "I like this group for a lot of reasons. They were 5-0 on the road last year, and certainly that's something to build on." - Franchione on expectations for this season.

2007 SCHEDULE

Sept. 1 - Montana State

Sept. 8 - Fresno State

Sept. 15 - Louisiana-Monroe

Sept. 20 - at Miami (Fla.)

Sept. 29 - Baylor

Oct. 6 - Oklahoma State

Oct. 13 - at Texas Tech

Oct. 20 - at Nebraska

Oct. 27 - Kansas

Nov. 3 - at Oklahoma

Nov. 10 - at Missouri

Nov. 23 - Texas

Texas Tech

Texas Tech returns its quarterback for the first time in five years. But with so many others gone, building on the biggest comeback in bowl history will be more difficult for Graham Harrell and the Red Raiders.

Things could be different this year with coach Mike Leach's pass-happy scheme, which will have to break in four offensive linemen and find three new leading receivers.

One thing won't change, though: Leach's belief in a system that brought the Red Raiders back from 31 points behind for a 44-41 overtime victory against Minnesota in the Insight Bowl, the biggest rally in Division I-A bowl history.

SCHOOL COLORS: Black and red

FOUNDED: 1923

ENROLLMENT: 29,000

LOCATED: Lubbock, Texas

COACH: Mike Leach, eighth season at Tech and overall (56-33)

2006 RECORD: 8-5 (4-4, 4th Big 12 South)

LAST BOWL: 2006 Insight Bowl, beat Minnesota 44-41 in OT (biggest comeback in D-I bowl history)

STADIUM: Jones AT&T Stadium (52,882)

RETURNING STARTERS: 9 (4 offense, 5 defense)

KEY PLAYERS: QB Graham Harrell, WR Danny Amendola, RB Shannon Woods, OL Louis Vasquez

KEY RECRUITS: QB Stefan Loucks, OL Lonnie Edwards, OL Mickey Okafor, WR Tremain Swindall

KEY DEPARTURES: WR Joel Filani, WR Jarrett Hicks, LB Fletcher Session, P Alex Reyes

COACHSPEAK: "The most important thing is to be the best team, not to have the best group of individuals. I think that's key." - Leach

2007 SCHEDULE

Sept. 3 - at SMU

Sept. 8 - UTEP

Sept. 15 - at Rice

Sept. 22 - at Oklahoma State

Sept. 29 - Northwestern State

Oct. 6 - Iowa State

Oct. 13 - Texas A&M

Oct. 20 - at Missouri

Oct. 27 - Colorado

Nov. 3 - at Baylor

Nov. 10 - at Texas

Nov. 17 - Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

In Mike Gundy's second season as head coach, Oklahoma State improved enough to earn its fourth bowl berth in the past five years and finish with a 7-6 record. But the Cowboys could easily have made it an even more remarkable turnaround, if not for five losses by a combined 26 points.

"It's pretty easy to think that, but you still have to finish and win them," Gundy said. "There's not much you can do to go back and change them."

The Cowboys either led or had possession of the ball with a chance to go ahead in the final period of all five of those losses. Twice, they were unable to hold onto fourth-quarter leads.

SCHOOL COLORS: Orange and black

FOUNDED: 1890

ENROLLMENT: 31,800

LOCATED: Stillwater, Okla.

COACH: Mike Gundy, third season at Oklahoma State and overall (11-13)

2006 RECORD: 7-6 (3-5, T-5th Big 12 South)

LAST BOWL: 2006 Independence Bowl, beat Alabama 34-31

STADIUM: Boone Pickens Stadium (48,000)

RETURNING STARTERS: 15 (8 offense, 7 defense)

KEY PLAYERS: WR Adarius Bowman, QB Bobby Reid, RB Dantrell Savage, DE Nathan Peterson

KEY RECRUITS: DE Richetti Jones, WR Dez Bryant, DB William Cole, RB Kendall Hunter

KEY DEPARTURES: DL Ryan McBean, WR D'Juan Woods, OL Corey Hilliard, DL Victor DeGrate

COACHSPEAK: "If you mature as a football team, I think you can play well on the road. Is it easier to play at home? Sure it is. But (our) schedule's not changing and our players know that, and we're going to line up and go play." - Gundy, on the Cowboys' difficult road schedule.

2007 SCHEDULE

Sept. 1 - at Georgia

Sept. 8 - Florida Atlantic

Sept. 14 - at Troy

Sept. 22 - Texas Tech

Sept. 29 - Sam Houston State

Oct. 6 - at Texas A&M

Oct. 13 - at Nebraska

Oct. 20 - Kansas State

Nov. 3 - Texas

Nov. 10 - Kansas

Nov. 17 - at Baylor

Nov. 24 - at Oklahoma

Baylor

Baylor already had three Big 12 victories in the same season for the first time - and it was still October. The Bears were finally starting to grasp their new pass-happy offense.

One torn-up knee stopped all that progress and led to an all-too-familiar finish for the Bears. They weren't prepared for the loss of quarterback Shawn Bell when he tore an anterior cruciate ligament.

SCHOOL COLORS: Green and gold

FOUNDED: 1845

ENROLLMENT: 14,040

LOCATED: Waco, Texas

COACH: Guy Morriss, fifth season at Baylor (15-31), seventh overall (24-45)

2006 RECORD: 4-8 (3-5, 6th Big 12 South)

LAST BOWL: 1994 Alamo Bowl, lost to Washington State 10-3

STADIUM: Floyd Casey Stadium (50,000)

RETURNING STARTERS: 11 (4 offense, 7 defense)

KEY PLAYERS: WR David Gettis, LB Nick Moore, LB Joe Pawelek, OT Jason Smith, RB Brandon Whitaker, WR Thomas White

KEY RECRUITS: OG James Barnard, DE Leon Freeman, DB V.J. McElroy, LB Matt Singletary, QB John David Weed

KEY DEPARTURES: CB Anthony Arline, QB Shawn Bell, P Daniel Sepulveda, WR Trent Shelton, CB C.J. Wilson, WR Dominique Zeigler

COACHSPEAK: "I sense a little bit different football team this year than we've had in the past. It seems to me that for the first time we have everybody in the program rolling in the same direction." - Morriss.

2007 SCHEDULE

Sept. 1 - at TCU

Sept. 8 - Rice

Sept. 15 - Texas State

Sept. 22 - at Buffalo

Sept. 29 - at Texas A&M

Oct. 6 - Colorado

Oct. 13 - at Kansas

Oct. 20 - Texas

Oct. 27 - at Kansas State

Nov. 3 - Texas Tech

Nov. 10 - at Oklahoma

Nov. 17 - Oklahoma State

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