The Big Twelve Conference had a solid showing in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft, with seven players taken in the initial thirty-two picks.

The St. Louis Rams took Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith with the second pick. A 6′ 5″, 309 pound converted tight end, Smith was the first non-special teams All American for Baylor since 1995.

Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree was picked tenth by the San Francisco 49ers. Crabtree is easily the most talented receiver in this years draft, but dropped quite a few spots due to concerns over his attitude and resilience.

Texas Tech and Texas announced today that their game next season has been moved to September 19th. ABC wants to show this game at prime time, but needed the game move to accommodate their schedule.

Said Texas head coach Mack Brown:

I really am excited about it. It’ll be good to be playing on primetime in September when there are not as many national games that people like to look at.

Reports are that Texas Tech star wide receiver Michael Crabtree will announce on Tuesday that he plans to declare for the NFL draft. The NFL draft advisory committee, among other sources, lists Crabtree as a probable first round draft pick.

Crabtree, a two-time Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s top receiver, had 93 catches and 18 touchdowns in the regular season, averaging 94.6 yards per game.

In yet another example of how screwed up the bowl system is, eighth ranked and one-loss Texas Tech faces twentieth ranked and four-loss Ole Miss in the 2009 Cotton Bowl.

And don’t get me started on how immoral, unethical, and illegal it is to have the Cotton Bowl on January 2nd. The Cotton Bowl is, and always should be, a New Years Day game. How this didn’t come up during the presidential campaign, I’ll never know. Moving it proves that the terrorists have already won.

I generally root for Texas Tech in bowl games, because while strange, they’re still Texans. I’ve actually got a couple of reasons to pull for the Rebels, however. [...]

Credit goes to Scipio Tex at Barking Carnival for pointing this out and to DeadSpin for publishing this fabulous photo of Graham Harrell.

I can’t improve on their comments, so I’ll just leave you with the picture, and allow it to speak for itself.

Texas Tech head coach, Mike Leach, is not headed to Washington. Whether this was because he didn’t want the job or that U Dub made it clear they weren’t going to offer him is unknown.

The rumors are swirling that Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach spent the morning in Seattle. Perhaps he’s there to enjoy the sunny December weather, but a more likely explanation is that he’s meeting with the University of Washington to discuss their job opening.

I explored the possibility of Leach leaving Texas Tech about a week ago, and my feelings are the same: if Washington offers, Leach is gone. [...]

If it’s the final Saturday in November, then it must be time for the Bedlam Series, the annual game between cross-state rivals Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The Sooners are playing for a shot at the Big 12 Championship game and the national championship game. The Cowboys are playing for pride.

Okie Lite hasn’t won in seven years, but the last time they did so, Oklahoma was third in the BCS and had their national championship hopes dashed by the loss. Oklahoma State would certainly love to play spoiler again. [...]

Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach is a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, with a strong dose of lysergic acid diethylamide. So, predicting his future behavior is generally a lesson in humility. But after last night’s loss to Oklahoma, it’s time to ask, Does Mike Leach stay or does he go?

This year’s team is as good as it’s going to get at Texas Tech for Leach. Graham Harrell is gone after this season and probable first rounder Michael Crabtree…

Texas Tech was due for a down game, and they picked the wrong time to do it. Mike Leach dug into his bag of tricks and conjured one of his defenses of the past. In addition, he told his offensive line to spend the night falling backwards onto their butts.

Oklahoma, meanwhile, was mean, nasty, and much, much faster than Tech. Stoops showed no sign of letting up until the game was well away…