NCAA Football Big 12

The message never changes, but Kansas State quarterback Grant Gregory finds a note in his inbox every week of the college football season.

"Find a way to win."

The words of encouragement find their way to Manhattan, Kan., from hundreds of miles away in Mobile, Ala., where Grant's father, Greg Gregory, is the offensive coordinator of upstart South Alabama. But even in distance, dad seems to know exactly what his son needs to hear.

"I make sure to also put in there, there is always a way," Greg Gregory said, "your job is to find it."

Let the Dez Bryant/NCAA debate begin.

Just or unjust? Excessive or just plain over the top?

Whatever side you fall on, the NCAA has made it's decision where Oklahoma State All-American receiver Dez Bryant is concerned. The governing body turned down the final appeal on the junior's one-year suspension for lying, likely ending his college career.

It seemed like a sign of positive things to come in Boulder, Colo., when Parade All-American running back Darrell Scott chose Colorado over Texas and Southern California two years ago.

But it was the fairy tale that was never realized as injuries and questions about his physical conditioning clouded a two-year career. Scott, easily the biggest and most high-profile recruit of Dan Hawkins' Colorado tenure, informed the coaching staff Tuesday that he is leaving the program.

Hawkins said in a released statement the sophomore "is leaving for assorted personal reasons." He assumed Scott would be transferring to school closer to his Ventura, Calif., home.

A few weeks ago, Kansas head coach Mark Mangino was touting senior quarterback Todd Reesing as a should-be Heisman Trophy candidate.

The 5-0 Jayhawks, themselves, were looking like the best team in the Big 12 North and maybe as a team that could give the South division a run for the conference championship as they ran roughshod over the likes of Northern Colorado, UTEP, Duke and Southern Miss.

But three weeks later, Kansas is stuck in reverse on a three-game losing streak and Reesing found himself yanked during Saturday's 42-21 loss to Texas Tech.

Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads says junior quarterback Austen Arnaud is ready to return to the Cyclones starting lineup this week when they take on Oklahoma State.

Arnaud, a two-year starter for the Cyclones, has been sidelined the last weeks with a bruised throwing hand. He was injured during the Oct. 17 win over Baylor.

Rhoads says Arnaud was close to returning to the lineup last Saturday at Texas A&M but that his velocity just wasn't there so he stuck with redshirt freshman Jerome Tiller for one more week.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- As much debate swirls around which teams are the best and most deserving for a shot at the BCS national title, the Texas Longhorns appear to have the most unabridged path to Pasadena of any of the serious contenders.

Take your pick of the other potential candidates -- Florida, Alabama, Iowa, TCU, Cincinnati, Boise State, Oregon -- and they all could suffer heartbreaks during this final stretch of regular season. Texas' path has far fewer land mines.

The Longhorns, who leaped back into the No. 2 spot in both polls over Alabama on Sunday and are third in the most recent BCS poll, just completed the most difficult portion of their schedule in impressive fashion, beating Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri and Oklahoma State in what was supposed to be a challenging four-game stretch.

STILLWATER, Okla. --- Texas coach Mack Brown normally demands his teams stay in the moment.

But in the week leading up to Saturday night's game against 13th-ranked Oklahoma State, Brown wanted to make certain the third-ranked Longhorns remembered where they were at this point last season and what they lost against Texas Tech.

They were different opponents, but presented a strikingly similar scenario a year apart.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- So much for the down-to-the-wire games between Texas and Oklahoma State and the chance for the Cowboys to finally break through.

Texas forced OSU quarterback Zac Robinson into four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns and the third was converted into a touchdown as the third-ranked Longhorns cruised to a 41-14 victory in front of 58,516 at Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday night.

This was a meeting of the Big 12 South's two top teams, but it was clear from the outset the Longhorns are by far supreme as they took a major step in locking up the division title while staying in step for the coveted BCS championship bid. Texas (8-0, 4-0) just needs to run the table against Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M after next week's non-conference game against Central Florida to be in position for the opportunities it was denied last season after one lapsed moment against Texas Tech.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- It almost seems uncanny, the parallels between tonight's Texas-Oklahoma State Halloween showdown and last season's matchup between the Longhorns and Texas Tech.

A hostile road environment that will be filled with rowdy fans. Night game. National TV audience. The fourth game of an unforgiving four-game stretch that includes Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri before this one.

A bid for the Big 12 South title and a shot at the BCS national championship game also hang in the balance.

There are some people who just see the world different and therefore have an unorthodox way of expressing their views.

Then there is Texas Tech coach Mike Leach.

He is, without any close challengers, the Big 12's best-rehearsed resident oddball.

When Leach has been at this best over the years, he's filled up reporters' notebooks with gems like his fascination with pirates, tips on dating, his ability to predict the weather better than the local meteorologists, his views on world piece and his wacky approach to offensive football.