Today is Day 3 of our countdown of the Big 12's 25 best players entering the 2010 season. The full results are locked in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we'll be revealing one player per day until we reach the top of the list.
Remember, this isn't a list of the top 25 NFL prospects in the league. It's heavily weighted toward actual accomplishment in players' college careers, as well as the likely impact for their teams in the 2010 season.
No. 23: Landry Jones, QB, So., Oklahoma
2009 numbers: Earned honorable mention Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. Threw for 3,198 yards and 26 touchdowns, third most in the conference. Threw a school-record six touchdowns against Tulsa.
Most recent ranking: Jones was not ranked in last offseason's ranking of the conference's top 40 players.
Making the case for Jones: Jones is a player who could vault himself up the rankings with a big sophomore season, but his struggles in big games keep him outside the top 20. Last season, he beat out Drew Allen for the backup duties to Sam Bradford in fall camp, but no one knew how significant that race would end up being. He stepped into duty in the season opener, and started 10 games after Bradford injured his throwing shoulder. If the Sooners played all of their games at Owen Field, Jones might have a case to be in the top 5. In six home games, Jones threw 18 touchdowns to four interceptions and completed 62 percent of his passes. But away from home, he threw 10 interceptions to eight touchdowns, including one touchdown to seven interceptions against Nebraska and Texas. His 14 total interceptions were the most in the conference and second most nationally. His production is hard to dispute, and if he takes care of the ball in his first full season as starter, he could make a case as the conference's best quarterback.
The rest of the list:
