The official list of the Big 12's top 25 players is locked in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing the list day-by-day here on the blog. Here's a refresher on my exact criteria.
No. 24: Tim Barnes, C, Missouri
2010 numbers: Helped Missouri's offense pile up more than 5,300 yards of offense as a third-year starter at center.
Most recent ranking: Barnes was ranked No. 21 in our preseason list of the Big 12's top 25 players.
Making the case for Barnes: Barnes continued his consistent play as the center of Missouri's offensive line, and was a big reason why the Tigers notched one of their biggest wins in program history, a 36-27 win over Oklahoma. Also, for an offense like Missouri's that runs nearly every play out of the shotgun, never underestimate the importance of an experienced snapper. Just ask Florida. Barnes was also named first team All-Big 12 by the coaches, media and ESPN.com. Don't worry all that much about Barnes dropping a couple spots from the preseason to postseason. It was more about the large number of budding offensive stars rising up the list than it was about anything Barnes did poorly to fall.
The rest of the list:
No. 25: Lyle Leong, WR, Texas Tech
