It's that time again, friends. Next week, we'll begin the bi-annual ritual of ranking the Big 12's top 25 players. It's always fun, and you guys always agree with every single one of my selections and their orders. (Right?)
The list is still in flux right now, but it'll soon be locked away in the vault and revealed one player per day as we walk through the offseason. You can make your last-minute cases here. I can't promise the impact they'll have, but I'll always listen. Maybe you'll tell me something I haven't heard yet.
Here's how the list looked in the preseason. I assure you this list will look much different. Let's take a quick look at my criteria:
My postseason list takes into account only the past year. My preseason list factors in the player's entire career. That will cause a few shifts.
This is not a list of the top 25 NFL prospects in the league. Pro potential is not a factor.
How do I approach this list? Imagine I were drafting the best overall talents in the league. Each player's personal role or meaning to his team is irrelevant. This is not a "most valuable" list. It's the Big 12's best players.
Sometimes stats tell the whole story. Other times, they don't. Player X might have had more tackles or more yards or interceptions than Player Y, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be higher than Player Y on the list.
This is all about who deserves it. It's not a MLB all-star team. I don't place token players on the list so each team is represented.
Making this list is always difficult, and I always spend a solid chunk of time putting it together. We'll get started next week.
To borrow a phrase from one Bart Scott: "Can't wait."
