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          Big 12 Blog

          Big 12 mailbag: spring games, best uniforms

          • Jake Trotter, ESPN Staff WriterApr 10, 2015, 05:15 PM ET
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              Jake Trotter covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2011 covering college football. Before that, he worked at The Oklahoman, Austin American-Statesman and Middletown (Ohio) Journal newspapers. You can follow him on Twitter @Jake_Trotter.
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          In today's Big 12 mailbag, we discuss this weekend's spring games in Fort Worth, Norman and Ames, how Charlie Strong could forget the first name of his starting quarterback, and who has the best and worst uniforms in the Big 12.

          On to the 'bag:

          @jake_trotter: We touched on this in the roundtable Thursday. As far as spring games go, Oklahoma's will be the most interesting. The offense is new. The quarterback could be new. In Fort Worth, I'll look to see if any of the young defenders like cornerback Torrance Mosley stand out. At Iowa State, I want to see if anyone makes plays out of the backfield. Running back is the biggest question with that offense. If the Cyclones find a playmaker there, they could put up the points.

          Trotter: In Strong's defense, lawyers can rattle you during depositions. I've been in one before. The stenographer is to your side. The camera is in your face. Then again, as a football coach Strong has been in front of similar settings many times before. So Strong forgetting Tyrone Swoopes' first name wasn't exactly a vote of confidence.

          Trotter: Joe Mixon will have a chance. He's going to be on the field. The key will be how often he actually touches the ball. Samaje Perine is going to need 25-plus carries at running back, which means Mixon is going to have be in the slot a lot of the time he's in the game.

          Trotter: How is it not Michael Cummings? I know it's a new offense and new coaching staff. But Cummings was so much more effective than Montell Cozart last season; plus, he takes relative care of the ball. The Jayhawks could win in Ames, I suppose, but looking at that depth chart, I don't see them winning on the road this season, either.

          Trotter: Not even in a little bit. In fact the whole idea feels a little lazy. Hollywood is so bankrupt of ideas it has to repurpose Danny Tanner?

          Trotter: Last year it was Oklahoma guard Tyler Evans, without a doubt. He was pretty much impossible to interview with a straight face. One time he came into the interview room wearing cowboy boots, gym shorts and a cutoff t-shirt. At that point, I completely forgot what I even was going to ask him.

          Trotter: There's no way to know. He hasn't played enough yet. I'd be very surprised if Seth Russell replicated what Bryce Petty did as a first-year starter in 2013. Petty, after all, is going to be a Day 1 or 2 NFL draft pick. But Russell can be effective, even without being elite. The Bears are loaded elsewhere offensively. If Russell just plays within himself, he'll be fine.

          Trotter: I haven't heard any buzz about Davis Webb transferring, if that's what you're suggesting. Kingsbury needs to get to a point where he can stagger his quarterbacks according to class. That's going to take some time, especially since he didn't inherit an incumbent starter two years ago, which contributed to some of the quarterback turmoil. Above anything, though, Kingsbury needs to settle on a long-term starter (whether it's Webb or Patrick Mahomes), then build depth around that quarterback in future recruiting.

          Trotter: The Red Raiders actually win the award for having some of the best and worst uniforms in the league. Tech's "Lone Star" ensemble is an abomination. But its all black look is one of the sharpest around. I really don't have one favorite Big 12 uniform, but here are some of the other pieces I like: Kansas State's silver helmet; Texas' all whites; Oklahoma's all-whites; Baylor's matte green helmet; Oklahoma State's black helmet, white jersey, orange pant combination; and West Virginia's throwback helmet.