And then there were 10 by The Sports Network

Well for starters, gone are the North and South divisions, at least for the time being, which means there will be no championship game as the remaining 10 teams fight tooth and nail to see which one has the goods to win the conference crown and its automatic berth to a BCS game.

No title tilt means less in the coffers, which the Big 12 powers-to-be are not happy about, but when you consider the fact that the league’s television deals account for more than $100 million a year, it’s not exactly like the conference can cry poor. Still, don’t expect the Big 12 to stand pat for long as the new system is believed to be only temporary. Simply put, there just wasn’t enough time to allow for a whole lot of creativity, either in planning or in finding suitable replacements for the Buffaloes and Cornhuskers.

To assure the Big 12 a sense of relevance beyond Thanksgiving, the league moved two games to early December, including the “Bedlam Series” between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, which could very well be for the league title. Both the Sooners and Cowboys figure to be the class of the Big 12 this year, although each has more than one tough test before squaring off in Stillwater on “Championship Saturday.”

Oklahoma should be the No. 1 team in the country when the preseason polls are released, as coach Bob Stoops may very well have his best team since 2000 when the Sooners won the national championship. Landry Jones appears to be the next great OU signal-caller, but he is only as good as his supporting cast, which includes All-American wideout Ryan Broyles and a stout offensive line. Oklahoma’s defense is pretty good too, so if all goes according to plan it wouldn’t be much of a shock to see Stoops’ troops win the Big 12 and earn a spot in the BCS Championship Game.

Mike Gundy’s Cowboys have the guns to stand toe-to-toe with their in-state rival, specifically with Brandon Weeden back for another go-around under center. The 27-year-old former professional baseball player came into his own in 2010, enjoying one of the finest seasons in school history, and his continued development will determine whether or not the Pokes are able to duplicate, or even exceed last year’s historic 11-win campaign.

Texas A&M and Missouri are both expected to make serious waves again this season, with the former loaded on both sides of the ball and the latter the same, except for some uncertainty at quarterback where standout Blaine Gabbert set up shop the last couple of years before taking his game to the NFL as a recent first-round pick.

The Aggies, who will rely heavily on their own skilled signal-caller in Ryan Tannehill, won nine games in 2010, six of which came in conference, but a double-digit loss to LSU in the Cotton Bowl was hardly the exclamation point they expected.

The Tigers, meanwhile, posted a 10-3 mark last year, but they too lost in the postseason, so atoning for that late blemish is high on the list of things Mizzou wants to accomplish this fall.

Other teams capable of causing a stir in the revamped Big 12 include Lone Star State mainstays Texas, Texas Tech and even Baylor.

The Longhorns, who, along with Oklahoma, have been considered the cream of the Big 12 crop pretty much since its inception, are coming off their first losing season in head coach Mack Brown’s 13 years at the helm. However, that didn’t deter ESPN from committing $300 million over the next 20 years in a partnership with Texas that will showcase the university, notably the football and basketball programs. Changes in the coaching staff may help get the team back on track, but a Longhorn resurgence will likely hinge on the play of junior Garrett Gilbert. The highly-regarded gun-slinger had a rough year in 2010, so he will need to round into form quickly for the team to show significant improvement.

As for Tommy Tuberville’s Red Raiders, they will be breaking in a new field general and his success, or lack thereof, will go a long way in determining whether or not Tech can improve upon last year’s disappointing 3-5 record in conference.

And while we’re continuing the quarterback conversation, Baylor’s Robert Griffin is certainly worthy of mention along side the best in the Big 12. The Bears won seven games last season, earning their first bowl invite in 15 years, but a blowout loss to Illinois in the Texas Bowl left coach Art Briles’ club chomping at the bit to get the 2011 campaign underway.

The rest of the teams in this new version of the Big 12 have their work cut for them, as Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State simply lack the overall talent and depth needed to challenge the top teams in the league. In fact, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see the three combine to stay in single digits when it comes to total conference wins.

Many people thought the Big 12 was doomed when it lost both Colorado and Nebraska, but Texas agreeing to stick around and help in the league’s transformation was huge. Now with the hype surrounding Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, and to a lesser extent Texas A&M and Missouri, the conference as a whole is poised to once again become a force in the world of major college football.

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