TEXAS
• Highlights: Beat Ohio State in Fiesta Bowl to complete 12-1 football season, led by Heisman finalist QB Colt McCoy.
Won regular and postseason titles in baseball and finished as runner-up to LSU at College World Series.
Freshman diver Drew Livingston and 800-yard freestyle relay team won national titles at NCAA swimming and diving championships.
• Lowlight: Emerged on the losing side of debated tiebreaking system to decide South title, costing football team a shot at national title.
MISSOURI
• Highlights: Captured Big 12 tournament titles in men's basketball, soccer and softball after failing to win a league crown for 11 years.
Won Holiday Bowl over Northwestern and second straight North Division title.
Made fourth visit to Women's College World Series.
• Lowlight: Upset 28-23 at home by Oklahoma State with No. 1 football ranking in reach one week after routing Nebraska on the road.
TEXAS A&M
• Highlights: Swept men's and women's team titles at NCAA outdoor track and field championships.
Defeated Arkansas in match-play format to win NCAA title in men's golf.
Advanced to NCAA quarterfinals in women's soccer, losing 2-1 to powerhouse and eventual NCAA titlist North Carolina.
• Lowlight: Finished sixth in league in baseball and failed to escape NCAA regional after opening season with No. 1 national ranking.
NEBRASKA
• Highlights: Returned to winning ways in football with nine victories, including a comeback victory over Clemson in the Gator Bowl.
Won share of the league's wrestling title with Iowa State before Jordan Burroughs won a national title and Mark Manning was voted the national coach of the year.
Shared league title with Texas in volleyball and advanced to national semifinals for third time in four years, losing a five-set thriller to national champion Penn State.
• Lowlight: Endured worst baseball season since 1997, finishing last in league standings and failing to make the NCAA postseason for the second time in 11 years.
OKLAHOMA
• Highlights: Won third straight football title and saw quarterback Sam Bradford crowned as Heisman Trophy winner.
Advanced to Elite Eight in men's basketball as Blake Griffin won the Wooden and Naismith Awards.
Qualified for Final Four in women's basketball behind four-time All-American Courtney Paris.
• Lowlight: Experienced winless January and February in Big 12 wrestling duals and placed last at five-team league tournament.
OKLAHOMA STATE
• Highlights: Swept league titles in men's and women's golf for second straight year and advanced to quarterfinal round in men's NCAA play.
Oleksandr Nedovyesov was the national player of the year in men's tennis.
Accumulated 23 wins in men's basketball and advanced to the second round of NCAA tournament, losing to top-seeded Pittsburgh.
• Lowlight: Failed to meet lofty expectations in baseball, finishing ninth in 10-team league and missing conference tournament.
BAYLOR
• Highlights: Made late-season run in men's basketball and finished as NIT runner-up to Penn State.
Repeated as men's and women's champs in tennis and advanced to NCAA quarterfinals in both events.
Won conference tournament in women's basketball and advanced to NCAA's Sweet 16.
• Lowlight: Squandered two-TD lead in second half to lose 35-28 at Texas Tech in football finale.
TEXAS TECH
• Highlights: Eight-time NCAA champ Sally Kipyego won the Honda Award, presented annually to nation's top cross country runner.
Handed top-ranked Texas its only loss in football on game-winning catch by All-America receiver Michael Crabtree, two-time Biletnikoff Award winner.
• Lowlight: Slipped further from its former elite status in women's basketball with third straight lower-division league finish, missing postseason altogether.
IOWA STATE
• Highlights: Advanced to NCAA regional finals in volleyball, losing to Texas with a spot in national semifinals at stake.
Finished third at NCAA wrestling meet, as Jake Varner won a national title after the team shared league championship honors with Nebraska.
• Lowlight: Lost iconic wrestling coach Cael Sanderson to Penn State. He is a former unbeaten four-time NCAA champion and Olympic champion.
KANSAS
• Highlights: Beat Missouri 40-37 at Arrowhead Stadium to salvage winning regular season in football.
Won fourth straight outright title in men's basketball under AP national coach of the year Bill Self.
Advanced to WNIT final in women's basketball, losing to South Florida.
• Lowlight: Blown out 63-21 by Texas Tech in homecoming football game, second of four losses in five games.
KANSAS STATE
• Highlights: Earned the baseball program's first NCAA bid and took Rice to the final regional game.
Received one of four Big 12 bids to NCAA volleyball tournament after winning 24 regular season games.
• Lowlight: Allowed an average of 52 points during a four-week stretch in football to seal the fate of former coach Ron Prince.
COLORADO
• Highlights: Reached title game of Big 12 soccer tournament, losing 1-0 to Missouri, and made sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance.
• Lowlight: Finished last in Big 12 in men's and women's basketball, winning total of four conference games between the programs.
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
