My 2009 Big 12 Preview is now up. You can read it here.

Yes, I am picking Texas to win the league, not Oklahoma. All due respect to Sam Bradford and gang, but I actually believe Texas is the better team this year (of course, Texas fans will argue that the 'Horns were the better team last year, too).

Here are five reasons why:

1. Colt McCoy: There is only one guy in the country not named Tim Tebow who has a shot at winning the Heisman this season. McCoy is that guy. He was magnificent during Texas' great 12-1 run in 2008, passing for 3,859 yards and 34 touchdowns and rushing for another 561 yards and 11 touchdowns. McCoy is a fantastic leader, a superb athlete and a true gamer. Possibly the greatest quarterback in the history of Longhorn program. That's saying quite a bit.
2. Will Muschamp: One day he'll be the head coach at Texas. But for now Muschamp seems content to serve as defensive coordinator. And why not? It's a role he's thrived in. Mushchamp has transformed the Texas defense—once a little bit soft—into the best in the Big 12. His energy is contagious. The players buy into it. And he's getting results.
3. Sergio Kindle: Yeah, it hurts to lose superstar defensive end Brian Orakpo, but Kindle is a more than capable replacement. He recorded 10 sacks in 2008 and is capable of more in 2009. I'm not saying Kindle is better than Orakpo. But he might actually be more talented.
4. Oklahoma's Hangover: In 2007, Ohio State charged all the way to the BCS Championship Game, only to get thumped by LSU. And though the Buckeyes returned basically all of the key pieces from that 2007 team in 2008, and though everyone expected them to cruise through their Big Ten schedule, Jim Tressel's boys didn't actually seem to round into form until November. But by that point, it was too late. Losses to USC and Penn State had already knocked Ohio State out of the title race. Blame the post-BCS hangover. Beware, Sooners fans: History tells us it's awfully difficult to bounce back after getting so close to the dream.
5. Revenge: Let us not forget this little fact: Texas beat Oklahoma last season. And yet Oklahoma got the nod for the Big 12 title game (and, by default, the BCS Championship Game) anyway. Don't think for a second the Longhorns have forgotten that, folks.

Photo: Colt McCoy threw for nearly 4,000 yards in 2008. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

My philosophy regarding football uniforms is pretty simple: Don't mess with the classics.

I mean, think about it. The best uniforms in college football—in fact, the best uniforms in all of sports—are the old-school ones: Penn State's plain road whites. Nebraska's understated 'N.' Notre Dame's gold helmets. Oregon's ... oh wait, nevermind.

LSU has always boasted some pretty awesome unis, too. The purple and gold shoulder stripes. The one-of-a-kind helmet design with both tiger logo and arched 'LSU' text. It all worked so perfectly. I mean, those unis were easily among Top 10 in the country. Maybe even Top 5.

So I have to wonder why officials at LSU feel it necessary to mess with them.

The school announced this week that, for the first time in school history, "LSU" text would be added to the front of the team's jerseys. Previously, there was no such wording—though I doubt anyone really had trouble identifying the Tigers on gameday.

School officials cited a "branding opportunity" as the reason for the change.

Explained equipment manager Greg Stringfellow: “With the new SEC television contracts that require every game to be televised, this is another branding opportunity for LSU and our football program. Nothing else changes about the jersey. We make subtle changes from time to time but we are very aware of our history and the tradition with our uniforms and we won’t do anything to take away from that.”

Uh, Greg?

You just did.

Photo: LSU's uniforms were among the best in all of sports. So, of course, the school is changing them. (Kevin X. Cox/Getty Images)

OK, so I think it's safe to say that Paul Finebaum isn't a big fan of Urban Meyer.

Finebaum, a longtime columnist at the Mobile Press-Register, caused quite a stir down in SEC country this week with his most recent column—an 800-word treatise of hate in which he not only predicted that Meyer would leave Florida after the 2009 season to take over at Notre Dame, but also called the Gators coach "obsessed with success and power," "self-absorbed," "arrogant" and "cold-blooded."

And that's just the start of it.

In what can only be described as a hit piece, Finebaum writes that he knows Meyer will be taking the job at Notre Dame because, while recently denying any interest in the job, Meyer's "lips moved." The columnist also joked that Florida could beat Lane Kiffin and Tennessee by 50 this September if Meyer "can get all of his starters out on parole by then" and, finally, accused Meyer of covertly helping Utah coach Kyle Whittingham prepare his gameplan in advance of the Utes' beatdown of Alabama in last year's Sugar Bowl.

Wrote Finebaum: "SEC Commissioner Mike Slive just cracked down on league coaches accusing each other of cheating. Luckily for Meyer, he didn't mention league coaches aiding and abetting out-of-league opponents in showcase BCS games."

Lord knows what Finebaum was thinking when he wrote this. It's a very odd piece—a very unethical one, too. All speculation. No facts. Just uncontrolled emotion. It's something a third-grader could have written.

So far, and to his credit, Meyer hasn't responded.

But, hey, maybe that's just because he's too "self-absorbed" to care what some columnist in Mobile thinks, anyway.

Photo: Urban Meyer is not one of Paul Finebaum's favorite people. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

According to most experts, Iowa is the only Big Ten team that might actually be able to challenge Ohio State and Penn State for the league title in 2009.

But if the latest reports out of Iowa City are true, well, coach Kirk Ferentz's chances at winning his third Big Ten championships just took a real big hit.

Various sources are now reporting that presumed starting tailback Jewel Hampton suffered a knee injury late last week. There are some reports out there suggesting that Hampton underwent an MRI today, but as of this posting, Iowa officials have made no announcements regarding the sophomore's status.

If the injury reports are true, and if this injury is serious, then Iowa is going to be seriously thin at tailback—and I mean seriously thin.

Hampton rushed for 463 yards and seven touchdowns—and showed great promise—while serving as backup to the spectacular Shonn Greene last season. Though his carries were limited, Hampton had the look of a 1,000-yard rusher.

Unfortunately for Iowa fans, nobody else on the Hawkeye roster has anywhere near as much talent and experience. Among the most talented guys behind Hampton is redshirt frosh Jeff Brinson, a Florida high school superstar who nonetheless has never carried the ball in a real game. Then there's true freshman Brandon Wegher, one of the most coveted prep tailbacks in the country last year. But again, Wegher has no experience.

In other words, this has the look of a devastating injury for the Hawkeyes. So Iowa fans can only hope that the reports about Hampton have been overstated.

Photo: Kirk Ferentz may have just lost his starting tailback. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)