A recipe for a championship requires efficient work from David Ash, plus improvement

The direct correlation between top quarterbacks and a top standing in the Big 12 conference is clear. The 2010 champion, Oklahoma, had the fifth-best in passer rating, Landry Jones. North division champ Nebraska had Taylor Martinez, second in the conference. The Big 12's top passer, Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State, captained a team with an identical conference record as Oklahoma (6-2). The worst quarterback in the South division was Garrett Gilbert — his Longhorns finished last in the division. The worst in the North, Kansas' Jordan Webb, also captained a cellar-dweller.

In 2011, the Longhorns didn't have a player qualify for the list because Gilbert, Case McCoy and David Ash rotated snaps. But the best two passers