Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

	Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
	Bob Stoops has amassed a 97-22 record at Oklahoma.

With three new coaches in the Big 12, another one with one year of experience and five teams ranked among the top 15 teams in the first coaches' poll, there's quite a divergence among situations across the conference. Here's my list from top to bottom heading into the season.

1. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma: His national reputation might have taken a hit, but his five Big 12 titles still make him the conference's unquestioned Big Kahuna.

2. Mack Brown, Texas: Showed a willingness to adapt to his team's recent defensive struggles by hiring Will Muschamp. Will that be enough to get the Longhorns back into the national title hunt?

3. Mark Mangino, Kansas: His rebuilding job with the Jayhawks is complete -- even down to the swanky new football facility he is so proud of.

4. Mike Leach, Texas Tech: Offensive wizard who has taken his team to bowl eligibility every year at the school. I know Tech is financially strapped, but they need to get him a contract extension (and fast) before somebody else comes along.

5. Gary Pinkel, Missouri: Quite a turnaround for him over the last 12 months. He's gone from one of the hottest seats in the nation to stability that could last him the rest of his career.

6. Art Briles, Baylor: Comes to the conference with a reputation of one of the bright offensive minds in the game. But has he bitten off more than he can chew with the Baylor challenge?

7. Mike Sherman, Texas A&M: Old-school philosophy worked for a while in the NFL with an established team. But will it be as successful for the new millenium's college players?

8. Dan Hawkins, Colorado: He's attracting better athletes through his recruiting success. But will that translate to success on the field?

9. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: Known for coaching rants and a quick hook for quarterbacks. Maybe it comes from his own playing background -- or all of those Red Bulls.

10. Gene Chizik, Iowa State: Wonder if he ever thinks he jumped from Texas too quickly? Maybe a better coaching situation might have materialized after a couple of years of patience.

11. Ron Prince, Kansas State: Fiery leader who has hitched his coaching livelihood on junior-college transfers and a mercurial but mistake-prone young quarterback. That might not be a good formula for stability.

12. Bo Pelini, Nebraska: Ranked last only because of his one-game experience as an interim college head coach. But his past success as an assistant helped him attract the Nebraska job and the blessing of Tom Osborne.