The advent of the 12-game schedule has raised the value of "money games" for the top six conferences in Divsion I-A.

Schools in conferences like the Big 12 have to open the checkbook in order to fill out the four non-conference games needed. The desire is to have at least seven home games each season so that means that three non-league opponents must be enticed to play road games.

This season, Big 12 schools are paying over $14.8 million in guarantees to non-conference opponents. The average game contract for a non-conference game involves just over $332,000.

Nebraska paid $800,000 each for games with San Jose State, New Mexico State and Western Michigan. Texas paid $900,000 to Florida Atlantic, its season-opening foe. Schools like Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M have large stadiums that regularly sellout which means a home game can generate $2 million to $4 million.

The 12th game also has made it necessary for a number of schools to schedule teams from Division I-AA. Last week, three Big 12 schools played I-AA foes; this week, four of the 12 games on the schedule are against I-AA teams.

Texas coach Mack Brown understands why fans and the media wonder why the I-AA games are on the schedule.

"It's probably better if we didn't," Brown said during this week's coaches teleconference, "but I don't know if it's possible right now because of the difficulty in scheduling."

For I-AA teams, the payday helps the athletic budget. When he coached at I-AA Appalachian State, the school typically played two games against I-A schools.

On the opening weekend, I-A teams won 31 of the 32 games played against I-AA schools. The only victory was Cal-Poly's 29-27 victory at San Diego State.

Last season, Appalachian State stunned Michigan. In 2006, Montana State won at Colorado. Two years and four days after that upset, the Buffs host Eastern Washington, a team that pushed Texas Tech before the Red Raiders won, 49-24, last Saturday.

Iowa State is paying an average of $287,500 to the non-conference foes visiting Ames. In 1998, the school paid less than half that much in game contracts.

"Costs are out of control," Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard told the Des Moines Register, which compiled data on this year's non-conference payouts. "It's as if sometimes you wonder if you're being held hostage."

Colt, as in bolt
Colt McCoy, Texas' junior quarterback, won't be running in the Olympic 100 meters anytime soon but the Longhorns still consider his legs as an offensive weapon.

While McCoy was razor sharp (222 yards on 24-of-29 passing) in the season opener, he also was the team's leading rusher with a team-high 103 yards on 12 carries.

“We don't want to take away Colt's ability to make plays with his feet,” offensive coordinator Greg Davis said. “His ability to escape trouble and stay alive — the defense hates it when the quarterback can run a little bit.”

The gamble with having McCoy running instead of throwing is that his risk of being injured increases. He twice absorbed late hits against Florida Atlantic.

“He's a great scrambler. I love when he does it,” receiver Quan Cosby said. “He got hit a few times late, but he bounced back up and continued to do it. That just shows his character. He's a baller.”

Quick slants
• Missouri redshirt freshman defensive end Michael Keck has left the team. A backup from Harrisonville, Mo., Keck was rated the No. 2 player in the state of Missouri when he signed with the Tigers in February of 2007. Missouri has seven defensive ends on scholarship.

• Illinois quarterback Juice Williams sliced and diced Missouri's secondary for 451 yards passing and five TD passes. After film study, the Tigers coaching staff explained the defensive shortcomings as: poor fundamentals, communication mistakes and blown coverages. "A lot of them are fundamental, reading your keys and playing your responsibility first to protect the football team," defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said. "If we work on those things diligently through the course of the week, I think we’ll get a lot of those things corrected."

• Baylor freshman quarterback Robert Griffin makes his debut as a starter against Northwestern State. His sister Dejon is a junior at Northwestern State and competes in the shot put, hammer and discus. Blood is thicker than school ties. "She told me she’s going to have a shirt that says her heart’s at Baylor, but she’s at Northwestern State," Robert Griffin said. "She said she’ll be cheering for her brother."

• When Mike Gundy was Oklahoma State's quarterback, he threw jump balls to Hart Lee Dykes. Gundy later coach Rashaun Woods, who was so adept at out-leaping defenders that he set the NCAA single-game record for touchdown receptions. Gundy thinks ---- Dez Bryant is better than Woods. "Dez is actually more physical, in my opinion," Gundy said. "He's better at bodying up. Rashaun was great, a great leaper and could take the ball at the highest point. Dez can do that, but I think he’s a little more physical.”

• Texas A&M could have a new kicker when the Aggies travel to New Mexico. Senior Richie Bean missed from 32 and 25 yards in A&M's 18-14 loss to Arkansas State. Coach Mike Sherman said that if another field goal situation had presented itself, freshman Randy Bullock would have attempted the kick. Sherman said Bullock would be given the chance to compete with Bean for the kicking job.

Audibles
"Man, I hope they aren't as good as Buffalo."
- UTEP coach Mike Price, whose team plays host to Texas this week after losing at Buffalo by 25 points.

"I want to play, man. I’m a competitor. I want to be out there with my teammates. Nobody wants to sit out. At the rate I’m at right now, I think I will be ready to play."
- Missouri receiver/returner Jeremy Maclin, who suffered a strained tendon in his ankle.

"It's critical for our program in terms of where we want to go. This is a huge measuring stick for our football team, relative to where we stand in progression toward a Big East championship."
- Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly on Saturday's game at Oklahoma.

Final drive
Two nuggets from Arkansas State following its victory at Texas A&M. Linebacker Ben Owens was named the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski national defensive player of the week. Against the Aggies, he had seven tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, an interception and a fumble recovery. Also, a local television station in Jonesboro is replaying the Arkansas State-A&M game every day this week.