With eight first-team selections, Texas equals North Division total

DALLAS -- Here's another reason why No. 2 Texas is such a heavy favorite to win the Big 12 title game: The South division-champion Longhorns put eight players on The Associated Press all-conference team, the same amount as the entire North division.

And the only first-teamer from North champion Colorado was its kicker.

Quarterback Vince Young heads the Texas players picked as the Big 12's best at their positions in a vote of 20 sports writers who regularly cover the league for newspapers throughout the conference's seven states.

Young, a unanimous pick as the AP's offensive player of the year, also was among four unanimous first-teamers. So was Buffaloes kicker Mason Crosby, who has the added honor of being among six repeat first-teamers.

Young and Crosby will be on display Saturday when Texas and Colorado meet in the Big 12 title game in Houston. The Longhorns are favored to beat the Buffs by more than the 25 points they won by when the teams met in October.

Texas (11-0, 8-0) has the incentive of playing for a spot in the national championship game. Colorado (7-4, 5-3) will be trying to end a two-game losing streak.

For the Buffs to get to Young, they'll have to get past two All-Big 12 blockers: Jonathan Scott, a repeat first-teamer, and Justin Blalock. Sometimes they'll have to go through a third all-conference pick, tight end David Thomas.

For Colorado to set up Crosby, the offense must thwart four all-conference defenders from Texas: lineman Rod Wright, linebacker Aaron Harris and defensive backs Cedric Griffin and Michael Huff.

The Longhorns put four more players on the second team. Another eight made honorable mention, for a total of 20 players receiving votes.

The Buffs had three second-teamers: tight end Joe Klopfenstein, linebacker Thaddaeus Washington and punter John Torp.

Texas' bushel of first-teamers is one shy of Oklahoma's record-tying haul each of the last two years.

The Sooners had four first-teamers this year, led by running back Adrian Peterson. He pulled off the impressive feat of being a unanimous pick for a second straight season. More amazing is that he's a sophomore, which means he's never received anything but a first-place vote.

Other OU picks include offensive lineman Davin Joseph, defensive lineman Dusty Dvoracek and linebacker Rufus Alexander.

No. 18 Texas Tech also had four first-teamers, headed by defensive player of the year Dwayne Slay, a defensive back.

The rest came from the Red Raiders' offense -- receivers Jarrett Hicks and Joel Filani, and running back Taurean Henderson. Quarterback Cody Hodges made second-team, a nice reward for someone who played only seven games before becoming a starter in this, his fifth and final season.

Baylor rounded out the South honorees with a pair of first-teamers, defensive back Maurice Lane and punter Daniel Sepulveda.

That leaves seven more from the North: Center Scott Stephenson and linebacker Tim Dobbins from Iowa State, offensive lineman Tony Palmer and all-purpose pick Brad Smith of Missouri, unanimous linebacker Nick Reid and defensive lineman Charlton Keith of Kansas, and defensive lineman Adam Carriker of Nebraska.

Smith played only quarterback for Missouri, but was such an all-around threat that he easily captured the "all-purpose" category. He ran for 1,151 yards and threw for 2,022. He also caught one pass for 3 yards, good for a total of 3,175 yards of offense. That's not too far behind Young, who had 3,369 (2,576 passing, 793 rushing). Hodges led the league with 4,167 total yards.

Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Kansas State weren't represented.