Who knows how — or maybe more baffling, why — the Big 12 Conference decided to send an e-mail my way a few weeks back. Apparently my ping pong ball was scooped out of that [ cool device you see on TV.][1]But the league office asked me to have a say in picking the Big 12 Conference football players of the week in 2007. I accepted.For those of you unfamiliar, every Monday (because of the Texas Tech-SMU game, it will be Tuesday this week), the league announces the Big 12 offensive, defensive, and special teams players of the week from the previous weekend’s games. The weekly award was the object of scorn among KU faithful last year for two humbling reasons.1. [The Jayhawks’ defense became the one-stop spot for those wanting to win the award][2]2. A Kansas player was honored just once, when [Jon Cornish ran a marathon][3] against Kansas State.This year, yours truly will be part of a five-person panel of media members who cover the Big 12 (two from the North, two from the South and a national writer). All day Sunday, our e-mail inbox dings with messages from sports-information directors at almost all of the Big 12 schools. They have one nominee for each of the three awards, and they usually write a paragraph stating their case for each guy.From there, the five of us pick who we think should be named on offense, defense and special teams. The Big 12 tallies the votes, and the winners are usually announced the next morning.It’s so easy, [anyone][4] can do it. (But what do I know? I’m just a caveman.)You can bet, though, that some tough decisions will be looming. Naturally, I’m waiting to see what Texas Tech does before deciding on week one ([here’s a good guess on Tech’s gameplan][5]), but I’ll let you know who I picked on this blog after my selection is made each week.Some quick observations on KU’s [52-7 pasting of Central Michigan][6] on Saturday:1. I was asked more than once, “So is Kansas that much better, or is Central Michigan just not what we thought?” I think on Saturday, the answer was somewhere in between.2. I liked the new offense. A lot. KU players seemed to have a grasp on the sideline audible calling, and the different formations and different players lined up in different places kept you wondering right up until the play was executed. Mystery is a great card to have if you’re an offensive coordinator.3. Central Michigan plays Toledo at CMU next Saturday. With Toledo coming to Lawrence in two weeks, this game will have the attention of many of you.4. KU still has its health, and keeping it the next three weeks will be crucial. Brandon McAnderson appeared to get a little dinged up on kickoff coverage during the second half, but he talked to the media after the game and appeared fine.5. J-W sports editor Tom Keegan was the closest to the actual score, predicting Kansas to win 41-13 in our [weekly picks][7] section. Gary Bedore loses, picking Kansas to win by one. Hey, only 44 off, though.That’s all. I’ll be back on Tuesday letting you know how the press conference went. Enjoy your Labor Day. [1]: http://www.ialottery.com/PressRoom/Press_Images/PR080406_MikePace.jpg [2]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2006/oct/24/play_ku_get_big_12_honor/ [3]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2006/nov/19/keegan_cornish_virtually_fired/ [4]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfrozen_Caveman_Lawyer [5]: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002627F/Blue%20Angels%20group.gif [6]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/sep/02/flyin_high/?football [7]: http://www2.kusports.com/football/predictions/2007/week1/