Time of recovery and age have historically factored in how well running backs return from ACL surgery. The success of the 2012 Chiefs rests somewhat on the ACL-repaired knee of Jamaal Charles, and the Chiefs are wisely bringing along their star running back cautiously.
The Chiefs need to fix their passing game to shed the label as the NFL's worst team.
The Big 12 is a big man's league, and Baylor's Isaiah Austin, K-State's Jordan Henriquez, West Virginia's Deniz Kilicli and Oklahoma's Amath M'Baye could determine the fate of their respective squads in conference play.
Romeo Crennel dug into a desperate bag of tricks to try to figure out how to fix the Chiefs, but he never found the answer.
The Chiefs won only two games in 2012, chased history (in a bad way) and one of their few triumphs was in the face of tragedy.
Kansas City will play five games against 2012 playoff teams in 2013.
The Chiefs did have a few guys who stood out in a 2-14 season, most notably RB Jamaal Charles, who probably kept them from going winless.
The Chiefs left no doubts that they are the worst team in the NFL and deserving of the No. 1 pick in Sunday's season-ending 38-3 loss to the Broncos.
The Spartans won the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl on Saturday night on a last-minute field goal despite a dominant defensive performance by TCU.
David Ash rallies the Longhorns from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to end the season on a positive note.
Baylor's trip to Gonzaga is the marquee game on the Big 12 slate this weekend, and Oklahoma-Ohio offers some intriguing matchups.
The Broncos are playing for either the first or second seed in the playoffs and the only thing left to determine for the Chiefs is whether they'll have the first or second pick in the draft.
Kansas was the only Big 12 team that did not make it to a bowl game. Here's a look at what went wrong in 2012.
The two teams and fanbases come in with much different perspectives. No. 15 Oregon State surpassed expectations after winning only three games last season. Texas, by its standards, underachieved for a third straight year.
Michigan State and TCU are evenly matched. Both have great defenses and both have played a lot of close games this season.