It’s that time of year again.  The time to hand out awards for special play by special players.  The Big 12 awards popped out and there were a couple surprises.  The one that jumps out at me is the ‘All-purpose’ award for Kansas State’s Collin Klein.  Was that ever used before in the past?  It seems like they cooked it up just for Klein.  I mean, he’s no Heisman winner, but he was the most important person on the team for the Wildcats.  I guess as a Kansas State fan, I’ll take what I can get.  You have to take what you can get with this week’s Crib Sheet as well, so lets’ get doling:

• Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy.  The late season surge and marquis win over a tough Texas defense helped him out tons.   The fact that most of the other candidates didn’t play on championship weekend also helped.  Congratulations to Baylor’s first ever Heisman winner.   The Bears are looking up and up even more in the Big 12 now.
• Oregon State defensive tackle Fred Thompson died during a pick up basketball game.   The authorities are not sure of the cause yet.  Our condolences go out to his family and friends.
• In what comes as no surprise, Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon declared his intentions to enter the NFL Draft.  I mean the guy is a junior and he was announced at senior day for the Cowboys.
• While Kansas State already sold out of their pre-order bowl tickets before the announcements were ever made, Virginia Tech is struggling hard and asking fan to buy ‘proxy’ tickets.  Ohhhh karma is a feisty bitch when you go against logic.   I hope the Sugar Bowl enjoys empty seats.
• The Big Ten is piling on Penn State by reviewing the university’s status on institutional control.  Penn State will recover but it will take years.
• Charlie Weiss is your new Kansas University head coach.  Four jobs in four years for Weiss.  But Kansas gets a big splash name to get the butts into the seats for Memorial Stadium.  Is it a good hire?  I don’t know yet.  It depends on how long he sticks around.  It’s good for Weiss and the fat money he’s getting.
• Remember kids, when you talk trash on Twitter, try not to include mega sensitive language.  It could be trouble.  Leigh wide receiver Ryan Spadola found out the hard way and was suspending for the playoff game Leigh had last week.  Be careful, you are broadcasting to everyone out there.
• Twitter and other social networking sites are making the NCAA work double time in terms of recruiting.  It seems there’s a big gray area over what is actually a recruiting violation and what it is not in the realms of social networks.  Sooner or later the rules will be flushed out but right now it seems the case-by-case nature isn’t helping anyone out.  Maybe I’ll tweet about it.
• Wow Joe Paterno is having a bad year.  We know about all the other stuff but now he up and broke his pelvis.   Sheesh, enough is enough with this guy already.
• Utah State went to a bowl this year.  Not that exciting, right?  But what if I told you that head coach Gary Anderson had to keep and promise and get a tattoo because of it?  Now that’s exciting, and somewhat painful.
• The Mountain West Conference is going to try to ask for an automatic bid for the 2012 – 2013 season.  They met the requirements met by the BCS so it was a no brainer on their side.  The problem is that the teams that put them there are leaving the conference.  I’m not sure the BCS will go for it.
• Craig James is looking to go for a Senate run.  At least that gets him off the television.  The kind of strings he pulled getting Mike Leach fired should fit well within the government, if he makes it.