Off a quasi-breakthrough season last year, Oklahoma State looked like it was positioning itself for the real thing heading into this fall, based largely on its explosive offense. The Cowboys were a top-10 rushing team in '08 for the second year in a row, but just as in '07, were probably the most balanced offense in the country: 246 yards per game rushing, 242 per game passing.

If that balance is off a little in '09, this might be the week that skewed it: On the heels of receiver Bo Bowling's weed 'n pills arrest and subsequent suspension last weekend, OSU has dismissed its second-leading returning receiver, lanky Damian Davis, who emerged as the No. 2 wide out late in the year and stood to make the biggest leap on the offense as a junior. In the same article, the Tulsa World reports Artrell Woods, the receiver who miraculously returned from a devastating spine injury last fall, won't be on the spring roster and is seeking a transfer.

Combined with the graduation of likely first-round pick Brandon Pettigrew, Bowling and Davis' departures leave the Cowboys without their second, third and fourth-leading receivers from '08, and only 10 returning catches (with no touchdowns) among the other receivers behind superstar Dez Bryant, whose 87-catch, 19-touchdown sophomore effort would have been nearly impossible to duplicate even if secondaries couldn't afford to assign a convoy to shadow his every move. Oklahoma State's recruiting has been on a general uptick under Mike Gundy, and Davis' loss, especially, will be a test of its (supposedly) improved depth.