After their first 10-win season in 30 years, the Baylor Bears finished at No. 12 in the final coaches poll of the 2011 season.
The TCU Horned Frogs, meanwhile, continued an incredible run under coach Gary Patterson, finishing at No. 13, their fourth consecutive top 15 finish in the polls.
Two other Big 12 teams -- Oklahoma State (No. 3) and Oklahoma (No. 15) -- were in the final polls, but 8-5 Texas finished outside of the top 25 for the second consecutive season.
Next year, TCU will join them in the new-look Big 12, although it is still unclear whether West Virginia will be able to get out of their contract with the Big East in time for the 2012 season.
For Baylor and Oklahoma State, replicating their success next season will be difficult as the school's record-setting QB's -- Robert Griffin III and Brandon Weeden -- head to the NFL.
That could give a leg up to the Horned Frogs and Sooners, who return star QB's in Casey Paschall and Landry Jones respectively.
The Longhorns, on the other hand, will hope for adequate QB play to complement an extremely young team coming back next year.