The Missouri Tigers missed out on a prime opportunity in 2009-10. Stacked full with talent all over the field, the Tigers rolled to the regular season title but flamed out in the conference tourney. It was a chance missed to cut into the domination of Texas A&M(w) and accomplishing that feat this season will be decidedly tougher.

The Tigers bid farewell to more top talent than most programs have. Defender of the Year Crystal Wagner is gone. Leading scorer Kristin Andrighetto is gone. Goalkeeper Tash Dittamore? Gone. So is gifted scorer Jessie Crabtree. Missouri will return senior attacker Alysha Bonnick along with Bree Thornton, but the star power hanging over the program has dimmed considerably.

From 2004 to 2008, Texas A&M(w) virtually owned the Big 12, winning four consecutive regular season titles.

The Aggies might not quite be positioned for that kind of repeat dominance, but they will be a factor in the conference, as they always are. Balance will again be a key ingredient for a squad that returns high scorers Rachel Shipley and Whitney Hooper – two of the very best the Big 12 has to offer.

Senior goalkeepers Kristin Arnold and Kelly Dyer split time in goal last season and should again share much of the duties to lead a strong defensive unit.

They lost their best goal scorer in Nikki Marshall, but goal scoring wasn’t exactly the straw that stirred the drink for the 2009 squad. In fact, the Colorado Buffaloes finished near dead last in conference in most of the statistical categories.

On the other hand, they were a stout defensive group and that should again be the case with the return of fabulous sophomore defender Amy Barczuk. Kelly Ross, a senior member of the backline is also a valuable piece that should help keep Colorado in the mix.

You can’t bring up Nebraska without talking about the freshman campaign of Morgan Marlborough. She absolutely set the conference on fire and earned Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors with a historic season.

Notching 21 goals and seven assists, she made the Cornhuskers one of the most dangerous teams around and as long as she’s around she’ll continue to do so. Sophomore Jordan Jackson is also a player to keep an eye on who will notch her share of goals.

Texas will need more punch on both sides of the ball are hoping to get as much from key returners like Hannah Higgins. Higgins had a tremendous freshman year in which she contributed four goals and nine points, both good enough for second on the team.

Leading scorer Kyle Doniak is also back in the fold along with regular contributors Alisha Ortiz, a striker, and defender Erica Campanelli. The Longhorns finished 2009 with a mediocre 4-3-3 mark but are hoping the continuity of their returning group and push them forward.

Defense wins championships. It did last year, anyway. The Oklahoma State Cowboys consistently shut down opponents on their way to capturing the conference tournament title with a win over favored Texas A&M(w).

Oklahoma State owned the best defense in the conference, and one of the main reasons was sophomore Adrianna Franch. In her rookie season, she established herself as the standard for keepers, and she’ll be joined by key returning defender Melinda Mercado along with midfielder Annika Niemeier.

The Cowboys have some good upside and could prove that 2009 was much more than just a fluke run to the NCAA Tournament.

Perhaps overshadowed by the emergence of a pair of other high profile freshmen last season was striker Dawn Ward. Far and away the program’s best scorer, she put up 13 goals which was good enough for third in the conference.

Midfielder Taylor Lytle was her main accomplice, setting her up to the tune of 11 assists. The Texas Tech Red Raiders will need more than this potent combination to reach greater heights, but for now, Ward and Lytle are a good – and entertaining – start.

Of the four remaining programs: Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa State, Oklahoma has the best player in striker Whitney Palmer. Kansas, though, probably has the best team, and could edge its way closer to the top with the right breaks.