For good reason, Kansas coach Mark Mangino was the hottest topic on Monday’s Big 12 football coaches conference call. Some of Mangino’s current and former players have painted him as a volatile bully who abuses his players both physically and mentally, and the school launched an investigation into the matter last week.

Mangino, who has overseen one of the most successful stretches the Jayhawks have had, was fairly candid while addressing the subject. And he was noticeably complimentary of his players, particularly a senior class that has a chance to lead Kansas to three consecutive bowl games for the first time in program history.

He also said his focus remains on those players and the team, which needs a win against rival Missouri on Saturday to snap a six-game losing streak and become bowl eligible.

“First of all, if somebody’s going to have an investigation into something, that’s fine. I don’t have a problem with that,” Mangino said. “You would not like for it to be leaked out before anything has been done, even before the investigation actually starts. From that aspect, you don’t like it. But, you know what, you live with it.

“You keep coaching the kids, you keep doing what you like to do, you have confidence in yourself and confidecce in your players, and you try to focus on winning games. That’s what we do here.”

Still, there’s clearly been some tension in Lawrence, Kan. When asked if he’s had any contact with Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins, Mangino said, “Practically none. Just a social call from the AD last week for a few minutes.”

Mangino then was asked if he wished the communication lines were more open.

“I don’t know the difference. I don’t know if there should be or shouldn’t,” he said. “You always like communication with everybody – communication with your players, your coaches, your administrators, your support staff – all those people. But I’m good. I’m fine. I’m working, and my players are really focused.

“Your question perhaps should not be directed at me,” Mangino added, “if you understand what I’m saying.”

A handful of other Big 12 coaches were asked about the situation, and if college coaches need to be more mindful these days about how they interact with players. Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Texas’ Mack Brown and Kansas State’s Bill Snyder all said yes to the last part, and Stoops and Snyder – who once had Mangino on their staffs – said they’ve always known him to handle players with respect, encouragement and appropriateness.

Not surprisingly, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach had a unique take on the matter.

“Nobody truly knows what went on in Kansas, but my suspicion is Mark’s in the middle of a witchhunt, which is unjustified,” said Leach, who coached with Mangino at Oklahoma in 1999. “Heaven forbid somebody should ask a guy to pay attention, focus in and for the sake of all his teammates and coaches and everybody else, pay attention. Well, there’s different ways to ask a guy to do that, and sometimes after you’ve asked them a number of times, you raise the bar.

“And then the interesting thing to me is all this murmuring went from, ‘He hit some guy in the face,’ to, ‘Well, he didn’t even touch anybody, but he just said mean things to him. The mean man told some player something he didnt’ want to hear.’ Well, you know, there’s a mean man in Lubbock that tells people stuff they don’t want to hear, too, and it’s just part of it.”

The curse of Mangino?

Sticking with the embattled Kansas coach, he might have put a hex on Colt McCoy, who became the winningest quarterback in NCAA Division I history on Saturday.

Here’s what Mangino said about the Texas’ senior signal caller, who earned Big 12 offensive player of the week honors after throwing for 396 yards and four touchdowns in the Longhorns’ 51-20 win over the Jayhawks:

“I was very impressed by the performance of Colt McCoy,” Mangino said. “In my eyes, and having a chance to compete against him, he really is a guy that I think is a Heisman Trophy guy. Without question, he is one of the best, if not the best football player in the country.”

The last time Mangino mentioned a quarterback’s name and “Heisman” in the same breath, he was saying Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing should be seriously considered for the prestigious award. Reesing and the Jayhawks were 5-0 at the time, but they haven’t won since.

Aggies aiming for upset

Sticking with the third-ranked Longhorns, their path to the BCS national championship game is clear. They’re in if they win in College Station on Thanksgiving night and then beat Nebraska in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 5 in Arlington.

Neither game is a guarantee, though. The Cornhuskers have one of the nation’s best defenses, and Texas A&M has upset Texas in two of the last three seasons.

The Aggies rushed for an average of 207.5 yards and two touchdowns apiece in those victories, and their running game is once again on a roll. A&M racked up 375 yards and three TDs on the ground in a 38-3 thrashing of Baylor on Saturday, with Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray both topping the 100-yard plateau.

“We’ve had some struggles in the run game going back to last year, and I just think this year we’ve progressively improved upon it,” Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said. “… I think our offensive line staying healthy this year has been a big plus for us. Last year we were rolling guys in and out because of injuries.”

It should be noted that Baylor’s defense ranks 100th nationally against the run. And Sherman pointed out that the Longhorns, who lead the nation in rushing defense, will present a much greater challenge.

“They’re very, very athletic and squeeze off the runs pretty good,” Sherman said. “This is probably the biggest challenge we’ll face. I thought Oklahoma was, and it’s the same with these guys.”

Fallout from Kansas State-Nebraska

Last week’s marquee matchup was the game between Kansas State and Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb. It was for the right to represent the North Division in the Big 12 title game, and the Cornhuskers won 17-3.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is surely pleased about leading the program to the conference championship game for the first time since 2006, but he said the opportunity also creates plenty of distractions.

“There’s people out there talking about Texas, going to Dallas, their travel plans and everything,” said Pelini, whose team concludes the regular season at Colorado on Friday. “It’s important that we keep our players focused.”

K-State coach Bill Snyder would gladly trade places with Pelini, because his Wildcats’ season is over at 6-6. They needed a win Saturday just to become bowl eligible, because they could only count one of their wins against Massachusetts and Tennessee Tech,  which don’t compete at college football’s highest level.

Snyder said missing out on the Big 12 title game and a bowl berth is “certainly disappointing,” and he could only blame the team’s inconsistency throughout the season. But the 70-year-old coach also said he’s proud of his players for making a surprising run this season.

“We’re pleased to have had the opportunity to play for what the stakes were at the very end of the season and to be in that position at the end of the season,” Snyder said. “I thought that was a tribute to our young people and the program.”