The question came up because Peterson will have to decide whether to return for his senior year following this season.

“People are always going to approach you,” he said. “It’s just how you handle the situation.”

OU coach Bob Stoops said it’s up to coaches to take a strong stance against players who accept illegal benefits.

“I’ve been in places, and I kind of feel the same way, where if someone knowingly does something that’s against the rules, it’s like your picture is off the wall and you’re out of here,” Stoops said. “If you did that and sacrificed the team for it, to me it’s like you could be banned from the program, because you chose something over the team.

“If you know it’s wrong then it’s wrong. It’s that simple. It isn’t tough.”

It doesn’t matter

Unlike most seasons, OU will play its first conference game against Texas Oct. 7. The last time it occurred was in 1999.

But linebacker Rufus Alexander doesn’t see any problem with The Red River Rivalry being the Big 12 opener.

“We can’t look ahead to Texas anyway,” he said. “As soon as you do that someone will sneak up and beat you. We’ll just play every game how it comes. It doesn’t matter where it is on the schedule.”

Raising the bar

Missouri and Iowa State both took turns with the media Wednesday and their biggest concerns are finding a way to break out of the shell of being .500 teams and instead winning eight or nine games.

The Cyclones have been one win short of winning the Big 12 North the last two seasons. Coach Dan McCarney said it’s just a matter of making everything gel at the right time.

“What we need to do is make that one play, to make that call together, to put ourselves in position to be a part of history,” he said. “Those are the things we analyze and review all the time.”

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel prefers not to analyze it.

“It’s not real complex,” he said. “You’ve got to go out and win games.”