Nebraska coach Bo Pelini admitted to being somewhat stunned when he returned to the conference last December. It wasn’t the rebuilding project he was about to undertake that had him flummoxed.

It was the offenses and quarterbacks he was going to have to defend.

“I was really taken back when I first got back to Nebraska, seeing the offensive numbers that were happening in the Big 12,” Pelini said. “You see the leaders in offense in the top 10 and we had about six of them in the Big 12. For a defensive guy, that kind of woke me up a little bit.”

The wake up call will be blaring like a civil defense siren come October when conference play begins. Because 2008 is shaping up to be the year of the quarterback in the Big 12.

Look from Austin all the way north to Lawrence, and you’ll see a quarterback who’s putting up impressive, if not record-setting, numbers.

Ten Big 12 teams have a starter returning at the position. Eight are coming off years when they threw at least 20 touchdown passes. Four threw 33 or more.

“It’s just amazing and it’s really challenging for defenses to be in position and play well and to limit them,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. “I think it’s definitely one of the stronger years we’ve had.”

These quarterbacks are far from typical. They come in all shapes and sizes, but several seem perfectly suited for the offenses they run.

OU’s Sam Bradford and Kansas State’s Josh Freeman fit the prototypical mold. Both are 6-foot-5 and weigh close to 220 pounds. Both have the big arms the NFL covets.

Freeman could be the most tantalizing as far as the NFL is concerned. Bradford rewrote just about every NCAA freshman passing record in his season as a starter.

But neither have been able to distance themselves from the pack.

The closest thing to a standard bearer for the conference is Missouri’s Chase Daniel.

The senior was the Tigers’ first Heisman Trophy finalist and was seventh in the nation in total offense with 325.64 yards per game. He completed 68 percent of his passes for 4,306 yards and 33 touchdowns, leading the Tigers to one of the best seasons in school history.

But less than 200 miles to the west, Todd Reesing put up similar numbers at Kansas. He threw for 3,486 yards last season and 33 touchdowns. Reesing led Kansas to its first BCS Bowl win — over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl — and the first 12-win season in school history.

Neither casts a huge shadow. Both are generously listed at about 6-foot. But their teams haven’t suffered due to their slight stature.