Everyone just got another swing at their favorite conference piñata.

The official list of NFL combine participants was released Wednesday and the numbers weren't exactly flattering to the Big 12, which has 19 players invited -- lowest of the "power five" conferences.

It's great smack talk fodder that the Big 12 has only one more invite than the American Athletic Conference. Or that Texas A&M has nine by itself -- notwithstanding its Texas Bowl loss to Bill Snyder and Kansas State (combine invites: one).

More importantly, the combine invite number reenforces the notion of a Big 12 that isn't what it was before realignment.

The negative image didn't form overnight. Neither will it change.

While some of the Big 12 criticism is overdone, it's not without truth. It's up to the Big 12 to fix it. Not the conference office but each and every school.

Here are a few suggestions:

Act like a power conference. In other words, keep infighting inside the family and act like a member of the elite.

The Pac-12 has many of the same problems as the Big 12 (Pac-12 Network, anyone?) but it does a better job of keeping dysfunction out of headlines.

The Expansion to Nowhere was a textbook example of what not to do, a pointless exercise that pleased no one.

On a positive note, while the decision to withhold a percentage of conference revenue from Baylor had a PR veneer, it also sent the right message.

Big 12 basketball coaches have sent the message for years, always talking about their spot in the top conference in the country. It's helped the image. While football can't make the claim, coaches could learn from the unified messaging.

Recruit like crazy. Yes, coaches like Snyder and Mike Gundy and Gary Patterson have proven they can recruit to their system and develop talent without top 20 classes.

It's still hard to beat raw talent. When the top recruits in the state of Texas -- the Big 12's historic life blood -- continue to head elsewhere, you eventually get this kind of combine invite number. The default choice of a top Texas recruit shouldn't be an SEC school or Ohio State or Stanford or ... you get the idea.

Oklahoma just put together a top-10 class, so it can be done. New Texas coach Tom Herman is promising one for 2018. It's a start on recapturing lost ground.

Just win, baby. The late Al Davis got it right. Winning cures a lot of sins.

The Big 12 took a small step this season, going 4-2 in bowl games. It needs to do more. Bat .500 or better in nonconference games against its power-five peers.

More than anything, make the College Football Playoff. The Big 12 has missed two of the first three years. Coming up short again next year would be another blow to prestige and image.

Twitter: @ChuckCarltonDMN