DALLAS — You want storylines.
Well, the Big 12 has plenty at spring football begins with 14 teams about to be on board for one season.
There’s Texas and Oklahoma cooling their heels for one more year before moving on to the SEC. There’s the expansion four of BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston, all trying to prepare for life in a power conference. (Although, to be fair, BYU has pretty much played a power conference schedule as an independent – if you count the Pac-12).
And there’s the holdovers, aka the Legacy Eight, in Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and West Virginia.
That enough for you.
In the interest of space, here’s 10 spring storylines to watch as the Big 12 begins.
1. So is Texas baaaa …
Uh, c’mon that became a cliché a long time ago. Yet, eventually it will be true, won’t it? For the Longhorns, if not now, then when? Third-year coach Steve Sarkisian has plenty of interesting pieces. Texas returns 85% of its offense according to ESPN’s statheads even with the loss of its best player on the field (Bijan Robinson) and in the locker room (Roschon Johnson). To take the next step, quarterback Quinn Ewers needs to upgrade his footwork from an underwhelming debut system and a talented but young offensive line must continue to improve. The return of linebacker Jaylon Ford (119 tackles, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, four interceptions) strengthens the defense.
2. Will Texas Tech contend?
The last time the Red Raiders were really a factor in the Big 12 was 2009 under the late Mike Leach. Tech has two talented quarterbacks in Tyler Shough and Behren Morton and must find a way to keep them healthy, something that hasn’t happened the past two seasons. The Red Raiders will depend on a reworked offensive line with a lot of moving parts to protect the QBs and open holes.
3. Where’s the TCU offense?
In a word, gone. Quarterback Max Duggan, running back Kendre Miller and receiver Quentin Johnston were among those departing from the team that reached the College Football Playoff title game. How bad is the drain? TCU returns just 30% of its offensive production, which ranks 130th of 133 teams in the FBS. Ouch. Unless coach Sonny Dykes goes into the transfer market, Chandler Morris — who beat out Duggan to begin the 2022 season — will be the quarterback. SEC transfer receivers Jack Bech (LSU) and JoJo Earle (Alabama) will get serious early looks in the spring.
4. What about the Baylor’s QBs?
A year ago, Baylor’s Dave Aranda abandoned traditional coaching wisdom and named Blake Shapen the starter coming out of spring practice. Predictably, 2021 starter Gerry Bohanon transferred. Then Shapen struggled down the stretch of a 6-7 season and things look pretty fuzzy this season at the most important position. Shapen is back and will contend with Mississippi State transfer Sawyer Robertson, once a four-star recruit.
5. Can Oklahoma right the ship?
The Sooners had better, with the SEC just one year away. Bouncing back from a 6-7 finish starts with improving the defense, which should be somewhere in coach Brent Venables’ wheelhouse. The Sooners ranked 122nd nationally in total defense, allowing 461 yards a game. In its seven losses, OU allowed an average of 41.7 points. Oklahoma will build its defense around linebacker Danny Stutsman (126 tackles) and safety Billy Bowman. Transfer edge rusher Dasan McCullough (Indiana) should help.
6. What will life be without Spencer Sanders?
For Oklahoma State, Sanders was pretty much a given at quarterback when healthy. Now he’s departed in the portal to Ole Miss, leaving a crowded quarterback room with no front-runner. One intriguing name is former Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman, who is transferring from Michigan. At one time before injuries, Bowman was a solid starting option at Tech.
7. Which of the new teams is most ready to contend?
It will be an adjustment for all four. Cincinnati lost coach Luke Fickell to Wisconsin and brought in Scott Satterfield from Louisville. BYU hopes Pitt transfer Kedon Slovis can replace Jaren Hall at quarterback. Houston will have work to do without quarterback Clayton Tune and receiver Tank Dell. That leaves Central Florida, which nearly reached the AAC championship game and has multidimensional quarterback John Rhys Plumlee. He threw for 2,586 yards and ran for 862 yards more last season.
8. What does Kansas State do for an encore?
The defending Big 12 champions stunned TCU in the conference title game. While quarterback Will Howard and a veteran offensive line returns, replacing do-it-all running back Deuce Vaughn will not be easy. Expect a tandem with holdover DJ Giddens and Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward. The two combined for 1,146 yards rushing last season.
9. Can Kansas sustain?
OK, it’s been a while since that question even got asked. Even though the Jayhawks struggled in the second half, they still reached bowl eligibility for the first time since the Mark Mangino-Todd Reesing era. If returning quarterback Jalon Daniels can stay healthy and if some transfers come through, Lance Leipold may have another bowl team.
10. Who needs to do better?
After a 1-8 conference finish, Iowa State coach Matt Campbell overhauled his stagnant offense that ranked last in the Big 12 in total yards and scoring (20.2 ppg, 10 ppg less than anyone else). Even if there’s a repeat, Campbell is probably still safe in his job. The same can’t be said for West Virginia coach Neal Brown. It’s unsure who will call plays after Graham Harrell left. Quarterback and receiver have plenty of question marks, too.
