Big 12 hype moves on from Texas, Oklahoma

Yes, Texas and Oklahoma are still a part of Big 12 - even if the traditional hype has moved on.

For the first time in seven seasons, Oklahoma is not the preseason favorite to win the conference. That distinction falls to defending champion Baylor for the first time in Big 12 history despite a significant turnover at the skill positions.

Texas was fourth, a cautious approach to Year 2 under Steve Sarkisian. Even more eye-catching is the preseason all-Big 12 team. For all its tradition and recent conference dominance, Oklahoma had just one player named to the first-team - punter Michael Turk.

Here's a breakdown of three questions facing each of the 10 (for now) member schools, listed in preseason poll order:

Baylor

Coach: Dave Aranda (third season)

Last season: 12-2 (7-2 Big 12)

1. How will Baylor react to being the Big 12 favorite for the first time? Not even those talent-laden Art Briles teams that won back-to-back titles were picked to win.

2. What's the learning curve for new quarterback Blake Shapen, who won the starting job from Gerry Bohanon in spring camp? Impressive in the Big 12 title game, Shapen has just two starts to his credit.

3. Exactly how many times will coach Dave Aranda give non-traditional answers to the usual media day questions?

Oklahoma

Coach: Brent Venables (first season)

Last season: 11-2 (7-2 Big 12)

1. Will new coach Brent Venables play the disrespect card after Oklahoma is not picked to win the conference for the first time in seven years?

2. Everybody knew the Sooners' identity under Muleshoe native Lincoln Riley, now public enemy No. 1 at OU after his defection to Southern California. What will the Oklahoma identity be under Venables?

3. Central Florida transfer Dillon Gabriel likely isn't the next Baker Mayfield or Kyler Murray. Just what is his upside at OU operating in Jeff Lebby's QB-friendly offense?

Oklahoma State

Coach: Mike Gundy (18th season)

Last season: 12-2 (8-2 Big 12)

1. For all the talk about the mullet and the rant and OAN T-shirt, is Mike Gundy the most underappreciated great college coach? He's won 113 games since 2010 and barely missed the College Football Playoff last season.

2. Can Spencer Sanders find that consistency? He struggled with four interceptions in the Big 12 title game against Baylor, then rebounded with 496 yards total offense and four passing touchdowns in the Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame.

3. Will the Cowboys keep the pass rush coming with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles now at Ohio State? New defensive coordinator Derek Mason, formerly the coach at Vanderbilt, has plenty of talent to work with.

Texas

Coach: Steve Sarkisian (second season)

Last season: 5-7 (4-6 Big 12)

1. What's a realistic expectation for this season? It has to be better than 5-7, right? But expecting a trip to the Big 12 title game may be too much.

2. What about the quarterback? No, we're not talking about top recruit Arch Manning and Sarkisian can't talk about him anyway. Instead, it's about the competition between Hudson Card and Ohio State transfer Quinn Ewers, who used to be Arch Manning before Arch Manning.

3. Will an iffy offensive line, even with a strong freshman class, be able to open holes for Bijan Robinson and other talented running backs?

Kansas State

Coach: Chris Klieman (fourth season)

Last season: 8-5 (4-5 Big 12)

1. Are the Wildcats the dark horse contender that will inevitably surface during the season? Klieman has made a lot of progress, Deuce Vaughn is an under-the-radar star and the defense could be pretty salty and Manhattan can be a difficult place to play.

2. Is Adrian Martinez the answer at quarterback? K-State has bet on the multi-talented Nebraska transfer who could sometimes look like a top 10 quarterback. A whole lot of Cornhuskers still have nasty flashbacks.

3. Could Vaughn be a Heisman candidate? Don't snicker. At 5-6, Vaughn is essentially Darren Sproles, which is awfully awfully good.

Iowa State

Coach: Matt Campbell (seventh season)

Last season: 7-6 (5-4 Big 12)

1. Has the window on Iowa State's contender status closed? Somehow, the Cyclones got a first-place vote in the preseason poll, but major talent departures make that unlikely.

2. OK, how do you replace running back Breece Hall, quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end Charlie Kolar and linebacker Mike Rose, among others? The four were among the very best to play their positions in Ames. Get ready for new names like running back Jirehl Brock and quarterback Hunter Dekker.

3. How soon will be we know about the dropoff? The annual showdown with Iowa will be a good barometer and the Cyclones open at home against Baylor.

TCU

Coach: Sonny Dykes (first season)

Last season: 5-7 (3-6 Big 12)

1. How big is the makeover at TCU? Huge. For the better part of a couple of decades, Gary Patterson was TCU football, complete with a life-sized statue. Enter Dykes with a new offense, new defense and new fan-friendly philosophy.

2. Who's the quarterback? Well, Max Duggan has started 29 games over three seasons, so he's a good bet. Probably. But Dykes hasn't named a starter and former Highland Park star Chandler Morris is distinctly in the picture.

3. How different will be the defense? Nowhere was Patterson's imprint bigger than on the defense, his baby. New DC Joe Gillespie has shifted from a 4-2-5 to a 3-3-5 defense, borrowing heavily from the Iowa State scheme.

West Virginia

Coach: Neal Brown (fourth season)

Last season: 6-7 (4-5 Big 12)

1. When are the Mountaineers going to break through? Brown's hiring was greeted with tons of optimism before the 2019 season. But he's one game under .500 (17-18) and fans are getting restless.

2. You remember J.T. Daniels, right? He was the No. 2 quarterback in the Class of 2018 in the 247Sports composite and never quite lived up to billing at USC and Georgia, where he was the backup on the national champs. Now he gets one more chance with offensive coordinator Graham Harrell.

3. Can the defense be good enough? Dante Stills is back as dominant lineman for what seems like the 10th year, but Brown is banking on a whole lot of new faces and transfers in the secondary.

Texas Tech

Coach: Joey McGuire (first season)

Last season: 7-6 (3-6 Big 12)

1. Can McGuire build on a pitch-perfect offseason? Tech fans wanted a coach with energy and optimism who really wanted to be in Lubbock. Enter McGuire, the former Baylor assistant and Cedar Hill coach, who has won over the fan base so far.

2. Who gets to be McGuire's first quarterback? It will be an interesting call among Tyler Shough, Donovan Smith and Behren Morton. Shough, the former Oregon transfer who started the first four games of '21 before an injury, looks like a small favorite.

3. How daunting is that schedule? Pretty testing. Tech could be better this season and not have it reflected in the won-loss record. The Red Raiders travel to Houston and North Carolina State in the nonconference and open Big 12 play with Texas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. Oof.

Kansas

Coach: Lance Leipold (second season)

Record: 2-10 (1-8 Big 12)

1. How much tangible progress can Leipold show this season? Pretty much everyone said Kansas was a far better - and better coached - team in Leipold's first season. Can that translate into more Ws?

2. Will the offense be better? It pretty much has to be. The Jayhawks averaged just 20.8 points a game and that included 57 in the overtime win over Texas. Quarterback Jalen Daniels, who emerged late, threw for 706 yards and six touchdowns in the final three days.

3. Can transfers upgrade the defense? Leipold went to the portal for a talent upgrade, landing potential starters in safety Marvin Grant (Purdue), linebacker Lorenzo McCaskill (Louisiana-Lafayette) and defensive end Lonnie Phelps (Miami of Ohio).