10 storylines for the 2023 season ahead of Big 12 media days
There’s no shortage of storylines heading into a consequential Big 12 football season. There will never be another year like it.
The league welcomes four new football teams while bidding farewell to its two money makers, Texas and Oklahoma. Many project the latter two teams to push for a conference title. Given what each team will face in its new conference both likely need a strong showing in 2023.
Several of the remaining Big 12 teams want to send Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC with disappointment. Kansas State tops the list of schools that could prevent the two powerhouses from reaching the conference title game. Texas Tech, TCU and Kansas follow the Wildcats as teams that could finish ahead of the blue blood programs.
Here’s a look at ten of the biggest storylines ahead of the 2023 football season.
Is Oklahoma back?
Some close to the Oklahoma program would have you believe the Sooners are back. I am not quite sold on that conclusion, but it’s clear the team should be much improved on the field and in the win column in 2023. The top end talent present in addition to experienced and reliable quarterback play bodes well for head coach Brent Venables and company. The season could hinge on whether or not Oklahoma can stay healthy.
Is Brent Venables Oklahoma's coach of the future?
Along those lines, and sticking with Oklahoma, we wonder if Brent Venables is the long-term answer as head coach in Norman. The team endured its first losing season since 1998 raising questions about Venables’ ability to run a football program that seemingly won 10 games on autopilot nearly every year. The further the team gets from former head coach Bob Stoops’ tenure the more it seems to regress. With a favorable schedule to say the least, Venables needs to win nine games to prove he is capable of being the Sooners’ coach of the future.
Is Texas Tech for real?
The Texas Tech Red Raiders had a special season last year. Whether or not beating the likes of Oklahoma, Texas and Ole Miss is sustainable is still to be seen. There are questions about quarterback Tyler Shough’s ability to elevate his team to a championship level, but the toughest questions stand on the defensive side. Texas Tech was in the bottom 30 of college football in total defense last season out of 131 teams. Perhaps the team can continue to steal games on fourth down conversions, but one would figure that the Raiders need to get better on defense.
What will Oklahoma State look like?
We’ll get to Texas shortly, but not before looking at the spectacle that will be Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State team. The Cowboys’ portal exodus leaves massive question marks across the roster. So, too, does Gundy’s high volume of complaining to media about changes in modern college football. Can Gundy and company adjust to what the sport has become this decade? Even with a very easy schedule, it could be difficult for the team to meet program expectations in 2023.
Texas, the Big 12 favorite?
If you’re not going to pick Texas to win the conference, who are you going to pick? Break down the roster position by position and the Longhorns are nearly as good or better than every other team at wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, safety and cornerback. The primary challengers are a Kansas State that lost its top two playmakers and an Oklahoma team that allowed 49 points to Texas with the Longhorns’ foot off the gas for the entire fourth quarter of play. Texas has to win this conference.
The champ
Kansas State returns as Big 12 champions in one of the more surprising title runs in conference history. Whether or not the program can repeat is another challenge entirely. The Wildcats return what could be the best quarterback in school history when all is said and done in Will Howard. The losses of edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah and running back Deuce Vaughn, however, loom large. K-State should be good. We’ll see how good they can be in 2023.
The newcomers
Why are the four new additions to the league so far down the list of storylines? Well, for one, I am not sure how great an impact the four will have on how the conference standings finish in 2023. Houston and Cincinnati figure to have significant deficiencies to fix in their transition to the Big 12. BYU and UCF, though talented, could have an adjustment period entering the conference. UCF is the most likely of the teams to shake up the conference this season.
Kansas
The title should explain itself for those who follow the Big 12 closely. Kansas had a breakout season last year and returns several key players from a strong roster. The Jayhawks are No. 2 nationally in returning production. Casual observers are free to project Kansas as a door mat in 2023, but this is a bonafide eight-win and conference title contender candidate.
Who is TCU?
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes took an experienced Horned Frogs team to a national title game. If he can reload after a surprising first season in Fort Worth he may not relent TCU’s place atop the conference. Quarterback Chandler Morris might be one of the more underrated players in the league. He’ll have plenty of weapons to pass the football. The team’s chances to compete for the conference title hinge on its defense.
Who makes the championship?
The Big 12 title race is going to be closer to musical chairs than an actual title race. Oklahoma doesn’t play many of the conference’s top contenders which could leave a better team like Kansas State, Texas or Texas Tech out of the title game. For now, we’ll stick with the Texas vs. Kansas State conference title prediction, but it’ll be difficult to keep the Sooners out of the game.
