Burning Questions for the New-Look Big 12

Over the course of the past year, the Big 12 has sustained an array of emotions, a few of which include betrayal, triumph and a drive to survive. The conference has adapted and evolved to the modern age of college football, morphing itself into one of the most versatile leagues in the nation.

The tough loss of two premier programs in Missouri and Texas A&M almost left the conference crippled, yet adding both West Virginia and TCU helped to soothe the pain. Now, the league seems to be stronger than ever as the power programs look to challenge for the national title once again.

With spring training nearing its end while the 2013 recruiting classes continue to be sewn together piece by piece, we take a look at 11 burning questions for the Big 12 heading into next season.  

Will Texas Tech Claw Themselves out of the Bottom of the League?

Tommy Tuberville and the Red Raiders had a rough 2011 season, finishing second to last with only two conference wins and no bowl placement. Despite some top-notch Texas talent, this team seemed to lack consistency week in and week out.

Following the loss of head coach Mike Leach just two years ago, Tech has yet to threaten any Big 12 powers. The one exception that stands out is this past season's upset road victory over Oklahoma, taking down the No. 3 squad in the country and gaining attention nationwide.

With the support of offensive weapons such as QB Seth Doege, RB Eric Stephens and wideouts Eric Ward and Alex Torres, this 2012 squad has the opportunity of a lifetime to put Tech back on the map. Hopefully, head coach Tommy Tuberville will be on the top of his game, pulling this whole program together in what I consider to be a possible breakout season.

A strong recruiting class led by 4-star prospects DE Michael Starts, WR Reginald Davis and WR Dominique Wheeler should provide a great launching pad to push Tech into, at the very least, the postseason.

Will Charlie Weis Come Up Big for Kansas?

Finishing in last place is never any fun and Kansas, who did so the past two seasons under Turner Gill, decided to do something about it. In a seemingly "out-there" attempt, KU reached out to Florida's offensive coordinator Charlie Weis to take over. To their great surprise, the Kansas found out that he was more than interested in taking up the job.

The Jayhawks made the news nationwide for a week or so with this drastic move, hoping the former Notre Dame head coach could return them to the former glory that Mark Mangino had established just a few years prior.

Unfortunately for Kansas, however, I don't believe this will result in any big changes on the football field in the near future. Charlie Weis is a top-notch coach no doubt, but building a program such as KU from scratch is possibly the most difficult situation he's ever been thrown in.

To add some perspective, it took Mangino years to morph the Jayhawks into a Big 12 threat. When he resigned, all his hard work came crashing down, leaving Turner Gill with almost nothing to work with. While Weis is, in my opinion, the right man for the job down the road, Kansas should not expect anything better than ninth, maybe eighth, this upcoming season.    

Can Baylor Compete Without RG3?

To answer this question flat out, I'm going to have to go with a resounding no. Robert Griffin III was the heart and soul of this program and, with him gone, Art Briles and company will tons of trouble getting back to that level of competition. 

Furthermore, it's not just RG3 that's leaving the Bears vulnerable for next year. With both RB Terrance Ganaway and WR Kendall Wright graduating this May, almost all of Baylor's offensive weapons are gone.

The kind of national attention BU got last season will be invaluable for years to come, but finding a Heisman Trophy winner like Griffin III is a once in a lifetime kind of deal for a program this small. Baylor is not in any way the kind of consistent power that their brothers Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma are, leaving me to conclude that they will descend from greatness just as quickly as they reached it.

While many Bears fans have already lowered their expectations for 2012, I would suggest continuing to drop the bar. The impact RG3 had on BU was immeasurable, so prepare for some ugly scores next season as many a Big 12 program exacts its revenge on the Bears.     

Is TCU Truly Ready for the Big Leagues?

After spending many long years, 1996 through 2011, on the outside looking in, the Horned Frogs have finally made their jump into the big leagues. Joining the Big 12 a few months ago to replace Texas A&M on the lineup, their toughest challenge will be adjusting to the kind of competition they'll be facing in their new home.

Taking time in the WAC, C-USA and the Mountain West, the highest level of play TCU had in their own conferences were squads such as Cincinnati, Boise State, BYU and Air Force. When compared with Big 12 universities such as Oklahoma, West Virginia, Texas and Kansas State, the Horned Frogs' former competition is but child's play.

Returning some big-time offensive weapons in QB Casey Pachall, halfbacks Waymon James and Matthew Tucker and receivers Josh Boyce and Skye Dawson, I still firmly believe that TCU will have some major problems early on in the Big 12.

Even with teams such as Kansas and Iowa State hanging around, the Horned Frogs haven't matched up against some of the best in the country on a consistent basis in over a decade. This fact alone will be the biggest factor in their downfall next season.   

Which Conference Big-Shot Will Iowa State Topple?

It may just be me, but it seems that every season the Cyclones manage to ruin some top-dog squad's year, or at least come very close. For example, ISU lost to No. 15 Kansas by less than a touchdown in 2009 and to No. 9 Nebraska in OT by just a point.

Despite the fact that those are "failed" examples, Iowa State did manage to pull off the biggest upset of them all last season by taking down No. 2 Oklahoma State in overtime, effectively ending the Cowboys' shot at a national title.

Going into the 2012 season, the Cyclones will once have a shot to be the bane of the Big 12. Visiting Texas and then also hosting Kansas State, Oklahoma and West Virginia, ISU will have many prime opportunities to upset the balance of the college football world once again.

My question is who is it going to be this time around? My money is on Oklahoma, but we'll soon find out.   

Will Texas Make Its Way Back into the National Spotlight?

After two rough seasons, the Longhorns seem to finally be back on track. Their usual "dominance" of the conference had been abated while head coach Mack Brown reorganized his program following a devastating National Championship loss to Alabama in 2009.

Boasting, on average, recruiting classes ranked in the top three nationally, Texas is poised to jump right back into the mix of things. The only roadblock that remains for the Longhorns is the youth and lack of "clutch" that has plagued their QB play ever since the loss of superstar Colt McCoy.

With David Ash, Case McCoy and 4-star incoming recruit Conner Brewer all competing for the starting spot under center, Longhorn fans have to be eccentric about the possibility of resurfacing as a threat on the national scale.

Even with the loss of their storied rival Texas A&M, Texas continues to thrive. I believe, as many experts do, that Texas will sidle back into the conversation for BCS Bowl bids and conference titles this upcoming season, finally getting back to the top of the college football world. 

Was Kansas State's 2011 Season a Fluke?

While the Wildcats have never been a pushover in the Big 12, no one has ever labelled them as part of the conference's elite. Stability and mediocrity seemed to be their curse as the years wore on up in Manhattan, Kansas. 

Suddenly in 2011, K-State emerged as one of the top teams in the country. With the return of legendary coach Bill Snyder to the Wildcats, this program has not only been revived, but begun to thrive in the Big 12 as they did in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Their phoenix-like rise from the ashes has been inspiring to say the least. 

Under his tenure, Kansas State finished second in the league with a strong conference record of 7-2, losing only to both the Oklahoma universities. To further Snyder's influence on the field has been QB Collin Klein who led the Wildcats in both passing and rushing, totaling just over 3,000 all-purpose yards and putting up 40 touchdowns on the year.

Coming back as a senior for next season, Klein and his powerful offense will be gunning to take home a Big 12 Championship this time around. With both Snyder running the sideline and Klein working the field, 2011 seems less like a fluke and more like a premonition for this underrated Kansas State squad.   

Can Oklahoma Deliver This Time Around?

In what seems to be every preseason, experts around the nation predict the Sooners to take home the title or at least compete for it. Unfortunately for Oklahoma, the last time this was actually true was back in 2008 when Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford took OU to a national title only to lose to the Tim Tebow-led Florida Gators.

Now the 2012 season is beginning to come into focus with the Sooners, once again, ranked somewhere in or near the Top 10. Even with new conference competition in West Virginia threatening, Bob Stoops and Oklahoma are cockier than ever.

The question, however, is will they deliver this time around? To put this simply, I believe that OU has no shot at even getting close. Even with returning senior QB Landry Jones, halfbacks Dominique Whaley and Roy Finch and seasoned WR Kenny Stills, I just don't see the Sooners getting past the ever-looming "choke point."

What is this "choke point," you may ask? Quite honestly, this is the game that OU fails to deliver on against a much weaker opponent, effectively ending their national title hopes. The Sooners consistently prove me right almost every single season, falling to unranked Texas A&M in both 2002 and 2010 as well as unranked Texas Tech in both 2007 and 2011.

These key games, if they had gone the other way, would most likely have put OU in the conversation for the National Championship game each of those years. Despite any excuses about injuries, off-games or whatever else fans come up with, these games are the difference between ultimate success in a season and epic failure.

This upcoming season, the Sooners have many possible "choke points" that I believe will determine the overall success of the team. The big ones to watch out for are October 6th at Texas Tech, November 3rd at Iowa State and December 1st at TCU.     

Will West Virginia Dominate in Their New Home?

Since 2003, the Mountaineers have either won or tied for the Big East Championship six times, receiving the bid to a BCS Bowl half of those occasions. A storied program of epic proportions, their presence alone increases the competition within the league, particularly between other strong football universities such as Oklahoma and Texas.

Last season had mixed results for West Virginia as they finished conference play in a three-way tie with both Louisville and Cincinnati, receiving the Orange Bowl BCS Bid to play a top-notch Clemson squad. During the bowl game, however, the offense kicked in and WVU crushed the heavily-favord Tigers, 70-33, stunning the nation in epic fashion.

As the Mountaineers make their way into the Big 12, their prolific offense remains mostly afloat with their leader, QB Geno Smith, still at the helm. Furthermore, RB Dustin Garrison along with wideouts Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey return to wreck havoc among their new conference's fledging defenses.

With these returning studs and the momentum carried through from the crushing victory in the Orange Bowl, West Virginia has a better than decent shot at coming out of the Big 12 with the title in just their first season. While "domination" may be a strong word, the Mountaineers have the talent, resources and leadership to own the best of their new league.  

Can Oklahoma State Make Do Without the Dynamic Duo?

Taking home their first Big 12 Championship, not to mention BCS Bowl appearance and victory, the Cowboys are coming back into 2012 without their two most well-known players. With their "old" QB Brandon Weeden graduating and stellar WR Justin Blackmon leaving for the NFL draft, this dynamic duo is long gone and OSU is questioning exactly how they're going to make do.

Fortunately for Oklahoma State, their head Mike Gundy has transformed into one of the best leaders in the college football world. Furthermore, the Cowboys have some outstanding talent at quarterback just waiting to be used as backup Clint Chelf as well as Johnny Deaton, J.W. Walsh and incoming 4-star recruit Wes Lunt all have a shot to snare the open position.  

As for Justin Blackmon, a probable Top 10 draft selection, the answer is simple. Just a few years ago, Oklahoma State had another prolific wideout by the name of Dez Bryant who now catches passes for the Dallas Cowboys. The main reason why most OSU fans quickly forgot about Bryant was because of the up-and-coming talent of Justin Blackmon.

Accordingly, the Cowboys will soon just recall Blackmon as a distant memory as the new batch of big-shots takes their turn at impressing the crowd. With RB Joseph Randle, a proven Big 12 threat, returning as a junior, OSU has yet another weapon to utilize in their quest to defend their first conference title.

Point is, Oklahoma State has had NFL-caliber talent before and yet they still stand as one of the best programs in the league. With a head coach like Mike Gundy, constant inflows of big-time recruits, and a rabid fan base, the Cowboys need not lose sleep over the loss of QB Brandon Weeden and WR Justin Blackmon.   

Can the Conference Thrive Without Missouri and Texas A&M?

As far as these questions go, this one is easily the million dollar answer. With both Texas A&M and Missouri leaving for the green pastures of the SEC, many a Big 12 fan has done everything from curse to praise their sudden departure. 

With both the Aggies and the Tigers losing 100-year-old rivalries with former conference mates Texas and Kansas, respectively, I personally am sad to see the Lonestar Rivalry and the Border War come to an end. Furthermore, I despise watching two of the most loyal and numerous fanbases in the country take their viewings elsewhere.

As for the rest of the Big 12, they have retained a relative sense of ignorance to the subject. Quickly and efficiently replacing each university with TCU and West Virginia, respectively, both UT and KU ignored requests to keep their storied rivalries alive.

As the 2012 season approaches with a rapid haste, I can not say that I know whether or not the new-look Big 12 will thrive without their long-time former members. As far as I am concerned, A&M and Mizzou are irreplaceable in the grand scheme of things, but every fan has their own opinion.

Claiming that the conference will "thrive" might be a bit of a reach, but one thing is for sure: The Big 12 will continue to survive.