Previewing Big 12 media days: Last stand for Texas and Oklahoma, newcomers to watch and expansion talk

Bill Connelly is a staff writer for ESPN.com.

Dave Wilson is an editor for ESPN.com since 2010. He previously worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.

The Big 12 will kick off the start of media days on Wednesday, July 12, with no shortage of intriguing storylines.

Oklahoma and Texas, the conference’s most high-profile teams, will say goodbye after the 2023 season and head to the SEC. Whether the Sooners and Longhorns will be the focus of media days this week is up for debate.

Elsewhere in the conference, commissioner Brett Yormark has expressed interest in expansion and realignment, something that will likely be a big talking point this week.

And, of course, four new teams enter the fray as BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF get set for life in a new conference.

With plenty to talk about, we dive into the five biggest questions ahead of Big 12 media days.

1. What can we expect from Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s address?

Dave Wilson: Yormark has been on the offensive since taking over as the Big 12 commissioner. He’s certainly shaken things up, whether it’s announcing a new league basketball presence at Rucker Park in Harlem or an expansion into Mexico for multiple sports. Last year, he said the league would be “younger, hipper, cooler,” so expect something along those lines, like when he announced a collaboration with streetwear company A Bathing Ape to sell $200 T-shirts with the Big 12 logo in camouflage. That certainly was a departure from the Bob Bowlsby era.

Bill Connelly: We haven’t seen a major conference commissioner this confident since Larry Scott tried to steal half the Big 12, invested in super expensive office real estate and decided not to stop with just a single Pac-12 Network. I doubt Yormark will get particularly specific in his media days address — just keep hitting those buzzwords — but I’m fascinated with how the next few years might play out for this conference. Aggression didn’t pay off for Scott and the Pac-12, but that doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to fail for Yormark.

2. How much will realignment dominate the conversation?

Wilson: The league has reportedly flirted with Colorado and UConn, in addition to discussing the idea of adding Gonzaga for basketball only. Yormark will likely do his best impression of a politician, having to dance around the specific examples while also making it clear that the league is still “open for business,” as he’s said in the past.

Connelly: I’m sure he would love nothing more than to announce the addition of Colorado, UConn, Gonzaga, Arizona and the Monterrey Institute of Technology from the dais, but that’s probably not happening. Realignment will almost certainly come up many times, but these stories tend to break when we least expect it.

3. What will the send-off be like for Texas and Oklahoma?

Wilson: Last year, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy made the most noise, saying the two schools shouldn’t be involved in league business meetings. Gundy has never been one to mince words, so if he’s not already bored with it, he might have a few choice lines. But the two schools also represent two of the best jobs in college football, and there aren’t too many coaches who want to burn those bridges.

Connelly: Gundy is never one to bite his tongue, and he probably won’t start now. (Houston coach Dana Holgorsen is probably still good for a zinger or two as well.) But I’m guessing the league and its coaches will attempt to steer questions about Oklahoma and Texas more toward remarks about the conference’s new schools and the fact that TCU — a school that’s staying — just earned the conference its first College Football Playoff win.

4. Which of the new guys is best positioned to make early noise?

Wilson: UCF has been waiting for this moment for years. Gus Malzahn has been at the top of the mountain before at Auburn and has new offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw to allow him to see the big picture a little better. He’s got a returning starter at QB in John Rhys Plumlee, depth at RB and several big-program transfers to help jump-start their big leap. But my money’s on Dana Holgorsen to have the best soundbites of any of the newcomers.

Connelly: Yeah, if we’re looking for literal noise, Holgorsen’s the answer. But in terms of first-year success, Houston, Cincinnati and BYU all took steps backward last season and ranked 11th through 13th in the preseason poll. UCF ranked eighth, and in terms of recruiting rankings and athleticism, they seem to have the most Big 12-ready roster. They had a case to start out sixth or seventh.

5. What were the biggest surprises in the media poll released this week?

The preseason Big 12 media poll top 5 (first-place votes):

1. Texas (41)
2. Kansas State (14)
3. Oklahoma (4)
4. Texas Tech (4)
5.TCU (3)

Wilson: First of all, last year’s Top 2 were Baylor and Oklahoma, with a combined 29 first-place votes. They combined to finish 12-14 and 7-11 in the conference. TCU, which finished seventh, played in the national championship game. So I’m surprised to see that Oklahoma still gets the benefit of the doubt over a team like Texas Tech, which returns nine offensive starters from a team that beat both Texas and Oklahoma and led TCU on the road in the fourth quarter. And while Texas got 41 first-place votes, there were 28 more spread across five other teams, including one for Oklahoma State, who underwent an offseason of huge change, losing 17 scholarship players in the transfer portal.

Connelly: It’s all about close games in the Big 12. Oklahoma, Baylor and OSU combined to go 16-4 in one-score finishes in 2021, then went 4-11 in 2022. Texas Tech and TCU went a combined 10-1 in such games last year, and that’s going to be difficult to match. TCU is expected to fall a few spots from last year’s standings, but Tech is expected to rise further (and even got four first-place votes), and that sounds like a red flag, no matter how much I love what Joey McGuire is doing in Lubbock.

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