With the spring practices underway across the country and still a few months until the college football season officially kicks off, now is the perfect time to look ahead to some of the biggest storylines worth keeping an eye on in some of the more intriguing conferences. Here is a look at the biggest Big 12 spring storylines to keep an eye on.
How Will The Oklahoma Defense Fare?
The Sooners undoubtedly have the talent to contend for a Big 12 title this coming season but they will need to figure things out on the defensive side of the football after former coordinator Will Venables left for Clemson. Oklahoma will switch back to a four-man front with some interesting young pieces in the fold that will be expected to make a major impact. The Sooners gave up at least 400 yards in eight games last year so they will need to improve on that side of the football if they are going to make significant strides both in the Big 12 and on the national stage this season.
How High Is The Cowboys Ceiling?
Oklahoma State will not be overlooked in the Big 12 and perhaps even on the national stage this coming season based in large part on an absolutely loaded offense that will be expected to put up some big numbers this season. The return of quarterback Mason Rudolph, running back Justice Hill and wide receiver James Washington gives the Cowboys three elite weapons at the skill positions that could push them over the top this season.
How Will Kansas State React To Bill Snyder News?
The Wildcats are loaded with talent and they have some added motivation this season after it was revealed that head coach Bill Snyder is receiving treatment for cancer. Snyder will continue to work for his 26th season and his players should be pumped up to rward their coach with an excellent year in the Big 12.
Will Will Grier Shine As Expected?
When the Mountaineers brought in Will Grier at the quarterback position it was immediately clear that they had a talented passer with the raw potential to put up big numbers this season. The offense is now run by Jake Spavital and it will be interesting to see how they produce with Grier under center. The talented dual-threat quarterback has the potential to absolutely dazzle against Big 12 defenses this year and while he hasn’t been talked about enough it wouldn’t be a major stretch to think that he could contend for a Heisman trophy with a big season at West Virgina.
How Will The Tom Herman Era Begin?
There is no doubt that Tom Herman’s arrival at Texas created major shockwaves in the Big 12 where a new era begins. The Longhorns handed the keys to the 41-year-old with the hope that he can transform their culture and turn them back in to a winning program but he will have his work cut out for him against some tough competition. The Big 12 is absolutely loaded heading in to this coming season and it will be very interesting to see how things play out once the action finally begins.
Where Does Baylor Go From Here?
It’s been a tumultuous couple of offseasons for the Baylor Bears. Last offseason, they had to suddenly cut ties with head coach Art Briles – the man who had built the program into a Big 12 contender – because of all sorts of transgressions that the team had during his tenure. He’s denied the allegations many times and it looked like the school could move head after the 2016 campaign, but then news broke of Briles text messages being exposed and it was ugly.
Jim Grobe was the head coach last year he wasn’t exciting. He was just there to stop the bleeding. Now Matt Rhule has taken over. Can he stop this team’s slide and get the arrow pointed back in the right direction? The Bears just need to get the headlines focused back on football, so they can move forward. We’ll see if Rhule can do that.
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