Coaches from each university took the podium during the Big 12 football media days Monday and Tuesday in Dallas.
Here is a roundup of each press conference from the two-day event.
BAYLOR
For 15 seasons, Baylor had to co-exist with Oklahoma, Texas and the rest of the South, while the North teams rotated their schedules. Now that the divisions are no more, the Bears must be thrilled everyone has to face the conference heavyweights year after year. Right?
“You know, I hadn’t even thought about that,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “I’m not sure there is one opponent that’s that much more dominating over another over a 10-year period.”
Really? Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, the Bears are 0-15 vs. Oklahoma, 0-15 vs. Texas Tech, 1-14 vs. Oklahoma State, 2-13 vs. Texas and 2-13 vs. Texas A&M.
Baylor is 15-90 overall in conference play. Iowa State, who also has never beaten OU in league play, is 27-63 all time in the Big 12. Clearly, the scheduling breaks the North teams had gave them an advantage over Baylor. Right?
Briles wouldn’t bite.
IOWA STATE
Finding a quarterback is a must, but the biggest challenge coach Paul Rhoads said he faces this season is navigating Iowa State through one of the toughest schedules in the nation.
After warming up with Northern Iowa, the Cyclones play in-state rival Iowa and reigning Big East champion Connecticut before kicking off Big 12 play. That’s 11 straight games against BCS conference teams.
“We’re going to have to meet that challenge if we’re going to have success moving forward,” Rhoads said.
So is the coach hoping Iowa State adopts a play-any-team-any-place attitude?
“My wife likes our job, and I sort of do, too — so, no,” Rhoads said. “That’s not a direction I’d like to move, playing 11 BCS opponents every year.”
KANSAS
While the Jayhawks limped through a 3-9 season last year, Turner Gill resisted the urge to play his freshmen. The coach opted to redshirt 15 to 16 of his first-year players in a move he thought would pay long-term dividends.
“I thought that would be a better situation as far as … down the road as they would be bigger, faster, stronger,” Gill said.
With 25 to 26 more freshmen joining the redshirt freshmen, Gill expects the increased competition this fall will improve his team’s play. The coach said he is particularly excited about how fast his new players are.
“They are bringing some speed,” Gill said. “And that excites me because when we have some speed, then I’m going to give you more opportunity to showcase your skills.”
KANSAS STATE
For all the talk about the North teams struggling to consistently compete with their Southern brethren, Kansas State sure does have Texas’ number. The Wildcats are 5-2 against the Longhorns in Big 12 play, and that includes wins in the past three meetings.
But don’t tell Bill Snyder.
“We’ve just been fortunate, fortunate that our players play extremely hard,” the coach said.
Still, the numbers don’t lie. With every conference member on the schedule each season, Kansas State must be excited to play Texas every year?
“I hope we continue to have good fortune, but I assure you that we don’t have anybody’s number,” he said. “I just hope we can compete this year with them.”
Humility is alive and well in Manhattan, Kan.
MISSOURI
The Gabbert Era is over much earlier than some may have predicted. Blaine Gabbert opted to leave school for the NFL, and his younger brother, Tyler Gabbert, transferred after spring camp.
Tyler Gabbert’s departure left the door wide open for James Franklin to claim the starting role. Franklin was the backup last season, but wasn’t called on often.
As a young player, Franklin is still working to mature as a leader, but coach Gary Pinkel said his quarterback will be fine.
“The team’s embraced him,” Pinkel said. “The team around him understands he’s going to be the starter.”
OKLAHOMA
The death of linebacker Austin Box rocked the Sooner players and coaches. And although it’s been more than two months since Box died, the pain is still present.
“There’s no words that truly can describe how you hurt and how the players hurt,” coach Bob Stoops said.
Stoops said his team has drawn on its unity to cope with the loss.
“I think the players, more than anything, leaned on each other — us as coaches leaned on them,” he said.
Stoops didn’t have specifics, but he said the team will come up with ways to pay tribute to Box and honor his memory.
“As a team, it’s something … we’ll address again and just try to keep putting one foot in front of the other to move forward without forgetting,” he said.
OKLAHOMA STATE
For as much talent and experience the team returns on offense, the Cowboys have some big question marks on the other side of the ball.
Only five defensive starters are back, and coach Mike Gundy acknowledges the unit will have to grow up fast, especially in the front seven.
The improvement of defensive tackle Nigel Nicholas and linebackers Caleb Lavey and Joe Mitchell are key, Gundy said.
“I’m comfortable with our ends because we have returning starters that have played in big games,” he said. “But those players are going to need to grow up fast in order for us to have success.”
TEXAS
The Longhorns were picked to finish fifth in the conference. Mack Brown’s reaction to the lowered expectations? Thanks for the help, media.
“You all make our players mad daily, and you motivate them first,” Brown said.
The coach said he first learned about the media’s preseason poll when one of his players told him Sunday night. Texas had never been picked to finish lower than third in the Big 12 Conference.
“There is a certain motivation when you tell kids they’re not any good, and they’re not going to do anything and they’re not in the top 10,” he said. “[These are] the things they came to Texas for and that they’ve had, they lost this year. So there’s a certain motivation for that.”
When the Longhorns unexpectedly win the Big 12 title, we’ll be waiting for our thank-you cards, Mack.
TEXAS A&M
In searching for the Big 12’s top running backs, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to say the two best backs line up for Mike Sherman’s Aggies.
Christine Michael was the featured back until he broke his leg, creating an opportunity for Cyrus Gray to end the season with seven straight 100-yard rushing games.
So with Michael healthy, will he and Gray create a controversy in the backfield?
With the Aggies running between 85 and 95 offensive plays per game, there will be plenty of opportunities for both backs to get the ball in their hands — running and receiving, Sherman said.
“I don’t anticipate it being a major issue, because they’re both going to play,” Sherman said. “I think they both are a great one-two punch.”
TEXAS TECH
After making headlines last summer for doubting the viability of a 10-team Big 12, coach Tommy Tuberville sang the conference’s praises — or at least stuck to the approved script.
Tuberville said although the conference championship game will be missed, the league has a lot of good things going for it, including the round-robin schedule.
When every team plays one another, the Big 12 has the advantage of crowning a true conference champion, he said.
“I don’t know what the future is, but I don’t think there’s any doubt we can sustain with 10 teams,” Tuberville said. “We can make the best out of it and even become a stronger conference maybe than what it was.”
He paused.
“That’s a political answer, right? I worked on that,” he said.