Steven Johnson: One burning question for each Big 12 team ahead of football media day

College football media days are another sign that the long wait for football season is winding down.

On Wednesday and Thursday, all 14 members from the Big 12 conference will come to AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the conference’s media day.

With it being the final one for Texas and Oklahoma, It will be the busiest and biggest media day the league has seen. Media days should offer more information on the teams and coaches around the league and further build excitement for what should be an intriguing 2023 season.

Here’s the one question I have for each Big 12 team. The list of questions is in order with where the teams were picked in the Big 12 media preseason poll.

Is Texas finally back?

Want to know the craziest stat in college football? Since the Big 12 began play in 1996, the Longhorns have only three conference titles. For such a proud program, that’s staggering. Texas’ final shot for title No. 4 is actually their best one with the Longhorns considered the clear favorite with the Big 12’s most talented roster.

Texas has one of the nation’s top receiver rooms, a monster offensive line and the conference’s preseason Defensive Player of the Year, Jaylan Ford. Much of the Longhorns’ season will come down to the development of quarterback Quinn Ewers. If he’s the guy, then Texas shouldn’t have much issues reaching AT&T Stadium for the Big 12 title game.

How is life without Deuce Vaughn for K-State?

The Wildcats won the Big 12 last year thanks to one of the best collegiate running backs ever in Deuce Vaughn. The small, but mighty back is off to the NFL and has left a massive hole that needs to be replaced. K-State signed one of the transfer portals top running backs, Florida State’s Treshaun Ward.

Ward, voted preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, should be productive, especially with that offensive line. However, Vaughn was the type of player that could rush for 150 yards and add another 100 receiving. Can Ward have that type of impact or will quarterback Will Howard need to carry more of the load?

How much can Oklahoma improve on defense?

Before taking over as head coach, Brent Venables coordinated some of this century’s best defenses during his prior stint with the Sooners and at Clemson. That’s why it was a shocker that the Sooners allowed 30 points per game and had the 99th scoring defense nationally. That was a big reason why Oklahoma had its first losing season since 1998.

Many are expecting a bounce back year in part to top five recruiting and transfer classes. Oklahoma needs to see sizable improvement or Venables could be on the hot seat entering 2024.

Is Texas Tech good enough defensively to contend?

The Red Raiders could begin the season ranked in the Top 25 and there’s belief that the Red Raiders could be one of the two teams left standing in the Big 12 title game. Tyler Shough is back at quarterback along with most of his top receivers. Leading rusher Tahj Brooks also returns, but will the Red Raiders be able to stop anybody?

Tech was 93rd in scoring defense and found itself in shootouts almost every week even with first-round draft pick Tyree Wilson. Wilson’s gone now and must be replaced.

How does TCU’s new offense look?

There’s new everything on the offensive side of the ball for the Horned Frogs: a new starting quarterback, offensive coordinator, starting running back and multiple new starting wide receivers. After having one of the nation’s best offenses last year, TCU had five offensive players taken in the draft and a few more sign with NFL teams as undrafted free agents.

Head coach Sonny Dykes addressed the holes with another solid transfer class. But does TCU have the pieces to replace talents like Quentin Johnston and Kendre Miller? How long will it take for the offense to find a rhythm under new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles?

Will Baylor’s defense regain its elite form?

When coach Dave Aranda led the Bears to a Big 12 title and New Year’s Six Bowl game in 2021, it had a lot to do with a defensive unit that ranked top-10 in scoring defense and numerous other categories. The Bears fell to 69th last season and saw their win total plummet from 12 to six. That’s quite a fall and a major reason Aranda brought in Matt Powledge from Oregon to take over the defense.

The new hire is the key to Baylor’s season.

How does Oklahoma State bounce back from attrition?

The Cowboys were decimated by the transfer portal with stars like Spencer Sanders (Ole Miss), JP Richardson (TCU) and Dominic Richardson (Baylor) all opting to leave Stillwater for other teams. It’s hard to project how Oklahoma State will look offensively with Alan Bowman potentially leading the offense.

The Cowboys do have some of the league’s best defenders in Collin Oliver and Kendal Daniels. Coach Mike Gundy has been a model of consistency, but this could be his toughest year yet.

How does UCF’s offense translate to the Power Five?

In theory, the Golden Knights could be a sneaky explosive team with quarterback John Rhys Plumlee and leading receiver Javon Baker back. However, in three games against Power Five teams last year UCF averaged just 18 points per game and went 1-2 against the likes of Georgia Tech, Louisville and Duke. That’s against the bottom of the ACC, so how will Plumlee and company fare against a Kansas State or Baylor?

Can Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels regain his form?

Through the first five games of the season, Daniels was one of the most electric players in the country and a Heisman contender until an injury against TCU forced him to a miss a chunk of the regular season. He wasn’t quite the same player when he returned at the end of the year, but he did produce a 544-yard game against Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl. That could be the type of performance that helps Daniels start the year off strong again.

Will Iowa State be better on offense?

The Cyclones had one of the country’s best defenses and one of the worst offenses in 2022. Even accounting for the 62 points the defense allowed in the season finale against TCU, Iowa State still held opponents to an average of less than 20 points per game. Most teams in the top-20 landed in bowl games, the Cyclones landed at 4-8.

Iowa State wasn’t particularly aggressive in the transfer portal to bring in more offensive pieces so it’s clear that coach Matt Campbell is relying on internal development for players like Hunter Dekkers. It’s a risky strategy after how bad the unit looked last season.

How can BYU keep pace in its first season?

I’m not particularly high on the Cougars as they make their transition from independents to the Big 12. The schedule isn’t particularly favorable with road games at TCU and Texas plus games against Oklahoma and Texas Tech on the schedule. Simply put, the Cougars will face most of the teams expected to contend outside of Kansas State.

The Cougars are also hoping Kedon Slovis continues its string of top tier quarterback play, but the Pittsburgh transfer threw 10 touchdowns and nine picks last season and his numbers have gotten worse every year since his breakout freshman season at USC in 2019.

Is Houston being slept on?

The Cougars underachieved last season, failing to live up to the hype as a potential New Year’s Six team, but Houston still won eight games with a top-20 scoring offense. Clayton Tune and wide receiver Tank Dell are gone, but the Cougars brought in Donovan Smith from Texas Tech to take over at quarterback and still have a good receiving core.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Houston snag an upset or two.

How quickly can Cincinnati reload?

The Bearcats are coming out of the Golden Era of Cincinnati football with over a dozen NFL draft picks, a playoff appearance and two conference titles. Luke Fickell departed for Wisconsin at the end of 2022, opening the door for Scott Satterfield to make the small move over from Louisville. The cupboard’s a bit bare, but Satterfield had Louisville rolling on the recruiting trail before moving to Ohio. Can he get the Bearcats to a similar position?

How long does Neal Brown keep his job?

There’s really only one coach on the hot seat in the Big 12 and it’s the West Virginia head coach. The Mountaineers have been a tad worse than mediocre with two 5-7 seasons and a 6-7 season during his four-year tenure. It’s the worst stretch the program has seen since the early 90s. Don Nehlen responded to that stretch with a 11-1 season in 1993, it could take something similar for Brown to still be the coach in 2024.