Big 12 football media days is taking place this week in Frisco, Texas. All 16 coaches take the podium, and then handle break-out sessions with Big 12 media members. And while some coaches are on the hot seat, others are eyeing a trip to the College Football Playoff, and many are in between. Here’s the top question I have for each Big 12 football coach this week, in alphabetical order.
Brent Brennan, Arizona: Was 2025 the standard or the blip?
Brennan has had a very disappointing and a very impressive season at Arizona. Which one is the standard? Or is the reality somewhere in the middle? Expectations are quietly high in Tucson, and there’s reason for it. But what does Brennan think about his potential for long-term, consistent success? And my 1A question: How do you replace that secondary?
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State: Compare Cutter Boley to Sam Leavitt?
Boley transfers in from Kentucky and is the projected 2026 quarterback in Tempe. But losing a guy like Sam Leavitt is tough. Granted, Leavitt didn’t perform close to expectations last season. I remember after the 2024 CFP run, there was talk about Leavitt being in the 2026 NFL Draft. Yeah, about that. Now he’s at LSU. Is the drop off really even that much?
Dave Aranda, Baylor: How many games do you have to win to keep your job?
Aranda is lucky to still have his job. IF not for Mack Rhoades resignation, it’s hard to see how Aranda would still be around going into the 2026 season. So what does he think he needs to do to win?
Kalani Sitake, BYU: Is Jay Hill replaceable?
BYU went 2-7 in Big 12 play in its first season in the conference in 2023. Enter: Jay Hill. The Cougars were 15-3 the last two seasons in league play, in large part thanks to that defense. Hill took the DC job at Michigan. Will they just seamlessly transition to Kelly Poppinga?
Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati: What did you know about Brendan Sorsby’s gambling?
Joey McGuire will obviously get this question, but guess what: Scott Satterfield should get it to. And he will. It’s a very fair and obvious question to ask, given the news cycle of the last several weeks in college football.
Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati: What did you know about Brendan Sorsby’s gambling?
Joey McGuire will obviously get this question, but guess what: Scott Satterfield should get it to. And he will. It’s a very fair and obvious question to ask, given the news cycle of the last several weeks in college football.
Deion Sanders, Colorado: How healthy are you?
Yeah, there are HIPAA issues within this question, but Coach Prime has been through a lot with his health in recent years. From bladder cancer and ongoing vascular issues, it’s been a lot. The college football coaching world is arguably more demanding than ever before. 2025 was a disaster for CU. Do improved health and staff changes get the Buffaloes back to 2024 levels?
Willie Fritz, Houston: Why can you win a national championship here?
Fritz did a sit-down with On3 this week, where he talked about how he’s at Houston to win a national championship. Now, I just ranked him as the top coach in the Big 12 Conference this past week, so I am a fan. But what is it going to take to get it done at a place like Houston? I’d be curious to dig in further there.
Jimmy Rogers, Iowa State: Do you make 2026 about a win total or program building?
When you take over for the guy who has been the most successful coach in program history, it’s not easy. So what does Jimmy Rogers want to do in 2026? Is it a building block for the future? Or does he say, we need a certain number of wins to call this a successful first season?
Lance Leiold, Kansas: Did 2023 overly skew KU football expectations?
KU won nine games in 2023. Then, the expectations may have gotten a bit out of whack. Back-to-back 5-7 seasons have disappointed KU fans. Understandable, but let’s not forget where this program was pre-Leipold. It was a mess. What’s realistic? It’s a fair question right now.
Collin Klein, Kansas State: What’s it like going from player to coach at Big 12 media days?
Klein is one of the few to go from Big 12 media days as a player to a coach. And it hasn’t even been that long, relatively speaking. How have things changed? How have they stayed the same? And oh yeah, how hard was it to keep Avery Johnson?
Eric Morris, Oklahoma State: What’s the hardest part about following a legend?
Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State tenure ended more poorly than anyone could have imagined, but it’s still imperative to understand how big a star Gundy is in Stillwater. The former QB turned rockstar coach took OSU football to unprecedented levels. That’s not easy to replace.
Sonny Dykes, TCU: Was 2022 an aberration?
Sonny Dykes took TCU to a national championship in Year 1. No one expected that to be a yearly thing, but TCU hasn’t even come close to a Big 12 Championship since then. So, what are realistic annual expectations for this program?
Joey McGuire, Texas Tech: What did you know about Brendan Sorsby’s gambling?
Listen, it’s the obvious question and the elephant in the room. Everyone wants to know the answer to this question, and there’s no other place to start.
Scott Frost, UCF: Why is Alonza Barnett Finally the Guy at QB?
NO program has cycled through quarterbacks quite like UCF in recent years. Hopefully, they have their guy in the James Madison transfer. But I’d like to see him do it at the next level first, even though his CFP game against Oregon was solid.
Morgan Scalley, Utah: How much playing time for Byrd Ficklin?
Utah was able to keep both Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin. I’m sure the price was right for both, but there should be a package for Ficklin after what he did last season. So what does that look like?
Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia: How is the strategy to win at WVU different from 20 years ago?
Obviously, SO much has changed in the world of college football, but how RichRod navigates rebuilding this program in today’s environment vs. 20+ years ago would be a fascinating conversation. Is it easier? Harder? Just different? Let’s talk about it.
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