Big 12 Football Media Days take place this week in Frisco, Texas, which always feels like the unofficial start to college football. We go from off-season storylines to preview storylines once media days has wrapped up. We get to see all 16 teams over two days in Frisco, Texas talk about their off-season changes, roster improvements (hopefully), and vision for the upcoming fall. Here are the Top 5 storylines I am watching at Media Days this week.
1. Texas Tech is the Elephant in the Room
All eyes will be on Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders this week. Not just because they won the Big 12 last year, made the College Football Playoff, and continue to recruit at an elite level, but also because of the Brendan Sorsby saga, which thankfully came to a close in the last couple of weeks. How much does McGuire dig in? What does he say about the future of sports gambling on college athletics? And how much does he double-down on Tech’s handling of the situation? No one will face tougher questions this week than Joey McGuire. How he handles all of it is the story to watch in Frisco this week.
2. The Four Newcomers
There are four new coaches taking the podium for the first time this week in Frisco: They are K-State’s Collin Klein, Iowa State’s Jimmy Rogers, Oklahoma State’s Eric Morris and Utah’s Morgan Scalley. Two have been head coaches before, two have been top-level coordinators. How does each of these four handle the biggest spotlight of their respective coaching careers? There’s typically an awkward moment or two for new coaches who are now at the highest levels, surrounding by hundreds of media folks. And which of these four will bust out with the best season in Year No. 1 on the job? That is TBD.
3.. How do the Hot Seat Coaches Feel
Well, for this list we have to look to Waco, Texas and Cincinnati, Ohio, where Dave Aranda and Scott Satterfield have to have the two hottest seats in the Big 12 Conference. Aranda is fortunate to be back in 2026, but the Mack Rhoades resignation likely saved him his job. Both coaches need to have a solid season, and ideally an impressive upset or two, to feel comfortable about their chances to return in 2027. They know it, and everyone in The Star will know it this week.
4. Which Returning QB Stands Out?
Of the returning quarterbacks who will be at media days, it’s always fun to see who appears to take that next step physically and emotionally. In this Big 12, there’s BYU’s Bear Bachmeier, Colorado’s Julian Lewis, Houston’s Conner Weigman, Arizona’s Noah Fifita, K-State’s Avery Johnson and Utah’s Devon Dampier, who will all be in Frisco this week. Some are veterans entering their last season or two, like Dampier, Weigman and Fifita, while others, like Bachmeier and Lewis, are looking to build on a their freshman season. How each one of these guys look and present themselves is always something to watch, and may give us some insight into what expect this fall.
5. Brett Yormark’s Open
The Big 12 Commissioner will take the stage this week during what is one of the most transformative times in college sports history. There is the Protect College Sports Act pending in Congress, while there are also huge questions around the NCAA’s power, the future of college sports on television, the NCAA Tournament is set to once again expand, and we are still wondering whether or not college football is going to expand its Playoff to 16 or 24 teams. Brett Yormark will undoubtedly have answers to all of those questions, and oh yeah, there’s the Brendan Sorsby drama. How he handles all of that will undoubtedly drive storylines around college sports for weeks to come.
