STILLWATER – The bus leaves early tomorrow afternoon, okay no bus, just my truck with Zach Lancaster in tow and we will meet up with Marshall Levenson in Arlington for the two-day Big 12 Football Media Days. The schedule has the top two picks in the league in Oklahoma and Iowa State on Wednesday joined by TCU, West Virginia, and Kansas State. On Thursday here come the Oklahoma State Cowboys with head coach Mike Gundy, quarterback Spencer Sanders, and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez. Also coming along for the trip to Arlington are new Oklahoma State University President Dr. Kayse Shrum and new athletic director Chad Weiberg. A show of force and unity for the Cowboys. It will be good for the conference media to get to meet Dr. Shrum and Chad Weiberg. OSU will be joined on Thursday by Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech, and Kansas.
Triple Play Sports Radio will have live coverage from the event at AT&T Cowboys Stadium on both days starting at 10 a.m. and going all the way through 5 p.m. The longest live coverage of any radio station at the event.
Pokes Report will have coverage running all day long with stories from the morning session, afternoon session, and a wrap-up with the always fun analysis of whether any schools changed our minds.
| Weds. July 14 | Iowa State | Matt Campbell | Breece Hall and Greg Eisworth |
| Weds. July 14 | TCU | Gary Patterson | Max Duggan and Ochaun Mathis |
| Weds. July 14 | West Virginia | Neal Brown | Leddie Brown and Dante Stills |
| Weds. July 14 | Kansas State | Chris Klieman | Skylar Thompson and Jahron McPherson |
| Weds. July 14 | Oklahoma | Lincoln Riley | Jeremiah Hall and Nik Bonitto |
| Thurs. July 15 | Oklahoma St. | Mike Gundy | Spencer Sanders and Malcolm Rodriguez |
| Thurs. July 15 | Baylor | Dave Aranda | Connor Galvin and Terrel Barnard |
| Thurs. July 15 | Kansas | Lance Leipold | Kwamie Lassiter II and Kenny Logan Jr. |
| Thurs. July 15 | Texas Tech | Matt Wells | Dawson Deaton and Riko Jeffers |
| Thurs. July 15 | Texas | Steve Sarkisian | Bijon Robinson and Keondre Coburn |
Now, for a preview of what we are looking for. Here are the most pressing questions for each school from each of our reporters: Robert Allen (publisher), Zach Lancaster (editor), and Marshall Levenson (recruiting editor).
1. Oklahoma
Robert: How have the off the field issues this spring and summer impacted Oklahoma’s momentum heading into this season?
Zach: Spencer Rattler had a stellar season last year. Will he live up to all the Heisman talk this season?
Marshall: Will the always unpredictable OU defense be able to keep up with the electric fast paced offense?
2. Iowa State
Robert: Exactly why did you go to the different routine this spring swtching more to an NFL OTA type of workout versus the traditional type of spring practices?
Zach: Will the 3-headed monster of Brock Purdy, Breece Hall and Charlie Kolar have another magical season and the Cyclones back in the Big 12 title game?
Marshall: Does Breece Hall follow up with another stellar season or does he a Chuba Hubbard esque decline?
3. Texas
Robert: What steps have been taken to change the culture in the program or is that an inaccurate perception that the culture is a problem?
Zach: Steve Sarkisian was a home run hire for the Horns following the last two coaching failures. Will it be enough to bring Texas “back”?
Marshall: How much will the on field product actually change with the new coaching regime?
4. TCU
Robert: How much different do you anticipate your offense being this fall and is Doug Meacham a better fit as playcaller with his background of being an offensive lineman and his love of running the football out of the spread alignment?
Zach: Is Max Duggan a real threat at quarterback and can he be successful in the Big 12 this year?
Marshall: Is Max Duggan really a top quarterback in the Big 12 and what we will do to prove it?
5. Oklahoma State
Robert: With the defense as a strength and the ability to run the football how do you picture the tempo and the split between run and pass being in the Cowboys offense this season?
Zach: Will having a full spring with Tim Rattay be enough for Spencer Sanders to make the necessary jump up and iron out his issues in the pocket (turnovers, time management, etc.)?
Marshall: Does Spencer Sanders finally take the on field step that has been so long awaited?
6. Kansas State
Robert: Very simple, how much difference does the presence of a healthy Skylar Thompson make for the Wildcats?
Zach: Will Duece Vaughn be able to back up his stellar freshman season with an even better sophomore season?
Marshall: Will Skylar Thompson be able to show if he has a professional career ahead of him in his senior season?
7. West Virginia
Robert: Similar question as for Mike Gundy and OSU, with Leddie Brown and that offensive line combined with a potentially stout defense, what is your guess on the run/pass split this season for the Mountaineers?
Zach: Jarret Doege had a decent 2020 season, but can he turn the corner this year and make the Mountaineers the dangerous in team we’re used to seeing?
Marshall: Will the D-line be able to replicate its strength with Dante Stills as a senior this year?
8. Baylor
Robert: Your new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is known for zone, outside zone. There is a lot of that in this league, so how do your change it up to make it different and is that decision somewhat dependent on which quarterback wins the job?
Zach: After a few years of mediocrity, can Dave Aranda turn the Bears around this season, or will we see another down year?
Marshall: Will Dave Aranda’s team take a step forward or does he show to be a stagnant head coach?
9. Texas Tech
Robert: With Tyler Shough, Thompson at running back, Ezukanma at receiver, and the returning offensive line combined with Sonny Cumbie is this a return to Air Raid in Lubbock?
Zach: Matt Wells is entering his third season in Lubbock and has seen multiple first-team All-Big 12 selections. Will we see the Red Raiders take a step up, or will they remain middle/bottom of the pack?
Marshall: Will the new Oregon transfer quarterback Tyler Shough provide Tech with their natural style of the gun slinging mentality?
10. Kansas
Robert: What are the realisitic goals for this season and selfishly can you tell me how Jackson Satterwhite is developing at offensive tackle?
Zach: Everyone’s saying how Leipold’s a top-10 coach in college football. Will he be enough to bring Kansas out of the cellar?
Marshall: How much can Leipold actually change in one season after the whole Les Miles failure?
