What kind of league will Big 12 be? Coaches provide a few clues

Mascots and cheerleaders from the 16 Big 12 schools pose for a group photo during Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Las Vegas, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. The 16 coaches offered a bit more substance about their teams heading into 2024 season. | Lucas Peltier, Associated Press

Big 12 football teams kick off fall football camps in about two weeks. The time for words, prognostications and hype will then be over.

This will be a far more competitive league than many expect. Sure, there will be programs who have some hurdles with depth and talent, but week in and week out there will be games that go to the wire regardless of where both teams are in the league standings.

This will be a league of talented quarterbacks, premier ball carriers and big physical offensive lines. It will be a conference where, at times, there is little defense. That is why executing on offense with capable quarterbacks at the helm is key.

In its inaugural Big 12 year, Utah brings a physical defense that will make a mark in the league right out of the chute.

BYU is a team that is trying to adjust and recruit to the standard required. It will know soon enough if they’ve made progress from a two-win league season in 2023.

Placing BYU and Utah back in the same conference automatically establishes the rivalry as the best in the conference in Year 1.

But before we turn to cleats on the field, here’s a review of some of the more interesting quotes that fell out of Big 12 media days in Las Vegas this past week.

A year ago, West Virginia was picked to finish last in the Big 12, but ended up fourth. Mountaineers coach Neal Brown addressed this year’s predictions of finishing seventh:

“We’re picked seventh in the league, and we’re not in most of these preseason top-25 (polls), so I think there’s a similar dynamic that works with this team,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kind-league-big-12-coaches-183000503.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-07-15 18:30:00

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