Top Five Storylines for the 2023 Big 12 Bowl Season
The Big 12’s bowl season officially gets underway on Saturday night as Texas Tech takes on Cal in the Independence Bowl, the first of nine Big 12 bowl games this season.
For the next three weeks, the most underrated league in college football will put its top nine teams to the test against the best of the other Power Five conferences, giving us plenty of must-watch action.
From the College Football Playoff to the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Florida, there are plenty of Big 12 storylines to keep up with this bowl season, and here are the top five.
K-State’s Appearance After an “Exodus” of Sorts
Kansas State has already seen plenty of attrition this offseason already, and much of it has come from difference-makers on the roster. Will Howard, Will Lee, Kobe Savage, Treshaun Ward, and Nate Matlack are all players who contributed in a big way this season but are now gone via the transfer portal. In all, 15 Wildcats have entered the portal, leaving K-State with quite a few questions ahead of a matchup with 18th-ranked NC State. Add to that the loss of offensive coordinator Collin Klein, and this team is a total mystery headed into the bowl. Still, the Wildcats are favored by 3.0 points and have a 74.3% chance of winning the game according to ESPN Analytics. With Avery Johnson being the unquestioned starter in this game and moving forward, it will be fun to see how the offense moves under the command of the true freshman.
Kansas’ Offense Without Andy Kotelnicki
While the Jayhawks haven’t lost much via the portal since the end of the regular season, there was still one monstrous departure with offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki leaving for Penn State. Kotelnicki was the architect of one of the most prolific offenses in college football over the past two seasons, using presnap motion and a flurry of offensive formations to create chaos for opposing defenses. Kansas’ offenses over the past two seasons have been among the best in the Big 12, even with starting quarterback Jalon Daniels missing most of the action in 2023. Jason Bean figures to be the starter in the bowl game and with Jeff Grimes now the play caller in Lawrence, will we see a totally new scheme from the Jayhawks? Or will it be one last hat tip to Kotelnicki before things change over the offseason? Either way, I wish good luck to the UNLV defense that will try and keep Kansas out of the endzone.
Ollie Gordon’s Future at Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon is the best running back in college football and has been recognized as such by winning the Doak Walker Award, being named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and now being named a unanimous All-American. All those incredible accolades are wonderful for both Gordon and the Cowboys’ football program, but they also bring an expectation in today’s game of college football. Pay-for-play disguised as NIL makes Gordon the hottest running back in the sport, and therefore, perhaps the most expensive. Are Oklahoma State donors willing to pay what it takes to keep Gordon in Stillwater, or will he hit the open market to see what he can make in 2024 elsewhere? He’s playing his cards close to his chest for now, making his inevitable decision one of the biggest storylines to follow throughout the bowl season.
Can Texas Tech make it Four out of Five?
If the only game you can remember from Texas Tech’s final stretch of the 2023 season is a 57-7 drubbing at the hands of Texas on Black Friday, you’re not the only one. However, believing that particular outcome is an accurate portrayal of the way that the Red Raiders finished the back half of their seasons would be a mistake. After a 3-5 start, Texas Tech strung together wins over TCU, Kansas, and UCF in the span of three games, which ultimately got them to bowl eligibility before they ran into a buzzsaw against the Longhorns. Now, in the Independence Bowl, Tech can finish a disappointing year by winning four of their last five games, with their loss coming to a team that is competing for a national championship. Finishing the year 7-6 would also give Texas Tech three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2008-10. There should be no shortage of excitement for Joey McGuire’s group in this one, and with Tahj Brooks sticking around for another year, a win over Cal on Saturday could serve as a springboard for the Red Raiders.
Neal Brown’s Quest For Win No. 9
Neal Brown made headlines over the summer when he reacted to his Mountaineers being picked to finish 14th in the Big 12 this year. After a disappointing year in 2022 and plenty of roster holes to fill, it was a reasonable expectation from the media, or so everyone thought. Well, it seems all that did was motivate West Virginia, who clawed their way to eight wins despite a tough schedule and should’ve made it nine, if not for a hail-mary loss to Houston in Week 7. The Mountaineers drew North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl (played in Charlotte, NC) and it appeared to be somewhat of a tough matchup. However, the Tar Heels have learned that Drake Maye has opted out of the game, leaving them with virtually no experience at quarterback. That opens the door wide open for West Virginia to pick up win No. 9 this year and cap off an improbable season for Brown and Company. Just a few months ago, it seemed that the Mountaineers’ head coach was down to his final loss with the program, but he’s now earned enough trust from the administration to return for another season in 2024. With a chance at 9-4 still in the cards, which would be their most wins since 2016, there’s a chance that he’s finally got things figured out in Morgantown.
Bonus: Final Storylines for Oklahoma and Texas
The Sooners and Longhorns will represent the Big 12 one final time before leaving for the SEC. Here’s the biggest storyline for each program as they wear the “XII” patch for one more bowl season.
The Jackson Arnold Era Begins in Norman
The biggest departure from the Big 12 this cycle, at least in terms of the transfer portal, has been Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The Sooners’ signal-caller led the conference in nearly every passing statistic and had over 4,000 yards and 42 touchdowns on the year. Now, he’s an Oregon Duck, and Brent Venables and the Sooners must turn to their QB2. Luckily for them, that happens to be Jackson Arnold, who was the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year and arguably the top quarterback in the 2023 cycle. Arnold has been impressive in spots this season and has completed 18 of 24 attempts (75%) for 202 yards and two touchdowns, adding 78 yards and a score on the ground. Now, he’ll get the chance to finally lead the Sooners’ offense as the unquestioned QB1. Add to that the exit of Jeff Lebby and the elevation of Seth Littrell to offensive coordinator and there’s going to be a lot of new for Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl against 14th-ranked Arizona.
Can Texas Make It Back-to-Back National Championship Appearances for the Big 12?
While they might not want to remember it, TCU did represent the Big 12 in the National Championship game last season. Now, they results were not something that Horned Frogs fans will look back on fondly, but they were one of two teams remaining at the end of the year. This year, the College Football Playoff field doesn’t include either team from last year’s national title game, as TCU finished the season 5-7 and Georgia went 12-0 before falling to Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. However, we could still see a Big 12 vs. SEC matchup, as Alabama is there and so are the Texas Longhorns. While they’ll be an SEC school this time next season, the Longhorns are representing the Big 12 one final time before bouncing and have already been to college football’s biggest game with the “XII” logo on their chest twice. Can they make it a third time, and put the Big 12 in the national championship in back-to-back seasons? They’ll have to get through Washington first, but the odds are in Steve Sarkisian’s favor.
