Welcome to the Heartland College Sports Big 12 football mailbag. This mailbag is for all you football junkies out there who root for a Big 12 school and not only have questions about your team but other teams in the conference as well.
So, join me, grab a can, bottle, or glass of your favorite beverage, and relax as I answer all your Big 12 questions. I want to thank each one of you who submitted a question this week on Twitter and our message boards! This will be the final mailbag of 2025, and I am starting my week of vacation in the state of Nevada. As for tonight’s drink of choice, take a look for yourself. Cheers!
@SouthTxCy asks: What is your way to early preseason (without transfer portal information) Big 12 ranking for next year?
Duke: Sorry but I am not going to embarrass myself and even pretend I know who is going to finish where next season right now. Heck, I could barely do my preseason poll in July because this conference is so hard to predict. What I will say is that there are a few teams that I don’t think will be competing for a Big 12 title. Those teams would be Houston, Arizona, and West Virginia. Outside of those four, I think everyone else has a legitimate chance.
@CMack0507 asks: Which coach has a better chance of turning things around in a big way next season: Mike Gundy or Kyle Whittingham?
Duke: I am taking Kyle Whittingham here. If not for Cam Rising’s injury, we would be talking about this program a lot differently than we are now. The problem is that Kyle didn’t go out and get a serviceable backup, knowing Cam Rising’s injury history. Utah’s defense was one of the best in the Big 12, but the problem is that their quarterback play was so poor that it didn’t matter.
I feel better where they are as a program right now than Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State. The Cowboys had all these key players coming back, and they ended up going 3-9 this season despite being one of the most experienced teams in the country. Now both coordinators are gone, and Gundy is in some unfamiliar territory dealing with his worst season as a head coach. This is the second time in two years that this team has really underachieved, and that worries me. And it doesn’t help when he says stupid things, either.
@Particular_Drew asks: Which Big 12 team do you foresee being hurt the most by the portal this offseason, and which team is helped the most?
Duke: The teams that will be hurt the most are West Virginia and UCF because both of their coaches from this past season have been fired. When that happens, all hell breaks loose as it should when a coach gets let go. Now, there are a few other teams, but those two schools stick out to me the most. As for which team will get the most help, I would say the same two schools (UCF and West Virginia) will see some due to the changes, but to be different, I am going with Oklahoma State. They fired both coordinators, and I could see them filling out their roster with plenty of players from the portal.
@dali_drama asks: Scott Frost is back in The Big 12. Does he run through it again as a coach?
Duke: If you are asking if he can do what he did back in 2017, then the answer is no. UCF is no longer in the American Conference because they have a seat at the big boy table in the Big 12, where they belong, and it’s a lot tougher. Now, can Scott Frost turn things around at UCF? Absolutely. Some people may look at him as a retread hire, which isn’t exciting, but I think it’s the right fit for both parties here.
Scott helped put UCF’s program on the map and played a role in UCF going to the Big 12 because of that magical 2017 season. Things didn’t work out at Nebraska for him, but I think there are bigger issues behind the scenes in Lincoln. I mean, that program hasn’t won more than seven games in the last ten seasons. UCF has the resources to compete for championships year in and year out and I do believe Scott Frost can help get them there.
@SparkyDevil asks: Outside of Arizona State’s Playoff game, which bowl game interests you the most?
Duke: As a Big 12 guy, it has to be the Alamo Bowl. No other conference in the country is going to have two teams from the same conference playing in the same bowl game. We can thank the Pac-12 for that, so thank you, George Kliavkoff, for making that possible due to your lack of leadership. We didn’t get to see these two play this year, which is a shame because they were both legitimate Big 12 title contenders. And with the way it sounds, we are going to see both teams have their star players playing, which is always a plus in these types of bowl games. The playoff has put a damper on a lot of these bowl games, but I truly am looking forward to this one down here in San Antonio.
