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FRISCO, TX — Slowly but surely, the beginning of the 2026 college football season is approaching, and the anticipation will continue to build with Big 12 Football Media Days this week.
The two-day event begins Tuesday, July 7, and continues on Wednesday, July 8, at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Both days will be broadcast live on ESPNU from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT, simulcast on Big 12 Studios, with day one carried on ESPN2 as well.
Based on the crazy offseason the Big 12 has provided the college football world, there will be no shortage of topics.
Here are some of the biggest items on the agenda.
Rather than playing the Red Raiders' fight song when Joey McGuire takes the stand, the Imperial March may be a better song choice. The head coach of college football's offseason villains, and any TTU availability to follow, will be must-see.
Brendan Sorsby will continue to be a topic of conversation after leaving TTU for the NFL Supplemental Draft, only for the NFL to decide not to hold one. The gambling controversy will still be at the top of everyone's mind, as will Texas Tech's approach to its public relations during the whole mess.
There's also the football side of everything. Texas Tech remains the favorite to win the Big 12, though there are questions at quarterback because of Will Hammond's ACL surgery recovery. The Red Raiders will have plenty to answer for on Tuesday.
Expect the other coaches to be asked about it, too.
Prime Time will still get his chance to shine on Tuesday, even when Texas Tech may be getting a ton of attention. The Colorado coach enters his fourth year with the Buffaloes after a 3-9 season and 1-8 finish in the Big 12.
Sanders could use some positive momentum after a rough year. Many will question his post-Shedeur and Travis Hunter era, but there is a lot to like about quarterback Julian Lewis, who got a lot of time toward the end of last season.
Dillingham was a popular name in coaching cycles last year, but chose to stay at his alma mater. The Sun Devils took a step back after reaching the College Football Playoff in 2024.
Arizona State enters the year with questions at quarterback after Sam Leavitt dipped for Lane Kiffin at LSU. Arizona State doesn't have the easiest of schedules, either, playing at Texas A&M, Texas Tech, BYU and Arizona this year.
While the focus has mainly been on Texas Tech and its part in the Sorsby deal, the quarterback transferred to the Red Raiders from Cincy last year. There are a lot of questions about what Cincinnati knew about Sorsby and his gambling case before all of this came to light.
As USA TODAY Sports reported in April, Cincinnati was alerted of Sorsby's gambling prior to the start of the 2025 season. The school denied that it knew of Sorsby's gambling last month.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark will have no shortage of topics to hit on, ranging from Sorsby to the Protect College Sports Act, to College Football Playoff expansion, to... so many items that have been difficult to keep track of during what has been a crazy offseason.
Most of the league is set on who will start at quarterback for their respective teams this year. Kansas State has Avery Johnson, BYU has Bear Bachmeier, Arizona has Noah Fifita, Baylor has DJ Lagway, etc.
There are a few undecided jobs. Arizona State is the headliner after bringing in Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley, but he is being pushed by redshirt-freshman and former four-star prospect Jake Fette. West Virginia is another one with Scotty Fox Jr., who started six games last year, being challenged by Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr.
Kansas is also still unsolved in the battle between Cole Ballard, Isaiah Marshall and Chase Jenkins.
It was a busy offseason of coaching changes. Kansas State's Collin Klein, Utah's Morgan Scalley, Oklahoma State's Eric Morris and Iowa State's Jimmy Rogers will make their Big 12 Media Day debuts.
Morris may be bringing the most exciting of all the players attending: quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who some consider a potential NFL first-round pick.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: What to watch for at 2026 Big 12 Football Media Days
Continue reading...
The two-day event begins Tuesday, July 7, and continues on Wednesday, July 8, at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Both days will be broadcast live on ESPNU from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT, simulcast on Big 12 Studios, with day one carried on ESPN2 as well.
Based on the crazy offseason the Big 12 has provided the college football world, there will be no shortage of topics.
Here are some of the biggest items on the agenda.
Texas Tech availability will be a spectacle
Rather than playing the Red Raiders' fight song when Joey McGuire takes the stand, the Imperial March may be a better song choice. The head coach of college football's offseason villains, and any TTU availability to follow, will be must-see.
Brendan Sorsby will continue to be a topic of conversation after leaving TTU for the NFL Supplemental Draft, only for the NFL to decide not to hold one. The gambling controversy will still be at the top of everyone's mind, as will Texas Tech's approach to its public relations during the whole mess.
There's also the football side of everything. Texas Tech remains the favorite to win the Big 12, though there are questions at quarterback because of Will Hammond's ACL surgery recovery. The Red Raiders will have plenty to answer for on Tuesday.
Expect the other coaches to be asked about it, too.
How will Deion Sanders get Colorado back on track?
Prime Time will still get his chance to shine on Tuesday, even when Texas Tech may be getting a ton of attention. The Colorado coach enters his fourth year with the Buffaloes after a 3-9 season and 1-8 finish in the Big 12.
Sanders could use some positive momentum after a rough year. Many will question his post-Shedeur and Travis Hunter era, but there is a lot to like about quarterback Julian Lewis, who got a lot of time toward the end of last season.
How will Kenny Dillingham respond to Arizona State's down year?
Dillingham was a popular name in coaching cycles last year, but chose to stay at his alma mater. The Sun Devils took a step back after reaching the College Football Playoff in 2024.
Arizona State enters the year with questions at quarterback after Sam Leavitt dipped for Lane Kiffin at LSU. Arizona State doesn't have the easiest of schedules, either, playing at Texas A&M, Texas Tech, BYU and Arizona this year.
Scott Satterfield will be questioned about Brendan Sorsby's time at Cincinnati
While the focus has mainly been on Texas Tech and its part in the Sorsby deal, the quarterback transferred to the Red Raiders from Cincy last year. There are a lot of questions about what Cincinnati knew about Sorsby and his gambling case before all of this came to light.
As USA TODAY Sports reported in April, Cincinnati was alerted of Sorsby's gambling prior to the start of the 2025 season. The school denied that it knew of Sorsby's gambling last month.
Brett Yormark will have a ton of topics to touch on
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark will have no shortage of topics to hit on, ranging from Sorsby to the Protect College Sports Act, to College Football Playoff expansion, to... so many items that have been difficult to keep track of during what has been a crazy offseason.
Will there be any hints at the different quarterback battles?
Most of the league is set on who will start at quarterback for their respective teams this year. Kansas State has Avery Johnson, BYU has Bear Bachmeier, Arizona has Noah Fifita, Baylor has DJ Lagway, etc.
There are a few undecided jobs. Arizona State is the headliner after bringing in Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley, but he is being pushed by redshirt-freshman and former four-star prospect Jake Fette. West Virginia is another one with Scotty Fox Jr., who started six games last year, being challenged by Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr.
Kansas is also still unsolved in the battle between Cole Ballard, Isaiah Marshall and Chase Jenkins.
Big 12's new coaches take on media day for the first time
It was a busy offseason of coaching changes. Kansas State's Collin Klein, Utah's Morgan Scalley, Oklahoma State's Eric Morris and Iowa State's Jimmy Rogers will make their Big 12 Media Day debuts.
Morris may be bringing the most exciting of all the players attending: quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who some consider a potential NFL first-round pick.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: What to watch for at 2026 Big 12 Football Media Days
Continue reading...
