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10 major storylines for the 2023 college football season

By Andrew Miller

Georgia coach Kirby Smart celebrates with fans after the NCAA College Football National Championship game between TCU and Georgia on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. Georgia won 65-7.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart celebrates with fans after the NCAA College Football National Championship game between TCU and Georgia on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. Georgia won 65-7. /
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Oklahoma State Cowboys defensive end Collin Oliver (30) puts pressure on Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) during a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the University of Texas Longhorns at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. Oklahoma State won 41-34.
Oklahoma State Cowboys defensive end Collin Oliver (30) puts pressure on Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) during a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the University of Texas Longhorns at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. Oklahoma State won 41-34. /

The most fun conference in college football

In July of 2021, news broke that Texas and Oklahoma were leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. Since that moment, the CFB universe has been nothing but chaos as realignment has reached the point of effectively killing an entire conference.

The Big 12, naturally, is in flux, and 2022 will be a unique mix of both old and new. It’s the final year for Texas and OU, which will absolutely create plenty of nastiness throughout the season.

But it’s also the first year for four new programs. Houston, Cincinnati, UCF, and BYU have all joined the league, creating a hypercompetitive and ultra-entertaining conference to watch (that will only get crazier in 2024…).

That competitiveness should create an incredible conference title race. For as many times as the phrase “Texas is back” has been uttered, it truly appears that this Longhorns team could finally be “back”…at least back to winning the Big 12, which they haven’t done since 2009. The pressure is high for them to do so, as this is literally their last chance.

Reigning champ Kansas State has several key pieces back. TCU looks to reload after a magical season. Oklahoma might have the schedule for a big step forward in year 2 under Brent Venables. And then there’s Texas Tech who’s offensive experience might make them a dark horse contender.

This is the end of an era for the programs of the Great Plains and Lonestar State. It’s the final year for the Bedlam Game. It’s the final year that Texas can have their season ruined by losing to Kansas.

But there’ll be some fun twists, as well. Texas will play old Southwest Conference rival Houston for the first time since 2002, and the Big 12 did the CFB universe a big favor by having the Longhorns (who obviously have such high respect for the Cougars…) travel to Houston. And you just know someone’s championship hopes will be spoiled in a painful loss up in Provo.

It’s a shame that realignment is taking this league’s two most storied programs away, ending several historic series. But what the Big 12 will have going for it is highly passionate fanbases cheering on a bunch of closely-matched teams. And that’s going to be fun to watch.

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