ARLINGTON, Texas — The unofficial start to the college football season kicked off bright and early Monday morning at AT&T stadium in Arlington.
"This is the time when all hell breaks loose," said Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby.
Oklahoma is once again favored in the Big 12 after winning the last four conference titles. Former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts will take over under center after leading the Crimson Tide to two consecutive national title games.
"They've got good players," said Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy. "The last couple of years, they've had average quarterback play and they've overcome it, so they've been very successful and somebody's got to take it from them."
Texas is looking to build off of its 10-4 season that saw the Horns defeat Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Baylor tied Syracuse and Florida for the biggest jump in wins from 2017 to 2018 among Power 5 programs.
With the Big 12 having a lot of turnover with coaches recently, TCU head coach Gary Patterson spoke about if the league is gearing more toward defense or is it going to stay more of an offensive conference.
"I think the league has been changing a little bit anyway," Patterson said. "I think you're starting to see people get bigger, a lot more tight ends, probably Kansas State does that. I hear rumors that Les (Miles) is getting back to tight ends, fullbacks, stuff he did, but we prepare for all that stuff anyway. You've got to take them one game at a time."
Earlier this spring, the Big 12 Conference and ESPN agreed to expand their existing rights agreement, which runs through 2024-25. Under the expanded agreement, hundreds of additional Big 12 sports events annually will be distributed on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+ digital platform.
"Whether it's your mobile device, your iPad, your Android, or some manner of consumption you have with your home 80-inch TV, this is going to be omnipresent," Bowlsby said.
Eight of the conference's 10 schools will produce and deliver live athletic events via Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Starting in 2019, there will be games from Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State in addition to select Big 12 Conference championship events.
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