These are strange times in the Big 12, a league that features only 10 teams and no championship game. Conference officials are probably pleased it exists at all, after a flirtation with dissolution.
With Oklahoma and Texas slumping, relative to their excellent historical track records in the league, it's as open as the Big 12 has ever been. The Red River Rivalry is now just a game along the way, instead of the game to determine the league's leader.
As uncertainty continues to define the Big 12 landscape, it has opened the door for interesting storylines, such as Robert Griffin III's Heisman run or the fact OU and Texas are title-less since 2010, when Nebraska left and the conference punted on a championship game.
What surprises could be on the horizon this fall? Here's a sneak peak.
1. Given the league's wide-open nature heading into 2013, which team could suprise to win the Big 12 title?
The reigning champ Kansas State Wildcats are somehow flying low. Have we not learned of Bill Snyder's magical powers by now? What must the man do?