Weather plays havoc with Big 12 spring

Big 12 spring football is just about over. And weather affected many of the fancy exhibition scrimmages.

It was so windy in Oklahoma that quarterbacks struggled to complete passes. It was freezing for TCU. Lightning delayed the contest at Baylor. Kansas State played through a rainstorm. West Virginia and Iowa State had to cancel. Only Oklahoma State and Kansas have yet to play their fancy scrimmages. That’s all the football action we’ll have until August.

We pondered some spring football topics back in early March, the most piercing questions that needed to be answered. Here’s how some were answered, although the whole “hell or high water” weather scenarios left many of our questions with incomplete answers.

Who will be the Big 12’s glitziest star?

It’s still all about West Virginia’s Will Grier, who has returned from the freaky finger injury he suffered last November against Texas.

“Will has that playmaking gene,” Mountaineers offensive coordinator Jake Spavital told reporters earlier this month. “You don’t want to handcuff him, but he has to know when to just make the routine play and move forward . ... He’s throwing it really well.”

Grier also has a bevy of receivers to assist him in padding his stats in WVU’s high-powered offense. Any of them, including David Sills V, who was best in the country at catching touchdown passes last season, could be a Big 12 star.

Oklahoma State running back Justice Hill, who led the league in rushing last season with 1,467 yards, still has a spring game to up his national presence. The best defender still probably is TCU end Ben Banogu, who was held out of the Horned Frogs’ miserable spring game, which featured temperatures in the mid-30s.

Is the second year a charm for Texas’ Tom Herman and Baylor’s Matt Rhule?

Herman signed an incredible recruiting class, which ranked third in the country. Nine of the players enrolled early and participated in spring drills. There will be an infusion of talent.

Herman still hasn’t decided on his starting quarterback — it’s between Sam Ehlinger and Shane Buechele. The Longhorns need a consistent running threat (besides their quarterback) and a more dynamic passing attack to improve from 7-6.

UT’s defense, the strength of its team last fall, also lost some major stars.