Tech luck could be turning
Texas Christian’s Patterson has plenty to talk about.
Our staff takeaways from Monday’s Day 1 of Big 12 media days, from Ryan Autullo, Kirk Bohls, Brian Davis, Cedric Golden and Suzanne Halliburton:
Autullo: Kingsbury’s got the karma. Some guys have all the luck. Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury is blessed with Hollywood looks, millions of dollars and a bigtime defensive coordinator who fell into his lap this offseason. David Gibbs orchestrated top20 defenses at Houston the past two years but was forced to go job searching after the school fired head coach Tony Levine. Gibbs
is a gift to Tech, which couldn’t stop anybody last season. “We were very lucky to get him,” Kingsbury said.
Bohls: Patterson’s on
point. My God, has Gary Patterson done his homework. He held court all afternoon, speaking voluminously about his schedule (including byes), the depth on his team, TCU’s outsized expectations, you name it. He was in all his glory and was the final Big 12 head coach to leave Monday. Patterson seems so jacked up, he’s ready for the season to start tomorrow.
Davis: It’s about W’s and L’s now. Had a chance to slide up next to Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury. I mentioned to him it’s been rather quiet in Lubbock this offseason. “That’s by design,” Kingsbury said. “Getting beat has that effect.” The Red Raiders finished 4-8 last year and had to hire yet another defensive coordinator. It’s no longer about Coach Cool, who’s 12-13 after two seasons. It’s all about whether the Raiders win or lose.
Golden: A Boykin effect for Swoopes? Want some glass-half-full hope for the upcoming season, Texas fan? This time last year, Trevone Boykin was a part-time quarterback who wasn’t a shoo-in to start at TCU. He turned in a season worthy of Heisman Trophy consideration, and now he’s on the short list of favorites to win it. Could Tyrone Swoopes have a similar run? I don’t see a dramatic turnaround in his near future, but nothing says he can’t be better in 2015.
Halliburton: Less talking, more expanding, please. Writing about conference expansion gives me a migraine. So let the headaches begin. The chatter is out there. OU President David Boren started it earlier this summer when he said the Big 12 needed to add a couple more teams. On Monday, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder conceded that he preferred 12 teams with two divisions and a championship game. The league is almost certain to add a championship game, which will help with the perception that its victor is subpar compared with other Power Five winners. But it feels like there’s about to be another land grab (expansion) nationally. The Big 12 should seek expansion candidates, rather than reacting to what other leagues do.