Big 12 Football Schedule Release

hey guys Dave mccan Blain Fowler the Wise Guys this is bonus Wise Guys uh material the football schedule for the big 12's come out we don't want to wait till next Monday's show to dive into it we got a lot of opinions about it and we know you do too because social media has been buzzing all morning yeah since 9:00 when they released it now we knew the teams and we've talked about it on a wi guys and who they'd have at home and who they'd have away what we were waiting for today is when would the buys come cuz we knew there would be two Buys in the 2024 season seon and in what order would they play these teams and we we had our fingers crossed right like Utah November 30th right well didn't happen when when the schedule was released I went right to the end of it I didn't even look to see how we got there and I went and I saw Houston in Provo on November 30th and my first thought was what yeah and then I had to go searching and so and we'll go over the schedule in detail here but November 9th up in Salt Lake for Utah I thought what A Strange Day yeah to put that game it's not early where you've got the the buzz to start the season buz it's not late where you have everything writing it just popped in there on November 9th why do you think they did that I I just think they didn't take into account I think they let the computer generate most of it right and I think they didn't take into account rivalries because you look across the league and it's like none of the rivalry games are last week or first week really in the league and so I think they said hey computer generate something that's fair um and they threw it in there I do like that we know who these teams are at that point yeah injuries will have have played their toll by will have a chance to to break a quarterback in whoever that might be whether that's bannan or whoever is going to be um they'll have a chance to be settled in on a quarterback and we'll know who the teams are so it won't be oh well they played in the first game of the season and they got better it's it's at least late enough in the season um to make a big deal I the thing I like about the buys is not only where they fall and you and I talked about this on on Wise Guys be nice to play five games have a buy and then either play three or four have another buy and we like that five game and have a buy because they could get a Buy on conference weekend and lo and behold the computer did it they have a buy on conference weekend that takes away Friday Night Football which we've grown to love yeah we do love that but in the business of these games and the magnitude of them I think we'll get over it yeah and they come back and I I like that the buy comes after 5 weeks I think BYU could be a forign one three and two at worse coming into that game and they play after the buy one of the best teams in the league in my opinion with with faf coming back at quarterback and that's Arizona after the buy then the next buy comes on the 2nd of November so they get a buy week before the Utah game and Utah also has a buy week that week their buys fall on the same weeks which allows us to have two weeks to talk about this rivalry and for these two teams to get ready and get healthy for one another um um so I do like that the Utah game comes after a buy for both teams the Super Bowl has two weeks a buildup right uh this game will have two weeks of buildup and also what what what we get on November 9th if we're looking for a positive uh that you don't get necessarily on November 30th is better weather right and uh and and so they could even play that game at night and it's not 20° and it depends we could have snow at that point or not but early November games that we've called a million of been very pleasant right and for this game uh for for the fans and the Tailgators and and cougar nation and all that stuff uh good weather let's have some good weather and you know what it's okay to have bad weather on the 30th because as you mentioned they host Houston so here's Houston coming in um one of the other new teams to the league they had a little bit of a struggle last year got a new coach they have a new coach um uh who who they they bring in from taine who had a lot of success there um but they going to come on the road and keep in mind that that football team is is made up of mostly kids from the state of Texas and some kids from Florida and the gulf coast states they don't like it cold they're to come to Provo at elevation when it could be snowing and 30 Dees that's not all bad to play Houston at the end of the season you and I were talking about this season kind of in segments um and that last segment is not those those last three games are not like last year especially where by had to play Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to finish out the year when they were desperate be they had to beat one of them didn't beat either of them it's it's different play Arizona State who really struggled last year TP where the weather's yeah Kenny Dillingham was a brand new coach last year it was his first year in a rebuild it's probably a three-year rebuild at least and so so if you finish with Arizona State on the road nice to have Arizona State on the road late in the season you don't want to play Arizona State at Arizona State in September no it's 100 degrees Yeah it's terrible down there that time of year so that's a good time to go to Arizona and so you finished with Arizona State in Houston that's way different than finishing with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and the one of the other things and we'll go right now to the first the schedule I'll March you through uh since we're together here on social media an a special Wise Guys um the the second thing I looked for after where the Utah game was was whether or not the August 31st game was going to be moved to August 30th or 29th to give BYU at least a full week of prep before the Friday night game at SMU and as of now it's still on August 31st so it's it's uh Southern Illinois August 31st then the next Friday's SMU down in Dallas and then over to Wyoming those are the three non-conference games those aren't easy games I don't I don't love that non-conference schedule and and we've talked about this but Tom Homo and BYU said we're going to be committed to these contracts we're not going to opt out of them even though we probably could we'll honor these teams you know will honored these teams and so they're going to SMU um that's a great stadium and great environment but it's not easy to win there and they're a prolific offensive football team finish in the top 25 they're not messing around down there but then BYU isn't neither they got a FanFest in Dallas this summer just to drum it up and whatever ticket isn't bought at SMU and I imagine the Mustang fans will they're they're not like they're not it's not like going down to Arizona State right smu's engaged uh it might be a tough ticket to get but but BYU's got fans all over the Dallas area and then a rivalry game really from the long long past that just goes on and on and on with Wyoming and laramy Wyoming has been pretty solid it's not an easy place to get to those are tough non-conference road games so you chalk up a win against Southern Illinois at home and then you go on the road and you hope to come back they should come back they should be physically uh able to be uh um dominating with these teams then you come home and play Kansas State um in that fourth game Kansas Kanas State sneaky good I mean they've been Rock Solid in the Big 12 the last handful of years and you don't usually think of them you know it's always Oklahoma Texas and tcu's been up and down and Baylor's been good but Kansas State's been solid great to have them in Provo yeah and I'll tell you that when I think of the most physical teams um in the new makeup of the league because I'm goingon to include Utah and Arizona all that the teams I think of for physicality are Iowa State Kansas State and Utah not necessarily in that order but those three teams Kansas state is always a physical Bas basketball and football team it's like that's just their culture right we didn't see that last season which was good right but we saw what Iowa state did to BYU here in Provo that wasn't good no and Iowa State's off the schedule this year which is actually good so so Southern Illinois so West Virginia that's also good Southern Illinois at home at SMU at Wyoming Kansas State at home in game four and then that fifth straight week of play to open the season is at Baylor who was three and N last year I like that opportunity for BYU to go there they were just there a couple of years ago uh there'll be a big BYU showing again as they saw a couple years ago and Baylor's very beatable unless they do a complete face lift here in this offseason they're replacing guys on their staff they're replacing uh players and and I think by I I I like that first road road game in the Big 12 yeah Jeff Grimes who was the offensive coordinator formerly of BYU now at Kansas as the offensive coordinator so they'll be breaking in a brand new offensive coordinator a lot of new guys um and they finished three and nine last year and so Dave Randa I love Dave Randa good friends with colani good coach but but they're making a lot of changes and and this has to be a bounceback season for them but they're not coming in as the defending defending Big 12 Champs like they were a couple years ago loaded with Talent so so that's a good road game early that's it's win they're all winnable or losable in the conference we're finding it out in basketball that's the same that's the same in football but but so that's the five games before the buy I like that game I I'm not I will not be surprised to see B BYU be 4- one or 3-2 coming out of that that first five um they could lose at SMU I I don't think they will but I I worry about that one and I also worry about Wyoming they got a new coach uh they're going to have a new quarterback and so they're they're not what they were this last year which was pretty good but this is we talked about Super Bowls this is this is it this is a Super Bowl Kansas State could trip you up with with Avery Johnson back they have an o line rebuild to be done they were so good on the offensive line last year but they got a lot of skilled players back on offense and they're going to be very good on defense again so so 4-1 to me um would be phenomenal three and two I'd be okay with anything if they're two and three I'll be really disappointed before that first buy and I honestly I expect 4- one in those first five games if Gary bohannan we to put pressure on him but we'll put some on him because he's going to be on our Wise Guys show on Monday night but uh if if Gary is back to his old self which means healed up and currently is healed up um they could they could go 5 and0 in that stretch this this this isn't the gauntlet that we're going to talk about here in a minute right I I feel like this this team's defense takes a monster step forward I will be surprised if they're not in the top three in the league in Total Defense and scoring defense this year because they the things that they were missing they were pretty good last year defensively but they were missing a couple of things some Monsters Inside on the dline um they picked up in this early signing period uh uh and in in the transfer portal in ear early signing period some help up front um and and a couple of backers and there's there's more to come it wasn't really a big offensive first s but some offensive players are coming right you know and that February signing is just around the corner right so and we'll keep you posted on all that but with what they added to defense um and with the announcement that Ben bywaters coming back to Anchor the middle of that defense at linebacker the really solid coming back after unhealthy last year in the secondary very deep and very skilled in secondary I just look at this defense to be lights out so if BYU finds a quarterback in that you know that can be consistent and good then they have a chance to exceed expectations and we love when they exceed expectations so so so let's say four and one or three and two in the first block and now we go what I think is the toughest three- game stretch between buys this is like the um this is like the baloney in between the two Buys in the two slices of bread Buy on October 5th Buy on November 2nd and then in between we mentioned the Wildcats a moment ago and then Oklahoma State's coming to town yeah Arizona with with faf back at quarterback um with with Brendan as the as the coach I don't think they really drop off you Jed fish is at Washington every like oh there going to be a big drop off there's going to be a mass Exodus well a lot of the key players said no I'm coming back so I think Arizona is one of the favorites in the league they finished one of the hottest teams in the country last year then Oklahoma State comes in here and how about the fact that Oli Gordon who would have been a high draft pick said I'm coming back at running back uh Alan Bowman their quarterback who threw for a bazillion yards last year and is really Dynamic at that quarterback spot throwing the football that quick release and that quick passing game he got a an extra year it's like his 20 I think it seems like he's like 40 years old he he makes Spencer Johnson seem like he's a young guy right now be's basketball team but it's it's at least the sixth year and he's really good and and and so those are two tough games but you know what the fact that the BYU went to still water with with what they took to Still Water uh and a defense that um wasn't healthy but but fought pretty well they LED 24 to six and half time yeah they lead 24 to six at half time in proo they're going to win that this defense this year is going to be better they're not going to they're not let an Oklahoma State come back if they jump on them like that and then they finish up that section in between the the two buys um at Central Florida that's a scary game I I like that Central Florida is at the end of October cuz now again the two hot weather teams they're not playing in September right um and this is the end of October should be beautiful down in Central Florida at that time of year they're they got a lot of folks coming back they probably had the best inaugural season of the Big 12 of all the new teams they kind of finished hot um KJ Jefferson transferred in to play some quarterback this is the third time we're going to see him yeah this will be the third time U played him um they've had you know the first time not not such good luck the second time they played him really well so so we'll see but that's not that's not an easy game so that section right there the middle that middle section Arizona at home Oklahoma State at home and Central Florida on the road is a tough one um they they could go one and two during that time they could go two and one during that time I would say because two of those games are at home and one is on the road give them the benefit of Doubt and say they go two- one in that that would put them if best scenario in the first four games at 4on one best scenario in the in the in the next three we put them at six and two we go worst scenario and worst scenario um now now we're talking um uh instead of six and two we're talking four and four yeah so yeah so it I I like that uh those two of of the three are at home um I kind of like the way the whole home slate has laid out in spacing and again those by weeks set us up for the stretch run which would then be starting on November 9th against Utah in Salt Lake City uh here here's the thing about a November 9th game as opposed to an August 31st game the lineups that take the field on August 31st are not often the lineups that take the field on November 9th and that goes for both teams and Utah's got a big question mark in in cam Rising coming off that major knee construction how is he going to hold up uh and uh you know and and how is bannan going to hold up or redl going to hold up we're not even sure which quarterback will take the field on the ninth but we do know that the two fan bases will be ready it'll be good and and so Utah it's an interesting team they're always going to be physical they're always going to be really good defensively but they have some really good players like Bishops uh their their phenomenal safety is is going NFL vaky arguably the best player on the football team he's out he's gone he's going to the NFL and LS their big down line and so to me the biggest loss the biggest get back is Cam Rising if he's healthy right um because what what makes cam risen great is he's just a gamer and he runs around he makes plays he does what pie did for the Niners the other day he converts third Downs by running around if he's not capable with that reconstructed knee of running around he's not that imposing as a drop back Pro style quarterback and so that changes the game so how is Cam Rising if he's great they're a really good team but but the back end of that defense with with vaky and Bishop gone that's those are I don't care who you put in there there's going to be some drop off and then vaky was their whole offense last year yeah but and you know they're both sides of theall they're getting some portal guys and stuff but all those chips are over there on cam Rising being able to do it and uh that's the gamble the G one thing you can count on with you doesn't matter who graduates they're going to be good on defense and they're going to try some trick plays they probably going to work so this is a great game and and I'm okay with it on the N four of the last uh the last four games have been decided by combine 13 points in Salt Lake and it doesn't matter how favored one team is and it doesn't yeah and it doesn't matter what kind of team BYU's taken up there right uh they've been dog fights and so this one will be another dog fight we're happy they're on the schedule they're going to be on the schedule every year we also like that there's two weeks of a buildup to that game uh because you know with with uh uh game day and Wise Guys and Sports Nation and all the things that we got going on we can fill that time yeah there's plenty to talk about F that time plenty to talk about and and then I like the last I feel like the last three games for BYU are much easier than the stretch run for BYU last year BYU finds themel let's say they were 4 and four um uh and then and now they're five- four or four- five and they've got to win two games that was like was a Gauntlet at the end of the year last year now they have Kansas coming into Provo now jayen Jaylen um Daniels is coming back very good quarterback but he was injured a lot of the Year Jeff grams is his new OC he played against BYU and then I'm not sure he played again right but but good good to get them in Provo and for anybody's going to have a tough time Kansas isn't a team where I'm going I have a lot of respect for Kansas they were really good last year but that's not a team that you go oh man right Oklahoma's coming to prob them be you had Oklahoma on the ropes right think that Kansas game B why you let it have to right they gave up two defensive touchdowns why they they handed the game over take care of the ball they go on the road and beat that team so I think they should feel confident with that team coming to Pro and then we've already mentioned they wrapped the season up on the 23rd at Arizona State who's who's in the second year of a rebuild um and uh and they really struggled this last year 3 and N um you know they'll be a little more established by the end the year but that's a winnable game for BYU on the road and then Houston at home who's coming off of an uh you know a 4 and8 season last year um and uh and they have a new coach um you know Willie Fritz is the new coach from T Lane who did a great job there but's he's going to redo everything now it's the end of the year so they should be who they are um but but I think let's put it this way playing at Arizona State and having Houston at home at the end of the year is better than playing Oklahoma at home and Oklahoma State on the road to yes it is so yes it is and and the Arizona State game's intriguing because um you know that that fan base down there has waited eight years for this this announcement that P is actually coming back it was Kanani's first game in 2016 at the University of Phoenix stadium against Arizona when BYU won on J croy's field goal but that place was packed with BYU fans um if there are two valleys outside of Utah Valley that rival Utah Valley and BYU fandom it's the Las Vegas Valley and the Valley of the Sun that's right and so the Valley of the Sun is going to get BYU back in town the Saturday before Thanksgiving I think they're thrilled to death yeah that that's going to be fun so so expectations you know the thing is be's got to get to at least six wins this year um I I see six wins in fact if they only win six this year I'd be a little disappointed I see seven wins on this schedule and if they um and seven I'd be okay with but I but I could also see a possibility of eight if things go well and a quarterback plays well perhaps even n if the quarterback plays lights out and there's I really think they're going to be good defensively and the offense is going to go as the quarterback goes isn't that always the case yes so if they get outstanding quarterback play why not nine games right if they get really good quarterback play why not eight and if the quarterback's just solid which I would expect then I I would say at least seven so six and six that's everybody's thinking just get to a bowl I I would say but we're setting sights a little bit too low if we say we're okay with six and six I think seven wins would be a nice second season in the league eight wouldn't surprise me nine would tell me that they got outstanding quarterback play yeah yeah and five and seven last year wasn't the worst start for the for the first team P5 Big 12 GE but they didn't take care of the football down the stretch and that's why they didn't go to a bowl game uh those last four games that they lost really the last five one with slovis banged up and then and with Jake gretz left coming in cold turkey against a a gauntlet that included West Virginia who might be in the upper echelon I would vote them in the upper echelon this year uh but five and seven last year having not done what you said is the requirement for this year um and they were one play or two away from being both eligible having six or seven so you fix some of those things and it shouldn't come down to uh a game against Houston to get ball eligible yeah they weren't in any games last year like oh they just can't compete yeah you know and so so that makes a big difference now there were some games they didn't compete with like Iowa State and West vir but that doesn't mean they couldn't have but we never said we we were like what are they doing at Iowa State why is this guy here why is that guy there why are they not containing the edge we never had a game that we watched where we went Man by just physically can't compete with this team that was never the case so they'll compete just fine and they can take care of the football that makes a huge differ number one you know thing to win football games is take care of the football right and and and let's talk about who's not on the schedule so you mentioned West Virginia's not on the schedule that's a good thing that's a good thing that's sure cuz they're on the rise Iowa State's not on the I like them not on the I like Iowa State not on the schu they're very good Texas Tech with their wide open offense and flinging it around I'd be okay if they had Texas Tech on the schedule but not on the schedule this year no TCU um which is interesting I expect TCU to have a you know be good again this year yeah cuz remember they fell off big time after I was kind of hoping they'd get Colorado and Dion maybe at home but I but we've learned that they weren't a couple of months ago and and but Colorado not on the schedule and then Cincinnati not on the schedule yeah it's you imagine that we're in a league with 16 teams crazy it's insane uh and and you look at the Big 12 schedule Matrix and you know it's like 16 teams one we haven't been in that since the days of the old whack and uh and and that was a long long time ago but none of those teams are these teams except for BYU and Utah maybe TCU was in there uh but that's a gauntlet of P5 yeah and and the thing is the the only thing you can count on from year to year because you're going to play different teams every year is that BYU and Utah are going to play I mean we can look forward to 2025 um we don't know the order but but they'll have home games against TCU Central Florida Utah and West Virginia so West Virginia's back on um uh tcu's back on the schedule they have them at home they have away games at Arizona Cincinnati Colorado Iowa State and Texas Tech so it just kind of rotates in so it's going to be a little bit different than being a league where you play everybody every year um but the one thing you can count on is they're going to play Utah every year we're going to honor that and what we learned today is that that game could be anywhere on the schedule it's not going to be at least the indicator now is it's not going to be reserved for Thanksgiving weekend which we thought was the rightful spot it's now it could be the first League game it could be the middle of November early November and I they could still put it at the end maybe they'll go hey you know what maybe we should have put that on Thanksgiving and one thing we learned in this first season the Big 12 is there's no weeks off no matter who you're playing no no even the teams that are down have Talent and man we're learning that in basketball as well uh and maybe even more so in basketball but it also applies in football and uh you know the the the difference between winning and look at what this basketball team's doing they're overachieving you know picked to be second to last in the conference and they're way overachieving they're taking care of the ball they're shooting the ball they're playing with passion they're playing great defense those are you know those are football those are things the football the football team can do and some of these big 12 games look like football games with a round ball yeah and you know I was looking at the net this morning in basketball I'm like oh my gosh this league Texas moved up two spots in the net and lost both games last week yeah but they lost to BYU and they lost to Houston and they moved up two spots in the net they were so close to Bea that's how good this league is in basketball and and that all applies to football there's no days off in this league and you got to bring it every week and you got to stay healthy to go on a run so uh it's it it it's a fun it's going to be a fun season there's some great teams coming in uh to lward Stadium I like that they play warm teams on the road late in the season and not early all in all it sets up pretty well there's that middle stretch between buys that I think is the toughest three game stretch on the schedule um but but I like their chances to not only be Bowl eligible but be a couple of games better than Bowl eligible this year as we look ahead the first game of course is the alumni game and then the big question mark is Will Max Hall be back I think he's I think he's recovered from that Achilles and he's ready if he's not playing we want him as a sideline he'll come and do it with us and then once we get through that uh which will be at the after spring practice wraps up uh then we're into the summer and and uh the team will report to practice in July because of that August 31st game and so everything will be sped up a little bit and will seem like it's coming earlier than normal just by playing a game in August as opposed to early September yep and we'll hey we'll be tracking football for you because there's always some news like the like you mentioned the February signing date is coming up and there'll be there there's another transfer portal opening and we'll cover all of that for you um at WIS guys.com um and we'll continue to cover basketball for you is this is this really um great basketball story continues to unfold and BYU still projected today as a single digit seed and they still in the top 10 in the net and so good what what a fun time like 50° out what a fun time to be in the Big 12 so Monday on our next wise gu show Dil G Taylor dra and field coach is going to be with us we look forward to her visit and Gary bannan will be in studio we'll talk about uh his role coming in to try and win the job and be the starter against Southern Illinois on August 31st so that's Monday night six Mountain on YouTube Facebook twitch and ysg guys.com for blame fer I'm Dave mccan where the Wise Guys a special bonus Wise Guys today we finally have that 2024 Big 12 Football schedule out and now the countdowns can begin and we'll start by seeing you on Monday yeah we'll see you Monday