ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Here are five elements to watch in the Big 12 in the upcoming conference race.

1. Will Oklahoma's green offensive line make Sam Bradford regret coming back to college? -- The Heisman Trophy-winning Bradford returned for another season with hopes of becoming the first player in Big 12 history to claim three straight titles as a starting quarterback. Will his retooled offensive front with four new starters be able to protect him from the conference's blitzing defenses?

2. Who will emerge as Texas' featured running back? -- Fozzy Whittaker, Vondrell McGee, Cody Johnson, Tre' Newton and Chris Whaley all have their chance to emerge as the Longhorns' featured runner. Texas coach Mack Brown is just looking for somebody as the Longhorns likely won't claim the national championship with Colt McCoy as their leading rusher.

3. Will Bill Young boost production in Oklahoma State's defense? -- The wily veteran coordinator is well known for his previous work, most recently in the conference with Kansas' BCS team in 2007. But can he help boost some life in a moribund pass rush that ranked last in the conference with only 15 sacks last season?

4. Can Zac Lee emerge as a productive quarterback for Nebraska? -- The Cornhuskers' title hopes will be riding on Lee, an inexperienced player who has thrown two passes earlier in his college career with them. Can he learn quickly enough to lead them to their first North title since 2006?

5. Will Kansas overcome a brutal cross-division schedule to win the North? -- The Jayhawks again draw South Division elite teams Oklahoma and Texas along with Texas Tech. Mark Mangino is building an impressive program at Kansas, but can he overcome three teams that outscored his team by a combined 143-59 margin in three losses last season?