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2012 record: 8-5
2012 Big 12 record: 5-4
Returning starters: Offense: 7; defense: 7; kicker/punter: 0

Top returners: QB Clint Chelf, WR Josh Stewart, CB Justin Gilbert, LB Shaun Lewis, LB Caleb Lavey, WR Blake Jackson, DT Calvin Barnett, S Daytawion Lowe, DE Tyler Johnson

Key losses: RB Joseph Randle, LB Alex Elkins, K/P/KOS Quinn Sharp, CB Brodrick Brown, DE Nigel Nicholas, WR Isaiah Anderson

2012 statistical leaders (*returners)

Passing: Clint Chelf* (1,588 yards)
Rushing: Joseph Randle (1,417 yards)
Receiving: Josh Stewart* (1,210 yards)
Tackles: Alex Elkins, Daytawion Lowe* (75)
Sacks: Tyler Johnson* (4)
Interceptions: Lyndell Johnson*, Daytawion Lowe*, Shamiel Gary* (2)

Spring answers

1. The defense's intentions are clear. Bill Young is out. Glenn Spencer is in, and he's all about playing aggressive. Tight coverage and blitzes are the name of the game, and we'll see if it pays off in a Big 12 lacking in quarterback experience. Last season, OSU's parade of turnovers came to an end, but Spencer seems intent on bringing it back. Nobody's stopping Big 12 offenses, but forcing turnover and holding teams to three in the red zone are how you succeed on defense in this league.

2. The offensive line is set ... for now. Center Evan Epstein and guard Lane Taylor are gone, but the Pokes are going with youth at left tackle in sophomore Devin Davis, moving last year's left tackle, Parker Graham, to left guard. Meanwhile, junior Jake Jenkins is sliding up to take Epstein's spot at center. That's how it ended in the spring, but OL coach Joe Wickline is kind of unpredictable, so those guys better continue to bring it in fall camp.

3. Athletic director Mike Holder is still running the show. Gundy and Holder had a disagreement on scheduling that nearly ended with Gundy packing his bags to succeed Derek Dooley in Knoxville. But Gundy's displeasure with Holder helping schedule Mississippi State this year and Florida State next year -- both on neutral fields -- hasn't changed much. OSU just announced a future home-and-home with Boise State. Who knows what Boise will look like then, but the intent is clear: Holder wants attention-grabbing, money-making games to start the season, not home games against patsies to help OSU run up an easy 3-0 mark before conference play begins.

Fall questions

1. Seriously, what's the deal at quarterback? Chelf is the safe bet at quarterback, but Gundy reneged on a statement midway through spring that he would hold onto his starting spot in Week 1 ahead of J.W. Walsh and Wes Lunt. Now, Gundy says the starter for Game 1 hasn't been decided, and quarterbacks are off limits to the media with no updates being given until after the season opener. We'll see if Gundy sticks to it, and if Chelf hangs onto the starting job he earned with strong play to close 2012.

2. Is Oklahoma State a new Big 12 power? The Pokes broke through and won a title in 2011, but one title doesn't mean anything in the big picture. OSU is in position to win another and just may be the league favorite to start the season. They are in my book for sure. Two Big 12 titles in three seasons? That's serious, and the Pokes have a chance to do some special things this season.

3. Is Mike Yurcich the next super coordinator at OSU? Mike Gundy's been a head coach less than a decade, but his coaching tree is already way underrated. He's churning out head coaches year after year, highlighted by guys like Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia, Larry Fedora at North Carolina and Tim Beckman at Illinois. Todd Monken just left for Southern Miss, and if Yurcich, who stepped into the new role from a Division II school, keeps the pace for this offense, I'm betting he may attract interest before too long, too. Watching how he handles Year 1 will be interesting. Monken came from being an NFL position coach and made parlaying that into a head coaching job look easy.

The Big 12's schedule is set, and this year, we didn't have to wait until just a few months before the season to see it.

We'll take a closer look at each Big 12 team's schedule with some analysis over the coming weeks. Next up: the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Full schedule:

• Aug. 31: vs. Mississippi State at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas
• Sept. 7: at Texas-San Antonio at the Alamodome
• Sept. 14: vs. Lamar
• Sept. 28: at West Virginia
• Oct. 5: vs. Kansas State
• Oct. 19: vs. TCU
• Oct. 26: at Iowa State
• Nov. 2: at Texas Tech
• Nov. 9: vs. Kansas
• Nov. 16: at Texas
• Nov. 23: vs. Baylor
• Dec. 7: vs. Oklahoma

Non-con challenge: Mississippi State. This game was one of two that sparked a dispute between Mike Gundy and athletic director Mike Holder, but it's happening, and it'll attract a ton of attention on the first weekend of the season. Dan Mullen has built the Bulldogs' program in the brutal SEC West, but the Pokes will be a tough draw in Texas. We'll see more Big 12-SEC matchups this season than we've seen in awhile, but this will be one of the best.

Gut-check game: Kansas State. It's tough to tell what to expect from K-State this year, who returns just eight starters from last year's title team, but even at home, K-State has given OSU tons of trouble lately. It nearly knocked off the Big 12 champs in 2011 and had the most success slowing OSU's offense in 2010, though it did so without Justin Blackmon. K-State will probably be a tougher matchup than West Virginia, and we'll learn a bit about the Cowboys in this early-season matchup.

Eyeing revenge: Oklahoma. I've been saying it for a year or so now, but if you take the pageantry of the state fair out of the equation, Bedlam is gaining quickly on Red River as the Big 12's best rivalry. The last three games have been incredibly memorable, and two of them were played with the Big 12 title on the line. The Sooners knocked OSU out of the title chase with a dramatic comeback and overtime win in Norman last season, but the rivalry goes back to Stillwater to close the season this year. Don't be surprised if a win for either team in this game means a share of the Big 12 title or the league championship outright.

Chance to impress: at Texas. Texas looks good on paper, and don't be surprised if the Nov. 16 matchup is something of an elimination game in the Big 12 title race. You've got to knock off the other contenders to win a title, and OSU will have to try and win its third game in Austin in four years. That won't be easy, but OSU seems likely to have a good shot to control its own fate in the Big 12 race if it goes down to the 40 Acres and comes back to Stillwater with the win.

Upset watch: at Iowa State. I mean ... obviously, right? I'd say there will be some special motivation for OSU's first return to Ames since that painful upset in 2011 that dashed the Pokes' national title hopes, but Paul Rhoads knows defense and everyone in the Big 12 knows the Cyclones are dangerous in Ames. It's one of the most underrated venues in the league.

Final analysis: What a way to close the season for Oklahoma State. It's a backloaded schedule, and if OSU is going to win the title, it will have to earn it with games against Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas to close the season. Don't be surprised if two of those teams (or maybe even all three) control their fates in the Big 12 title race to close the season. The Mississippi State game to open the season will be a good test early on that pays off in conference play, and doesn't have the same level of pressure as the 2009 opener against Georgia that was one of the most hyped season openers in school history. The good news for OSU is in a year that it looks like a contender, it gets five league games at home and goes on the road just four times (West Virginia, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Texas) and gets fellow contenders Oklahoma and TCU in Stillwater. That's welcome, and my pick as the Big 12 favorite this season has a schedule that sets them up for success and, perhaps, a second Big 12 title in three years.

Christmas is only a few hours away, but I hope you've been shopping for your favorite folks across the league. Here's a wish list for a handful of folks across the Big 12.

Charlie Weis: A quarterback. Kansas made some big upgrades to its team via the juco ranks, but this is the Big 12. None of it will matter much if BYU transfer Jake Heaps doesn't pan out and become the player Weis hoped he would be when he brought him to Lawrence. Maybe Michael Cummings makes life interesting, but Heaps has heaps of starting experience, and if KU is going to get any better, it has to be much, much better at the quarterback spot after the Dayne Crist Experiment turned out to be a bust.

Oklahoma State fans: Forgiveness and selective memory. Yes, Oklahoma State fans, Mike Gundy disagreed with AD Mike Holder on scheduling philosophy and flirted with Tennessee and Arkansas to the point that some erroneous reports had him accepting the job as the new head Hog. Yes, he almost ruined a hugely beneficial relationship on both sides, but in the process, he damaged it some. Don't hold it against him. He says he gets along with Holder on "95 percent" of what they talk about as it relates to Oklahoma State. OSU gave him opportunities he wouldn't have gotten elsewhere, like becoming a position coach at 23 years old, and becoming a head coach at 36. He provided the program something no other coach could in a long, long time: An outright conference title. Focus on that, not on the aggravations of the offseason.

Kansas State's defense: Rocket-powered roller skates. This Oregon offense is no joke, and they've got backs faster and more talented than anything Kansas State has seen all season in the Big 12. De'Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner are going to be a handful, and quarterback Marcus Mariota has wheels of his own. Kansas State's defense might need a little help keeping up.

Oklahoma's defense: A dash of extra self-discipline. Speaking of keeping up, Oklahoma better subscribe to the LSU and Florida School of Johnny Football Defense. That is to say, keep contain and make him throw to beat you. If he gets loose in the secondary, it's going to be a long, long day for the Sooners. Keep him under wraps and in the pocket, and the Sooners will have a great shot to force a few turnovers (something they've struggled to do all season) and get a big win for the Big 12.

Iowa State linebacker Jake Knott: A hug. Shoulder surgery ended his career early, but everybody in the Big 12 respects what Knott did over his fantastic career. His leadership and toughness are rivaled by few to ever play in this league. He'll have to be in Memphis watching his fellow seniors close out their careers on the field. That's not easy to watch. Give him a hug and a pat on the back on the way to the NFL Combine. Best of luck, Jake.

Texas Tech fans: A chill pill. Excitement is through the roof in Lubbock, and Tech fans are dreaming of titles as season tickets fly out the door and fans celebrate Kliff Kingsbury's hire in the streets. Give the man time, though, and don't expect him to start racking up Big 12 titles right away. Maybe he will. I'm not saying he won't. I'm just saying the relationship between Kingsbury and Tech has a chance to be really, really special. He's still young, and still going to be learning how to run an entire program where he's making all the decisions. Give him time if it starts out rough, and don't force upon him crazy expectations.

West Virginia: Some new enemies. The poor Mountaineers didn't really find anybody to hate in their first season in the Big 12. TCU rekindled their old Southwest Conference ready-made rivalries with Texas and Texas Tech and Baylor, but the Mountaineers might get a little something going eventually with Tech (John Denver Bowl), Oklahoma State (Dana Holgorsen Bowl) or others. It doesn't help when you're getting stomped by both, and beaten by a bunch of others. For now, they'll have to settle with facing old friend from the Big East, Syracuse, in the Pinstripe Bowl.

TCU's young talents: Earplugs. The Frogs are very young and very, very promising. Over the next eight months, prepare to hear a whole lot about how good the Frogs will be, especially if Casey Pachall shows up in spring camp with his same old arm and a new way of seeing life. The freshmen and sophomore-heavy crew can't listen to it, though. That's the surest way to make it nothing more than hype.

Texas: No more Heisman mistakes in Texas. I really do feel bad for Texas. They recruit by selecting more than recruiting, and a whole lot of guys are going to be left wanting to go to Texas but not going to Texas. Offering guys like RG3 and Manziel to play defensive back while Case McCoy and David Ash hold down the quarterback spot at Texas? It's not a good look for the Longhorns. Some better quarterback evaluations are necessary, but there are a lot of good quarterbacks in the state and not all of them can go to Texas. The Longhorns would love it if guys who don't end up at Texas would stop winning Heismans.

Oklahoma State and Florida State will meet in Cowboys Stadium to kick off the 2014 season.

They'll meet on Aug. 30, 2014, in Arlington, Texas, in the sixth annual Cowboys Classic. The agreement between ESPN and the Cowboys will also bring Texas and UCLA to Cowboys Stadium on Sept. 13, 2014.

It'll be Oklahoma State's first appearance in the Cowboys Classic, but it's scheduled to open 2013 at Reliant Stadium against SEC foe Mississippi State.

Coach Mike Gundy had some high-profile flirtations with Arkansas and Tennessee and publicly disagreed with athletic director Mike Holder on scheduling philosophy. Gundy preferably wouldn't want to play games like OSU has scheduled in the next two seasons, but Holder loves the attention and cash that come with high-profile matchups like these. It's understandable on both sides.

Games like these are good for athletic departments and the game of college football, but make the jobs of coaches like Gundy a whole lot more difficult.

For now, it looks like it's clear who is calling the shots on scheduling at OSU.