The college football season remains nearly 40 days away, yet plenty of questions have already surfaced since the 2004 season came to a close. Most were discussed at Big 12 Media Days last week in Houston. The answers, however, were not nearly so easy to come by.



With that in mind, here are a few: questions and answers.



Who’s winning the North?



Trying to pick the North winner is like picking the winner of a horse race. Colorado owns the most talent of the six schools located above the Kansas-Oklahoma border but that hardly makes the Buffs an easy pick.



They could be cursed by conference scheduling. The three teams they face from the South — at Oklahoma State, at Texas and Texas A&M; at home — are all very loseable.



The race to win the top side of the bracket could very well come down to who can win five conference games. That reality tips the scales in favor of three teams: Iowa State, Missouri and Nebraska.



There’s a simple reason why they start the season in good position. Each plays Baylor.



The South went 15-3 against the North last season. All three losses belonged to the Bears.



On paper the talent lies with Colorado, but the schedule sits with Iowa State. The Cyclones have Baylor and Oklahoma State in Ames and that could be the shot in the arm they need to secure a date in Houston Dec. 3. And, in the end, there’s no substitute for good scheduling.



Go with the ’Clones.







Who’s winning the South?



This one’s a little easier because it’s a two-team race that, in all likelihood, will be settled Oct. 8 in the Cotton Bowl.



Oklahoma and Texas have an overwhelming talent edge over the rest of the conference and both will be favored in every conference game they play barring, perhaps, the Red River Shootout.



The Longhorns start the season as a consensus top five team. The Sooners are in everyone’s top 10.



The winner will remain a contender to reach the Rose Bowl and have a shot at the national championship. The loser will be hoping the Big 12 can still muster a second berth in the Bowl Championship Series.



Texas looks like the early favorite with 16 starters back from last season’s 11-1 team. The only thing that could change that prognosis would be coming down the Cotton Bowl ramp already collared with a loss. It could easily happen Sept. 17 when the Longhorns travel to Ohio State.



OU, on the other hand, will be an overwhelming favorite in all four of its games leading to Dallas.



Texas was the fashionable pick to win the South among Big 12 media, but the mental edge the Sooners have mustered over the last five seasons still makes them the proper choice.







Who’s the top Heisman contender



Last season, the conference boasted four preseason candidates for college football’s biggest individual prize. Missouri quarterback Brad Smith, Kansas State running back Darren Sproles and Texas running back Cedric Benson joined OU quarterback and 2003 Heisman winner Jason White on the early lists.



Only White’s candidacy had staying power and even it was surpassed by teammate Adrian Peterson by the time the votes were counted. Peterson certainly has a chance to earn another December trip to New York. Texas quarterback Vince Young also has a chance. However, the conference will likely have only one candidate for the award after the OU plays Texas.



Peterson or Young? See above.







Which coach is on the hottest seat?



The pressure to win never ceases in the Big 12. Texas A&M;’s Dennis Franchione is just 11-13 after two seasons in College Station and Baylor coach Guy Morriss is 6-17 after three years in Waco.



But nobody doubts those programs are improving.



The hottest seat in the conference is at Missouri.



Gary Pinkel’s Tigers fell from preseason favorite to win the North last season to 5-6 overall and just 3-5 in the conference.



Pinkel is 22-25 in four seasons in Columbia and, for his sake, Missouri must get better.



The Tigers are fortunate to have a favorable schedule and should finish above .500 and reach a bowl game. They’ll need to or the Tigers and Pinkel could be climbing aboard the coaching carousel in December.







What’s the biggest game of the season?



That’s easy. The Red River Shootout will have the biggest impact on the conference and the national title race.



OU-Texas has become the conference’s glamour game and that won’t be changing any time soon. The winner becomes the favorite to win the South and, therefore, the front-runner to win the league.



No matter what happens in the North, the Big 12’s power still lies in the South. Something else that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.



John Shinn366-3536jshinn@normantranscript.com