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They’re all playing for second today

July 22, 2014 by Mike Casazza

Though I’m still sort of new to this Big 12 experience, we all have seen a popularization of teams and coaches and players the past few years go in line with the proliferation of social media and marketing and simple personality. With the mass exposure available to college football entities these days, there is a need and there are means for visibility.

So we’re more than a little qualified to dip into what follows: I’m not sure anyone has ever had a better Big 12 media day than Baylor did Monday.

Remember, the Bears are enjoying their highest preseason Big 12 poll ranking ever and had a conference-high seven players on the preseason all-conference team, including the offensive player of the year. They got to talk about being a favorite and playing in a new stadium and the only negative stuff they dealt with was their soft schedule.

To review:

– Shawn Oakman owned it …

– … and then trended.

– Bryce Hager was delightfully collected and intellectual and everything you want a representative of a football program to be.

– Antwan Goodley told heartwarming stories about his trying childhood as well as the tradition of Wide Receiver U.

– Art Briles did 20 confident, yet somehow humble minutes in a press conference, and then had a constant crowd around his table for 90 minutes in the breakout session and another 20 minutes in stand up interviews…

– …and also backhanded the coach of the national champions.

– Bryce Petty was THE star.

– His coach started a Heisman Trophy campaign for him in the simplest and most subtle manner.

And speaking of that, Briles later said Petty could win the Heisman for a specific, though peculiar reason.

Naturally, people went there and quizzed the Dairy Queens in Salem and “the audio is priceless.“

But Baylor would not be hushed. Petty and the Bears won the day with a brilliant, in-stride message late Monday.