LAS VEGAS — Viva Las Vegas, Viva the Big 12 Conference!
With the first year of the conference with 16 teams in all time zones the energy is youthful, exciting, and ready for the new changes.
“This is our first Media Day as a 16-team league. There has never been a better time than right now to be a part of the Big 12,” said Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark.
Normally hosted at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the league decided to celebrate at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
What’s it like here? To put it simply: many trophies, many athletes, many coaches, and many members of the press. In fact, Cosmo is here and each respective Big 12 mascot and cheerleaders.
The league and players are celebrating and anticipating the new EA sports college football game with a display, accompanied by Vegas Showgirls, who add a touch of the city’s vibrant culture.
Allegiant Stadium is clean, organized, and air conditioned to separate the heat from outdoors (high temperature Wednesday in Las Vegas was 117 degrees) from the heat of the conference. All the day’s events were on the turf field, each display surrounding the Raiders logo.
The day started off with a statement from Yormark. He emphasized the league’s success and the direction of creating a strong national brand.
“This is no time to press pause. We must continue to be bold and aggressive as an industry. The Big 12 will always be ambitious because that's who we are,” said Yormark.
Following Yormark, eight Big 12 head coaches talked about their program and their expectations from the season.
These coaches came ready and prepared. Many wore their snazziest suits one of them being coach Joey McGuire from Texas Tech. His wife clarified that she was the master behind his wardrobe. Also, Oklahoma State's coach Mike Gundy’s mullet got a lot of respect and attention.
After the eight press conferences, team breakouts commenced. Each coach and player stood at the north side of the stadium and answered impending questions from a variety of news outlets. Some teams were more accessible than others, but all players and coaches were welcoming and friendly.
This upcoming season will be epic with great competition, complete with new and old rivalries. Stay tuned for day two Wednesday, when Kalani Sitake will take the stage and talk about where BYU is headed this season.