In many ways, this Big 12 season looks a lot like the recent seasons that preceded it.
There are four teams among the top seven nationally in FBS total offense. Big 12 quarterbacks dominate the passing efficiency stats, the hallmark of the conference.
But as any good aspiring HBO screenwriter knows, seasons get stale with the same old same old. So the Big 12 welcomed back an old character believed to be killed off last season, College Football Playoff intrigue. Then throw in plot twists like the return of TCU to prominence, as well new faces (Lincoln Riley, Tom Herman and Matt Rhule) in familiar settings.