Week one of college football is upon us, after what seems like the longest offseason in recent memory. Obviously, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of questions entering this season in the Big XII, but I'm going to boil it down to the five questions that are most pressing in the conference.

Cool? Cool.

Question 1: Can the Big XII nouveau riche keep up with the traditional Big XII powers?

It is widely accepted that OU is the class of the conference, and rightly so. Not only do they have one of the most talented teams in the conference, but they have arguably the best coach in college football (yeah, I said it, big whoop, wanna fight about it?) and a favorable schedule (true road games are Washington, Baylor, K-State, A&M and Okie State).

Texas, like it or not, is Texas. You can mark them for at least nine wins every year, and they will very rarely get outclassed. There are some doubts this year, but this program is going to be legitimate this, and every, year.

But two of the traditional Big XII powerhouses figure to struggle this season. Both Nebraska and Texas A&M are installing new coaches, and don't appear poised to be anything more than also-rans in their respective divisions.

In their place, three traditional also-rans are considered the top tier of the conference. Kansas, coming off a historic season, return many of the important players from last year's team. Texas Tech, in case you haven't heard, have 21 of 22 starters returning, including two Heisman hopefuls in Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree. And we all know about Missouri.

But now, the time for hype is over. It's put up or shut up time for the Big XII nouveau riche. Can Kansas prove that it is more than just a soft schedule and an efficient quarterback? Can Texas Tech get over the hump with arguably its most talented team ever? Can Missouri shake the reputation of an underachieving program when the target is on its back?

OU and UT will be there. Who will join them?

Question 2: Which Big XII QB will fall flat on his face?

Chase Daniel. Sam Bradford. Colt McCoy. Graham Harrell. Todd Reesing. Zac Robinson. Josh Freeman. Stephen McGee. Kirby Freeman. Joe Ganz. Cody Hawkins. [Insert ISU quarterback here].

Regardless of your affiliation, you have to admit that the Big XII has a very impressive class of QBs. But they can't all live up to expectations, and at least one is going to fall flat on his face.

Freeman is in a new system and plays at Baylor, so he is primed for failure. ISU's QB will be playing for ISU, and will be starting his first game. Stephen McGee, I maintain, is the most overrated player in the conference. Josh Freeman hasn't lived up to expectations, and has to show me something before I believe that he is for real. Ganz, while his numbers were impressive last season, feasted on some pretty bad defenses, and has to prove that he can do it against a tough team. Put Hawkins in the same category as Freeman.

That leaves what I believe to be the real class of the Big XII: Daniel, Bradford, McCoy, Harrell, Reesing and Robinson. Someone's falling flat on their face. The easy bet is Robinson, since he only has half-a-season of experience. But the sexy wager is on someone like Reesing or McCoy.

Question 3: Who is actually going to play defense this year?

This is an offense-heavy conference, there is no doubt about it. But who is going to step up on the other side of the ball?

Oklahoma, obviously. Kansas, most probably. Missouri, most probably. Texas, most probably. Texas Tech, if they have a prayer of living up to expectations. Baylor, quite possibly.

Who's not going to play defense? Nebraska, regardless of eight months of Pelini. Kansas State, regardless of having an entire junior college on the roster.  Texas A&M, regardless of how "successful" Mike Sherman was in the NFL. Oklahoma State, which has to be frustrating for Cowboys fans. Colorado, unless they make a quantam leap. Iowa State, because the defensive genius of Chizik needs time to marinate.

Question 4: What no-name player will become a household name by season's end?

This conference has superstars on both sides of the ball. Names like Daniel, Maclin, Lucky, Bradford, Robinson, Harrell, Crabtree, Goodson, McCoy, Scott (presumably), Bradford, English, Murray, Reesing, Freeman. It's loaded. So who's going to sneak up on us?

Jordan Lake, the safety from Baylor. Cyrus Gray, the running back from Texas A&M. Marquis Hamilton, the wide receiver from Iowa State. Deon Murphy, the wide receiver from Kansas State. Among many others.

Question 5: Who is out of contention before the season starts?

It's hard to count anyone out before the season even begins, but I think it's safe to say that there are three teams that simply won't be contending for the conference (or their division) title this season.

Baylor. Despite the fact that I love the Art Briles hire and they have a defensive playmaker, it's simply not happening for the Bears. Sic 'em, 3-9 record.

Iowa State. Chizik will get this program back to prominence. It will happen. He's too smart. But not this year.

Texas A&M. Dennis Franchione left that program in shambles, and despite a relatively talented offensive backfield (McGee [ugh], Goodson, Lane, Gray as a spell back), who is going to play defense for the Aggies? I don't care how big and loud your stadium gets: if you can't stop anyone, you can't win games. And if you can't win games, you can't contend for a title.

Enjoy week one. Rock, flag and eagle.