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The only thing more puzzling than future Big 12 Conference membership is current Big 12 football, where everything we thought we knew is in question.

Baylor won last year’s league championship on the strength of its defense. Oklahoma State came within a pylon of last year’s league championship on the strength of its defense.

Oklahoma, embodiment of the Big 12’s “we can’t stop you but just try to stop us” modern football manifesto, didn’t even make it to Arlington and settled for the Alamo Bowl. Now Brent Venables coaches the Sooners with a new offensive coordinator, a new quarterback and a new way of life.

“Look, we’re an open book. We’re very transparent, honest,” Venables said in the wake of Lincoln Riley’s closed-book exodus to USC. “This is who we are. This is the front porch or our program. It’s about transformation.”

It sure is, and not just in Norman.

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Gary Patterson no longer coaches TCU. That’s like Joey Chestnut no longer eating hot dogs.

Sonny Dykes leads the Horned Frogs now. Joey McGuire, who sounds like he ought to be on the Disney Channel, coaches Texas Tech.

Mike Gundy is back for an 18th season in Stillwater, though he’s breaking in new defensive coordinator Derek Mason. Neal Brown returns at West Virginia, though he’s breaking in new offensive coordinator Graham Harrell.

Mountaineers new quarterback JT Daniels used to be at Georgia and USC. Kansas State new quarterback Adrian Martinez used to be at Nebraska.

Texas new quarterback Quinn Ewers used to be at Ohio State. He reportedly made a bunch of name, image and likeness money in his four months in Columbus.

Ewers should probably focus on making coach Steve Sarkisian a bunch of money in Austin, and restoring some Darrell Royal-era dignity around Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Brock Purdy no longer quarterbacks Iowa State. Charlie Kolar and Breece Hall are former Cyclones. Coach Matt Campbell has gone from rising to falling star after ISU’s 7-6 2021. These are strange days in Ames.

These are strange days everywhere across this league. Here’s how nutty Big 12 football has suddenly become: The only program we can count on is Kansas.

Tulsa World file photo