The Big 12 might be lacking in some areas -- just not in intrigue.

With spring practice over and media days two months away at The Star in Frisco, here are five questions to ponder in the offseason:

Will Texas-OU break Twitter?

Short answer: Uh, no.

Still, the past couple of weeks have been interesting. New Texas coach Tom Herman and his staff plucked two top recruits out of the state of Oklahoma and flipped another OU recruit, a quarterback from California. Oklahoma assistant Kerry Cooks posted a wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing picture on Twitter with a warning for recruits about “false prophets lurking” and Pinocchio emojis for effect. No, he didn’t mention Texas but the subtweet was hard to miss.

Young ones beware "real recognize real" lots of false prophets lurking 🤥🤥🤥🤥🤥 pic.twitter.com/8iyy5rvHTE — Kerry Cooks (@CoachKerryCooks) May 9, 2017

It didn’t take long for Herman’s wife, Michelle, to respond with a Twitter tribute to wolves.

Longhorns out there hunting like wolves 😉🤘🏼 #ThisIsTexas pic.twitter.com/88Da8PAgGr — Michelle Herman (@belletjh) May 10, 2017

If nothing else, the Longhorns have extended their football rivalry from Fair Park to cyberspace. In the process, Herman has shown Texas will be more aggressive earlier in the cycle than it was under Charlie Strong. Some wondered when Herman’s first recruiting class didn’t exactly sizzle.

“When you’re walking into -- in the history of University of Texas football -- the worst three-year stretch in its history and some antiquated facilities, to say we were going to make a quote, splash, that’s really ludicrous expectations,” Herman said during recent Big 12 meetings in Phoenix. “Now we have showed the commitment to upgrade our facilities and we have a staff in place with a track record of winning and we have time to build the necessary relationships with these kids. I think the early returns have been positive.”

The future of the Big 12 (cont.)

The storyline got new life thanks to SEC Network host Paul Finebaum, with his suggestion that Oklahoma was "desperate" to exit the Big 12 and that the conference was the Titanic. Then Oklahoma President David Boren straddled the verbal gulf between dismissing the rumors and coyly noting that Oklahoma would always have options.

Look, it’s no secret that a whole lot of people see the Big 12 eventually facing a dystopian, Mad Max-like future. For now, the tectonic plates that were shifting and threatening the conference in 2010 aren’t shaking now thanks to long-term TV contracts. The timing doesn’t seem right yet -- think four or five years down the road, as Boren noted -- although that won’t end speculation.

Quarterback competitions

It’s the most important position in the game and even more so in the offense-first Big 12.

A few situations developed clarity in the spring. So here’s a quick-but-unofficial rundown of where things may stand.

Entrenched starter

Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma; Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State; Jesse Ertz, Kansas State (despite shoulder surgery)

Clear leader going into preseason

Will Grier, West Virginia; Shane Buechele, Texas (barring a grad transfer); Kenny Hill, TCU (although freshman Shawn Robinson is now No. 2 on the depth chart after spring); Nic Shimonek, Texas Tech; Jacob Park, Iowa State.

Still competing

Baylor, although Zach Smith seemed to have an edge on grad transfer Anu Solomon and freshman Charlie Brewer; and Kansas, where things remain tight between Carter Stanley and transfer Peyton Bender.

Will the Big 12 title game help?

The conference certainly hopes the answer is yes when it comes to the College Football Playoff. After months of study, the Big 12 said no to expansion and yes to a title game.

The move is about more than just giving the conference champ a 13th data point, according to Commissioner Bob Bowlsby.

“We know that playing a full round-robin [schedule] and then putting our best two teams against each other is a hard path,” Bowlsby said, “but it’s also one that ought to get heavy weight when it comes time to comparing our portfolio with those of other conferences.”

Expect Bowlsby and other Big 12 advocated to make the point a lot in the next few months.

At the same time, Bowlsby acknowledged that the title game was “a double-edged sword” that could hurt as well as enhance playoff chances. The risk is worth it, Bowlsby said, “We decided that if we were going to do it, we were going all in,” Bowlsby said.

Names to remember

For the grief the Big 12 takes, it did produce the second quarterback taken in the NFL draft (Patrick Mahomes) as well as the Doak Walker winner (D’Onta Foreman) and the Biletnikoff winner (Dede Westbrook).

So who stands to move up next season based on the spring?

First Big 12 quarterback drafted: For all that Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield has and will accomplish, Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph (6-5, 230) has the measurable and ability to go deep that scouts love.

Top Doak Walker candidate: Foreman came from relative obscurity to rush for 2,000 yards. Who could take the next step? West Virginia’s Justin Crawford had five 100-yard games and averaged 7.3 yards a carry. With TCU’s offensive struggles, Kyle Hicks’ production got overlooked, with 1,042 yards rushing to go with 47 receptions.

Top Biletnikoff candidate: As usual, the Big 12 has plenty of top receivers. At this stage, Oklahoma State’s James Washington leads the group as a huge playmaker. His 2,923 yards, 19.2 yards and 26 receiving touchdowns lead all returning FBS players.

Anyone else: Texas offensive tackle Connor Williams and Oklahoma offensive tackle Orlando Brown should be in the mix for the Outland Trophy and All-American honors.