Big 12 football media days will have a new look when the event kicks off Monday in Dallas.

Along with the conference, the showcase has shrunk — lasting two days instead of three. But the reduction from 12 to 10 teams hasn't reduced the storylines heading into the season.

Here are 10 hot topics you can expect to hear about:

1. The Longhorn Network

Big shocker, right? Although commissioner Dan Beebe seemed to have calmed the storm (sound familiar?), last week proved Texas' new partnership with ESPN has the attention of its Big 12 rivals. Even with Beebe issuing a temporary restraining order stalling the network's plans to telecast high school games and one of the Longhorns' conference games per season, many people remain skeptical. OU athletic director Joe Castiglione has taken a more subdued tone when discussing the issue compared to others (read: Texas A&M), but this is probably because OU is examining options for its own Longhorn-style network. The coaches are going to hate it, but the questions are coming. Will A&M coach Mike Sherman join his university's top brass in talking about the "uncertainty" in the Big 12? Will coach Bob Stoops offer up a shot at the Longhorn Network? Either way, Beebe's closing remarks Tuesday will garner attention, even if all he will say is the company line about the conference being in good shape.

2. North vs. South

While divisions have become a thing of the past, old habits are hard to break. The South is home to big-time football, and the North is left to fight for the conference's lower-tier bowl bids. That was the stigma, and it looks like it's carrying into the new-look Big 12. In the preseason media poll, Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas were relegated to the bottom three spots. Missouri is returning some top-notch talent, but Gary Pinkel's squad hopes of challenging the Schools Formally Known As The South Division are in the hands of first-year starting quarterback James Franklin, who only threw 14 passes in 2010 during mop-up duty. Has Franklin had a strong enough offseason to lead the Tigers to a conference title? The media predicts Missouri will finish the year as the fourth-best team in the conference. Before this season, picked fourth in the Big 12 meant you were in the top one-third. Now? Fourth out of 10 is what we call about average — which has come to define the ex-North schools.

3. Bye Bye, Title Game

Will there be a moment of silence to remember the championship game? Probably not, but expect plenty of questions about it. We will probably hear how the title game cost a few Big 12 teams a shot at a national championship. This most recently happened to Missouri in 2007 when OU beat the No. 1 Tigers, 38-17 (whoops!). Although the elimination of the game is welcomed by most coaches — because it's one less stumbling block on the way to the national championship — surely Bob Stoops will miss it, right? After winning seven of the conference's 15 title games, the Big 12 championship game must hold a special place in Stoops' heart. In terms of league balance, the game's absence won't matter. The last seven title games were won by teams from the South, so it's not like the North squads were taking advantage of the opportunity to come out on top (save for that 2003 disaster when Kansas State dismantled the seemingly indestructible No. 1 Sooners).

4. Lofty Expectations

Texas A&M and Oklahoma State are getting lots of love as teams that could seriously challenge OU for the league crown. Eyes also are on Missouri, albeit more so as a dark horse. Each of these teams are bringing back loads of (mainly offensive) experience and firepower, but can they handle the expectations? Oklahoma State has been on a steady climb since Mike Gundy took over in 2005, and the duo of Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden is explosive. But the Cowboys are breaking in a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken and they must replace six starters on the defense, including Orie Lemon. For Texas A&M, many media members view the Aggies as a risky team. Yes, A&M has lethal weapons in running back Cyrus Gray and wide receiver Jeff Fuller, but the Aggies are never a safe bet when it comes to high expectations. And while quarterback Ryan Tannehill was solid last year after taking over the starting role midseason, you have to think there was a reason he was playing wide receiver.

5. Pass Catchers Galore

Hello, and welcome to the Year of the Receiver. The Big 12 has a collection of receivers that are arguably the best in the country. Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma), Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State) and Jeff Fuller (Texas A&M) are the cream of the crop, but Kendall Wright (Baylor) and T.J. Moe (Missouri) are no slouches. Better yet, all five players will appear during media days. Blackmon is an ideal combination of productivity (111 catches and 20 touchdowns last season) and size (6-foot-1, 210 pounds), but the debate about who is the best in the league is nowhere near settled. Just ask OU receiver Kenny Stills, who took to Twitter to promote Broyles as the Big 12's best. Stills wrote that Blackmon "is all about big bodying people and sloppy routes." Maybe Broyles will chime in and take a shot at his Cowboy rival? Don't count on it.

6. Who's Running the Ball?

As good as receivers as the Big 12 has, will anybody break out as a big-time back? To be fair, Cyrus Gray (Texas A&M) proved to be a threat last season, especially after he went off on a late-season tear. Aside from Gray, who rushed for 1,133 yards last year, the stats for the returning running backs aren't overwhelming: Kansas' James Sims (742 yards), Texas Tech's Eric Stephens (668 yards), Kansas State's Bryce Brown (468 yards) and Oklahoma's Roy Finch (398 yards). Gray, Finch and Brown were voted to the media's preseason All-Big 12 team. Gray clearly deserves the honors, but after him, it appears like the voters pulled names out of a hat. Newcomers such as Texas' Malcolm Brown or Oklahoma's Brandon Williams are hyped enough that you can bet questions will be asked regarding them. So, which team is going to commit the most to developing a consistent running game? My guess is every coach says his team is working hard to continue improving — very original, coaches.

7. Out of the Cellar

The Big 12's worst four teams in 2010 were Kansas, Texas, Colorado and Iowa State. Kansas went 3-9 (1-7 Big 12) and that included five losses by more than 20 points, making the 2007 Orange Bowl win seem like the distant past. Texas' 5-7 (2-6 Big 12) season resulted in Mack Brown overhauling his coaching staff, citing the need to inject vigor into the program. Colorado is the Pac-12's problem now. Iowa State delivered one of the Big 12's biggest upsets in 2010 when it beat Texas in Austin, but the Cyclones still finished the year 5-7 (3-5 Big 12). What does this mean for this season? With the Big 12 shifting to a round-robin schedule, Kansas and Iowa State face a daunting task of playing all six Oklahoma and Texas schools. The Jayhawks and the Cyclones should be improved, but will it be enough to be competitive? Texas is — stop me if you've heard this before — Texas. The Longhorns, even with uncertainty at quarterback, will be fine moving forward.

8. Texas' Leading Man?

Speaking of Texas, the university brought in Garrett Gilbert to be the school's next great quarterback, following Vince Young and Colt McCoy. The highly touted slinger threw 17 interceptions and led the Longhorns to a 5-7 record — not how Texas fans envisioned the season turning out, especially after Gilbert's strong second-half performance filling in for the injured McCoy in the 2009 national championship. Mack Brown has indicated that the starting job is open, but Gilbert's experience probably has him at the front of the four-way competition that includes Case McCoy (Colt's younger brother), Connor Wood and David Ash. If the Longhorns don't have improved quarterback play this year, it could be another long season. However, don't expect Brown to offer many details, as he could wait until the season opener against Rice before making his decision.

9. Tommy Tuberville, Year 2

Last year, Texas Tech's defense was ranked last in the Big 12, allowing 456.3 yards per game. That doesn't sit well with defensive-minded Tommy Tuberville, who has turned to former TCU safeties coach Chad Glasgow to run the Red Raiders defense. That being said, Tech's defense is full of young talent who were forced into action and, in turn, gained valuable experience last season. Glasgow has brought his version of the 4-2-5 to Lubbock, so can it make a difference? On the offensive side of the ball, Texas Tech is turning to Seth Doege to replace two senior quarterbacks. The team also lost its top two receivers and running back Baron Batch, and Tuberville is committed to placing a greater emphasis on the running game — an easier task with all five offensive linemen returning. Regardless of what happens with the offense, the Red Raiders won't take another step forward unless the defense improves.

10. Future of the Big 12

In all honesty, the conference will work out the issues with the Longhorn Network and everyone will continue talking about how the Big 12 universities are committed to staying together, moving forward and remaining strong. And yet, things still feel like they are on the verge of collapsing — just as they did during last year's conference realignment chaos. Expect everyone to deliver the company line about the Big 12, but then again, nothing will end the discussion about the league's future.