On Monday, Big 12 football begins a two-day talk-a-thon to raise interest, not money, although donations for struggling academic programs will be accepted, in the Land That Other Football Big-Time Zones Forgot.

The Big 12 gathers under Jerry Jones’ Little Indoor Stadium, Ford Center at The Star in The Frisco, still with only 10 members, the “12” presumably referring to the big grandfather clock ticking on the conference’s viability.

CBSsports.com headlines its pregame look at Big 12 Football Media Days with “There’s a lot to like about Big 12 football (no, really).” Senior writer Dennis Dodd gives five reasons to like Big 12 football, which, what with the Baylor scandal, the non-expansion debacle and David Boren’s up and downs, are five more than many could think of.

Oklahoma is the title favorite, Oklahoma State being not all that far behind in media voting. The bottom three, going from the cellar up, are penciled in as Kansas (but much improved), Iowa State (but gaining) and Texas Tech (no buts; the Red Raiders are sliding).

Then the big middle in some order. Former Oklahoma State coach Pat Jones, a radio talk-show host in Oklahoma, surmises you should figure it this way: Pick Bill Snyder’s team (Kansas State) third and Gary Patterson’s team (TCU) because of the savvy of those two coaches.