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In the hazy Zouk Nightclub (on brand for Las Vegas), conference leadership was cornered to answer questions about the Pac-12 media rights negotiations, realignment and saving the current state of the league without USC and UCLA.

Life drastically changed soon after that for both ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and the rest of the Pac-12. Two weeks after Pac-12 Media Day, a majority of the conference’s members officially began their farewell tour with the plan to join other power conferences, including the Big Ten and Big 12; Stanford and Cal announced their plans to join the ACC a month later.

Less than a year later, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is returning to Las Vegas as a member of the Big 12. Sort of. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State, Colorado and Utah officially on-board the 16-team Big 12 on Aug. 2.

Not only has ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s conference changed, the Wildcats’ expectations have changed, too. After a 10-3 season that resulted in a win at the Alamo Bowl, the Wildcats return their nucleus and a majority of their starters from the 2023 squad despite former head coach Jedd Fisch leaving for Washington.

First-year ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ head coach Brent Brennan, after seven seasons at San Jose State, takes the reins of a UA football program entering potentially the most highly anticipated season in years.

Ahead of the Big 12 Media Days on Tuesday and Wednesday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with the Wildcats on the main stage Wednesday afternoon, here are notable ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥- and conference-related storylines:

Without Oklahoma and Texas, who is top dog? Which team will represent the Big 12 in the CFP?

In football, the Big 12 lost its headliner acts to the SEC: Texas and Oklahoma.

Since the Big 12 played its first conference championship game in 1996, Oklahoma and Texas have combined to win 18 league titles — 14 of them courtesy of OU, which ended its Big 12 membership with a loss to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio in December.

Current Big 12 teams with the most conference titles include Baylor and Kansas State (3), along with Colorado, Oklahoma State and TCU with one apiece.

Which program could potentially reign the conference this season and beyond? The Utah Utes, a potential Top 10 team this season, were voted to win the conference in the preseason media poll, ahead of Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Kansas. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was voted fifth in the conference preseason poll, with Iowa State, West Virginia, UCF, Texas Tech and TCU rounding out the top 10; ASU was picked last.

Utah returns 25-year-old super-senior and star quarterback Cameron Rising, who has 5,572 passing yards, 46 touchdowns, just 14 interceptions, to go along with 953 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Between Rising, running back Micah Bernard, tight end Brant Kuithe and former UA receiver Dorian Singer, who transferred from USC this offseason, along with a defense that returns a majority of its starters, Utah could make a splash in its inaugural year in the Big 12.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ faces Utah in Salt Lake City to begin Big 12 play on Sept. 28, after a nonconference game against Kansas State in Manhattan on Friday, Sept. 13.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has six games against Big 12 opponents that were voted in the bottom half of the preseason Big 12 poll: Texas Tech (9), at TCU (10), Colorado (11), at BYU (13), Houston (15) and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State (16). ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ wouldn’t have to potentially face Oklahoma State, Kansas or Iowa State until the Big 12 championship game in Dallas.

Barring injuries at key positions, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ will be favored in most of its games this season, and if the Wildcats can withstand road tests at Kansas State, Utah and UCF in Orlando for the “Space Game,â€� they have a path to the Big 12 title game — and the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

Beyond this season, deep-pocketed boosters and alumni and powerful NIL collectives will likely have an influence on that.

Can T-Mac stamp legacy with record-breaking season?

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ star receiver Tetairoa McMillan enters his third season as one of the top pass-catchers in college football with several All-American honors, and he’s arguably already the greatest player at the position in UA history.

McMillan, who will be one of four player representatives for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ at Big 12 Media Day, needs 1,248 yards this season to become the school’s all-time receiving yards leader, passing his current UA wide receivers coach, Bobby Wade.

McMillan, along with longtime friend and teammate in quarterback Noah Fifita, who is also speaking at media day, lead an ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ offense that is expected to be amongst the most productive units this season. This season will most likely be McMillan’s last year before he becomes a likely first-round choice in the NFL Draft, which would be the second straight year a Wildcat was drafted in the first round.

In a one-on-one drill with cornerback Tacario Davis during spring practices, McMillan suffered a leg injury and “had a little procedureâ€� in April, “and we expect him back for the season,â€� according to Brennan. McMillan is now “moving along and progressing great,â€� ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s head coach recently told the Star. McMillan is expected to not have limitations at the start of training camp, which starts on July 30.

Is this season a make-or-break year for Colorado, Prime?

Despite a strong start, the “Coach Prime� sizzle at Colorado under head coach Deion Sanders tapered off last season, and the Buffaloes finished 4-8.

In his second season at the helm, Sanders revamped Colorado’s roster with Louis Vuitton luggage — err, players from the transfer portal to surround his two star assets in son and star quarterback Shedeur Sanders and CU two-way star Travis Hunter, who both transferred with Prime from Jackson State last year.

Both Sanders and and Hunter will enter the NFL Draft after this season. It will also be the last year for the older Sanders’ other son, free safety Shilo Sanders, .

After adding 42 transfers this offseason, including nine offensive linemen, plus five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, Colorado will either contend for a bowl game or continue to be all sizzle and no steak.

Is Fifita the most underrated QB in the conference?

Fifita had the third-most passing yards last season among current Big 12 quarterbacks behind Oklahoma State’s Alan Bowman and Sanders.

Fifita, who was also the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and Football Writer’s Association of American National Offensive Freshman of the Year, concluded his first season as ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s starter with 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 72.4% of his pass attempts. The Huntington Beach, California native is the only UA quarterback in program history to complete over 70% of his passes in a season.

Fifita went 7-2 as ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s starter, and led the Wildcats on a seven-game winning streak to end the season; the two losses to Washington and USC were by a combined nine points.

Although Fifita didn’t earn preseason All-Big 12 honors, he’s earned Heisman Trophy odds. He has the second-highest odds (+4,000) amongst Big 12 quarterbacks behind Kansas’ Jalon Daniels.

Will the Big 12 continue to grow?

UA president Robert C. Robbins lauded Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, who will hold a news conference at Allegiant Stadium on Tuesday at 10 a.m., last year for his “very aggressiveâ€� approach with adding ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and other schools to the Big 12.

Will the Big 12 continue to add more schools beyond this year?

.“We explore every and all opportunity to create value for our members, for our student-athletes,� Yormark said in May. “It’s what we’ve been doing since I on-boarded and we’ll continue to have that mindset.�

Yormark added: “I’ve said from Day 1, we are open for business. I guess you could say that we are open for business now more than ever before.�

Will ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s new-look defense complement the offense?

Good news and bad news for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s defense.

The good news: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ returns most of its defensive secondary, including potential first-round draft choice Tacario Davis and safety Gunner Maldonado, who will attend Big 12 Media Day. Preseason All-Big 12 linebacker Jacob Manu, who will also be in Las Vegas this week, leads an ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ defense that will have a similar 4-2-5 base scheme under first-year defensive coordinator Duane Akina, who was a defensive backs assistant under former play-caller Johnny Nansen.

The bad news? ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ will have to replace nine scholarship defensive linemen a year after the Wildcats used the transfer portal to bolster the front-six unit and boost ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s defense to a consistent run-stopper.

In addition to multiple rising defensive linemen, including likely starter Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, the Wildcats added seven defensive linemen in the transfer portal. If ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s defensive line can complement the rest of the defense — and ultimately the rest of the team, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ could double-down on another double-digit win season.