K-State picked to finish 6th in preseason Big 12 football poll, KU 10th

The results are in. The Big 12 announced its preseason football poll on Thursday, and the voters have mixed thoughts on Kansas State.

The Wildcats were picked to finish sixth in the conference standings this season by media who regularly cover the league, but two of the poll’s 52 voters ranked them first. Only Oklahoma, which was picked to repeat as Big 12 champion, received more first-place votes.

K-State is coming off an 8-5 season in which it defeated UCLA at the Cactus Bowl. The Wildcats return the majority of their starters on offense this season. But with two new coordinators, uncertainty at quarterback and key starters to replace on defense, expectations vary for the Wildcats as September approaches.

That much can be said for the entire conference. Five different teams received first-place votes in the poll. Oklahoma led the way with 46, West Virginia and K-State both received two, and TCU and Texas each got one.

The Sooners were the obvious pick to win the league. West Virginia followed in second, while TCU was picked third and Texas fourth.

There was a noticeable dropoff in votes after the Longhorns, who received 370 points in the poll. Fifth-place Oklahoma State tallied 300 points and sixth-place K-State had 283.

Iowa State was picked to finish seventh. The Cyclones were followed by Texas Tech, Baylor and Kansas.

The Jayhawks seemed to be the only thing the voters could agree upon. All 52 voters picked KU to finish last.

The Big 12 preseason poll, and many other topics, will take center stage next week in Frisco, Texas, when the conference holds its annual media days.

The 2018 Big 12 Football Preseason Poll

1. Oklahoma (46) 509

2. West Virginia (2) 432

3. TCU (1) 390

4. Texas (1) 370

5. Oklahoma State 300

6. Kansas State (2) 283

7. Iowa State 250

8. Texas Tech 149

9. Baylor 125

10. Kansas 52

First place votes in parentheses.

This story was originally published July 12, 2018 at 2:30 PM.