Here’s where KU and K-State were picked to finish in preseason Big 12 football poll
Preseason expectations have been set for Big 12 football.
The conference unveiled its media poll ahead of the 2023 season on Thursday, giving every team in the league extra motivation to either prove voters right or wrong.
Texas is the team that will enter the fall without any complaints. The Longhorns were picked to win the Big 12 heading into their final season as members of the conference. A grand total of 67 media members who regularly cover the league voted in the poll, and 41 of them gave their first-place vote to Texas.
Kansas State was a close second. The Wildcats received 14 votes for first place and edged out Oklahoma for the No. 2 spot in the poll.
That is more respect than K-State is accustomed to receiving in the preseason poll. It had never previously been picked to finish higher than third since the Big 12 eliminated divisions in 2011.
The Wildcats will try to defend their Big 12 championship this season.
Oklahoma (3), Texas Tech (4) and TCU (5) rounded out the top five, with each of them receiving multiple votes for first place. The only other first-place vote went to Oklahoma State, which was slotted in seventh.
It is rare for that many teams to receive consideration for first place, which suggests this could be a wide-open season for Big 12 teams.
The Kansas Jayhawks were picked in the middle of the pack. A day after quarterback Jalon Daniels was picked as preseason Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, his team was picked to finish ninth in the league standings.
KU came in above Iowa State, BYU, Houston, Cincinnati and West Virginia.
Big 12 Preseason Football Poll for 2023
1. Texas (41)
2. K-State (14)
3. Oklahoma (4)
4. Texas Tech (4)
5. TCU (3)
6. Baylor
7. Oklahoma State (1)
8. UCF
9. Kansas
10. Iowa State
11. BYU
12. Houston
13. Cincinnati
14. West Virginia
First place votes in parentheses.