With the 2024 Big 12 Media Days less than a week away, the Conference released the results of the preseason media poll on Tuesday, giving us a first look at how things are expected to play out in the new-look league.
According to the people covering the conference, there appear to be three teams who should be taken seriously as contenders to win the league. Of the 61 first-place votes cast, 53 of them went to either Utah, Kansas State, or Oklahoma State.
Here’s a look at the poll’s results, courtesy of the Big 12 Conference.
Utah (906 points) was picked to win the league with 20 first-place votes, just beating out Kansas State (889), who received 19 votes to finish as the league’s champion.
Oklahoma State (829) was picked to finish third with 14 first-place votes. The Pokes are coming off a second-place finish in the league and return the vast majority of their production from a season ago, including star RB Ollie Gordon.
Kansas (772) checked in at No. 4 in the polls with five first-place votes, while Arizona (762) was just behind them at No. 5 with the final three votes to finish atop the league.
Iowa State (661), West Virginia (581), and UCF (551) are the next three teams at seven through nine in the polls, while Texas Tech (532) and TCU (436) round out the Top 10.
Colorado (400) checks in at No. 11 in Deion Sanders’ second year, and then we see a steep dropoff in points with Baylor (268) at No. 12. BYU (215), Cincinnati (196), and Houston (157) are the next three teams listed, with Arizona State (141) being picked to finish in last place.
Big 12 Media Days will be held on Monday, July 8 and Tuesday July 9 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Eight teams will be represented on Day 1, with Arizona State, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, and Utah reporting on Monday. Meanwhile, Arizona, Baylor, BYU, UCF, Colorado, Houston, Kansas, and West Virginia will be in attendance on Day 2.
