The Big 12 Media Preseason Poll is out, with plenty of surprises. The Big 12 doesn’t have the elite talent that the SEC or Big 10 have. However, they are perhaps the deepest conference in the Power Four. In other words, looking at the conference, there are realistically seven or eight teams who could find themselves competing for a Big 12 Championship at the end of the season.
Compare that to the SEC, where it will be Alabama, Texas, or Georgia, or the Big 10 with Ohio State, Michigan, and Oregon competing, and it’s clear to see why the Big 12 will be one of the most fun conferences to watch this upcoming season.
Here are three takeaways from the media poll.
1 – No Consensus Favorite
As mentioned, the Big 12 is deep this year without a favorite team to win. This was made very clear in the media poll where Big 12 media members, who are more in tune with what is going on in the conference than anyone else, couldn’t even agree on a favorite. In total, there were 41 voters in the poll, and this is how they voted for the top team:
- Utah – 20 (1st place votes)
- Kansas State – 19 (1st place votes)
- Oklahoma State – 14 (1st place votes)
- Kansas – 5 (1st place votes)
- Arizona – 3 (1st place votes)
Again, these are votes on who will win the conference, not who will play in the Big 12 Championship Game. If that had been included, it’s possible that Iowa State, West Virginia, and UCF would have also gotten votes. Not to mention, Colorado is a wildcard with the player talent to be up there.
The people have spoken… allow us to present the 2024 #Big12FB Media Preseason Poll 📊 pic.twitter.com/9JQw1J21Fv
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) July 2, 2024
2- The New Teams Are Spread Out All Over
Ideally, when a conference expands, it is best to have some parody among the teams. If all four teams were the top, it would be a bad look on the old conference members. If all the teams were at the bottom, it could send a message that the conference is downgrading overall. Seeing where the new teams from the Pac-12 line up, at least in the preseason, is a nice mix that suggests that the Big 12 got deeper overall, as opposed to necessarily becoming significantly better or downgrading.
Here is where each team finished:
- Utah – 1st
- Arizona – 5th
- Colorado – 11th
- Arizona State – 16th
One potential concern is that three of the four new teams from last year (BYU, Cincinnati, and Houston) are ranked 13th-15th. If the Big 12 wants to elevate itself, it would probably be best if these three teams aren’t all bunched up at the bottom at the end of the season.
3 – There Could be a Lot of Teams Around (.500) in Big 12 Play
Teams ranked 1-11 received more than 400 votes, meaning they are all respected. Typically, when looking at media polls, polls, and generals, a key indicator is when there is a big drop. When teams are close in points, voters tend to believe that two teams are around the same level of talent and, if playing each other twice, would likely split the games.
Outside of the top three teams, all above 800 points, teams 5-11 rank between 400 and 772 points, which seems like a huge difference. However, considering that if everyone agreed, the range would be 700 points, not 372, it’s a strong indication that there isn’t a clear order in this part of the conference.
When looking at wins and losses, this range suggests that teams 5-11 will likely finish with conference records ranging from 4-5 to 6-3. Throw in the non-conference games, and there could be a lot of Big 12 teams going to bowl games with 6-8 wins.
