The Big 12 dispensed with its preseason media poll this past week at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
A likely reason is last year the Arizona State Sun Devils were picked dead last yet finished in the College Football Playoff semifinal before losing in double overtime to Texas 39-31. Still, there was interest in coming up with a tally at Big 12 media days, so here you are for your speculative pleasure.
‘Unofficial’ Big 12 football media poll
Sixteen media members in attendance at The Star, each covering a different Big 12 team, produced the preseason poll.
Arizona State, with eight first-place votes, was the choice to repeat as champion. Texas Tech, Kansas State and Iowa State also received first-place votes.
Here is the poll, with first-place votes in parentheses and total points (16 points for first, 15 for second, etc.):
Comparison from previous polls
Last season, 5-7 (2-7) Utah was picked first, while 11-3 (7-2) Arizona State was projected 16th in the cellar. The Cincinnati Bearcats gave Arizona State one of its two conference losses last Oct.19 for Homecoming.
Now, the Sun Devils are the favorite. Texas Tech was picked ninth a year ago and finished 8-5 (6-3). With an influx of oil money, the Red Raiders are picked second. UC lost a 44-41 nailbiter in Lubbock last season playing without back-to-back 1,000-yard running back Corey Kiner after the first series of the game.
Oklahoma State was picked third last year after a 10-4 season in 2023 but was winless in the Big 12 in 2024. The Cowboys are 13th now, two notches below UC. Arizona was picked fifth last year, finished 4-8 (2-7) and is now projected 14th. Teams with new coaches brought up the “unofficial” rear with Rich Rodriguez and West Virginia and Scott Frost at UCF finishing 15th and 16th, respectively.
Perspective on Cincinnati Bearcats No. 11 slot
It’s actually better than last year’s No. 14 projection when four teams had worse Big 12 records (Utah, Arizona, UCF, Oklahoma State) and Houston (a 34-0 loser to UC) tied them at 3-6.
UC was No. 13 of 14 in the 2023 poll ahead of only West Virginia. Though picked last the Mountaineers finished 9-4 (6-3) that season and won a bowl game, proving again the inexact science of preseason polls.
Going by this season’s poll, UC will play away at Kansas, which is picked eighth, then host No. 4 Iowa State, and No. 16 UCF before going to No. 13 Oklahoma State. UC will host No. 5 Baylor, then travel to No. 6 Utah. No. 14 Arizona comes to Nippert along with No. 9 BYU with UC finishing the season in Fort Worth at No. 7 TCU.
Should you buy-in to the “unofficial” rankings, the Bearcats play four of the bottom teams, four picked in the middle of the pack and three just above that level.
Mathematically, it seems UC has a favorable schedule. In full disclosure, I picked UC ninth of 16 and logged Iowa State as the favorite. While preseason guessing may be fun, it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.
UC started 2-0 in 2023 and finished 3-9. The Bearcats were 5-2 last year and finished 5-7. Quite simply, the fourth quarter still counts and the Bearcats must improve in finishing games for this to be a successful season.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ‘Unofficial’ Big 12 media poll puts Cincinnati Bearcats football at No. 11 in 16-team league
Reporting by Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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