Going into its first season in the Big 12, BYU was predicted to finish near the bottom of its new conference.
BYU finished 11th out of 14 teams in the conference’s preseason poll. It was picked ahead of fellow newcomers Houston and Cincinnati. UCF, the fourth team to join the conference this year, was picked to finish eighth.
Texas will be favored to win the league by an overwhelming majority, receiving 41 first-place votes. The next closest was Kansas State, which finished with 14 votes.
TCU, the reigning regular season champion, came in at No. 5 after appearing in the national championship game in 2022. It received only three first place votes.
Big 12 Preseason Poll
1. Texas
2. Kansas State
3. Oklahoma
4. Texas Tech
5. TCU
6. Baylor
7. Oklahoma State
8. UCF
9. Kansas
10. Iowa State
11. BYU
12. Houston
13. Cincinnati
14. West Virginia
Other news and notes around the Big 12
• BYU had one representative on the preseason first-team all-conference list released earlier this week. Offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia made the cut. He is a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
• The preseason offensive player of the year was Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels. BYU will open conference play in Lawrence against Daniels in September.
• The Big 12 announced it will have an officiating alliance with the American, Mountain West and Southland Conferences to develop more of a “bench of officials.” This alliance will incorporate about 300 officials and help with uniform training and grading.
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