Here’s where Kansas and K-State were picked in the Big 12 preseason football poll
Media members who cover Big 12 football can agree on three things as the 2021 season approaches.
1. Oklahoma is once again favored to win a conference championship.
2. Iowa State is the team best positioned to dethrone the Sooners.
3. Kansas is the worst team in the league.
The Sooners yet again topped the preseason Big 12 football poll, which was released on Thursday, by receiving 35 first-place votes from 39 media voters. That made them the clear favorite to repeat as conference champions.
The Cyclones weren’t all that far behind them, though. Iowa State received four votes for first place and clearly distanced itself from third-place Texas.
It seems like there was quite a bit of disagreement on where to rank the next six teams, with Oklahoma State ranking fourth and TCU ranking fifth. But there was no debate at all on which team deserved to be picked last. That designation unanimously went to the Kansas Jayhawks, who were picked 10th by every single voter in the poll.
KU will face an uphill climb in Lance Leipold’s first season as coach.
The Kansas State Wildcats were picked to finish seventh, putting them not far behind sixth-place West Virginia but well ahead of eighth-place Baylor and ninth-place Texas Tech.
Expectations are mixed for K-State this season, as the Wildcats are looking to bounce back from a 4-6 campaign that ended with five consecutive losses. But Skylar Thompson is back to guide Chris Klieman’s offense as a “super senior.”
Big 12 football players and coaches will begin looking forward to the upcoming season in earnest next week when Big 12 Media Days begin on Wednesday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Big 12 Preseason Football Poll
1. Oklahoma (35)
2. Iowa State (4)
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma State
5. TCU
6. West Virginia
7. Kansas State
8. Baylor
9. Texas Tech
10. Kansas
This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Here’s where Kansas and K-State were picked in the Big 12 preseason football poll."