KU Jayhawks, K-State Wildcats both picked near top of Big 12 preseason football poll

Utah has been tabbed as the preseason favorite in the Big 12, but experts think both Kansas and K-State will have plenty to say about which football team finishes on top of the conference standings next season.

The Big 12 preseason poll, as voted on by media members who cover the league, was unveiled on Tuesday. The Utes will start out in pole position, but the Wildcats are right behind them at No. 2 with Oklahoma State checking in at No. 3 and then the Jayhawks and Arizona rounding out the top five.

Voters clearly have respect for all of those teams, as each of them received first-place votes.

Utah was picked to win the Big 12 during its first season in the conference by a narrow margin over K-State. The Utes received 20 first-place votes, while the Wildcats got 19. Oklahoma State received 14 votes for first place. Kansas got five and Arizona received three.

This is new territory for Kansas, which typically found itself near the bottom of the preseason poll before Lance Leipold arrived as coach.

For K-State, a No. 2 selection is yet another sign of the respect that the Wildcats have built up during their time under Chris Klieman.

Iowa State, West Virginia and UCF were the other teams picked in the top half of the preseason poll.

No. 9 Texas Tech, No. 10 TCU and No. 11 Colorado will be out to prove voters wrong this season. Teams expected to struggle are No. 12 Baylor, followed by BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and Arizona State.

The Big 12 is expected to announce its preseason team on Wednesday, ahead of media days next week in Las Vegas.

2024 Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll

1. Utah (20)

2. Kansas State (19)

3. Oklahoma State (14)

4. Kansas (5)

5. Arizona (3)

6. Iowa State

7. West Virginia

8. UCF

9. Texas Tech

10. TCU

11. Colorado

12. Baylor

13. BYU

14. Cincinnati

15. Houston

16. Arizona State

First-place votes in parentheses