See where KU placed in preseason poll of Big 12 beat writers

article image Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World
The Kansas football team huddles during their spring practice on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Lawrence.

The results of a recent Big 12 Conference football media poll, which included a beat writer from each of the Big 12’s 16 schools, were unveiled on Monday morning.

The writers predicted Texas Tech to repeat as league champion, as the Red Raiders garnered 14 of a possible 16 first-place votes, with second-place BYU receiving the other two. Arizona and Houston tied for third with a narrow lead over fifth-place Utah.

Kansas came in at 12th ahead of West Virginia, UCF, Colorado and Iowa State.

The league abolished its official poll prior to the 2025 season, creating an opportunity for unofficial rankings to assess the conference’s outlook in its place. This one was compiled by the Tulsa World.

Points were determined on a 16-15-14-13-12-11, etc., basis. Here’s the full order of predicted finishes, with total points and first-place votes in parentheses:

1. Texas Tech, 254 (14)

2. BYU, 239 (2)

T3. Arizona, 207

T3. Houston, 207

5. Utah, 198

6. TCU, 166

7. Arizona State, 161

8. Kansas State, 158

9. Oklahoma State, 124

10. Baylor, 88

11. Cincinnati, 85

12. Kansas, 79

13. West Virginia, 76

14. UCF, 68

15. Colorado, 40

16. Iowa State, 26

Here are the voters:

Eric Bailey, Tulsa World

Jason Batacao, The Salt Lake Tribune

Mike Casazza, EerSports (247Sports)

Jay Drew, Deseret News

Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

Michelle Gardner, The Arizona Republic

Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World

Ben Hutchens, Quad-City Times

Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

Leo Rivera, BuffStampede.com (On3)

Kellis Robinett, The Kansas City Star/The Wichita Eagle

Jason Scheer, WildcatAuthority.com (247Sports)

Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald

Scott Springer, The Cincinnati Enquirer

Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

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See where KU placed in preseason poll of Big 12 beat writers

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Written By Henry Greenstein and Big 12 beat writers

Henry is the sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as the KU beat writer while managing day-to-day sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (B.A., Linguistics) and Arizona State University (M.A., Sports Journalism). Though a native of Los Angeles, he has frequently been told he does not give off "California vibes," whatever that means.