It seems we have a clear favorite in the Big 12 this fall. The Oklahoma Sooners, fresh off a Sugar Bowl suplex of Alabama, the 2014 SEC media favorite, were named the preseason favorite by the media. The Sooners received 47 out of 56 first-place votes to run away with the preseason voting.
The defending Big 12 champions, Baylor, received the other nine first-place votes and finished second in the preseason media poll. Oklahoma has emerged as a favorite because 20 starters return from the Sugar Bowl championship roster, but Baylor still has the preseason Offensive Player of the Year with quarterback Bryce Petty. Baylor actually had more preseason All-Big 12 players named by the media as well, with seven compared to Oklahoma’s four.
Kansas State is once again expected to be a thorn for Big 12 contenders though. The Wildcats were picked to finish third in the Big 12, followed by Texas and Oklahoma State to round out the top half of the conference.
Here is the how the preseason media voting was tabulated, according to the Big 12;
School (first-place votes) - total points
1. Oklahoma (47) - 548
2. Baylor (9) - 508
3. Kansas State - 377
4. Texas - 376
5. Oklahoma State - 312
6. Texas Tech - 308
7. TCU - 297
8. West Virginia - 170
9. Iowa State - 121
10. Kansas - 63