BYU Football Near Bottom Of 2023 Big 12 Preseason Media Poll
Jul 6, 2023, 12:21 PM | Updated: Jul 7, 2023, 9:46 am
BYU football coach Kalani Sitake is heading into his first year in a conference. The Big 12. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – The media that cover the Big 12 have low expectations for BYU football in its inaugural season.
On Thursday, the Big 12 Conference released the 2023 media preseason poll. BYU checked in at number 11 on the poll. The expectations from the Big 12 media are low for all four of the newcomers.
#BYU picked to finish 11th in 2023 Big 12 football season.#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/lfh4exIE8M
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) July 6, 2023
Despite being tabbed at No. 11, BYU was the second-highest Big 12 newcomer in the poll. The highest was UCF at No. 8, with Houston at No. 12, and Cincinnati at No. 13.
RELATED: Comparing Mitch Harper’s Big 12 Preseason Ballot To Final Media Poll
BYU football was picked to finish 11th
Going into the 14-team edition of the Big 12, the Texas Longhorns sit atop the preseason poll. Texas finished last season 8-5, but entering the third year under head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns look to have the most talented roster in the league.
It’s the first time since the Big 12 went to a division-less format that Texas is picked as the preseason favorite.
Texas wasn’t the only team to garner first-place votes. In total, six different teams received first-place nods. Those teams include defending Big 12 Champion Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, defending National Runner-Up TCU, and one first-place vote for Oklahoma State.
BYU finished last season with an 8-5 record to close out the Independence era for the Cougars. In an effort to build depth for year one in the Big 12, BYU hit the Transfer Portal hard, putting together a Top 20 transfer portal class, headlined by quarterback Kedon Slovis from Pitt and UNLV RB transfer Aidan Robbins.
Big 12 Media Days take place next week at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 12 and 13. BYU coach Kalani Sitake and players will speak to the media on July 12. The low expectations will likely be a hot topic for Sitake’s team.
2023 Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll
1. Texas (41 first-place votes)
2. Kansas State (14)
3. Oklahoma (4)
4. Texas Tech (4)
5. TCU (3)
6. Baylor
7. Oklahoma State
8. UCF
9. Kansas
10. Iowa State
11. BYU
12. Houston
13. Cincinnati
14. West Virginia
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on Twitter and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.
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