Overview

• Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark abolished the league’s official preseason media poll to reduce reliance on often inaccurate forecasts.
• An anonymous On3.com poll of head coaches awarded Kansas State six first-place votes and identified Iowa State as the leading runner-up with seven selections.
• Tallying first- and second-place votes in the coaches’ survey projects a Kansas State vs Iowa State championship game on Dec. 6 in Arlington, Texas.
• A panel of experts from the Wichita Eagle and Kansas City Star ranked Arizona State as the conference’s preseason favorite in their media-driven standings.
• These parallel polls reflect the Big 12’s pivot toward performance-based assessments over traditional speculative rankings.