Oklahoma State picked to come in second in Big 12

The media is predicting that Oklahoma will win their sixth straight Big 12 Championship this fall with Oklahoma State coming in second. Ever since the Big 12 dropped to 10 members, OU has been picked to win the league title eight of 10 years.

OU coach Lincoln Riley has a 12-2 record for each of the last three years, including an 0-3 record in the College Football Playoff. In that same period, Riley’s Sooners are 27-3 in Big 12 play.

OU got 80 of 90 first-place votes and 888 points overall. OSU had six first-place votes and 742 overall points. Then it was Texas (727 points), Iowa State (607 points), Baylor (489 points), TCU (477 points), Kansas State (366 points), West Virginia (287 points), Texas Tech (267 points) and Kansas (100 points).

Should Oklahoma win, it would be the 14th championship for the Sooners in the 25 years of the Big 12 Conference. OU was formerly in the Big 8 Conference, which essentially merged with the old Southwest Conference.

OU has 16 returning starters from last year’s team that beat Baylor 30-23 in the Big 12 Championship in Arlington, Texas, and finished in the top-10 of the AP and coaches polls.

On offense, OU returns All Big 12 picks Creed Humphrey (center), Adrian Ealy (offensive tackle) and wideout Charleston Rambo. OU has five offensive linemen who started at least eight games returning. Running back Kennedy Brooks, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards during his first two years, returns as does tight end/H-back Jeremiah Hall.

OU lost quarterback Jalen Hurts (drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles) and All American wideout CeeDee Lamb (drafted in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys).

OU returns eight defensive starters, including All-Big 12 defensive end Ronnie Perkins. Other returnees include defensive tackle LaRon Stokes, linebackers DaShawun White and Nik Bonitto and defensive backs Tre Brown, Pat Fields, Brendan Radley-Hiles and Delarrin Turner-Yell.

Also returning is preseason All-Big 12 kicker Gabe Brkic, the only kicker in the nation last year to convert all of point-after- attempts (69 for 69) and field goal attempts. Punter  Reeves Mundschau also is back.

This is the second time in the past four seasons OSU was voted in the top two of the preseason rankings, and the third time in the past five years they have been picked to finish third or better.                                            

OSU also got six first-place votes in the poll, which is voted on by  media who cover the league.

The top two finishers in the standings will play in the Big 12 Football Championship Game on December 5 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Big 12 Preseason Prediction

  1. Oklahoma  
  2. Oklahoma State
  3. Texas          
  4. Iowa State
  5. Baylor         
  6. TCU
  7. Kansas State          
  8. West Virginia
  9. Texas Tech 
  10. Kansas