Where Texas has placed in the Big 12 preseason poll since 2011

Texas, on the strength of an 8-5 season in 2022, a bevy of solid returning starters, a handful of bona fide stars and back-to-back strong recruiting classes, is ranked atop the Big 12 Conference’s preseason media poll that was released by the league office on Thursday.

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It’s the first time since 2009 that the Longhorns have been on top of the league’s poll as voted on by media representatives. It’s also the first time Texas has enjoyed the lofty spot since the Big 12 went to a divisionless format after Colorado left the conference following the 2011 season.

Texas’ ranking atop the 2023 preseason poll is its highest since it was ranked second prior to the 2019 season after its win over Georgia in the 2019 Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Since the conference eliminated divisions prior to the 2011 campaign, the Longhorns have been ranked third four times, fourth four times (including in 2022), and fifth three times.

The Longhorns, in their final season in the Big 12 before joining the Southeastern Conference, received 866 total points and 41 of the available 67 first-place votes in this year’s poll.

Kansas State, the defending Big 12 champion, was second in the poll with 858 points and 14 first place votes. Oklahoma (with 758 votes) and Texas Tech (729) were third and fourth. respectively, and each received four first-place votes. 

TCU, which won its semifinal game in the College Football Playoff last year and played in the Big 12 Championship Game and CFP National Championship Game, was fifth with 727 points and three first-place votes. Baylor garnered 575 points to place sixth while Oklahoma State tallied 470 points and the final first-place vote and landed seventh place. 

The remaining positions in order from eighth to 14^th were conference newcomer UCF (463 points), Kansas (461 points), Iowa State (334 points), conference newcomer BYU (318 points), newcomers Houston (215 points) and Cincinnati (202 points) and West Virginia (129 points).

The Longhorns have not won the Big 12 title since 2009; their best finish since that season (which culminated in a loss to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game in the Rose Bowl) is a second in the aforementioned 2018 campaign. 

Since 2009 Texas has finished third in the conference three times, fourth three times, sixth twice and seventh three times. The Longhorns also ended the 2010 season at the bottom of the South Division standings.

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Here’s a look at the preseason rankings, the champion and the Longhorns’ finishes since 2011:

2011

Picked: Fifth

No. 1 preseason team: Oklahoma

Conference champion: Oklahoma State

Texas finish: Sixth

2012

Picked: Third

No. 1 preseason team: Oklahoma

Conference champion: Oklahoma/Kansas State

Texas finish: Third

2013

Picked: Fourth

No. 1 preseason team: Oklahoma State

Conference champion: Baylor

Texas finish: Fourth

2014

Picked: Third

No. 1 preseason team: Oklahoma

Conference champion: Baylor/TCU

Texas finish: Sixth

2015

Picked: Fifth

No. 1 preseason team: TCU

Conference champion: Oklahoma

Texas finish: Seventh

2016

Picked: Fifth

No. 1 preseason team: Oklahoma

Conference champion: Oklahoma

Texas finish: Seventh

2017

Picked: Fourth

No. 1 preseason team: Oklahoma

Conference champion: Oklahoma

Texas finish: Fourth

2018

Picked: Fourth

No. 1 preseason team: Oklahoma

Conference champion: Oklahoma

Texas finish: Second

2019

Picked: Second

No. 1 preseason team: Oklahoma

Conference champion: Oklahoma

Texas finish: Third

2020

Picked: Third

No. 1 preseason team: Oklahoma

Conference champion: Oklahoma

Texas finish: Fourth

2021

Picked: Third

No. 1 preseason team: Oklahoma

Conference champion: Baylor

Texas finish: Seventh

2022

Picked: Fourth

No. 1 preseason team: Baylor

Conference champion: Kansas State

Texas finish: Third