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Big 12 Football: Media picks Oklahoma Sooners to repeat as Big 12 champions

By Matthew Bartlett

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 02: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners throws a pass against the Auburn Tigers during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 2, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 02: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners throws a pass against the Auburn Tigers during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 2, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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In an unsurprising announcement, the media picked the Oklahoma Sooners to repeat as the Big 12 football champions, although it may be a closer race in 2017.

The talent gap between the machine that Bob Stoops built and the rest of the conference is significant. Yes, Bob Stoops has retired, but it’s still his roster that will take the field on Saturdays this fall. Lincoln Riley will undoubtedly be the central storyline in the conference. Whether or not he has what it takes to lead the program on his own remains to be seen.

That hesitancy made the voting results closer than might have been expected. The Oklahoma State Cowboys finished 10-3 in 2016 (or 11-2 depending who you ask). Oklahoma went undefeated in conference play in 2016, but finished 11-2. The race was going to be a lot tighter this year, regardless of who is the head coach in Norman.

2017 Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll

RankTeamFirst Place VotesPoints
1Oklahoma19303
2Oklahoma State12294
3Kansas State1231
4Texas–213
5TCU–202
6West Virginia–183
7Baylor–129
8Texas Tech–85
9Iowa State–83
10Kansas–37

After the two Oklahoma schools, the rest of the conference can be split into  two further tiers. Kansas State, Texas, TCU and West Virginia all have enough returning pieces to contend for a Big 12 championship. If they can get the right breaks (or find a way to play consistent defense) any of those four schools could find their way into the Big 12 Championship Game.

Next: 5 reasons why Oklahoma will repeat as Big 12 champs

At the bottom of the barrel is Baylor, Texas Tech, Iowa State and Kansas. The Jayhawks beat the Longhorns last year, and they’ll be improved this season. But they still have a long way to go. Head coach David Beaty will have all the time he needs to build the Kansas program. However, Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech could be in hot water if the season goes like the media expects. But when in the world does that ever happen?

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