Under Fire: TCU Football Slips to 10th in Big 12 Preseason Poll Amidst Heavy Criticism

TCU will be driven to rebound this season after being ranked 10th in the Big 12 football media preseason poll. The Horned Frogs are projected to finish behind No. 7 West Virginia, No. 8 UCF, and No. 9 Texas Tech, but ahead of Colorado, Baylor, and BYU. This ranking follows a 5-7 season, which came after reaching the national championship game in 2022.

In response to last season’s underperformance, TCU coach Sonny Dykes hired Andy Avalos from Boise State to revamp the defense and actively recruited over 20 players through the transfer portal. Redshirt freshman Josh Hoover has shown potential, and the program is optimistic about his future. While TCU is ranked low, newcomer Utah topped the preseason poll, having gone 8-5 last season without their starting quarterback, Cam Rising. With Rising back for his final season, Utah is a strong contender for the conference championship. Kansas State, with one less first-place vote, is second, starting the Avery Johnson era. Oklahoma State, last year’s runner-up, is third, and Kansas is fourth. The preseason rankings will be a hot topic at the Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas on July 9-10. The full list is as follows:

1. Utah (20)
2. Kansas State (19)
3. Oklahoma State (14)
4. Kansas (5)
5. Arizona (3)
6. Iowa State
7. West Virginia
8. Central Florida
9. Texas Tech
10. TCU
11. Colorado
12. Baylor
13. BYU
14. Cincinnati
15. Houston
16. Arizona State