NCAAF teams
Brandon Chatmon, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

2014 co-champ TCU picked over Baylor as Big 12 favorite

TCU Horned Frogs, Baylor Bears, Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas Longhorns, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Kansas Jayhawks, Iowa State Cyclones, West Virginia Mountaineers, Kansas State Wildcats

TCU is the runaway favorite to win the Big 12.

The conference released its preseason poll, voted on by the media, on Thursday, with TCU earning 32 first-place votes to sit atop the ranking.

The Horned Frogs finished 12-1 (8-1 Big 12) last year to earn a share of the conference title, ending the season with a 42-3 blowout win over Ole Miss in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl after missing out on a bid to the College Football Playoff. TCU is led by senior quarterback Trevone Boykin, the preseason offensive player of the year and an early Heisman candidate, but has to replace several defensive stars, including 2014 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Paul Dawson.

Baylor, which went 11-2 (8-1) and joined TCU as 2014 co-champions, got 10 first-place votes in the preseason poll. The Bears won the head-to-head meeting last year, knocking off the Horned Frogs 61-58 in October. They return preseason defensive player of the year Shawn Oakman, a senior defensive end, and standout senior offensive tackle Spencer Drango but must replace star quarterback Bryce Petty.

Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas round out the top half of the poll.

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