The new era of the ten-team Big 12 will begin with a preseason #1 ranked team as Oklahoma sits atop the USA Today coaches’ poll, released on Thursday. The Sooners received 42 of 59 first place votes, with #2 Alabama receiving 13 of the remaining nods. #3 Oregon and #4 LSU split the other four first place votes, and Florida State rounds out the top five. The Big 12 has four other ranked teams, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M are #8 and #9, Missouri is pegged at #21, and Texas is #24 despite a 5-7 season a year ago.
