Big 12 Cancels Preseason Poll One Year After Arizona State, Picked 16th, Wins Conference

The Sun Devils certainly didn't make the Big 12's preseason poll look good.
Then-Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo and the Sun Devils shocked college football with its Big 12 championship.
Then-Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo and the Sun Devils shocked college football with its Big 12 championship. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

It's the end of an era in the Big 12.

The conference's athletic directors and coaches have decided to do away with the preseason poll, sources told Brett McMurphy of Action Network. The news comes just a year after the Arizona State Sun Devils, picked last in the preseason poll voted upon by media representatives and released in July of 2024, went on to capture the Big 12 championship with its 45-19 win over Iowa State (picked sixth) in Dec. 2024.

The Sun Devils certainly didn't forget the slight either, as then-running back Cam Skattebo mentioned the preseason poll in a postgame victory message following the Big 12 title game win.

Before Arizona State's stunner, the preseason poll had accurately predicted the Big 12 title winner in six of the previous eight polls.

But, clearly, the Big 12 didn't want to provide any more teams with bulletin board material after seeing what the Sun Devils accomplished.


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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.