The Big 12 coaches casted their ballots for champion of the league and surprisingly several do not think Texas Tech will defend its crown.
LUBBOCK -- Big 12 Media Days signaled the imminent start of another exciting year of football in one of the nation's most competitive conferences.
Texas Tech was the center of attention for most of the stint, which was expected due to being reigning champions and from some other off-the-field issued that plagued the Red Raiders this offseason.
Despite the bitter clash between all parties involved, media days seemed to show more a return to focus on the actual games set to be played in just around a month or two.
Reports even indicated that the Big 12 and Texas Tech met ahead of the annual media event to attempt to work through their differences that were brought to a head by the Brendan Sorsby scandal.
Following a successful showing in Frisco, another grenade was thrown into the Big 12 landscape after On3 released the results of its Big 12 coaches preseason poll.
All 16 head coaches from around the conference cast their ballot for the Big 12 Championship Game and its eventual winner and the frontrunner came as somewhat of a surprise.
Nine of these coaches selected BYU as the presumptive champion for next season over Texas Tech, which ranked second with four votes to repeat.
While it is a new year and the dominance displayed by the Red Raiders cannot be factored into the decision making for this latest campaign, it is a little baffling that so many in the league are not buying into the hype.
Texas Tech undoubtedly lost several key pieces from its unforgettable run to the Big 12 title and spot in the Orange Bowl, such as Heisman-contending linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and the No. 2-overall pick in the NFL Draft in edge rusher David Bailey.
However, head coach Joey McGuire and company went to work in the offseason and brought in many new faces to reload the roster in another impressive transfer portal display.
The Red Raiders also retained quite a few strong parts, including Big 12 Championship MVP Ben Roberts and Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year A.J. Holmes Jr.
So, what is causing the hesitation from the rest of the coaches in the league to crown Texas Tech? Are they seeing something that no one else around the nation is or is it simply a case of not wanting to reward the Red Raiders for the alleged wrongdoings this offseason?
The latter seems more likely, but nothing is guaranteed for Texas Tech in its newfound role of the hunted rather than the hunter in the Big 12. BYU is a very potent squad that restores much of its roster that lost only two contests last year, which were both to the Red Raiders.
No matter who emerges as the other frontrunners in the conference, Texas Tech has a tough road ahead in pursuit of an achievement only done twice in conference history and it seems that it is not going to be getting much support from its league mates along the way.
