Football: TCU picked tenth in 2024 Big 12 preseason media poll, place zero on All-Conference Team

Expectations are low for the Horned Frogs, coming off the 5-7 finish in 2023.

The Big 12 Conference revealed the results of the preseason media poll, individual awards, and all-conference player recognition on Tuesday ahead of next week’s Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas, NV. The TCU Horned Frogs were picked to finish tenth in the 16-team league, between Texas Tech and Colorado. The Utah Utes are projected to win the league in its first season as a conference member, earning 20 first-place votes

The TCU Horned Frogs were projected to finish in the bottom half of the league for the second time in the Sonny Dykes era. In 2022 TCU was projected to finish seventh in the ten-team league before finishing the regular season undefeated and winning the Fiesta Bowl CFP Semifinal; last season TCU was projected fifth in the 14-team league and fell short of bowl eligibility. A difficult conference slate is surely among the reasons why TCU is projected to struggle in 2024. In the nine-game conference schedule, TCU will play six teams projected ahead of the Frogs (Utah, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Arizona, UCF, and Texas Tech) and just three versus the teams projected at the bottom of the league (Baylor, Cincinnati, and Houston).

The Horned Frogs were also fully shut out of the 2024 Preseason All-Big 12 Team, as were Kansas State, Baylor, Houston, and Arizona State. The Oklahoma State Cowboys led the way with six All-Conference selections, including Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, running back Ollie Gordon II. Coach Prime placed three Colorado Buffaloes on the All-Big 12 preseason team, including Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, defensive back Travis Hunter. Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year went to UCF quarterback KJ Jefferson, the transfer from Arkansas whose first conference game of the season will be vs. TCU in Amon G. Carter Stadium on September 14th at 6:30 PM on FOX.

Ahead of the 2023 season, TCU placed four players on the Preseason All-Conference team, of which only Johnny Hodges returns for the Horned Frogs in 2024. The Big 12 Media Days event is to be held July 9-10 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. TCU is scheduled to hold its press conferences first thing on Tuesday morning; Head Coach Sonny Dykes will be joined in Vegas by QB Josh Hoover, TE Jack Bech, OT Mike Nichols, LB Namdi Obiazor, and DT Caleb Fox.