We can't say it is football season just yet, but you can tell it is close. How, you ask? Media days have started. The SEC kicked things off earlier this week. The Big 12 takes the stage on Monday and Tuesday.

 

Conference media days are not the official start of the college football season, but they certainly tell us we're getting there.

 

Ahead of the official Big 12 gathering in Dallas, the league released the preseason poll, as selected by the media.

 

As I looked through the poll a couple of things surprised me.

 

1) TCU was the runaway choice to win the league. Someone voting for TCU to win the league isn't the surprise. The number of first place votes the Frogs received was. TCU had 32 first place votes to only 10 for Baylor.

 

It seems to me, on paper at least, that these teams should be more evenly matched. Both appear to be the class of the league, but both also have questions.

 

Baylor has questions on the offensive side of the ball, looking to replace quarterback Bryce Petty. TCU has questions on the defensive side looking to replace five starters.

 

Of course, if I was going to trust one coach/school to replace a quarterback and have success it would be Art Briles/Baylor. He's been there, done that.

 

And, if I was going to trust one coach/school to rebuild a defense and have success it would be TCU.

 

There isn't much doubt about TCU and Baylor being the preseason favorites in the league, I just thought the first place votes would be more evenly split.

 

2) Oklahoma picked third. Don't get me wrong. I'm not surprised the Sooners were picked third given what we know about TCU and Baylor. However, did you know this is the first time since 2000 that Oklahoma has not been chosen first or second in the preseason poll? That was the surprise. 

 

For the first time in nearly 15 years an Oklahoma team was picked to finish third. Think about that for a second. Wow.

 

We talk so much about Texas being the bell cow in this league, but in reality, Oklahoma is the program that has had the most long term, consistent success in the Big 12.

 

If, and it's a big if, OU can find consistent play at quarterback, look out for a talented Sooner team playing with a chip on its shoulder in an underdog role.

 

I thought the sixth place projection for West Virginia was about right. I could have seen the Mountaineers snagging the fifth spot ahead of Texas or slipping to seventh, just behind Kansas State.

 

In my mind, Texas (5th), WVU (6th), K-State (7th) and Texas Tech (8th) are basically interchangeable at this point. Until we see all of these teams on the field and get a sense for how much certain guys have improved, each of these four programs looks about the same. All have pieces you can really get behind and like, and all have major question marks.

 

Texas, WVU and K-State need a quarterback. It's pretty clear the landscape in college football dictates you must have an outstanding quarterback to be elite and play for championships.

 

Texas is searching, again, for someone to fill that role. West Virginia and K-State are hoping to replace guys that had very productive 2014 seasons. Uncertainty at the quarterback position leads to uncertainty in the polls. You see that reflected when it comes to each of those four programs.

 

Disclaimer: preseason polls are fun to discuss, but don't use them as stone cold locks. Look no further than last year. West Virginia was picked to finish eighth and ended up sixth. More impressively … TCU was picked seventh and not only tied for a conference championship, but came within a whisker of being one of college football's first Final Four participants.

 

The polls are fun to discuss this time of year and I do think they offer a quick snapshot into how each program is regarded. But, we know so many things will change once the actual season begins.

 

Hang in there … we're not there yet, but we're close. Practice opens for West Virginia in just a few weeks. Seven Saturdays from now it will be go time.

 

Do you think West Virginia's sixth place selection was too high, too low or just right? Leave a comment below or send me a tweet: @bradhowe07

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows top quarterback Skyler Howard, while junior running back Wendall Smallwood is in the second photo. Linebacker Nick Kwiatkowski will be one of the leaders on defenese, while Coach Dana Holgorsen, pictured below, is hoping to be in the mix for the Big 12 title despite being picked sixth by the media covering the league. Photos by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com.