(Un)Official Big Ten Media Poll released

Saunders

Saunders

Heisman Trophy Winner
The Big Ten will hold its two days of interviews and promotion in Chicago on Monday and Tuesday, and cleveland.com will be there. But this is the only preseason poll you'll get.

And it will probably be wrong.

This poll has never correctly picked the Big Ten champion in five tries. The Buckeyes got all 40 votes to win the league last year before Michigan State beat Iowa in the Big Ten Championship. The Hawkeyes, who went undefeated during the regular season, were picked fourth in the West in this poll a year ago.

Feel free to examine our other failures in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

This year, Michigan will at least challenge Ohio State in the East according to this poll. Voters were allowed to pick ties, and six of them did that for first-place in the East. The detailed East first-place breakdown went like this...

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2016/07/ohio_state_picked_to_win_big_t_1.html
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Here are the overall predicted rankings in the divisions, with point totals and first-place votes.

EAST

1. Ohio State 260.5 (31)

2. Michigan 241 (14)

3. Michigan State 195.5 (1)

4. Penn State 155.5

5. Indiana 110

6. Maryland 81.5

7. Rutgers 52

WEST

1. Iowa 265 (33)

2. Nebraska 206 (3)

3. Wisconsin 194.5 (2)

4. Northwestern 171.5 (1)

5. Minnesota 32 (1)

6. Illinois 76.5

7. Purdue 46.5
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saunders45 said:
Here are the overall predicted rankings in the divisions, with point totals and first-place votes.

EAST

1. Ohio State 260.5 (31)

2. Michigan 241 (14)

3. Michigan State 195.5 (1)

4. Penn State 155.5

5. Indiana 110

6. Maryland 81.5

7. Rutgers 52

WEST

1. Iowa 265 (33)

2. Nebraska 206 (3)

3. Wisconsin 194.5 (2)

4. Northwestern 171.5 (1)

5. Minnesota 32 (1)

6. Illinois 76.5

7. Purdue 46.5
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Iowa is getting over 80% of the vote in the West, while we get less than 10%. Interesting.

I would think that Minny (@PSU, @MD, Rut) has a better chance to win the West than either NW (@MSU, @OSU, Ind) or Wisc (@Mich, @MSU, OSU) just due to the schedule.

 
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Pretty tame picks, especially in the West. I'm surprised at the gap between Iowa and NU. For my money, NU has been the most talented team in our division since we've joined this conference. If Armstrong and Langsdorf/Riley can get on same page, we should be good enough to win this division despite other deficiencies.

 
I definitely think we are capable of winning our division but I can't really argue with any of the picks. Just picking us ahead of Wisconsin isn't bad on their parts.

 
Northwestern is due for a regression this year. They had a favorable schedule last year, and they got lucky in a few wins (NU, Wisconsin, and Penn State). They should have been a 3-5 or 4-4 team in conference last year, and I expect them to be near the bottom of the West division this year.

 
In the East Division there were 46 first place votes

In the West Division there were 40 first place votes

Interesting

 
ColoradoHusk said:
Northwestern is due for a regression this year. They had a favorable schedule last year, and they got lucky in a few wins (NU, Wisconsin, and Penn State). They should have been a 3-5 or 4-4 team in conference last year, and I expect them to be near the bottom of the West division this year.
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They will regress record wise but they will be competitive. Better on offense for sure. Thorson and Jackson are back, and Justin Jackson btw might be the most under rated RB in the country.

 
Coach Power'T said:
ColoradoHusk said:
Northwestern is due for a regression this year. They had a favorable schedule last year, and they got lucky in a few wins (NU, Wisconsin, and Penn State). They should have been a 3-5 or 4-4 team in conference last year, and I expect them to be near the bottom of the West division this year.
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They will regress record wise but they will be competitive. Better on offense for sure. Thorson and Jackson are back, and Justin Jackson btw might be the most under rated RB in the country.
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I am just not very high on Northwestern. If you look at their record the past 20 years, they spike for 1 season, and then fall back for the next 2-3 seasons. Fitzgerald is a good coach, but I wonder when he's going to leave NW for a big payday. I know that NW is his alma mater, and it may be his dream job. But, one of these years, he's going to get offered a huge contract from a big school or NFL job. Once Fitz leaves, I don't see NW remaining "competitive" in the Big Ten.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Northwestern_Wildcats_football_seasons

 
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I'm honestly wondering how anybody could pick Minnysoda to win the West. That tells me 1 person is either a Gopher homer or they expect everyone else to completely sh#t the bed.

 
saunders45 said:
IMO, the west comes down to the last weekend, and divisional tiebreakers.
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I'm with you. Black Friday and the following Saturday should provide plenty of relevance and entertainment.

Still, Nebraska has major questions on both lines and near complete secondary returning off a woeful prior season. These position groups need to should major strides coming out of the off-season and through the non-conference games before anyone should expect a birth to Indy. Husker Nation should leave the engine revving but left in neutral until after the Oregon game.

 
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This is exactly what I was thinking. I wouldn't be surprised to see them finish 4th or 5th in the division.

 
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